In this guide, you will explore the top swords, their special abilities, and how they perform in different situations. From iconic swords like Byakko and Errata to unique swords such as Gwynbleidd and Satori, you will know the breakdown of their strengths, weaknesses, and the best ways to use them in the game.
Whether you’re facing single enemies, battling multiple foes, or taking on bosses, this guide will help you choose the perfect sword for your Cyberpunk adventure.
Build
You can use this build to test most of these blades. Some swords might need adjustments based on your abilities, but this setup will work well for about 80% of them.
Perks and Abilities
Focus on enhancing your health through the Central Body Tree. Invest in blade benefits to unlock finishers, bullet deflect, The Flash, and Thunderclap leap attack. Connect these perks to the Air Dash tree, which you should unlock later.
Central Tech Tree
Prioritize perks that boost your cyberware. If possible, consider investing in some perks that improve healing abilities.
Relic Tree
Get the vulnerability analytics perk as it’s incredibly helpful. Invest in cyberware like Apogee Sandevistan, crucial for using the best swords. Use the Newton module to recharge it faster, or axolotl if you have enough cyberware capacity. Dense Marrow and Stabber perks increase blade damage, while Adrenaline Booster restores stamina with each kill.
Combat Survival
For close-range battles, use Shock-n-Awe, Chitin, and Epimorphic Skeleton to stay protected. Biomonitor and Heal on Kill perks will help keep you alive in general.
Movement and Agility
Reinforced Tendons improve terrain navigation, which is essential for melee combat.
Kukri
The Kukri is a classic blade from Nepal. It looks more like a tool for cutting wood. It’s slower in attacking and uses more stamina compared to faster blades like katanas.
Variants of Kukri
There are two types of Kukri; the regular one and the unique Voodoo Boy Edition. However, you couldn’t find the Voodoo Boy Edition in version 1.6 of the game. You can find one during Phantom Liberty for the Showcase, but generally in version 2.0, finding machetes is difficult. You can’t craft them anymore, and you cannot find any vendors selling the Kukri or regular machete, except for razors.
Availability
Whether you use the Kukri depends on finding it while exploring Night City. Even if you find it, its strength is the weakest among machetes. It might only be chosen based on how it looks rather than its effectiveness.
Ranking
Kukri is considered the worst sword, but in a strong blade-focused build, it can still work decently. It also has slots for modifications.
Razor
The Razor is quite similar to the Kukri but deals about 20% more damage per hit. However, keep in mind that different Razors might have slight differences in damage, so the stats might vary a bit. The good thing is, unlike the Kukri, you can buy the Razor from a specific vendor at the stadium.
Distinct Sound and Satisfaction
This machete is more of a roaring tear sound, which some people find amazing compared to the clinking sound of other blades. While it might not beat the regular machete in terms of damage, at higher levels, you might prefer it simply because it feels more satisfying to use.
Unique Finishers and Playstyle
Machetes have their unique finishing moves, though they might not be as graceful as katanas. They tend to have a brutal, savage quality, making them a good choice for players who prefer a more violent playstyle. They benefit from blade perks just like other blades. With certain melee mods like Cyclone, you can bypass the triple combo limits and continuously attack, similar to Byakko, another high-ranking machete on the list. However, swings with a machete are generally slower compared to other weapons.
Iconic Variant
There’s also an iconic variant of the Razor that comes with a special ability, adding more uniqueness to this particular weapon.
Katana
Katana is an iconic version of the Razor with a special ability. These can be found randomly on enemies or purchased from vendors. However, these non-iconic ones can’t be upgraded, but at least you can craft them at tier five by buying the specifications from Spector Cheng.
Blade Mods for Katanas
Spector Cheng offers two out of three blade mods such as Bleedout and Haemocide. The third mod, Slice ‘Em Up, is rare to find and the most powerful. The benefit of using a non-iconic Katana lies in the choice of various mods.
Comparing Blade Mods for Katanas
Pax is good for non-lethal attacks and is stronger on the first strikes. Silencio is useful for more critical hits when crouching. Air Strike is beneficial if you have the Flash and Thunderclap perks, offering more common and damaging crits on leap attacks. However, Cyclone is the best among them, granting an unlimited combo effect when hitting an enemy with a Sprint attack, increasing speed by up to 35% with each consecutive swing.
