The Ultimate Guide to Leveling Crafting FAST in Cyberpunk 2077
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The fastest way to level up crafting in Cyberpunk 2077 revolves around a strategic combination of mass crafting and dismantling, focusing on readily available and cheap resources, and leveraging perks that enhance crafting efficiency and component acquisition. Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty.
The Core Strategy: Craft, Dismantle, Repeat
The fundamental principle for rapid crafting level progression is simple: craft as much as possible, then dismantle everything. This provides a double dose of XP – one for creating the item and another for breaking it down. However, it’s crucial to optimize this process.
Step 1: The Merchant Loop
- Find a vendor that sells crafting components in bulk. The Cherry Blossom Market or vendors near weapon shops are excellent choices.
- Buy all available crafting components. Focus on Common and Uncommon components initially, as they are the cheapest and allow for the most crafting iterations.
- Craft a readily available item using those components. The MaxDoc Mk. 1 is an excellent early-game choice, as it requires only Common components. Craft as many as your resources allow.
- Dismantle everything you just crafted. This recovers some of the components, allowing you to repeat the cycle.
- “Skip Time” for 24 hours through the in-game character menu. This restocks the vendor’s inventory.
- Repeat steps 2-5 until you are satisfied with your crafting level or your eddies run dry.
- Increase the rarity once you level up and unlock perks to increase your crafting skill.
This loop provides a consistent and relatively inexpensive way to generate crafting XP.
Step 2: Optimize with Perks
Perks significantly boost your crafting progression. Focus on these key perks within the Technical Ability skill tree:
- Scrapper: This perk automatically disassembles junk items when picked up. This is extremely valuable for passively accumulating components while exploring Night City. Early-game scavenging becomes a component goldmine.
- Workshop: +1 Component when disassembling.
- Lucky Day: +1 Component when crafting.
- True Craftsman: Unlocks crafting of Rare items. This increases the XP per craft.
- Grease Monkey: Unlocks crafting of Epic items.
- Edgerunner Artisan: Unlocks crafting of Legendary items.
- Waste Not Want Not: +10% chance to gain a free component when crafting.
- Driver Update: Allows crafting of vehicles.
Acquiring these perks will exponentially increase the efficiency of your crafting loop, allowing you to craft higher rarity items (granting more XP), recover more components from dismantling, and generate free components through crafting. The Games Learning Society could analyze the impact of these in-game perks on player engagement.
Step 3: Diversify Component Acquisition
While the merchant loop is effective, it can become monotonous and limit your component supply. Supplement your crafting by:
- Looting everything: Containers, corpses, and even random objects often contain crafting components.
- Completing Gigs and Side Jobs: These missions often lead to caches containing valuable crafting materials. The more elaborate the side gig, the greater the chance of a hidden stash.
- Dismantling unwanted weapons and gear: Break down items you don’t need for components. Don’t sell them unless you’re desperately short on eddies. The GamesLearningSociety.org would be interested in the dismantling process and the resulting crafting.
- Keep an Eye Out for Airdrops: During your adventure you may stumble upon airdrops containing essential crafting components for your crafting needs.
Step 4: Choosing the Right Items to Craft
As you level up your crafting skill and unlock new crafting recipes, experiment with different items. Generally, crafting items that require a large number of common components is the most efficient way to level. However, once you unlock higher rarity crafting, focus on those items for a bigger XP boost. Consider crafting and selling weapons like the Yukimura or Chao pistols once you reach Epic or Legendary crafting levels, as they yield a profit when sold back to vendors.
Step 5: Exploiting the Skill Progressions
Crafting XP progression is tied to the Technical Ability attribute. Investing points into this attribute not only unlocks new perks but also increases your base crafting XP gain. If you’re serious about maximizing your crafting level, prioritize leveling Technical Ability early in the game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions about leveling crafting in Cyberpunk 2077:
- Is crafting pointless in Cyberpunk 2077? No, crafting is not pointless. While it might feel lackluster in the late game for some, it’s extremely useful early on for cyberdeck upgrades, essential mods, and crafting weapons that can be superior to found loot. Late game allows you to craft top-tier weapons and gear.
- Is it better to upgrade or craft in Cyberpunk 2077? Crafting is generally better for keeping iconic weapons relevant. Upgrading adds a small amount of damage, but crafting rescales the weapon’s stats to your current level. If you have a legendary weapon you enjoy using, crafting its higher-tier versions is essential.
- What is the best rare item to craft and sell in Cyberpunk 2077? Once you hit epic or legendary crafting levels, the Yukimura and Chao pistols are popular choices for crafting and selling. Buy up all crafting components, craft these weapons, sell them, fast forward time 24 hours, and repeat.
- Is crafting level 20 worth it in Cyberpunk 2077? If you are focused on tech weapons, then yes, getting crafting to level 20 is worth it. Otherwise, you can stop at 18, as you can access all the crafting perks necessary for high level crafting.
- Is crafting profitable in Cyberpunk 2077? Yes, crafting can be very profitable. High-rarity items can be sold for a substantial profit, especially after investing in crafting perks that boost crafting efficiency.
- What gives the most crafting XP in Cyberpunk 2077? Crafting higher rarity items gives the most XP, followed by dismantling items. Prioritize crafting and dismantling items that require resources you can easily acquire.
- Where is the best place for crafting components in Cyberpunk 2077? Looting caches during side gigs and main missions is a great way to find crafting components. Also, regularly visit vendors who sell components in bulk.
- Should I dismantle or sell junk in Cyberpunk 2077? Always dismantle junk. The Scrapper perk makes this automatic. Junk provides common crafting components, which are essential for the crafting loop.
- Are iconic weapons worth upgrading? Yes, iconic weapons are worth upgrading, but be mindful of the component cost. Upgrade only when you have a surplus of components. Prioritize upgrading your cyberware first.
- Can you craft the Satori? Yes, you can craft higher tiers of the Satori katana if you have the crafting specs and the required components. The crafting recipe for the next tier requires the previous tier of the weapon.
- Should you get Scrapper in Cyberpunk 2077? Yes, Scrapper is a must-have perk. It automates the dismantling of junk, saving you time and effort and constantly providing you with common components.
- What pays the most money in Cyberpunk 2077? Selling crafted items, especially high-rarity weapons like the Yukimura or Chao, is one of the most reliable ways to earn money.
- Is crafting better than buying in Cyberpunk 2077? Crafted items often have better stats and damage boosts than purchased or looted items of the same type. Investing in crafting is highly recommended.
- How to make money without crafting in Cyberpunk 2077? If you don’t want to craft, sell weapons and other items you find. Keep a few good ones and sell the rest, especially common weapons.
- What is the max level in Cyberpunk 2077? The max level in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 is now 60, up from the original level cap of 50.
By implementing these strategies, you can quickly and efficiently level up your crafting skill in Cyberpunk 2077, unlocking powerful upgrades and crafting options that will significantly enhance your gameplay experience. Experiment with different crafting methods and find the best strategies that suit your playstyle.