Extracting maximum damage from your attacks is the underlying philosophy for any player in Cyberpunk 2077. Since Patch 1.3, damages and critical damages have slyly gone down. Worry not, as this comprehensive guide covers all aspects of gameplay required to achieve maximum critical damage. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
The Build
The Maximum Critical Damage build is focused on boosting critical damage as much as possible. This build has 900% critical damage and a 100% critical chance. It deals 80,000 damage with melee weapons, 22,000 with Rifles, and 40,000 with Handguns. It is all possible by upgrading the Merciless perk to Level 65. Silenced weapons are also crucial in this build, as the perks from the Cool skill tree exaggerate the damage to insane amounts.
Weapons
The first weapon in this build is the legendary Satori Katana; this lethal blade packs a base DPS of 2470. This impressive blade also boasts 500% critical damage, but the base DPS reduces by 20%. It can be acquired in the “The Heist” storyline, found leaning against a seat inside Saburo Arasaka’s AV, parked on the rooftop landing pad. The blade has three mod slots that must be equipped with rare Cold Shoulder mods. Collectively, they increase the blade’s damage by 15%.
The legendary Moron Labe assault rifle is the second weapon in this overpowered build, with a base DPS of 979. This weapon is chosen for its slow firing rate because the slower it is, the more damage a single bullet can inflict. This works for this build as it looks to transform it into a single-shot silenced sniper rifle. The modifications include an epic MK.8 Clearvue scope and a rare XC-10 Alecto silencer. Four Crunch mods are fitted in the available mod slots. A single Crunch mode increases the damage by 7%; in total, 28% increased damage is dealt.
For the third weapon slot, the legendary Crash revolver is chosen. An iconic variant of the Overture revolver, it boasts a base DPS of 951. This weapon can be acquired by completing the storyline “Following the River.” The rare Kanetsugu scope is equipped for greater accuracy. The rare XC-10 Alecto silencer is also fitted for the 2.5x Damage Multiplier bonus when attacking from stealth. Four Crunch mods are equipped in the remaining slots, increasing damage by 28%.
The closing items are equipped with Legendary Armadillo mods to enhance armour protection, except for the Eyewear slot, equipped with Johnny’s Aviators, increasing critical chance by 4%.
Cyberware
Frontal Cortex
The legendary Heal-on-Kill implant is equipped in the first slot. This cyberware restores 10% of the build’s health on eliminating an enemy. The second slot is armed with the legendary Mechatronic Core. This cyberware increases damage against drones, mechs, and robots by 50%—a handy piece of cyberware when facing robotic enemies. The remaining third slot is intentionally left empty.
Ocular System
The epic Kiroshi Optics MK.3 is the preferred option for enhancing the visual system. For the three mod slots, three Trajectory Analyzers will be equipped there. The Trajectory Analyzer increases the headshot damage bonus by 25%, so stacking them gives us 75% of the damage.
Circulatory System
With the Body level at 8, there aren’t many good defensive options. The Epic Microgenerator will be fitted in the first slot. This defensive cyberware releases an Electroshock, which damages enemies equal to 40% of their health whenever your health falls to 15%. The second slot is equipped with Syn-Lungs. This implant increases stamina regeneration by 10%. The Bioplastic Blood Vessels are equipped in the third slot, increasing health regeneration by 5% outside combat.
Immune System
The legendary Pain Editor is equipped in the first slot; this handy cyberware reduces all incoming damage by 10%. In the second slot, the epic Metabolic Editor is fitted. The Editor grants the build immunity from poison, and inversely health is regenerated whenever you’re poisoned.
Nervous System
The legendary Kerenzikov is utilized in the first slot. This implant slows down time, allowing players to strike critical hits. It is a handy alternative to Sandevistan. To activate Kerenzikov, hold down the aim button, move in either the left or right direction, and double-tap the dodge button. The second slot is reserved for the epic Nanorelays. Nanorelays increase the duration of Kerenzikov and Sandevistan by two seconds. In total, Kerenzikov is activated for six seconds.
Integumentary System
The legendary Subdermal Armor is equipped in the first slot. It increases armour protection by 300 points. For the second slot, the legendary Optical Camo is armed. This handy implant is essential for the stealth bonus, granting invisibility for fifteen seconds. Lastly, the Heat Converter is equipped for the third slot. It grants immunity from burns and upgrades 10% damage to attacks whenever heat is applied.
Operating System
The legendary QianT Sandevistan MK. 4 is equipped to serve as this build’s operating system. This cyberware allows the build to use Sandevistan’s ability to slow down time for 12 seconds at 25% speed, with a cooldown period of 15 seconds. When Sandevistan is active, damage and critical chances are increased by 15%. The legendary Sandevistan Heatsinks are equipped in two mod slots, reducing the cooldown period by 4 seconds each. This brings the total cooldown period for Sandevistan to 7 seconds.
A rare Sandevistan Prototype Chip is fitted in the last mod slot. This mod increases the critical chance by 5% and the total critical chance during Sandevistan to 20%. It is crucial for the build, as the first critical shot in Sandevistan will activate the Merciless perk. The first hit is very crucial, so make sure you activate Sandevistan for the first shot.
