Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty: Is it worth buying?
Cyberpunk 2077 had one of the rockiest starts in gaming history. It was plagued by a myriad of bugs and glitches that turned off the interest of many fans. After two years after its release, Cyberpunk returned with its latest expansion called Phantom Liberty. Many gamers have been questioning whether it is worth buying the DLC due to their experience with the base game at launch. Fortunately, Cyberpunk has redeemed itself in more ways than one in the latest update.
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Is Phantom Liberty Worth Buying?
The short answer is yes. Phantom Liberty offers a whole new set of perks and content ready to be explored. You can complete the game in at least 10 hours. However, if you want to experience the entirety of the DLC, it will take around 30 hours to finish every side quest and exploration. Here is all the new content that you can expect from Phantom Liberty:
- New District – The most notable addition from the DLC is the opening of the Dogtown area, which was previously closed off in the original game. The district is home to a new faction and gang that’s heavily intertwined with the story.
- New Storyline – The DLC campaign will focus heavily on spy-thriller elements such as espionage and intrigue. V will mainly interact with Solomon Reed, who’s voiced by Idris Elba.
- New Characters – Besides Solomon Reed, new characters can become your allies and enemies.
- New Weapons and Vehicles – There will be additional cars, weapons, and melee items in Phantom Liberty.
- New Cyberware – Another set of cyberware has been introduced with the faction, and many people seem to have been enjoying them.
All in all, Phantom Liberty offers a lot of new things for players to try out. The total hours of gameplay are required to show how significant the expansion is. On top of this, the DLC will also receive updates over time. Buying the expansion is worth it because it highlights the full potential of Cyberpunk 2077.
Phantom Liberty Story
Phantom Liberty’s campaign is set on the conflict within the lawless district of Dogtown. Solomon Reeds has contracted V to help him infiltrate an organization in the area, the Phantom Liberty. This group is believed to be connected to several terrorist attacks targeting the NUSA government.
Phantom Liberty is filled with many layers of conspiracy and intrigue. V will be entangled in various webs of lies and secrets that permeate even the NUSA government. Players must be careful who to trust and backstab in this spy-thriller expansion.
What are the Downsides of Phantom Liberty?
The DLC is far from perfect, as there are still some significant cons to take note of. There have been reports of players glitching into places they should not be able to and missions not being completed due to several glitches. Fortunately, these errors are quickly fixed in upcoming patches, so gamers should not be worried about these bugs.
Regarding content, Idris Elba’s participation in the DLC wasn’t fully utilized. As the most prominent name involved in the expansion, you would expect his character to be fully fleshed out and make more appearances than most. Unfortunately, Idris Elba is not highly featured, which slightly diminishes the game’s content.
The most evident downside of Phantom Liberty is the usage of vehicles. Rides have been completely overhauled and improved, with players being given more agency in their appearance. In addition, Cyberpunk wants to emphasize missions showcasing car chases more. The problem with Phantom Liberty is it’s the least drivable district in Night City. You are expected to spend most of your time in dark alleys and elevated walkways rather than riding high in your vehicles.
Game Improvements and Fixes
While update 2.0 is not part of Phantom Liberty, buying the DLC will allow you to appreciate the improvements made to the game. The gap between the release of Cyberpunk 2077 and the DLC gave devs enough time to pump out tons of fixes to the game’s most notorious bugs and errors. Moreover, update 2.0 is free and does not require any in-game payments. Phantom Liberty highlights these changes as it invites players back to the game. Here are the general improvements brought to Cyberpunk 2077:
- Enhanced Performance and Stability – One of 2.0’s main highlights is its major revamp of the game by improving performance and stability, which allows multiple platforms to run Cyberpunk 2077 smoothly.
- Major Fixes and Troubleshooting – The most critical update brought by 2.0 is the much-needed fixes to the game. While devs have been working on the different bugs plaguing Cyberpunk, 2.0 ensured that the game is ready and fully reworked in preparation for Phantom Liberty.
- New Content – Update 2.0 also introduced many new features to the game. This additional content includes new weapons, cyberware, vehicles, and apartments.
- New QoL Features – Cyberpunk 2.0 featured several quality-of-life improvements that stretch from being able to sell perk points to the ability to customize vehicle appearances.
While 2.0 is not part of Phantom Liberty, the two work well together, and the expansion emphasizes these changes from the free major update.
Should You Buy Phantom Liberty?
The answer is definitely yes. Phantom Liberty will be the only DLC released for Cyberpunk 2077 as CD Projekt Red will start focusing on other projects. However, it has been alluded to before that devs might introduce a sequel. If you want to experience the game’s full potential, getting the expansion will be your best option.
