Non-lethal combat in Cyberpunk 2077 is an underexplained (and undeveloped) mechanic that has a lot more to it than people might expect. However, this is both a positive and a negative for the game in different ways. This guide will explain the actual ramifications of playing through the game non-lethally.

A non-lethal gameplay system does exist in Cyberpunk 2077. That said, it is clear that this system was not fully realized and used to have an impact on the story. It still works, and you can go through most of the game by not killing people. Furthermore, there are features related to non-lethal combat. Regardless, the decision to play non-lethal is merely an aesthetic decision.

Updated February 6, 2022 by Anton Charpentier: CD Projekt Red has yet to improve the functionality of Non-Lethal gameplay, and it is unlikely that they will overhaul this entire system. It has been over a year since the launch of Cyberpunk 2077, and it has been a bumpy one. Several patches have fixed many bugs and increased stability across all platforms. Although, you might want to wait until the next generation console editions of the Cyberpunk 2077 release coming in 2022. With all of that context added, new players still want to know the options for non-lethal combat. This guide has been updated to reflect the current state of Cyberpunk 2077. And trace out the limits of non-lethal combat in a more streamlined fashion.

How Can You Tell If Someone Is Dead Or Alive?

There are a couple of ways to tell if an enemy is still alive. Sometimes it’s as obvious as seeing them move around or breathe, but sometimes it is hard to tell. The best and most obvious solution to finding out if an enemy is living or dead is to pull out a weapon and hover the reticle over them. If the reticle turns red, they’re among the living. If not, they must have died either by your hand or some other cause. The last method, which is best for when V needs to knock out someone from afar, is to scan them with V’s optics since your scanner will specify whether the target is currently alive or dead.

Do Unconscious Enemies Wake Up In Cyberpunk 2077?

Unconsciousness and how it works varies from game to game. In some games, enemies are only unconscious for a few seconds, in others, it is longer, and in a few of them, such as the Metal Gear Solid games, they are out until one of their allies wakes them up. Cyberpunk is a bit of a unique case, as its unconscious enemies might as well be in a permanent comatose because they will never wake up again.

Once an enemy hits the floor, you can feel safe knowing they won’t wake up. And no matter how tough the enemy is, once they are unconscious, all it takes is one hit/shot to finish them off, even with a non-lethal weapon. Hitting an enemy while they are unconscious will kill them. So, even though they look dead, they can technically take damage. So be careful interacting with these unconscious enemies.

Going Non-Lethal Does Not Impact The Story

The biggest problem with Non-Lethal combat in Cyberpunk is that it does not matter. Even in the Gigs, where V’s Fixer tells you not to kill the target, the only thing that changes if you manage to keep them alive is the number of credits at the end. And, if you make sure not to shoot the target in a way that would kill them, they’re likely to get knocked out anyway, even with lethal weapons. It’s a shame, but Pacifist vs. Lethal playthroughs of Cyberpunk 2077 is virtually the same experience. Just look at the whole Panam x Nash side mission. If you kill Nash or leave him alive, Panam still talks like he’s dead, and he never shows back up again. So it does not matter at all, aside from the canon inside your head.

It should be noted that there is one questline where killing does affect the outcome. This questline is called Psycho Killer, where you need to capture civilians who have Cyberpsychosis. Going non-lethal in this questline will increase the rewards for defeating the Cyberpsychos. There is not much of a story for the Cyberpsyhcos. Instead, they are more like occasional boss fights sprinkled through the campaign. Whether you want to play non-lethal or not, it is worth going the non-lethal route for this questline. And going non-lethal is easier than you would think.

Everything You Need To Know About Non-Lethal Weapons

You can become a non-lethal knock-out machine with the right Cyberware. That is right, turning non-lethal on or off is easy as long as you have the right mod, such as:

  • Target Analysis: An Optics Cyberware mod is the primary method of turning lethality on and off, as equipping it renders all V’s weapons non-lethal. Pax: A mod used for non-lethal options on a more individual scale. You equip it to make a specific weapon non-lethal. This mod is only helpful for Cyberpsycho missions but still nice to have as an option. Tranquilizer & Chemical Arm Mods: Even the Arm Cyberware has non-lethal options, such as how the Projectile Launch System has Tranquilizer Rounds.

