Whether playing through Cyberpunk 2077 for the first or thousandth time, picking the right lifepath is always an important decision. Choosing between the powerful Corpo, the free-spirited Nomad, or the sensible Street Kid doesn’t have any obvious consequences for essential gameplay elements, like a character’s stats or skills. However, it has the potential to affect the overall experience in ways that are easy to miss.
Choosing a certain lifepath won’t massively influence the gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077 itself, but it will have an impact on the protagonist, V, and their character arc. All three options eventually lead into the same main storyline, including in the Phantom Liberty DLC, and they have no influence on any of the story’s most significant aspects, such as romance options or Cyberpunk 2077‘s various endings. Nonetheless, they each provide unique flavor to a character, with different prologues, dialogue options, and side missions – some of which can be better suited to a player’s preferences over others.
The Nomad Lifepath Is The Most Approachable In Cyberpunk 2077
Nomad Is Best For First-Time Players
As a Nomad in Cyberpunk 2077, V grew up in the Badlands, the arid and empty desert surrounding Night City. In the prologue, they are depicted to have originally been a part of a clan – but due to group conflicts, V has abandoned them at the start of the game’s events. Now, they’re hoping for a new beginning in the city. After smuggling contraband across the border with Jackie Welles, V finds themselves lost in the big city, but they’re eager to make a name for themselves in their new home alongside their partner in crime.
This intro sequence is the most high-octane and disorienting of the three, and for this reason, it’s actually the best option for newcomers just getting into Cyberpunk 2077. As the only prologue that involves combat, the Nomad lifepath offers a head start on V’s gun-slinging skills (as well as a peek into the new, hostile environment, without any sugarcoating). It might seem counter-intuitive to jump directly into the action, but this actually makes it easier to grasp the ropes of Night City more effectively. This comfortable progression of knowledge will feel most natural when picking up the game for the first time.
Nomad V has unique dialogue options that reflect their extensive survival education, Badlands know-how, and inexperience with city life. These come up in many different places throughout the game, but they create some especially fascinating interactions during Panam’s mission line. Panam is a Nomad outcast herself, a former member of the Aldecaldos clan. While she’s had many of the same experiences as Nomad V, she’s also been in Night City a lot longer. As an outcast, Panam might provoke some suspicion from V on their first meeting. However, they can eventually come to a better understanding of each other as a result of their shared past.
Moving forward throughout Cyberpunk 2077, V will slowly gain context and learn how to keep their head above the water. Later in the game, Nomads also get exclusive access to the side quest called “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” in which V has a chance to recover the vehicle they abandoned during the prologue. Being able to collect a vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 for free may not be exclusive to the Nomad lifepath, but it’s hardly grounds for complaint; this extra perk helps make Nomad a great path even for a second or third playthrough of the game.
The Street Kid Lifepath Is The Most Immersive In Cyberpunk 2077
Street Kid Is Best For Roleplayers
On the other hand, choosing the Street Kid lifepath for V means that they were Night City born and raised. V spent the majority of their life in the slums of the city until they eventually decided to head to Atlanta, in hopes of making a better life for themselves there. However, for reasons unknown, this didn’t quite work out as planned, and in the prologue, they have freshly returned to their hometown, Heywood. After escaping a sticky situation with their newfound accomplice Jackie, they decide to band together on their shared mission to become famous mercenaries in Night City.
Although this lifepath arguably has the least influence on gameplay, it creates the most believable story by far, making it a solid pick for players who enjoy roleplaying in immersive open-world experiences. Because of their upbringing, Street Kid V is extremely familiar with the ins and outs of city life, and thus fits right into the mercenary role they’ve taken on. Many Street-Kid-specific dialogue options reflect this as well, providing additional details and lore about the player’s situation. This makes it easy to learn more about influential figures, the territories and rivalries of the game’s various gangs, and all-around street etiquette.
Starting as a Street Kid can also help V keep their cool in difficult situations. When guns are drawn and threats are made, Street Kid V knows just what to say to keep heads cool. This can lead to better outcomes in certain encounters, like the Phantom Liberty scene where Jacob and Taylor walk in on V and President Myers’ hideout.
All three lifepaths eventually lead to V becoming a mercenary and making a name for themselves in Night City. While a Nomad or a Corpo could certainly achieve this, it makes the most sense that someone more experienced with the city would have the most success. However, the Street Kid lifepath doesn’t have any exclusive missions, unlike Nomad and Corpo. Still, having a character start from the bottom and finally work their way up makes for a feel-good story, even if it doesn’t always get a satisfying conclusion. Street Kid V can meet with a tragic fate in certain endings, especially the new ending added by the Phantom Liberty DLC.
Corpo Lifepath Is The Most Influential In Cyberpunk 2077
Corpo Is Best For Repeat Players
The Corpo lifepath conversely starts out with V near the top of the food chain. The prologue depicts V as a corporate shark, working high up on the Arasaka ladder. After a dangerous assignment from their boss turns sour, Corpo V loses their job (almost losing their life in the process, too). With nothing left, they are forced to adapt to their new environment. Longtime friend Jackie is able to help them up on their feet, and they quickly become one of Night City’s very own corp-haters.
While this may initially sound like the most boring set-up of the three, Corpo is actually the most exhilarating lifepath, and the best choice for veteran playthroughs. Not only is this entanglement with the Arasaka Corporation immensely entertaining, but this lifepath also maintains that same intensity throughout the rest of Cyberpunk 2077. Despite their downfall as a former Corpo, V still holds an inherent power advantage over most Night City residents. Corpo V can use their knowledge of the business world and manipulative interpersonal strategies to identify when they’re being taken advantage of, haggle better rewards for jobs, and even directly influence the way some quests play out.
Perhaps one of the most powerful instances of this is during the “Gimme Danger” quest line. Corpo V can speak to a nervous guard outside Arasaka Industrial Park and pretend to be a “counterintel” agent. The use of language only a Corpo would know helps convince the guard to let V waltz into the park, allowing them to completely bypass security without using a stealth build in Cyberpunk. Making a noticeable difference in how certain situations play out, the Corpo lifepath is a great way to get a different angle than Street Kids or Nomads have, one with far more access to Night City’s most exclusive areas.
The Corpo lifepath also unlocks the unique side job “War Pigs” later on in Cyberpunk‘s campaign. After completing the main quest “Never Fade Away,” V gets a call from Frank Nostra, an old friend from Arasaka. Depending on how the mission proceeds, V might be able to pick up a nice little Iconic weapon: the Apparition tech pistol. However, this isn’t a unique weapon. It can always be purchased later from Herold Lowe, a weapons dealer at the EBM Petrochem Stadium during the Phantom Liberty DLC.
Cyberpunk 2077‘s lifepaths may not necessarily be game-changers, but they each have defining qualities that make them uniquely appealing. Nomad is the friendliest option for beginners, Street Kid is the most effective for role-playing purposes, and Corpo offers a more unique experience for those who have played the game before. Choosing a lifepath is only the start of the journey, but this added variability provides yet another layer of immersion in Cyberpunk 2077.
