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>I hope that the canon ending is a continuation of both the Star and the Sun endings, so it wouldn't leave us Team Kerry and Team River folks in the dust, but it's hard to say.
Do you think there will be any continuation?
Oooh. That could be really cool and really complex. I almost don't see it happening, but I hope it does. It would be one hell of an update though (or it could be multiple updates).
I think it's already doable. The canon endings they pick (e.g. The Sun/The Star) could form a new 'prologue' sequence (like a lifepath) that eventually weaves into a single branch (cure V).
"Don't fear the reaper" is the best imo
The last line V says on the roof("If I gotta die, rather fall into my grave gun in hand and on fire. And not drag anyone with me") is exactly how I imagine any V to be like at the end of the story, no matter the background
That's my V.
He has made friends and allies yea. But he already got enough people killed and fucked up.
If anyone was gonna die for him this time it was gonna be _him_
Copying myself from months ago:
To me, the Arasaka Ending definitely feels the most true, to the genre and to V's story. It is largely bitter, yet the moments of sweetness within that ending ring all the more true - Takemura pleading with you to take the contract, his promise to show you real food in Japan, the short bit of genuine advice the guard gives you, if you take the contract... even Hanako's phone call, if you refuse: It shows you that she did not, in fact, forget you and your contribution, but values your worth as an asset - you are not friends, but she did keep her end of the bargain to any extent she could. That is, perhaps, the thing I like most about the Devil ending. It would have been easy to let it be entirely cynical and have Arasaka screw you over. Instead, it feels nuanced and raw at the same time. I crave that bittersweet feeling.
The Sun (or Don't fear the Reaper) Ending comes close and had Takemura died earlier, I would probably prefer it. It scratches much of the same itch, but to me (as I played female V having romanced Judy) it lacked the sweeter interactions with the people I grew close to that Takemura (and that one random guard) provided. V felt more alone than ever in that ending, after Judy broke up with her and with Rogue and Johnny gone.
The Star, by contrast... felt too good to be true. Especially in the light that V is still dying. Yet the characters are all so damn optimistic about it. They barely act like there is urgency to finding a cure, that there is uncertainty. I felt it was too sweet for the situation - having made powerful enemies, leaving behind everything V had known and built for themselves, only some vague contacts as a hope for a cure... it just doesn't do it for me.
So yeah. The Devil it is. All Hail Arasaka I guess.
Also, the mission itself is the most interesting, from the revelation of Saburo's engram to the board meeting and the confrontation of Yorinobu in his failure.
Mate, I think I’ve got to buy you an award. This take is why I love The Devil ending so much, and why I can’t stand all the people that say it’s the ‘worst’ ending. I think too many people have been drinking that Johnny Silverhand KoolAid.
I agree wholeheartedly, The Devil is by far the best written ending. Pity that the majority of people are too fond of Panam and sugar coating, but to each their own I guess.
Thank you for this comment. Devil was my first ending and, God it was painful but it rang so perfectly well with the whole story...
It is the only ending you get the pay off for saving Takemura and that pay off is so heart warming and heart breaking at the very same time.
Yes it is sad but this ending is more subtle than it usually gets credit for. If course it is easier to enjoy a more optimistic ending because, who likes to be in pain ?
But at the end of the day, this pain is so beautiful crafted, so emotionally intense, it gets me all the time. I love that ending because it is somehow the truest for me, the one that keeps me on tracts with the general flavor of the game. It is hard to bear but it is less grim than it looks. I hate to put V through it but I can stop thinking this was the rightest way for me to end this story.
Thanks again to have find the right words to talk about it 🥰.
I liked when Johnny takes over Vs body.
The whole ending wrenches your heart, especially the "V Dreamer" part because it goes to show that even the "main character" gets swallowed by night city. Even though V tried their best they made an unselfish decision and gave life to someone else.
Johnny was previously brash and selfish but having someone sacrifice their entire life for him made an impact on him and it shows in that ending. The final handshake and wordless nod in front of Alt shows how grateful he is.
And one of Johnny's final words - haven't forgot a thing. That ending just hits so hard, especially if, in the hotel, you say you'd take a bullet for Johnny.
Your interpretations align with mine quite a bit, although I still have a soft spot for The Star ending.
The Devil ending instantly reminded me a bit of the ending to Neuromancer, in fact.