Though because of how buggy Cyberpunk 2077 is, even using these mods isn’t a guaranteed method of non-lethal combat, but it’s the best option you’ve got. At the very least, if things go wrong, the result can be used as another addition to the never-ending slew of hilarious Cyberpunk memes. These Cyberware mods are a perfect option for those who want to play through the game and not worry about killing people. Also, it magically makes every weapon non-lethal, despite some of them being very deadly.

Certain Weapons Are Default Non-Lethal

While it’s nice that you’re able to force a weapon into non-lethality with an eyeball modification, the process is a bit easier for melee weapons or elemental damage. For example, all blunt weapons are non-lethal, and V’s fists are non-lethal as well. These weapons are extra useful once you can afford the Gorilla Arms, as they’ll make it easier to knock someone out with fewer punches. A word of warning, as soon you hit someone that is already unconscious, they die, so watch those mach speed punches.

Benefits Of Going Non-Lethal

Shorter Takedown Animations

There is a variety of animations that play out during melee combat. The type of animation that plays depends on what weapons V is using or if you manage to cut off a limb. Mantis Blades, in particular, have a Kill Animation associated with them that annoyed many of you stealth-loving players, as it triggers way too often, especially with aerial assassinations. This animation would typically be fine, but the fact that you’re not invincible during this animation makes it highly impractical to use Mantis Blades. Thankfully, by using Target Analysis, these animations, for the most part, are essentially turned off, which makes sense since most of them involve V slicing/beating people into a bloody mess.

Non-Lethal Takedowns Are 100% Silent

You do not need to worry too much about stealth takedowns unless you are going for a stealth build as well. But, for those who want to go stealth, Non-Lethal takedowns are the way to go. They’re completely silent, meaning that none of their friends nearby will hear you knock them out. Meanwhile, the sound of V stabbing or snapping their neck for the lethal takedown is just loud enough to perk their ears up. If you plan on using stealth, you should invest some points into your Cool level and perks.

Double EXP Gain (Technically Lethal)

As far as we know, this last trick is still in the game, but it probably should be removed. When you knock someone out in Cyberpunk 2077, the game still technically considers them “alive” even though it gave you the EXP and Street Cred as if you killed them. Then, if you shoot and finish them off while unconscious, the game registers the second cluster of everything. To put it in more simple terms, you can double-dip EXP and Street Cred for every single enemy by knocking them all out then finishing them all off one by one. Seeing as there is no narrative difference for killing people, this can be a great way to boost your XP. Sure, it goes against the idea of a non-lethal playthrough, but it is a helpful bug for those who do not care.

Non-Lethal Vs. Lethal: Why It Does Not Matter

One big reason why many people feel like the non-lethal system was not fully realized or is a system from a previous build is that it is so uniquely buggy (though all of Cyberpunk 2077 is buggy, in general). For example:

  • Fire Should Be Lethal: It makes sense that Chemical Damage is non-lethal because that was their intention based on Perks in the Cool Attribute. That is cool and all, but why is Fire Damage non-lethal as well? How is the guy who was running around as a blazing inferno just knocked out? Random Importance: This might be the only real example of non-lethal having an impact on the story, and it is right at the end of Judy’s side story. If you kill Maiko, Judy’s romance storyline just ends. But, this is the only time killing someone has a negative impact, implying that this result is a holdover from a previous game build. Constant Bugs: Enemies constantly collide with terrain and die from being put down, Maiko especially, but that is not all. Bodies glitching through the world, enemies being considered dead after being hidden in a dumpster, or the constant occurrence where stacking bodies will create a clipping nightmare that can even push a 3000-series Nvidia GPU to the max.

Not only does the non-lethal system feel unfinished/out-of-place, but there is also plenty of proof that this system was supposed to be more complex than it turned out to be:

  • Seamless Non-Lethal Takedowns: In one of the gameplay trailers, V could knock out an enemy without grabbing them first, a mechanic that is gone from the final product. Rewards For Pacifism: There was an incentive not to kill people, as in the same trailer, V knocked out someone then plugged into them to get some extra info. This feature is again gone from the final product. No Body-Toting Playstyle: Many of the perks in the Athletics tree specify benefits for V while carrying bodies, yet there is no easy way to grab people outside of stealth. This system used to be more complex but was cut sometime during development.

Overall, it is not worth playing the entire game non-lethally. There is no incentive to do so, and it is not well implemented. Therefore, it is not very fun to play the game that way. The only time it matters is for the Cyberpsychosis questline mentioned above. Ultimately, you should probably focus on playing the game any other way. Hopefully, CD Projekt Red adds more support for non-lethal gameplay, but that is unlikely by this point.