Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty doesn’t just give you a new expansion to enjoy and experience. It offers a completely new ending to the way the base game ends. Your new ending will depend on your choices throughout the course of Phantom Liberty, and one of the endings sees you have the choice of getting surgery from Reed to remove the Relic in Cyberpunk 2077.
When you get to the point of no return with this ending, Johnny will plead with you not to call Reed, as the surgery will kill him. This is a heart-wrenching decision, as there is no guarantee the surgery works and let’s face it, you have likely grown somewhat attached to Johnny.
In this guide, I will go over the different endings based on whether you decide to have the surgery with Reed or listen to Johnny and don’t call Reed. Naturally, there are huge spoilers in this guide, so be warned.
Getting the surgery with Reed in Cyberpunk 2077
First and foremost, you only get this potential ending for Cyberpunk 2077 if you decide to hand Songbird over to Reed at the launchpad after betraying him with the Neural Matrix earlier in Phantom Liberty. If you betray Songbird and hand her over to Reed, you can bargain with him to let you use the Neural Matrix to save your life and remove the Relic.
From here, the ending of Cyberpunk 2077 plays out the same; you go to the roof of Misty’s and have a talk with Johnny. However, in this ending, Johnny will tell you not to call Reed and to not have the surgery done. If you ignore Johnny, a helicopter comes and whisks you away to get the surgery done.
Then, a cutscene plays and you wake up from the surgery with Reed looking over you. Unfortunately, the surgery only kind of worked. The Relic was removed, as was Johnny, but you lost the ability to use any cyberware. Even worse, you have been in a coma for two years. Reed gives you the option to return to Night City, which you can do, but you will lose most of the relationships you had there previously.
The exceptions are Victor and River Ward. If you romanced Panam earlier in Cyberpunk 2077, she will not return any of your calls. Heading back to Night City sees you link up with Victor, where he tries to give you your cyberware abilities back, but to no avail. The game ends with you speaking with Misty and walking the streets of Night City with a shaved head as an average joe citizen.
Listening to Johnny and not doing the surgery
If you decide to blow off Reed and listen to Johnny, you will have the chance to do another ending in Cyberpunk 2077. You won’t be contacted by Reed again, and you can go on with another quest line to conclude the game.
Johnny will be shocked and relieved that you gave his life some consideration in your decision. Of course, this means you need to make another decision down the line regarding the Relic and your new ending.
Which choice should you make?
To me, it’s a no-brainer. When I learned that I had been in a coma for two years after getting the surgery done, I was blown away. It’s a truly sad ending, as V has to give up his previous life and learn how to be a new person entirely. While it’s fantastic from a story-telling perspective, it’s not an ending I would want to have again.
As such, I recommend blowing off Reed and the surgery and listening to Johnny. This gives you a chance to get a new ending, which can involve people like Panam and Rogue, instead of the new characters you met during Phantom Liberty.
Published: Sep 27, 2023 11:00 am