Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Freedom is almost at the door. The upcoming expansion for Red’s 2020 open-world action RPG from CD Projekt will be released on September 26. Not only does it promise a new campaign set in a location called Dogtown (along with a new character played by Idris Elba named Solomon Reed), but also a slew of redesigns of the game’s core systems with Update 2.0. A new trailer to be revealed at Gamescom 2023 on Tuesday sheds more light on the latest additions Cyberpunk 2077including additional weapons, a new skill tree and revamped vehicular combat.
What’s new in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
The Gamescom 2023 trailer offered a look at several new weapons, including the ‘Osprey’ and ‘Rasetsu’ sniper rifles, a shiny red katana, a new flamethrower weapon called the ‘Hercules’, and a new category of ‘illegal’ custom weapons, including shotguns , pistols and submachine guns.
Image: CD Project Red
Aside from the new story campaign and weapons, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Freedom launches alongside Update 2.0, which introduces a free overhaul of the game’s core mechanics whether or not you Phantom freedom or not. These revisions include a new cyberware system, which correlates V’s armor stats to your equipped cyberware rather than your clothing. This offers a greater degree of expression in addition to stat-based boosts and debuffs depending on your layout; a new perks system that introduces the ability to deflect bullets, run in the air, and a variety of finishing moves; and an all-new skill tree linked to the Relic chip embedded in V’s body, which only further enhances your various skills.
Image: CD Project Red
Another welcome addition in the trailer is the introduction of a brand new vehicular combat system, allowing V to ride a shotgun while in transit and hack into nearby vehicles to deliver carnage to any attackers. The introduction of vehicular combat is accompanied by an overhaul of the game’s ‘wanted’ system, allowing different levels of the NCPD to give chase until they finally throw the big guns at you: the heavily armored and very deadly MaxTac Psycho Squad.
When the news first broke Phantom freedom would be the first and only planned expansion Cyberpunk 2077, it was a disappointment to many fans of the game, including myself. Have a deeper understanding of how how Phantom freedom will expand and fundamentally reshape the game, but makes it clear why CD Projekt Red puts so much time into one expansion before moving forward with the future of the franchise.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Freedom and Update 2.0 will be released on September 26 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Windows PC.