Skeleton
The uncommon Synaptic Signal Optimizer is equipped in the first slot. This cyberware increases health by 30%. For the second slot, the legendary Microrotors are fitted. It increases attack speed by 25%, which is vital for melee weapon damage.
Hands
The legendary Smart Link is equipped in the Hands slot. No smart weapons are used in this build, so the intelligent targeting mechanism is lost for those looking to maximize their damage. Players looking to equip Smart Weapons should utilize the Smart Link cyberware for increased accuracy.
Arms
The legendary Gorilla Arms are equipped in the Arms Slot. These implants are a powerful melee option, boasting a DPS of 1261. Gorilla Arms build up charges with each attack, unleashing them in a strong attack. The implant has three mod slots. The first slot is used to equip the legendary Animals Knuckles. This mod causes internal bleeding on successful hits. The second slot is reserved for the legendary Black Market Battery. It increases max charge and charge damage by 100%. For the last slot, a rare Sensory Amplifier is fitted. It grants a health increase of 15%.
Legs
The rare Reinforced Tendons are the obvious choice for Legs implant. It lets you execute a double jump by pressing the jump button in mid-air.
Skills
The Skills are distributed in such a way that increases our critical damage and damage bonus from your weapons. The Skills distribution is Body 8, Technical Ability 20, Cool 20, Reflexes 20 and Intelligence 3.
Cool
It is the most crucial attribute for this damage build. The Assassin perk is unlocked in the Ninjutsu section, as it deals 15% more damage to human enemies. The Silent & Deadly perk gives 25% more damage by silenced weapons while sneaking. Lastly, the “Strike from the Shadows” perk increases your critical chance by 7% while sneaking.
The first objective in the Cold Blood section is to increase the Merciless perk to Level 65. At this level, 100% critical chance and 300% critical damage is achieved for any weapon whenever you enter the Cold Blood. The rest of the perks in this section will aim to prolong the effects of Cold Blood as long as possible. The Cold Blood perk allows you to enter Cold Blood mode after a successful initial critical hit.
The Coolagulant perk removes Cold Blood stacks one by one instead of all stacks being removed instantaneously. The Critical Condition perk increases the duration of Cold Blood by 50%. Lastly, the Coldest Blood perk adds two additional Cold Blood stacks to your existing Cold Blood. This ensures that Cold Blood is active for a minute, allowing the build sufficient time to eliminate all enemies and gather enormous damage.
Body
In the Athletics section, only two perks are required. The Pack Mule perk increases the build’s carrying capacity by 60. And the Regeneration perk allows you to replenish health slowly during combat. Players having extra points can utilize the Steel & Chrome perk to increase their melee weapon damage by 10%.
Reflexes
In the Assault section, the first perk is the Named Bullets. It increases critical damage with rifles and SMGs by 20%. The Savage Stoic perk increases damage by 35% when shooting while standing still. The Bulletjock perk increases general damage by rifles and SMGs by 10%. The Bullseye perk increases damage by 10% when aiming down the sights of rifles and SMGs. The Executioner perk deals 25% more damage to enemies whose health is above 50%. Lastly, the Long Shot perk increases the damage proportional to the distance between you and the enemy. The farther away the enemy is, the more damage is inflicted on him.
In the Handgun section, High Noon is the first perk used. It increases the critical chance for handguns by 6%. The Brainpower perk increases your critical chance by 7% for five seconds after a successful headshot by a handgun. The Rio Bravo perk increases the headshot damage multiplier by 15%. The Long Shot Drop Top perk increases damage to enemies farther than 5 meters by 25%. Lastly, the Westworld perk increases the critical chance by 5% for fully modded weapons.
In the Blades section, the Roaring Waters perk is chosen first. It upgrades your Strong attacks to deal 30% more damage. The Sting Like A Bee perk increases the attack speed by 30%. The Judge, Jury & Executioner perk massively increases damage by 100% against enemies with full health. When dodging, the Float Like A Butterfly perk increases damage by 50% for 5 seconds. Lastly, the Deathbolt perk gives back 20% health and increases movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds upon defeating an enemy. This perk stacks with the Heal-on-Kill cyberware and restores 30% of health upon defeating an enemy with blades.
Technical Ability
Only perks from the Crafting section are needed. The True Craftsman perk allows you to craft rare items. Similarly, the Grease Monkey perk lets you craft epic items. The Edgerunner Artisan perk allows you to craft legendary items. The Cutting Edge perk improves the damage and the damage-related stats of crafted weapons by 5%. This perk is vital to this build as an additional Crunch mod for all your weapons. The 200% Efficiency perk upgrades crafted clothes with 10% additional armour protection. Lastly, the Field Technician perk gives crafted weapons 10% more damage.
That’s all from this comprehensive guide. Remember to use Sandevistan and crouch for the initial critical shot, which will allow players to activate the Merciless perk, and after that, it’s a piece of cake.