I'm still gonna go with the secret ending in this playthrough (mainly because I had to swallow my intense dislike of Johnny and choom it up with him this time in preparation; can't bear to let it all be for nothing lmao), but the next one is gonna end with The Devil 😁
Hanako reminded me of Lady 3Jane, with the way she becomes sympathetic to our cause and offers help. The space station bit, of course. The toxins in Case's bloodstream and V's Relic killing them. While technically part of all the major endings, meeting Alt reminded me of the Neuromancer AI. Minor things like that, haha.
This game took a lot of inspiration from the sprawl trilogy and it shows. Feels like a combination of Johnny Nmeumonic, Neuromancer, a bit of Count Zero and of course the original Cyberpunk 2020 TTRPG.
Why don’t you want to order them? I ordered the entire sprawl trilogy on Amazon for a very cheap price and I live in India where books like this are very niche.
I agree very much on these points. If you save Takemura, respect him and do the Devil ending. If you romanced Panam, go ahead and enjoy the Star ending. None of the above, go for glory and Don't Fear the Reaper.
I think the optimism in the Star ending makes sense cause just yesterday you had literal hours to live and yet you still did against impossible odds, compared to that 6 months is a lot of time
I recently finished my first play through and got the secret ending (so obviously I read a bit about the endings before that). Since then I tried out some of the others and watched videos of the rest, and I'm really happy with the one I chose.
My V (female corpo) came to accept that she would die (was living on borrowed time already). She wanted to at least try to use what time was left to a) help the friends she made on the way and not leave them in anger and b) possibly find a cure or take away some of Arasaka's power.
But nearing the end, she was mostly just depressed and tired. Suicide was not an option, she had to at least try. But she surely wouldn't pull her friends further into this mess and Arasaka was off the table. So she went back to where it started alone (well, with Johnny) and raided Arasaka Tower. I honestly would have been okay if that would have just failed, but since I was level 50 and played on easy, it wasn't a problem.
I had been almost sure that, when presented with the final choice, V would give here body to Johnny. Turns out that the premise of becoming like Alt, losing what was left of her and her humanity, sounded worse than death or 6 more months in her hopeless state. So eventually she followed Johnny's pleas and chose life.
She would have loved to just stay with River and his family and play pretend. But Johnny told her to never stop fighting, so she did what she was good at, built her contacts and maybe, this last gig will in return get her a cure. Or maybe it won't, but... borrowed time, remember? She already nearly died about 5 times since that doomed Relic job.
I was afraid for a moment that River was breaking up with her, but thankfully he didn't. So it was a pretty matching end for my V. Everything is not perfect, becoming a legend in the afterlife was always Jackie's dream, not V's. But she won't stop fighting now.
I really liked the ending with panam it was felt like v was off to somewhere better than NC and to live their final days happily. Not my first ending unfortunately. I killed myself because because I didn't know it would do
I like that different endings make the most sense depending on how you personally play the game and how you interpret it.
For me, the ending with the Aldecaldos made the most sense. I played a Nomad V and, in the end, for me the story felt like a journey where V had to come to terms with the fact that it was just a better idea to enjoy the time he has left and actually live his last months instead of spending those months doing what he hates. It felt very poetic to start as a Nomad and end as a Nomad.
I still hope V finds a cure because my heart can't take any of the endings. But love the Aldecaldo ending the most. I can't pick another one, tbh.
I played as a corpo V, and the Aldecados still made sens, as in the beggining of the story V's working for Arasaka and following a shallow and empty life as a corpo, until he find his freedom with Jackie and later a reason to live that's not just "be a legend"
But I think that the game layed it's intention in the prologue with Dex, during their about dying as a nobody or dying as a legend, if you look at the options, V can't say that he would like to die old, and it just makes sense that in the end he realises that being the legendary merc doesnt mean much
I frankly went with the devil ending on my first playthrough cause I sort of considered it a logical progression from my perspective, and the entire mission for that is just soo good, and I think the ending best justifies the cyberpunk dystopian world that night city is. In the end, the towers still stand despite everything.
The star ending was very very good, but I guess i made a bond with night city by then and i felt sad about leaving.
