Is Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty as Big as The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine?
The question of size often looms large when comparing major expansions for beloved RPGs. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine both represent significant additions to their respective base games, but their approaches to content, scope, and overall size differ. The simple answer is this: Phantom Liberty is not as large in terms of added map area as Blood and Wine, but it offers a more transformative experience to the base game than its Witcher counterpart. While Blood and Wine added a whole new region to explore, Phantom Liberty focuses on adding a dense and impactful new district within Night City, significantly altering and enhancing the existing game world.
Size Comparison: Map and Content
Map Expansion
Blood and Wine introduced the sun-drenched region of Toussaint, a vast, picturesque landmass that was entirely separate from the base game’s map. This expansion felt like a brand-new game in its own right, with sprawling vineyards, castles, and new cities to discover. In contrast, Phantom Liberty introduces Dogtown, a self-contained district within Night City. While Dogtown is densely packed with content, it doesn’t offer the same sheer geographic size increase as Toussaint. Phantom Liberty adds a solid fraction of the base game’s size to Night City, but does not double, or nearly double it as Blood and Wine did to the Witcher 3 map.
Content Depth
However, focusing solely on map size paints an incomplete picture. Phantom Liberty’s impact is primarily felt through its depth of content, character development, and its integration with the base game’s systems. The 2.0 update, released alongside Phantom Liberty, overhauls core mechanics, including skill trees, AI, and police behavior, effectively transforming the Cyberpunk 2077 experience. This, combined with Phantom Liberty’s intense narrative, new characters, and branching storylines, makes for a much more significant enhancement to the core game than Blood and Wine’s mostly self contained story and region.
Phantom Liberty’s Impact vs. Blood and Wine
The key takeaway is that Phantom Liberty focuses on quality over sheer quantity in map expansion. Blood and Wine offered a new, beautiful land to roam, but Phantom Liberty aims to deeply integrate into the existing world. The story of Phantom Liberty intertwines with the base game more directly, and players can even unlock a secret ending for the main campaign through choices made in the expansion. This integration is a crucial difference that makes Phantom Liberty a more integral addition, and a more meaningful enhancement, to the overall experience of Cyberpunk 2077.
Furthermore, the improved visuals and the enhanced gameplay mechanics through the 2.0 update elevate the entire base game experience. The graphics, art direction, and level design in Phantom Liberty have been lauded as incredible. While Blood and Wine was an incredibly well-received expansion for The Witcher 3, the degree to which Phantom Liberty alters and improves upon the base game is the key differentiator in any direct comparison. If you consider the 2.0 patch as an integral part of the Phantom Liberty experience, then it becomes a much more impactful update to the base game, compared to Blood and Wine.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty to provide additional clarity and insights:
1. How big is the Phantom Liberty download size?
The download size for Phantom Liberty varies across platforms:
- PC: Approximately 24 GB
- PlayStation 5: Approximately 33 GB
- Xbox Series X/S: Approximately 38 GB
2. Is Phantom Liberty longer than the base Cyberpunk 2077 story?
No, Phantom Liberty is not as long as the base game. The main story of Phantom Liberty will take approximately 15-20 hours, while a 100% completion run will be closer to 30 hours.
3. How much content does Phantom Liberty add?
Phantom Liberty adds a substantial amount of content, including 18 main missions (though not all are accessible in a single playthrough), numerous side quests, gigs, and various activities. A 100% completion of Phantom Liberty can take roughly 30 hours, including all side quests and gigs.
4. Does Phantom Liberty change the base game’s map?
Yes, Phantom Liberty adds a new district called Dogtown to Night City, which is a significant and impactful area to explore. While not on the same scale as the map expansion in Blood and Wine, Dogtown is a dense and fully-realized addition.
5. What is the level cap in Phantom Liberty?
The level cap in Cyberpunk 2077, with the 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty DLC, has been raised from 50 to 60. This includes 10 additional attribute points for character builds.
6. Does Phantom Liberty change the base game’s ending?
Yes, Phantom Liberty allows players to unlock a secret ending for the base game, based on key decisions made throughout the expansion’s story.
7. How well is Phantom Liberty selling?
Phantom Liberty has been a commercial success, selling over 3 million copies in its first week. The majority of sales were recorded on PC, followed by PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
8. Is Phantom Liberty considered a good expansion?
Phantom Liberty has been widely praised as an excellent expansion, with many reviewers considering it a masterpiece. It is lauded for its high-quality storytelling, art direction, level design, and overall enhancements to the Cyberpunk 2077 experience.
9. Does V (the player character) survive in Phantom Liberty?
Yes, V survives the events of Phantom Liberty, but may end up alone depending on choices made throughout the expansion.
10. Does Phantom Liberty have multiple endings?
Yes, Phantom Liberty has its own four distinct endings, which are determined by the player’s choices within the expansion.
11. Is Johnny Silverhand in Phantom Liberty?
Yes, Johnny Silverhand plays a significant role in Phantom Liberty, and his interactions with V are important throughout the expansion.
12. Are there any romance options in Phantom Liberty?
No, Phantom Liberty does not add any new romance options. However, existing romanceable characters from the base game will have new dialogue and cutscenes.
13. Can you play Phantom Liberty without finishing the base game?
Yes, you can play Phantom Liberty without finishing the base game’s main story. It’s a standalone expansion that integrates with the main game. However it is recommended to play through the base game first, before starting Phantom Liberty.
14. When should I start Phantom Liberty?
Phantom Liberty becomes available after the “Transmission” quest in Pacifica. It is recommended that players equip themselves with good weapons and gear before venturing into Dogtown.
15. Is Cyberpunk worth playing without Phantom Liberty?
Cyberpunk 2077 is still worth playing without Phantom Liberty, but the expansion, along with the 2.0 update, enhances the core experience significantly. It’s recommended to start a new game with the 2.0 patch to fully appreciate the changes, even without purchasing Phantom Liberty.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while Phantom Liberty doesn’t match Blood and Wine in terms of sheer map expansion, it offers a more transformative and integrated experience within Cyberpunk 2077’s world. The focus on deep content, impactful narrative, and enhanced gameplay through the 2.0 update makes it a more integral and worthwhile addition to the base game. The quality of Phantom Liberty, coupled with its improvements to the core game, solidifies it as a must-play for fans of Cyberpunk 2077, regardless of whether it surpasses Blood and Wine’s massive map expansion.