Night City. A sprawling metropolis brimming with chrome, cybernetics, and an endless stream of potential chaos. For many, it's a playground for immersive RPG experiences, deep lore exploration, and intricate character customization. But for a dedicated few, it's a race against the clock, a brutal ballet of glitches and exploits designed to shave off every possible second. If you clicked on this article, you're likely one of those speed demons, curious about what it takes to achieve a "bone" – the ultimate speedrun goal – in Cyberpunk 2077.
This isn't just about finishing the main story; it's about understanding the game's mechanics at their deepest level, exploiting unintended behaviors, and executing strategies with pixel-perfect precision. We're here to break down what a Cyberpunk 2077 speedrun truly entails, from the fundamental requirements to the advanced techniques that separate the casual players from the world record holders.
Table of Contents
Why Speedrun Cyberpunk 2077?
Cyberpunk 2077, with its vast open world and myriad of quests, might seem like an unlikely candidate for speedrunning at first glance. However, the game's intricate systems, from combat mechanics to AI pathing, hide a surprising amount of potential for optimization. Speedrunners are driven by the challenge of mastering these systems, pushing the boundaries of what the game allows, and achieving near-impossible feats of speed and efficiency. It's a test of skill, dedication, and an intimate knowledge of Night City's digital DNA.
The thrill comes from discovering new glitches, refining movement techniques, and executing complex sequences flawlessly. It’s about transforming a sprawling narrative experience into a lightning-fast challenge, showcasing a mastery that goes far beyond simply playing the game.
Understanding the Categories: Any%, All Bosses, and More
Like most speedrun communities, Cyberpunk 2077 has several categories to cater to different playstyles and challenges. The most popular and arguably the purest form is Any%. In this category, the primary goal is to reach the end credits of the game as quickly as possible, regardless of how many missions are completed or optional content is touched. This is where the most aggressive use of glitches and skips is often seen.
Other categories might include:
- All Bosses: Focuses on defeating all mandatory bosses in the fastest time. This requires a different strategic approach, prioritizing combat efficiency.
- 100% Speedrun: While extremely rare and time-consuming for a game like Cyberpunk, this category would aim to complete all main story quests, side jobs, and potentially collectibles within the shortest timeframe.
- Specific Story Path Runs: Some runners might focus on completing specific story arcs or endings as quickly as possible.
Each category demands a unique set of skills and strategies. For the purpose of this guide, we'll focus heavily on principles applicable to Any%, as it’s the most commonly associated with "speedrunning to bone."
Essential Pre-Run Prep: Builds and Gear
To achieve top-tier speedrun times in Cyberpunk 2077, your character build and gear are paramount. Forget playing for survival or style; here, it's all about raw efficiency. The meta can shift with patches, but generally, speedrunners focus on builds that:
- Maximize Damage Output: You need to melt enemies and bosses in seconds. This often involves focusing on specific weapon types or damage-over-time effects.
- Enable Fast Movement: Traversing Night City quickly is key. This means investing in perks or cyberware that enhance speed, movement options, or allow for aggressive traversal.
- Bypass Combat: Often, the fastest strategy is to avoid fighting altogether. This might involve stealth, using environmental hazards, or exploiting AI pathing.
A common strategy involves starting as a Nomad to gain access to vehicles early, or a Street Kid for certain dialogue options. The early game is crucial for acquiring essential cyberware and weapons. Look for builds that utilize:
- High Crit Chance and Crit Damage: Essential for one-shotting enemies.
- Explosive Weaponry or High DPS Handguns: For clearing groups or high-health targets quickly.
- Movement-focused Cyberware: Like the Reinforced Tendons for double jumps, or Kerenzikov for slow-motion dodges.
Securing specific powerful weapons like the Skippy (if acquired with the right dialogue choice) or the iconic pistols with high burst damage is often a priority in the early stages. Some runs might even rely on specific items that can be acquired or duped early on.
In my experience, the early game grind for the right cyberware and iconic weapons is the most critical phase. A botched early acquisition can set a run back by minutes, often making it unsalvageable for competitive times.
Route Planning and Execution
The "route" is the lifeline of any speedrun. For Cyberpunk 2077, this involves meticulously planning every step from the moment you gain control of V. It’s not just about following the main quest markers; it’s about understanding enemy placements, AI behaviors, load times, and dialogue triggers to minimize downtime.
A typical Any% run might involve:
- Aggressive Early Game Progression: Completing critical main story quests that unlock necessary abilities or areas as fast as possible.
- Strategic Skipping of Unnecessary Fights: Identifying which encounters can be run past, snuck through, or bypassed using glitches.
- Precise Dialogue Choices: Certain dialogue options can skip combat or trigger events faster. Knowing these is vital.
