Cyberpunk 2077: Character origin - does it matter? Cyberpunk 2077 guide, walkthrough

Last update: Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The authors of Cyberpunk 2077 have prepared a rarely-encountered option. While creating your hero, you need to choose their origin. On this guide page, we explain the importance of the origin and what it changes in the game.

• Past of the character / origin variants - what are available?
• The beginning of the game - what is different?
• The hero's past - does it influence the missions?
• Can the choice of origin prevent you from accessing the content?

Past of the character / origin variants - what are available?

When you start a new game, you have to choose your character's past, i.e. choose one of the three Lifepath options:

1. Nomad - In this variant, V spent his past as a "free man" traveling the wilderness with the nomadic clan, trying to survive by searching the junkyards or raiding fuel depots. The story will begin shortly after leaving the clan.
2. Streetkid - V grew up on the streets of the city, dealing with fixers and members of local gangs. The story will begin shortly after the V returns to the family side from Atlanta.
3. Corporate - V knows Night City corporations and their merciless actions to increase influence. The story will begin shortly after V receives an order from the superior of the corporation he works for.

The choice of origin is final as it concerns V's origin place and their past before the events presented in the game. In general, it's all about all the things that precede the story presented in the game. V's past can influence his behavior in certain situations and his relationships with different characters and groups.

The beginning of the game - what is different?

A separate prologue quest has been prepared for each of the paths of the character's origin / past. This is an introductory mission that takes place a few months before the events of the main story and should take you about 15 minutes to complete.

During the prologue, you won't face any important choices that could influence the later game. Prologue quests for all three V's origins are described on the following pages of the guide. Only after completing the prologue for the selected past will the common content for all three origins be available. You will watch a summary of what V did during the time between the prologue and the main campaign.

Depending on the selected past, you will start in another part of the world map:

1. Nomad starts in the Badlands, the wilderness surrounding the Night City. It is worth noting that choosing the Nomad origin will not block your access to the Badlands. It will also be available for the other two variants.
2. Streetkid starts in a bar in The Glen district in Heywood.
3. Corp starts at the Arasaka Tower in the Corpo Plaza district in City Center. During the prologue mission, you will also visit The Lizzie's Bar.

The hero's past - does it influence the missions?

Yes, during the quests special dialog options related to the origin / past of V will appear in the example in the picture above, it is a unique line for Nomad.

Unique dialog choices for the given past may be marked:

1. Yellow - These are important statements and it can influence, for example, the further course of the quest or the NPC's attitude towards the protagonist.
2. Blue color- These are additional dialogue options that are not relevant for the further storyline. Choosing dialogue related to the V's origin may lead to an exchange of views or deepen your knowledge about the interlocutor or faction from the game world.

Can the choice of origin prevent you from accessing the content?

Theoretically, yes - there are minor side quests associated with the various life paths. They do not affect the course of the main storyline but are inaccessible to characters with different backgrounds.

1. Only V with the Street Kid life path can do the Small Man, Big Mouth side quest.
2. Only V with the Corpolife path can do the War Pigs side quest.
3. Only V with the Nomad life path can do These Boots Are Made for Walkin' side quest.

V's origin can also lead to additional information or a slightly different way of doing a given quest.