The launch of Cyberpunk 2077 was a legendary story of disappointment and broken promises. In the nearly two years since, the game has seen redemption and triumph. There is a world where CD Projekt Red could have given up the title after its disastrous first few months. But instead it fell apart and today the game has never been in better shape.
There have been hundreds and hundreds of bug fixes, optimizations and general improvements to the core experience of cyberpunk, as well as many minor, but no less welcome, content additions. And as good as the state of Cyberpunk 2077 is now, it has been greatly improved by the dedicated modding community.
The first mods for Cyberpunk 2077 came out a month or two after the game was released and mainly focused on making the game more playable. Cyber Engine Tweaks, now almost essential for modding the game, filled many gaping holes in the first version. Other mods like Cyber Vehicle Overhaul, Optimized Ray Tracing, and Instant Disassembling and Crafting made the game much more enjoyable from moment to moment.
Some mods like Alternate Crowd Behavior were significant enough to have their effects incorporated into an official patch. Others like Metro System have yet to be matched in the subtle yet significant value they add to exploration and immersion in the beautiful world of Night City.
Dozens of other mods adjust loot tables, give you more to do once you’ve exhausted the game’s core content, reinvent or improve systems, or rework the game from scratch. The sheer volume of quality mods and the massive improvements they can bring to Cyberpunk 2077 is amazing. It will only become so with the official REDmod DLC, which provides a set of developer-supported mod tools for modders to play to their heart’s content.
For me, every improvement made, every extra bug fixed, and every extra feature plugged in is an extra spice on an already fantastic game. I thoroughly enjoyed my first playthrough at launch, even with all of its flaws, narrative incongruities, and other warts. I easily put 50 hours into my first trip through Night City and only did some of the secondary content before researching two or three of the endings. I would have been happy to leave it there, but the modding community saw so much more potential in this game, and they dove in headfirst to make it the best it could be.
What’s impressive is how successful this community has been. Even if all you install is Metro System and a mod called Night City Interactions, you’ve already added a lot. What was once a walk from one quest area to another suddenly becomes a reminder of a poignant moment in the edge runners animated. A visit to the afterlife to advance the story becomes a warm conversation over drinks with one of your favorite NPCs. Where you used to activate the fast travel system to move around the world, you now find yourself on a bespoke rail platform, which puts you in a bespoke subway car where you can admire the skyline comfortably.
Despite the quality of these big mods, the one that convinced me that Cyberpunk 2077 modding was a permanent addition to my game was one of the smallest. It’s called Always First Equip, and it gives a weapon a percentage chance to play its equip animation whenever you draw it. With this change, my V suddenly had a personality beyond rote interactions during quests.
Much can be said about how Cyberpunk 2077 fails as an RPG, or at least how the player character V is more of an action game protagonist than one in an RPG. However, with the simple addition of Always First Equip, not only do I as a player enjoy checking my weapon, but I can imagine V doing so as well. Similarly, Metro System makes V not always want to drive everywhere. Maybe a train ride is calmer and easier, or planning their suicide mission is made less stressful by the arrival of someone they cherish.
In short, not only modding Cyberpunk 2077 make it a better game mechanically and system-wise, but even the smallest mods make it a better RPG. I wouldn’t be surprised if, given the addition of REDmod and the WolvenKit mod editor, we also see community-created quest mods. Night City is full of uncharted territory both scenically and narratively. Even better, some of the game’s best official content is off the beaten path or buried in what might seem like a throwaway questline.
While uncovering all of the game’s hidden gems is enjoyable on its own, modding Cyberpunk 2077 makes it so much more. The vanilla experience, especially after patch 1.6, is an incredible improvement from its launch state. The new DLC will hopefully build on the lessons learned from all the initial failures. However, install only a few of the best mods and you improve the experience even further. If you haven’t played Cyberpunk 2077 on PC since its release and you want a reason to finish a first game or start a new one, there are at least a few hundred mods you can install right now that might convince you. They made me.
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