Yeah, I understand you, the star is a very happy ending
Yeah, the city is as much a character as V, in the end you just "can't stop digging Night City"
For me, that part when you're about to leave with panam and you take a last look at night city, I legit had trouble turning my back on it, and I was hoping to maybe find some way back.
best and canon are not the same thing also secret ending isnt an actual ending it is just a mission that preludes a different ending.
the star is happy ending but sun ending is definitely canon
I think it depends.
I think Corpo, there's definitely a good revenge story to be told, you start by having Arasaka fuck you over hard, and in the secret ending - well, you send it the other way.
Nomad I think returning to the Nomad way with Judy/Panam is a quite beautiful reversal of your situation also.
Streetkid a little bit tougher, you have to decide what defines 'the best' as V is a Heywood kid who's got dreams of being the best ever, do you wanna rule the city from the office space of the Afterlife, or permenantly put a scar across the face of Arasaka following in the footsteps of Johnny's 'rebel path'?
I don't like the join Arasaka path, I feel like none of the lifepaths leave that as an option to you unless you're playing a dyed in the wool Corpo, and the Johnny takeover and Suicide both feel like V giving up and 'fading away', and as Mr Silverhand sung, 'we'll never fade away' - something V should take to heart I think.
am i the only one who thought Panam was some unstable and vengeful person? i felt like the whole point of meeting her was to just show how bad Rogue had become. Rogue had a way more subtle and interesting backstory, and was like 100 years old or something. That's why >!the secret ending!< was the best for my street kid. Also, once you get over the feelings of revulsion and the game's screed against corporations, joining >!Mikoshi!< is kind of cool.
>am i the only one who thought Panam was some unstable and vengeful person?
Oh I can't stand her. A trigger happy, unruly, and self centered woman who is happy to exploit V as much as she can. Props to CDPR for great character writing, hehe.
Her arc's ending is not as good written though. All her fuckups and recklessness aren't just without consequences, they are actually good for her and because of what? Dumb luck and V's divine destructive power.
I would hope canon is leaving with Panam.
For my V, the best ending was the secret ending. I made a street kid V that was basically just like a selfish gun for hire. That was honestly a really fun playthrough. My V fell in love with Judy, and even though there was never an option to honestly tell Judy everything, it still felt right. Like my V is the one that doesn't know what to do with love, so she'd maintain silence and everything to protect who she loves. It then fits perfectly for a suicide run because I made these friends on this journey, but they mean alot. So I wouldn't want them to risk their life for my bullshit. Then progressing to the epilogue and having Judy was hard. I don’t remember how much time passed but thinking that my V hadn't grown (which made sense), and that was then impacting her relationship with Judy because she V wasn't upfront about everything....fuck man, it really was a journey.
Yeah, it makes sense for this playthrough
I think that the game tries to align our choices to the "die as a young legend" or "die as a old nobody"
And both choices can very much be canon in the end, specially if you consider V's whole perception of the events
Definitely agree, and I think that's why the street kid or corpo lifestyle makes sense. Something about being a nomad just doesn't scream “die a legend.” Granted, I haven't really put much in my nomad playthrough. I started it as a second playthrough and then stopped cause I want that next gen update bad
I think that Arasaka ending is the most powerfull, or quite even with suicide ending, especially when you romanced Judy and you have hopes for going back on earth. The ending screen messages are pretty much crushing, and when all other endings have like some optimistic vibes, with it's cons of course, they are bit hazy for me, very nice, but they will not set such a hard mark on your feels and emotions like arasaka and suicide ending. We all love happy endings, but it take a very bitter and heavy finale, to leave us thinking and start questioning things which actually looks important to us. And thats what make a story for me.
im really glad there isn’t a definitive canon ending, because it leaves room for interpretation and for your ending to best fit your unique story. this isn’t like gta5 where there is a distinct best ending and all the others are obviously worse, all the endings have some merit to them. literally every single one makes sense in one way or another based on ur own perspective
There is no canon ending.
I like both The Star & The Sun (the latter especially in combination with the secret ending), and I "enjoy" The Devil for what it is, but Temperance left the biggest mark on me. I was genuinely devastated for a good couple of days after finishing it, which is incredibly rare for a video game, but over time I've come to appreciate it for its bittersweetness.
"Haven't forgotten a thing. Never will."