Blade Mod Effects
Bleedout and Haemocide add bleeding damage over time, which is decent in the early game but less useful in a powerful blade build. However, Slice ‘Em Up is the best mod, providing a 20% extra vulnerability to finishers, making consecutive finishers more effective and powerful.
Evaluation of Katana’s Strength
While the non-iconic Katana with Slice ‘Em Up mod could be significantly improved, it’s tricky to find and relies on luck compared to many of the iconic variants. Keep an eye out for this mod and give it a try if you come across it. Overall, it’s one of the better machetes available.
Volkodav
Volkodav is the only iconic machete available, you can get it during the Waiting for Dodger mission in Phantom Liberty. It’s part of the Techtronika weapon set along with the Laika and Taigan revolvers and The Alibai shotgun. Each weapon in this set can cause a unique burning effect. When enemies are burning, hits on them become critical. The more enemies burning at once, the higher the critical damage, but this comes at the expense of accuracy.
Effects of the Techtronika Set
Using these weapons together in a set can create a wizard-like build, setting enemies on fire and benefiting from critical hits. However, it’s not as effective as just focusing on being a straightforward sword or blade wielder. While setting groups on fire and getting critical hits sounds good, it ends up keeping a lot of enemies alive, which isn’t ideal for systematically eliminating them. It becomes complicated and doesn’t work as smoothly as expected.
Effectiveness of Volkodav
Volkodav, when used as a machete without focusing on the burning effect, is more effective. It still benefits from the burn effect on one or two enemies, providing some extra damage. However, it’s still not as good as many other weapons available.
Tsumetogi
You can get Tsumetogi during the Pisces mission. It’s a katana that has the highest base damage among all katanas. However, its position in rankings suggests that the base damage is less important than the special abilities of the katana.
How to Get Tsumetogi
If you side with Maiko during a certain part, you’ll first come across Tsumetogi. You can take it from poor Hiromi Sato’s chest or pick it up from a stand during your quest against the Tiger Claws gang.
Special Abilities
While Tsumetogi deals higher damage, its special abilities might not be as exciting as some other katanas. It applies a 25% chance of causing shock instead of bleeding, which is interesting but not as effective as the scalpel which has a 30% chance for the same effect. Also, Tsumetogi deals a bit more damage with non-standard attacks like block swings, sprinting strikes, jump attacks, and anything from a lower position. However, this encourages unusual movements to be slightly more effective, which might not be as brilliant as other katanas.
Usage and Effectiveness
In boss fights, Tsumetogi might not be as effective since regular attacks might work better. However, with a specialized build, these limitations might matter less, and you can still choose to use Tsumetogi based on your preferences.
Machete
The regular Machete is the most powerful machete for raw damage. There are three variants; one regular, one from the Valentino gang, and another from Maelstrom. This machete deals a massive amount of damage, more than anything else on the list, and it comes with two mod slots, making it very powerful, especially if combined with a Slice Them Up mod.
Effective Build Potential
Finding this machete and pairing it with the Slice Them Up mod can create an extremely powerful build for rapidly using finishing moves.
Comparative Appeal
Despite its raw power, you can find the straightforward hacking and bitter nature of these machetes less appealing than the specialized iconic Katana variants. So, although this machete is undoubtedly very good in terms of damage, its lack of availability and less satisfying nature compared to some katanas keep it a few spots down in ranking than it might otherwise be. It might be one of the flashiest swords in Cyberpunk, but it might not be everyone’s top choice due to these reasons.
Cocktail Stick
You can find Evelyn Parker’s Cocktail Stick in her dressing room at Clouds during the Automatic Love mission. If you missed it there, it should be available at the black market in Dogtown.
Damage Comparison
In terms of raw damage, this sword falls in the lowest category along with Satori and Errata. It’s a few points lower than some other iconic swords, but its 30% chance to cause bleeding compensates for its lower damage.
Unique Ability
The special ability of this sword is quite specific and a bit unusual. Every strike with this sword, while Optical Camo is active, applies a long-lasting bleed effect for around 16 seconds on enemies it touches. This can significantly drain an enemy’s health over time, especially the weaker ones, unless they heal up.
Stealth Blade vs. Actual Use
Even though it might seem like a stealth blade due to the long-lasting damage, it’s not very practical for stealth kills. Long-lasting damage isn’t useful for stealth, as quick kills are necessary to avoid detection. Optical Camo lasts only for 7 seconds and has a 50-second cooldown. To utilize this effect more frequently, the Vanishing Act ability from the Cool attribute can help activate Optical Camo when sprinting, smoothing, or sliding, provided the cooldown isn’t fully dragging.
