Cybernetic modifications are the norm in a futuristic version of Earth in Cyberpunk 2077. These Cyberwares boost a player’s physical abilities by offering various enhancements. The Leg Cyberware section has a few options, four to be exact. But they are crucial in a player’s manoeuvrability, combat effectiveness, and ability to reach far-flung places. This guide analyzes all four cyber wares and measures their strengths and weaknesses by ranking them. Without further ado, let’s jump in.
Lynx Paws
The first cyberware in this list is Lynx Paws, only enjoys a little player acclaim. It’s heralded as the least functional yet the most expensive cyberware in the Legs section. They will cost players a whopping 54,400 eurodollars. For their steep price, they provide a singular advantage. Lynx Paws allow you to move and run more quietly. These are obtainable from the Ripperdoc Fingers, or if a player has punched Fingers during the ‘Space in Between’ quest, then the RipperDoc in Kabuki will surely sell you the Lynx Paws.
With silent movement being the only benefit of this cyberware, it allows you to sneak around without enemies hearing your footsteps. Players can pair it excellently with the epic Soft Sole mod and the legendary Optical Camo cyberware. These allow you to land quietly and turn invisible, respectively. As Lynx Paws helps you reduce detection, entering their line of sight will always automatically give away your position. To counteract this, equipping these three enhancements and the Sandevistan, you can jump right in front of an enemy without it noticing you.
Playing without the Lynx Paws in the stealth build makes no significant difference, as enemies only notice you when you’re behind them. The combat advantages that Lynx Paws provide are slim compared to its extravagant price. With the trade-off between the other cyberwares, which are superior in combat and preferable for transversing the Night City metropolis, the Lynx Paws fit only in a handful of specialized stealth builds as it offers no real advantage outside of combat.
Epic Fortified Ankles
This guide will cover the two variants of the same cyberware, Fortified Ankles, due to a considerable difference between the Epic and Rare variants. The Epic Fortified Ankles are ranked lower than the Rare version. Their availability certainly, doesn’t help their case. They can only be acquired from the Ripperdoc Fingers if you haven’t managed to punch him in the ‘The Space in Between’ quest. Those players that have punched him, this cyberware won’t be available for you. Probably a good thing, as the Epic Fortified Ankles cost a hefty 48,000 eurodollars.
The Epic Fortified Ankles provide two main advantages. Firstly, it reduces your fall damage by 15%. It means jumping from higher places and landing with these equipped will reduce damage by 15%. Players can further enhance by maxing out the Soft on your Feet perk and stacking the clothing mod Plume, which diminishes your fall damage by 20% and 10%, respectively. A jump from a great height will still kill you, but jumps from the second and third floors won’t be as damaging as before.
The other main advantage is hovering for two seconds after jumping in the air. This ability should give players an upper hand in combat. Realistically, when a player steadies himself and lines up the shot, they are already on their way down, and often, the shot is missed. Additionally, the hovering ability makes you a bigger, stationary target to your enemies, making you take increased damage. Using the Sandevistan with this ability is useless and doesn’t slow down your hovering duration. The Epic Fortified Ankles are clunky, expensive, and difficult to obtain, and most of all, it doesn’t allow you to jump higher to reach previously inaccessible places.
Rare Fortified Ankles
The Rare Fortified Ankles are the superior variant of the Fortified Ankles. Unlike the Epic variant, these can be acquired from almost all the RipperDocs in Night City. They are sold for a reasonable $30,000, making them more attractive than the previous two cyberwares. The Rare Fortified Ankles allow users to jump higher than any other leg cyberware. Holding the jump button for a second or two will charge your jump and make you jump higher and farther than any other leg cyberware, just like a superhero.
This cyberware allows you to bound around Night City in a flurry of high-charged jumps, traversing rooftops and leaping across high walls. Outside combat, they open up a world of possibilities and make the player reach unattainable heights. For example, players can avoid incoming traffic on roads by jumping and climbing atop lamp posts. It offers a vast range of versatility and manoeuvrability across Night City. Be aware that jumps require some planning and time as the charge needs to be built up. These ankles negate the fall damage considerably.
During combat, the Rare Fortified Ankles offer some help by jumping and dodging enemy bullets. Their real benefit is scaling un-climbable obstacles previously. For example, attacking the Arasaka Industrial Park is one of the most challenging gigs in the game. Normally players will often rush in, guns blazing. Alternatively, players can easily scale the high walls outside the perimeter with these ankles and devise a more informed combat strategy to eliminate the enemies. This cyberware also benefits Berserk players, allowing them to gain enough height for the Superhero Landing. This attack mode knocks away enemies and offers a slight edge during combat. It is the primary cyberware for purely high jumps.
Reinforced Tendons
The Reinforced Tendons are, by far, the most popular Leg Cyberware equipped by players. It majorly does that by introducing one of the oldest tricks in gaming. The Reinforced Tendons allow the players to execute a Double Jump by tapping the jump button mid-air. This game mechanic will enable you to jump farther by giving the player two points for jumping across a clearing. Firstly introduced in Mario, this highly popular game hack is also popular among players in Cyberpunk 2077.
This cyberware offers greater control when traversing any terrain, be it the sprawling rooftops of Night City or the crevices in Badlands. The Tendons provide greater versatility and manoeuvrability amongst players of all levels. Like the Rare Fortified Ankles, they can be bought for the low price of $30,000 eurodollars and are available from all RipperDocs in Cyberpunk 2077. Double-jump is preferred by many because of its familiarity and usefulness, especially in combat.
In combat, the Double Jump feature makes it harder for enemies to hit you while simultaneously prolonging your aiming duration, making you deal additional damage to enemies far away. This cyberware lets you easily leap across rooftops, similar to the Rare Fortified Ankles. It doesn’t feel like you’re sacrificing the extra jumping range from the Rare Fortified Ankles, and it holds up as a genuine alternative. The Reinforced Tendons don’t cancel out the fall damage at all, but by pressing the jump button a second time, a few meters off the ground will reset your velocity, and the fall damage is significantly reduced. This hack works from jumps from a reasonably high place but works beautifully for medium heights. The increased manoeuvrability and versatility of the Reinforced Tendons make them the highest-ranked Leg cyberware in this guide.
That’s all from this guide. Remember to pick up the Rare Fortified Ankles or the Reinforced tendons for greater versatility and an easier playing experience in Cyberpunk 2077.