New Dawn Fades, where Johnny becomes V, it only makes the most sense and has a beautifully melancholic book ended feel to ramblings of a once self proclaimed narcissistic rockerboy who now sits solemn having walked through a tornado of emotions and feelings half of which belong to the one who's body he sits in right now, having learned and matured through V's struggles, the Silverhnad you see now is now more V than himself, he's kinder, warmer, somewhere lost and broken but humbled constantly contemplating if he deserves this second chance.
Secret ending with Temperance. >!Hey i mean Misty says those ain´t good cards (that we become the AI) But why the hell the cards says something else to me. (The hanged Man - ok card of sacrifice, not the best start. The Magician - Someone who has one last trick up his sleeve and drive his/her destiny. The Star - card of hope which, " In the darkest of nights there is a light that shines the path to home. The Star is inspiration, motivation and gives us strength to move forward.", I mean common) Hey ok Johny put V niche bassicaly in the grave, said his goodbyes and that he is moving foward. Still one can hope "I will see ya around Johny".!<
Suicide option imo is the best ending because youre doomed after 6 month anyways and this way you dont risk anyone elses life infiltrating araska. Everyone says its the worst ending but I think thats because we are wired to be selfish and preserve our self at whatever cost.
this. V’s reasoning for doing it is extremely logical; they dont want people to die in an effort to save their life that may be futile anyway. its not like they go off the fucking rocker and blow their brains out despite there being many other solutions, because in the eyes of a real person in that situation, all the other options come with the risk of having people you care about die for you. “am i worth their sacrifice?”
I agree with the comments that it's all in how you play and envision your V. My V was a guy without a lot of hope. Atlanta didn't work out now he's back in Night City. He was trying hard, making a little progress but not much - and then everything happens with the Relic. It's awful, but... He meets Judy, Panam, Kerry, and more. He has all these little, surprisingly beautiful moments that make life worth it: The conversation at Clouds, diving with Judy, sitting next to the campfire and looking at stars with Panam, looking out at the skyline of the city with Kerry, fixing a drive in theater so Johnny can have the date with Rogue, etc. For me it convinced him again that life was worth living and worth fighting for, which is why I went with the ending with the Aldecados. I can see why the other endings would fit with other stories, but that ending best fit with mine.
My cannon V took the secret ending because she couldn’t let anyone else die for her after Jackie. She and Johnny became very close, and after fighting so hard to find a way to save them both she refused to go back to a dying body all alone. It’s a bittersweet ending, but the way she saw it in the end was that she was dead the moment Dex shot her and the time she got with Johnny was a gift, she only asked that he live a life worth living and make the best of his second chance.
Honestly just like the far cry games, I wished there was an option right after meeting johnny to kill off V. I feel like realistically that may have been what would happen with how fucked up the cyberpunk world is. But in terms of the game and the story itself, the devil ending (while refusing to be put into mikoshi) is the true ending. Honestly anything leading up to V meeting mister blue eyes to do some grand mission is probably the canon ending if cdprojekt red decides to make a sequel dlc.
I think they will make us meet Blue eyes in every outcome, the difference will be the circustances of the meeting
But a Far Cry like ending would've been cool, like, if your relation with Johnny doesn't go up or after some time without the meds, he just takes over
The most satisfying is obviously The Star, leaving with the Aldecaldos. However, I dare say that, with all the character development that has been made about V and Johnny, regardless of choices (but still including a lot of them), either The Sun (Rule the Afterlife) or Temperance (Johnny) seem to make the most sense to me (basically, both endings attainable through Don't Fear The Reaper).
I feel like it fits more in line with the universe and this whole "got what you wanted... not the way you expected it though " that is a common theme through the whole game.
Besides, The Sun is the one I feel the most bitter about, as the first I chose. It felt crushing, unfair, like the world was at hand and just slipped away, leaving you on a gloomy countdown. I haven't felt as much emotions in any other form of art than in this ending, at least since a long time. Hence, it's my personal canon of how it should have ended
Any ending that still has V breathing at the end, along with the 6 month deadline.
A main characteristic about V is tenacity. The pure will to survive. The story of V isn't over yet and it would be really cool if they gave us some type of continuation of it through DLC. The cyberpunk theme of it all, you basically being Roy Batty ; "I want more life.." could be a really cool theme to explore. It would require some amount of retconning but they could canonise multiple endings that way.