Unconventional Strategy
To trigger the bleed effect effectively, one might adopt the rather unconventional method of crouch-sliding or sprinting into enemies for the first hit. This might seem a bit silly but can be a workable strategy, especially mid-game, when you acquire this sword fairly early in Act 2 and reach a high Cool level quickly, depending on your build.
Effective in Lengthy Fights
Despite its unconventional use, this sword’s powerful bleed effect can be quite helpful in prolonged fights with many enemies, even though it might seem a little unusual. It serves as a sword with abilities somewhat similar to the Witcher series before update 2.0.
Black Unicorn
You can get Black Unicorn right at the beginning of the game by linking a GOG account to your Cyberpunk copy. It’ll appear in V’s stash as a tier one item, and you can upgrade it to tier 5++ using various components.
Visual Appeal
Black Unicorn stands out with its sleek, glowing blue extraordinary symbols when cutting through the air.
Standard Stats
The Black Unicorn damage, armor penetration, and bleeding chance are pretty average compared to other katanas.
Unique Feature
The standout feature of Black Unicorn is that its attack speed isn’t affected by stamina. While most blades or katanas have swings in sets of three, with gaps between sets significantly increasing when stamina is low, Black Unicorn maintains its fast speed even when your stamina is consumed. This is useful in one-on-one boss fights, preventing bosses from getting a chance to attack, and giving you time to regenerate health.
Limitations and Situational Use
While it doesn’t break through a boss’s defense, it delays their attacks indefinitely. It’s a useful feature but quite situational. It’s an excellent buff for an early-game Katana, especially when facing tougher enemies requiring more hits to defeat and with lower stamina. Until you unlock better swords and blade perks, this might be the best starting blade available.
Jinchu-Maru
Jinchu-Maru Sword belonged to Goro Takemura, and its name translates to something like The Loyal One in Japanese, fitting his character. He passed it to his beginner Oda, whom you acquired it from after defeating him in a challenge during the parade.
Damage and Abilities
Jinchu-Maru does decent damage per hit compared to other swords. It has some special abilities, but none that are remarkably game-changing.
Combo Hit and Optical Camo Ability
The last combo hit of Jinchu-Maru guarantees a critical strike, which happens every third strike if you can swing quickly enough. It’s decent, but there are better abilities in other swords. It also has a buff that activates only when using optical camo, making all hits critical and allowing you to jump to targets. However, if you have the Flash and Thunderclap perk, which enables all swords to do this, the jumping ability becomes unnecessary.
Challenges with Optimum Use
The critical hits encouraged by the optical camo ability can be a bit awkward in general combat. It encourages a tricky sprinting attack for every hit, similar to the Cocktail Stick, but it’s worse because you want to do this for every hit instead of just applying a bleed effect.
Situational Benefits
This sword does increased damage against elite enemies, which is good for leveling the playing field. However, many other blades have better effects that apply to everyone. Therefore, while it might be useful situationally, using this sword optimally in general combat can be a bit inconvenient.
Comparative Ranking
In the previous version 1.6, it was considered one of the best katanas, but due to its specific and slightly awkward mechanics for optimal use, it doesn’t rank as high compared to some other swords in the game.
Mantis Blades
Mantis blades have their own separate fourth weapon slot, which is convenient as it keeps them separate from other gear. You can choose between three types; Thermal, Electric, and Toxic.
Leap Attack and Stats
They have a pretty decent enhanced attack with the aged perk, offering more range than the Flash and Thunderclap. According to stats, they claim to have low damage but higher speed. However, while they start with three quick swings during an increased attack, subsequent attacks involve continuous but slower arm throws.
Comparative Speed and Damage
Despite the claim of higher speed, other weapons like a katana with mods such as Byakko or Cyclone tend to be faster in practical use. Although Mantis blades might become faster over time due to continuous swings, often, just three swings from a katana are enough per enemy.
Special Abilities and Damage
While Mantis blades might not superior in speed or special abilities compared to other highly ranked blades, they do have lower damage per hit, even less than the Kukri.
The Cool Factor
Regardless of these comparisons, the concept of Mantis blades embedded in your arms is cool. If the idea of having swords in your arms makes you feel like a complete badass, then using Mantis blades might still be a fair choice for you.
