Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Cyberpunk 2077 support bleeds into 2023 with story expansion

During an investor relations call, CD Projekt Red revealed that its long-awaited story expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 will not be released this year. Instead, the expansion is set to release sometime in 2023.

As it was mentioned in @CDPROJEKTRED_IR financial call moments ago, Cyberpunk 2077's upcoming expansion will arrive in 2023. Please stay tuned for more details coming later this year 🦾 https://t.co/rq1w6RDTDL

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) April 14, 2022

In the post, which was put up on Cyberpunk 2077‘s Twitter page, CD Projekt Red went on to say that it would share more regarding the expansion “later this year.” A story-based expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 was part of the studio’s original content plan for the game and as such, hasn’t been kept secret. CD Projekt Red has released some content for Cyberpunk 2077 already, but it hasn’t been that substantial. The free DLCs that have come out for the game since its launch have mostly added new vehicles or pieces of armor to the game. Whenever they’ve been released, fans often responded negatively.

Recommended Videos

Likewise, CD Projekt Red recently released a current-gen patch for Cyberpunk 2077, giving the game some much-needed improvements. We found that the game was still largely the same though, bugs and all.

However, Cyberpunk 2077‘s upcoming story expansion should be a different beast entirely. It’s likely that the expansion will mimic The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt‘s own story-based DLCs, like Blood and Wine. Instead of getting cosmetics or other simple items, players could instead be treated to entirely new areas to explore and NPCs to interact with.

Cyberpunk 2077‘s story expansion is yet another piece of content that the studio will be busy working on over the coming year. CD Projekt Red also recently announced that it currently has another entry in the Witcher franchise in production.

Otto Kratky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Relic guide
Songbird in a dress in Phantom Liberty.

The first and only expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 has far more than just a new area and missions to fill your time. Phantom Liberty is part of the 2.0 update that almost completely overhauls the systems introduced in the base game to be more in line with the original vision, It also adds new mechanics to flesh out the experience even further. Once you start the expansion, the first thing you will probably notice is the completely revamped skill system, which now includes a brand new tree called the Relic tree. These skills are all brand new, and alone could be reason enough to start a fresh adventure in Night City. But these Relic skills don't function like the other skills where you simply need to level up to unlock and upgrade them. Don't worry, Samurai, we'll transfer all the data you need on how to get Relic skills and what each of them does.
How to get Relic points
The new Relic skill tree is the only new feature in terms of skills that you need to purchase the Phantom Liberty expansion to access. Once you begin the expansion, the tree and a few starting points will be given to you automatically from a new character. To get more Relic points, you have to track down a new feature called Militech Data Terminals rather than simply leveling up. These points will only pop up on your map once you're close to them, so you will need to search them out for the most part.
All Relic skills

The Relic skill tree is broken down into three branches: Jailbreak, Emergency Cloaking, and Vulnerability. Just like any normal skill tree, you need to unlock each skill in order to gain access to the next one, so planning out which branch you want to invest in before spending your precious points is vital, especially since some trees have many more levels to them than others. Here's what each branch gives you:
Jailbreak
Jailbreak: Unlocks new abilities for your Arm Cyberwear, including the Mantis Blades, Gorilla Arms, Projectile Launch System, and Monowire.

Read more
Cyberpunk 2077: How to start Phantom Liberty DLC
A pyramid from Cyberpunk 2077.

The rehabilitation of Cyberpunk 2077 finally culminates in both the release of the 2.0 update and the substantial DLC expansion called Phantom Liberty. Between these two, plus all the changes made in the years since launch, the once unstable and buggy game is finally living up to its potential. While everything up until this point has been free, including the 2.0 changes, Phantom Liberty is the first and only piece of paid content. Giving players an entirely new area in Dogtown to explore, plus a lengthy main story and tons of new side missions, it's the biggest reason to reinstall this ambitious title. But how exactly can you start the DLC since it is meant to slot into the story of the main game rather than take place before or after? We've hacked in and downloaded all the data you need on how to start the Phantom Liberty DLC.
How to start Phantom Liberty
There are actually a few different ways to get into Phantom Liberty depending on your preference and whether or not you've played the base game. The easiest way to get directly into it is through the main menu. With the DLC installed, you will have an option to jump directly into the expansion, even if you haven't played the main game yet. This sounds great for those who want to see the new stuff right away, but it isn't recommended if you haven't played the base game at all. You will be given a character automatically leveled up and placed at the proper point in the story for the DLC to take place with no context or tutorial on how to play. Note that picking this option doesn't lock you out of any of the base game content.

For new players who want to experience Phantom Liberty more naturally, you will need to play the opening hours of Cyberpunk 2077 until you complete the "Transmission" mission before the quest that starts the DLC will trigger.

Read more
Everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023
Jin in Tekken 8

Gamescom, one of the largest video game expos in the world, takes place this week in Germany. To kick things off, Geoff Keighley held another Gamescom Opening Night Live showcase to give us an update on what's in store from the gaming industry, with a slight focus on already announced titles and games by European studios. Keighley and influencer Jasmin Gnu hosted the main event following a pre-show hosted by Kyle Bosman.

While the show was long and slow-paced, we did get plenty of new looks at upcoming games like Mortal Kombat 1, Assassin's Creed Mirage, Alan Wake 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and Tekken 8. Director Zack Snyder even swung by to debut a trailer for Rebel Moon during the show. It's a lot to keep track of, but we've rounded up everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023 and its pre-show right here.

Read more