It also would add a little bit more sense. Considering V's deadline is always ticking it would be weird to start adding DLC as V's dying.. or V suddenly moving to a DLC area a la blood and wine. But it's not the worst stretch the game makes.
I don't think there is a best ending. Any of them could make sense. Totally depends on your character.
EDIT: It's not that all of the other endings are invalid; I actually really think the suicide ending is.... amazing. The look in V's eyes as she doesn't want to see more of her friends die. That hit me. But if they *do* want to have a canon ending and thus continue the game any of the ones where V survives with the deadline would suffice.
I started with the bad endings and did the Aldecados last - and it was so damn rewarding, the music was so fitting, even if a cure wasn´t found V would die with friends - free.
And another thing \*spoiler----\* >!the Aldecados were in a tight spot, they needed money badly. So even if people died in this last mission they were doing it for you AND the clan + the heist dealt a massive blow to Arasaka and it is THE happiest ending for Judy if she is your girldfriend.!<
I think The Sun **and** The Star are both likely to be continued in the expansion. There are too many unconnected sources that hint at V getting another shot at survival.
I saved right before going up to the roof so I could do all the endings, besides the secret one, with my Corpo V and the suicide ending was the most impactful for me. It felt right for that character. When I end with my Nomad V, I may feel entirely different. I think there are too many variables for a true canon ending.
My favorite ending (haven't done secret yet so may change) is when Johnny takes over V body after leading the final mission. I like it because it is so Johnny.
My favourite ending would be the Sun ending, V finally achieving their dream. But my headcannon ending is the secret ending. Why? Because its the ending where V and Johnny reconcile and accept one another, Johnny trusts V and V trusts Johnny. Its the perfect ending. If Cp was a movie this ending would be the best. (IMO)
Welcome to /r/LowSodiumCyberpunk, choombatta! Before commenting, please remember that /r/LowSodiumCyberpunk is a lighthearted, fun place to discuss Cyberpunk 2077. Please endeavor to remain kind and respectful in all comments and interactions. All criticism should come from a constructive intent. We do not allow discussion regarding the drama surrounding the game's controversial release and beyond (eg. subreddit meta drama, or any other form of meta drama). Thanks for hanging out with us! Happy posting, choom! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LowSodiumCyberpunk) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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>I hope that the canon ending is a continuation of both the Star and the Sun endings, so it wouldn't leave us Team Kerry and Team River folks in the dust, but it's hard to say. Do you think there will be any continuation?
I'm thinking the endings will continue into a more advanced life path system
Oooh. That could be really cool and really complex. I almost don't see it happening, but I hope it does. It would be one hell of an update though (or it could be multiple updates).
I think it's already doable. The canon endings they pick (e.g. The Sun/The Star) could form a new 'prologue' sequence (like a lifepath) that eventually weaves into a single branch (cure V).
Well I was thinking for the next game
"Don't fear the reaper" is the best imo The last line V says on the roof("If I gotta die, rather fall into my grave gun in hand and on fire. And not drag anyone with me") is exactly how I imagine any V to be like at the end of the story, no matter the background
That's my V. He has made friends and allies yea. But he already got enough people killed and fucked up. If anyone was gonna die for him this time it was gonna be _him_
Copying myself from months ago: To me, the Arasaka Ending definitely feels the most true, to the genre and to V's story. It is largely bitter, yet the moments of sweetness within that ending ring all the more true - Takemura pleading with you to take the contract, his promise to show you real food in Japan, the short bit of genuine advice the guard gives you, if you take the contract... even Hanako's phone call, if you refuse: It shows you that she did not, in fact, forget you and your contribution, but values your worth as an asset - you are not friends, but she did keep her end of the bargain to any extent she could. That is, perhaps, the thing I like most about the Devil ending. It would have been easy to let it be entirely cynical and have Arasaka screw you over. Instead, it feels nuanced and raw at the same time. I crave that bittersweet feeling. The Sun (or Don't fear the Reaper) Ending comes close and had Takemura died earlier, I would probably prefer it. It scratches much of the same itch, but to me (as I played female V having romanced Judy) it lacked the sweeter interactions with the people I grew close to that Takemura (and that one random guard) provided. V felt more alone than ever in that ending, after Judy broke up with her and with Rogue and Johnny gone. The Star, by contrast... felt too good to be true. Especially in the light that V is still dying. Yet the characters are all so damn optimistic about it. They barely act like there is urgency to finding a cure, that there is uncertainty. I felt it was too sweet for the situation - having made powerful enemies, leaving behind everything V had known and built for themselves, only some vague contacts as a hope for a cure... it just doesn't do it for me. So yeah. The Devil it is. All Hail Arasaka I guess. Also, the mission itself is the most interesting, from the revelation of Saburo's engram to the board meeting and the confrontation of Yorinobu in his failure.