Cut O Matic
The Cut-O-Matic chain sword in Cyberpunk might be slower and uses more stamina than regular swords, but it offers a thrilling and intensely fun experience with a bit more damage.
2.0 Update Enhancements
In the 2.0 update, the chain sword received some added attention, especially with its brutal finisher moves, making it even more enjoyable.
Variants and Best Version
These chain swords can be found randomly like non-iconic weapons. However, the best version is the iconic X-MOD2 which deals thermal damage. It’s located in the Terra Cognita region of Dogtown, embedded creatively in the head of a barghest soldier named John Blum.
Advantages of Iconic Variants
The iconic versions are upgrades of the base variants, allowing for interchangeably replaced mods, great for testing various mods to find what suits you best.
Stealth Limitations and Noise
Using this chain sword isn’t ideal for builds as it generates loud chainsaw noises, alerting nearby enemies and terrifying civilians. This contrasts with carrying a massive machine gun, which doesn’t create similar reactions.
Technical Note
According to the database, the chainsword’s motor may have moments where it cuts out unexpectedly, but this hasn’t been experienced by everyone.
Future Gameplay Ideas
Considering the diverse options in the game, one might consider a guns-blazing Space Marine style build in the future, even though the game is set in a completely different time.
Butcher’s Cleaver
The Butcher’s Cleaver isn’t technically a sword but is considered in the blades category for melee weapons, particularly in the context of the 2.0 update where weapons are grouped into blades, blunts, and throwing weapons.
Melee Blade Category
Although it’s a knife and can’t be thrown, it fits best for comparison as a melee blade. It benefits from blade perks such as jumping attacks and bullet deflection, making it a part of the blade group.
Usage and Abilities
Despite its length, the Butcher’s Cleaver is surprisingly easy to use in combat. It attacks slower and uses more stamina than a katana but deals a significant amount of extra damage and has a 40% chance of causing bleeding. Its special ability, being bloodthirsty, allows it to swing faster and use less stamina on bleeding enemies, making it quite deadly.
Combat Effectiveness
In combat, it not only swiftly defeats weaker enemies on higher difficulties but also efficiently drains the health of formidable enemies like Maxtac, surprising the user with its effectiveness.
Strategic Use in Builds
In specific builds, such as the one using Sandevistan for Byakko, the Butcher’s Cleaver might be more effective against formidable foes, potentially making it a better choice than other weapons in certain boss fights.
Availability
You can acquire the Butcher’s Cleaver during the mission with Map Tann Pelen, where it’s used to butcher a chicken. However, if missed, it will also be available later on the black market.
Satori
Satori is the most iconic sword in the game, having belonged to Emperor Saburo Arasaka for over a century. In the 2.0 update, it functions best when paired with the Nehan knife, also from Mr. Arasaka’s finished dead bodies. If missed, it can still be found on the black market.
Acquisition During Heist
Satori and Nehan are accessible during the heist mission. Go to the penthouse rooftop after T-Bug opens the doors, take out the guards, and loot the AV.
Special Effect of Satori and Nehan
Using Satori and Nehan together allows bleeding an enemy with one and attacking with the other, causing a vampiric drain effect. This effect drains the enemy’s health and restores yours. It’s a bit similar to vampire themes in Arasaka lore.
Weapon Pairings and Symbolism
The encouraged weapon pairings, like Bald Eagle and Fang, possibly reference Cobra Kai and Pride. Interestingly, Satori and Nehan’s designs look identical, symbolizing the bond between Yorinobu and Saburo Arasaka.
Base Damage and Sheath Attack
While Satori used to be a heavy-hitting katana, it now has lower base damage. It features a strong attack that always causes bleeding, but practically, it’s a bit annoying as it requires constant hiding of the weapon.
Optimal Use Strategy
Practically, throwing Nehan at someone and then finishing them off with Satori to cause high bleeding seems to work better than using the sheath attack. It’s more logical to use the weapon first in one attack and then switch to the other.
Versatility and Contextual Value
While Satori holds significance for its context and creativity, it leans toward a blade/throwing knife build for optimal use, making it slightly less versatile compared to other swords. Nonetheless, it’s still considered very effective in the game.
Gwynbleidd
In the 2.0 update, a genuine Witcher sword called Gwynbleidd has been introduced. Unlike the retextured katana Black Unicorn, this sword is an actual longsword and is designed to kill monsters, inspired by Geralt from The Witcher series.
