Level Up Your Arsenal: How to Make a Better Gun in Cyberpunk 2077

The neon-drenched streets of Night City are a brutal proving ground. Survival hinges on your ability to adapt, improvise, and most importantly, pack some serious firepower. So, how do you make a better gun in Cyberpunk 2077? The answer lies in a combination of upgrading iconic weapons, strategic modding, and understanding the intricacies of the crafting system, particularly after the significant 2.0 update. Forget simply finding a better weapon; you build a better weapon.

Upgrading Your Arsenal: The Core Mechanics

The primary way to improve your guns is through the upgrade system. This system is focused almost entirely on Iconic Weapons after the 2.0 update. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

1. Accessing the Upgrade Menu: Open your Game Menu, navigate to Inventory, then select Crafting. Finally, click on the Upgrades tab.
2. Selecting Your Weapon: All Iconic Weapons in your inventory capable of being upgraded will be listed. Choose the weapon you wish to enhance.
3. Understanding the Preview: You’ll see a preview of the weapon’s new stats. Pay close attention to metrics like Attack per Second, Damage, and DPS. The upgrade will clearly show the improvements you’re about to make.
4. Gathering Crafting Components: Upgrading requires crafting components. These are found throughout Night City, looted from enemies, and purchased from vendors. These components are separated into tiers, from Tier 1 all the way up to Tier 5. Higher-tier upgrades require higher-tier components.
5. Upgrading strategically: Don’t just blindly upgrade! Consider your build. If you’re a headshot specialist, focus on improving headshot damage multipliers. If you prefer spray-and-pray tactics, boost magazine size and recoil control.

Modding for Maximum Impact

Beyond straightforward upgrades, weapon mods provide another layer of customization and improvement. Mods affect different weapon stats, and you can further tailor your gun to fit your playstyle by modding.

• Scope It Out: Different scopes offer varying levels of zoom and clarity. A good scope is essential for accurate long-range shots.
• Muzzle Brakes and Compensators: Control recoil and improve accuracy with muzzle attachments.
• Ammo Types: Experiment with different ammo types. Some increase damage, while others can inflict status effects like burning or bleeding.
• Smart Weapon Targeting: Smart weapons can be modded to enhance their auto-targeting capabilities, making them even more deadly in chaotic firefights.

Crafting: Building the Ultimate Weapon

While you can’t craft every weapon, the crafting system is still crucial for obtaining high-tier components needed for upgrading Iconic Weapons. It’s also essential for crafting ammo and consumables.

• Leveling Your Crafting Skill: Every time you craft or dismantle items, you gain Crafting XP. Leveling up your crafting skill unlocks new crafting recipes and perks.
• Loot and Dismantle: Scavenge everything you can and dismantle unwanted items. This is the most efficient way to acquire crafting components.
• Strategic Crafting: Focus on crafting items that yield a good return on investment. Certain weapons and mods can be crafted and sold for a profit, allowing you to amass wealth and purchase even more components. The best weapons to craft and sell are the Yukimura and Chao Guns, but other guns should still be profitable.
• The Edgerunner Artisan Perk: With the Edgerunner Artisan Perk you can craft the Ba Xing Chong, one of Cyberpunk 2077’s best unique shotguns using the L-69 Zhuo Smart Shotgun. This gun fires explosive rounds that rips enemies to shreds.

The Power of Perks and Attributes

Your character’s perks and attributes play a significant role in weapon effectiveness. Invest points in relevant skills to unlock powerful bonuses.

• Reflexes: Improves your handling of rifles, pistols, and blades. Perks can increase critical hit chance, reload speed, and damage.
• Technical Ability: Crucial for crafting and upgrading weapons and cyberware. Perks unlock new crafting recipes and reduce crafting costs.
• Cool: Enhances stealth and hacking abilities but also affects certain weapon types. Perks can increase damage against unaware enemies and improve weapon handling while crouched.

Finding the Best Guns

While upgrading and modding are essential, starting with a solid base weapon is crucial. Hunt for Iconic Weapons with unique perks and high base stats.