- Utilizing Fast Travel and Vehicles: While not always the fastest due to loading screens, strategic use of fast travel or quick car acquisition is essential for covering large distances.
- Exploiting Load Times: Some runners might strategically use menuing or specific actions to mask or reduce the impact of loading screens between areas.
This requires hundreds, if not thousands, of practice attempts. Runners analyze existing world records, looking for minuscule optimizations. This might include frame-perfect inputs for movement, optimal weapon swaps, or the most efficient way to navigate complex level geometry. The goal is to make every second count, turning the game's open world into a series of optimized corridors.
Key Glitches and Exploits
Speedrunning Cyberpunk 2077 is heavily reliant on discovering and mastering glitches and exploits. These are unintended behaviors in the game that can drastically alter progression. Some common examples that speedrunners investigate and utilize include:
- Movement Glitches: Techniques that allow for faster or more advanced traversal, such as wall breaches, out-of-bounds exploits, or super jumps. These can bypass entire sections of the map or skip critical objectives.
- Combat Skips: Strategies that allow players to bypass combat encounters or boss fights entirely. This could involve triggering specific AI behaviors or exploiting NPC pathfinding.
- Item Duplication: If possible, duplicating key items or weapons early in the game can provide a significant advantage.
- Dialogue Skips: Exploiting dialogue trees or triggers to advance the story faster without requiring specific actions.
- Physics Exploits: Manipulating game physics to move objects or V in unintended ways.
The viability of these glitches can change with game updates, making the speedrunning scene dynamic. What works today might be patched out tomorrow, requiring runners to constantly adapt and find new exploits. The community often shares their discoveries on platforms like speedrun.com, fostering innovation.
Discovering a new glitch that shaves seconds off a route is one of the most rewarding aspects of speedrunning. It's like uncovering a secret level or a cheat code that only the dedicated few know about.
Combat Strategies for Speed
Even in Any% runs, some combat is unavoidable. The key is to make it as fast as possible. This means understanding enemy AI, their weak points, and the most efficient ways to eliminate them. Some strategies include:
- Exploiting AI Pathfinding: Leading enemies into environmental traps or areas where they get stuck can neutralize them quickly or bypass them entirely.
- High-DPS Loadouts: Prioritizing weapons and perks that deliver massive damage in a short burst. Iconic weapons with unique perks are often essential.
- Critical Hit Focus: Investing heavily in critical hit chance and damage means many enemies can be taken down with just one or two well-aimed shots.
- Crowd Control: For groups of enemies, area-of-effect weapons or abilities can clear them out simultaneously.
- Stealth for Quick Takedowns: In certain scenarios, stealth can be faster than open combat if it allows for quick, silent eliminations of key targets.
The meta for combat in speedruns often evolves. Currently, builds focusing on extremely high pistol or rifle damage, or even specific melee builds that can one-shot enemies, are popular. The use of quickhacks can also be incredibly powerful for disabling or eliminating enemies without direct confrontation, especially if specific quickhacks are acquired early.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current world record for Cyberpunk 2077 Any%?
The world record can change frequently due to new strategies and patches. For the most up-to-date information, you should check the official leaderboards on speedrun.com for Cyberpunk 2077 Any%. Runners constantly push the boundaries.
Is it possible to speedrun Cyberpunk 2077 without exploits?
Yes, categories like "Glitchless" exist, but they are significantly slower and demand a different kind of mastery. The Any% category, which is what most people associate with "speedrunning to bone," heavily relies on glitches and exploits to achieve extremely short times.
What is the fastest way to start a speedrun in Cyberpunk 2077?
Most Any% runners choose the Nomad lifepath for early vehicle access and then focus on completing the critical main story quests that unlock essential movement cyberware and provide access to powerful weapons or quickhacks as rapidly as possible.
How much practice does it take to be a top Cyberpunk 2077 speedrunner?
Achieving competitive times requires hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of practice. Mastering the routes, glitches, and execution takes immense dedication and repetition.
Are there any communities dedicated to Cyberpunk 2077 speedrunning?
Absolutely! The best place to connect with other runners, find resources, and learn new strategies is the official Cyberpunk 2077 Speedrunning Discord server and the speedrun.com leaderboards.
Blazing through Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 is a testament to human ingenuity and dedication within the gaming world. It’s a journey that requires deep game knowledge, precise execution, and a willingness to explore the game’s deepest, sometimes unintended, mechanics. Whether you aim for a personal best or aspire to reach the top of the leaderboards, understanding these strategies is your first step.
So, grab your controller, fire up your PC, and start practicing those glitches. The clock is ticking, and Night City awaits its fastest legend. What are your personal best times, or what strategies do you find most effective? Share your thoughts and discoveries in the comments below! Let's push the limits of what's possible in Cyberpunk 2077 together.