Name and Unlocking
Gwynbleidd’s name comes from Welsh, where Gwyn means white and bleidd means wolf, reflecting Geralt’s nickname, the White Wolf. To unlock it, you need to own both Phantom Liberty and The Witcher 3 on GOG.
Combat Characteristics
Gwynbleidd deals slightly more base damage than some variants and significantly more damage to bosses. It’s designed to replicate Geralt’s style of fighting powerful monsters in The Witcher. It’s effective against multiple enemies too, triggering a focus mode after successive kills, granting guaranteed critical hits, or aiding survival when health is critically low.
Effectiveness and Gameplay
This sword is fantastic to use throughout the game. Its ability to cause massive damage with minimal swings after a chain of kills is incredible. However, compared to swords like Byakko or Errata, the effects might seem less eventful, focusing mainly on critical damage.
Special Role-Playing Significance
Role-playing as an actual Witcher using this sword is a unique and special experience. Remarkably, one of the best swords in the game is tied to a quest.
Scalpel
In Cyberpunk, there’s a direct acknowledgment of the TV show The Office, which might seem unexpected. The reference involves encountering a character named Dennis Cranmer, who doubles as a stand-in for Daryl from The Office, early in Act 2 after leaving Rogue’s booth.
Meeting Dennis Cranmer
Dennis sends you to Kabuki Docs to get a package from Haruyoshi Nishikata, a heart surgeon with a story similar to Hide in The Office. He settled away to America after an unfortunate incident involving a gang boss’s death during surgery.
Scalpel – A Blade Reference
Scalpel, offered as thanks by Nishikata, operates with surgical precision. This katana-like blade, when combined with Sandevistan, increases crit chance by 50% and applies to bleed, making it dominant for a Sandevistan-focused build. It’s effective against bosses like Smasher, dealing higher damage over time.
Combat Characteristics
Scalpel, with its blue handle resembling a surgical tool, is one of the attractive designs in the game. It’s demonstrated to be powerful in defeating tough opponents like Max Tac, especially when used with an optimized Sandevistan build on a very hard difficulty level.
Reminder and Humor
While Scalpel is an excellent blade for Sandevistan users, there’s a humorous reminder not to misuse it for unlawful activities, playfully referencing Prison Mike from The Office.
Errata
Added in the 2.0 update, Errata is a blade resembling a lightsaber with its glowing red edge. You can get it during the Disasterpiece quest by pulling it out of the furnace. If missed there, it’s available on the black market or during the Phantom Liberty quest.
Distinct Properties
Despite its impressive appearance, Errata has one of the lowest base damages among swords. It burns enemies instead of causing bleeding, applying a 30% burn effect. When used against burning enemies, it provides critical damage, accelerating their defeat.
Effectiveness
Errata works well against tough single enemies that can endure these burning effects, speeding their death. It can also be effective against groups if combined with damaging grenades to trigger critical damage beforehand.
Usage with Sandevistan
When paired with Sandevistan, the five seconds of burning from Errata feels longer, enhancing its effectiveness. However, personal preference might lean towards faster blades like Byakko for speed.
Versatility and Recommendation
Despite its lower base damage, Errata’s effects make it suitable for various situations, both against groups and solo enemies. It’s highly favored in flame-based builds and allows increased attacks without needing specific perks, making it a worthwhile choice.
Byakko
Byakko, the top choice for many situations, works like a regular katana until you defeat one enemy. After that, it becomes exceptional in multi-enemy battles, allowing continuous swings if your stamina holds up.
Ideal in Crowded Fights
If you’re facing multiple enemies, Byakko turns you into a human blender, swiftly attacking enemies with insane speed. It’s the centerpiece of an endless Sandevistan build, especially with the Adrenaline Boost cyberware that restores stamina upon each kill.
Efficiency with Sandevistan
Byakko’s incredible speed collaborates well with Sandevistan, ensuring the charge remains at max. It’s best used in regular combat situations, toggling it off when not in direct combat.
Unlocking Byakko
To acquire Byakko, complete all of Wakako’s eight gigs around Westbrook. Before getting Byakko, you might need to use other swords. Wakako, a powerful fixer, likely had an impressive legacy, possibly deadly.
Closing Thoughts
Byakko’s position at the top depends on personal preferences and gameplay. It offers incredible adaptability and effectiveness, especially in crowded fights.