• Loot Everything: Explore every nook and cranny of Night City. Hidden stashes and secret areas often contain powerful weapons.
• Complete Side Quests: Many side quests reward you with unique and powerful weapons.
• Defeat Powerful Enemies: High-level enemies and bosses often drop rare and valuable weapons.
• Vendor inventories: Check vendor inventories often. They sometimes stock rare weapons and mods.
• Johnny’s Revolver: Reddit user OSHlN accidentally discovered a secret Legendary gun when playing around with a No-clip mod, where they explore the Night City as Johnny during the flashback scene between Act 1 and 2. This could be considered the rarest legendary gun in the game.

In essence, creating a better gun in Cyberpunk 2077 is not about luck; it’s about leveraging the game’s systems to maximize your damage output and tailor your arsenal to your unique playstyle. By carefully upgrading iconic weapons, strategically modding, investing in relevant perks, and seeking out powerful base weapons, you can become a force to be reckoned with in the concrete jungle of Night City. And remember, always be on the lookout for new strategies and builds – the Games Learning Society is a great resource for learning and sharing gaming knowledge. Check out GamesLearningSociety.org for more insights.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I upgrade weapons without crafting in Cyberpunk 2077?

Not really. After the 2.0 update, upgrading requires crafting components. You’ll need to loot, buy, or craft these components to improve your weapons.

2. What is the best crafted gun in Cyberpunk 2077?

The Ba Xing Chong is considered one of the best. It requires the Edgerunner Artisan Perk and an L-69 Zhuo Smart Shotgun to craft, and it fires explosive rounds.

3. What is the strongest gun in Cyberpunk 2077?

The Malorian Arms 3516 is often cited as one of the best due to its high DPS, Ricochet functionality, thermal damage, and headshot damage multiplier.

4. Can you customize the look of guns in Cyberpunk 2077?

No. You can only customize weapon functionality via mods. The game does not allow you to change weapon skins, colors, or aesthetics.

5. How do I craft weapons in Cyberpunk 2077?

Open the Game Menu, go to Inventory, then Crafting. You’ll see a list of items you can craft, provided you have the necessary components and crafting skill.

6. How do I upgrade my weapons in Cyberpunk 2077?

Open the Game Menu, go to Inventory, then Crafting, and finally, the Upgrades tab. Select an Iconic Weapon to upgrade.

7. How do I upgrade crafting in Cyberpunk 2077?

Gain Crafting XP by crafting or dismantling items. Leveling up unlocks new crafting recipes and perks.

8. Are pistols good in Cyberpunk 2077?

Yes! Many pistols are incredibly powerful, especially Iconic Pistols. They’re often a great choice for close-range combat.

9. What is the max level in Cyberpunk 2077?

The maximum level is 60, increased from 50 in the 2.0 update.

10. What are the rarest guns in Cyberpunk 2077?

Johnny Silverhand’s Revolver is considered one of the rarest, discovered through modding.

11. What is the best DPS weapon in Cyberpunk 2077?

Again, the Malorian Arms 3516 is a top contender for its high damage output and versatility.

12. What weapon sells for the most in Cyberpunk 2077?

Crafted weapons, particularly the Yukimura and Chao Guns, tend to sell for the most, especially if you have Epic or Legendary crafting skills.

13. Is it worth buying legendary guns in Cyberpunk 2077?

Yes! Legendary weapons often have unique abilities and high base stats that can significantly improve your combat effectiveness. Legendary weapons like Scorch and Erebus offer unique abilities, such as extra damage to burning targets and instant-kills below 33% health.

14. What weapons should I keep in Cyberpunk 2077?

Keep Iconic Weapons with unique abilities and high base stats. Examples include Lizzie, Fenrir, Skippy, Overwatch, and Prototype: Shingen Mark V.

15. Can you upgrade guns to legendary in Cyberpunk 2077?

You can upgrade Iconic Weapons, improving their stats and tier, but you can’t upgrade non-Iconic weapons to legendary.

The process is pretty similar to how to upgrade weapons in Cyberpunk before the 2.0 update, but just limited to these specific weapon types. Weapons can be upgraded in other ways, like by attaching scopes and mods.