Release Date : September 26, 2023
Developer(s) : CD Projekt
Publisher(s) : CD Projekt
Platforms : PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
CD Projekt RED has been preparing for the arrival of the most anticipated DLC this year, with a major gameplay update for Cyberpunk 2077 with Update 2.0. In September 2023, this Action-RPG will introduce Idris Elba and the Phantom Liberty DLC to Night City. Will this new chapter in V’s life will help forge his legend?
Table of Contents
A Techno-Futuristic Thriller
CD Projekt RED is used to massive expansions with equally powerful scripted campaigns ( for example, the Blood and Wine DLC for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), and Phantom Liberty is no exception. This new story, set in Night City, takes V into a techno-futuristic thriller reminiscent of the James Bond and Mission Impossible movies. The script is inspired by them with some of the “obligatory” passages in this kind of story, but always keeps the original Cyberpunk 2077 universe in mind.
Personally, I find Phantom Liberty’s scenario more successful and engaging than the one in the main story, and it fits in perfectly with it. Phantom Liberty blends in with V’s life perfectly, though it’s just a passing phase. The two endings that we won’t reveal here may, depending on your choices, have consequences for the game’s ending, or even change it drastically by introducing the protagonist to a different path, which may be connected to a main character from Mike Pondsmith’s 1988 universe.
This DLC introduces the President of the NUSA (New United States of America). Phantom Liberty begins with a crash of the Space Force One transporting Rosalind Myers to Night City, and more precisely to Dogtown, a neighborhood run by a former member of the North American army named Kurt Hansen. Contacted by netrunner Songbird to save the President in exchange for a cure, V finds himself in the middle of a political drama that could change the world forever and whose mature theories align with those of Relic and the Arasaka corporation.
After Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, it’s the turn of another famous actor to join Night City as a former FIA (Federal Intelligence Agency) agent left for dead by his employers at the end of the Unification War. Solomon Reed is back in action 7 years later, and his return to public life is one of the game’s great successes. The digital version of the British actor is truly amazing. Idris Elba, as charismatic as ever, delivers a smooth performance worthy of Her Majesty’s finest spies. Finally, there’s no doubt that Phantom Liberty will have an impact on the Cyberpunk 2077 universe, and we can’t wait to experience it for ourselves. The only downside is that some of the secondary characters deserve more attention.
Welcome to Dogtown
While Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.0 update is “just” a gameplay revision with no additional content, Phantom Liberty is something quite the opposite. The Relic skill tree is the only significant new feature in terms of gameplay, but it’s the content that really counts.
The expansion offers the mercenaries a new story made up of 13 high-quality missions, along with 17 side quests to expand the storyline. You’ll need around twenty hours to complete them, and this doesn’t take into account the new delivery contracts and airdrops that add a little variety to V’s days, although they prove to be a little repetitive and familiar.
The main new addition is the Dogtown district, where the majority of Phantom Liberty’s plot takes place. This area, outside Night City’s jurisdiction, offers a complete change of scenery, with its post-apocalyptic atmosphere and ruined structures created by the last conflict that shook the city.
Despite its small size, this environment is full of activities, landmarks, and opportunities. Keep an eye out for the militia who control the area. The Barghest forces and their Mechas are trigger-happy. To conclude with a smile, there are over 100 items (weapons, implants, vehicles, consumables, and clothing) awaiting the mercenaries willing to step up to the challenge of CD Projekt RED’s expansion.
Conclusion
Phantom Liberty is everything you’d expect from a Cyberpunk 2077 expansion, or perhaps a bit more. This techno-thriller takes the players into an exciting story that will have a major impact on the game’s universe. The ruined district of Dogtown is no exception, with its post-war atmosphere where survival of the fittest is the ultimate rule. With rich content and some twenty hours of gameplay, this DLC is the perfect conclusion to V’s story in Night City.