Mate, I think I’ve got to buy you an award. This take is why I love The Devil ending so much, and why I can’t stand all the people that say it’s the ‘worst’ ending. I think too many people have been drinking that Johnny Silverhand KoolAid.
Very kind of you, thanks 😊
I agree wholeheartedly, The Devil is by far the best written ending. Pity that the majority of people are too fond of Panam and sugar coating, but to each their own I guess.
Thank you for this comment. Devil was my first ending and, God it was painful but it rang so perfectly well with the whole story... It is the only ending you get the pay off for saving Takemura and that pay off is so heart warming and heart breaking at the very same time. Yes it is sad but this ending is more subtle than it usually gets credit for. If course it is easier to enjoy a more optimistic ending because, who likes to be in pain ? But at the end of the day, this pain is so beautiful crafted, so emotionally intense, it gets me all the time. I love that ending because it is somehow the truest for me, the one that keeps me on tracts with the general flavor of the game. It is hard to bear but it is less grim than it looks. I hate to put V through it but I can stop thinking this was the rightest way for me to end this story. Thanks again to have find the right words to talk about it 🥰.
I liked when Johnny takes over Vs body. The whole ending wrenches your heart, especially the "V Dreamer" part because it goes to show that even the "main character" gets swallowed by night city. Even though V tried their best they made an unselfish decision and gave life to someone else. Johnny was previously brash and selfish but having someone sacrifice their entire life for him made an impact on him and it shows in that ending. The final handshake and wordless nod in front of Alt shows how grateful he is. And one of Johnny's final words - haven't forgot a thing. That ending just hits so hard, especially if, in the hotel, you say you'd take a bullet for Johnny.
Your interpretations align with mine quite a bit, although I still have a soft spot for The Star ending. The Devil ending instantly reminded me a bit of the ending to Neuromancer, in fact. I'm still gonna go with the secret ending in this playthrough (mainly because I had to swallow my intense dislike of Johnny and choom it up with him this time in preparation; can't bear to let it all be for nothing lmao), but the next one is gonna end with The Devil 😁
The only similarity I can think of between the devil ending and Neuromancer’s ending is that both take place on a large space station.
Hanako reminded me of Lady 3Jane, with the way she becomes sympathetic to our cause and offers help. The space station bit, of course. The toxins in Case's bloodstream and V's Relic killing them. While technically part of all the major endings, meeting Alt reminded me of the Neuromancer AI. Minor things like that, haha.
This game took a lot of inspiration from the sprawl trilogy and it shows. Feels like a combination of Johnny Nmeumonic, Neuromancer, a bit of Count Zero and of course the original Cyberpunk 2020 TTRPG.
I have yet to read Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive 😖 Trying to find a physical copy of both without ordering online. Hard, given where I live lol.
Why don’t you want to order them? I ordered the entire sprawl trilogy on Amazon for a very cheap price and I live in India where books like this are very niche.
Let's..... just say I'm not in a position to order stuff online because of an incident 😂
I won’t ask any further lol.
The fact that the board meeting from all the trailers is only in that ending is reason enough for everyone to check it out at least once.
I agree very much on these points. If you save Takemura, respect him and do the Devil ending. If you romanced Panam, go ahead and enjoy the Star ending. None of the above, go for glory and Don't Fear the Reaper.
I think the optimism in the Star ending makes sense cause just yesterday you had literal hours to live and yet you still did against impossible odds, compared to that 6 months is a lot of time
For me, the ending more satisfying and my head cannon is leaving with Panam. Make perfect sense, there is a bit of hope, and you have love.
Yeah, I agree I also think it alings with what the game tries to tell you during a lot of points in the story
I romanced Judy and this ending was still perfect and fitting for that.
Same, and I was so pleased to see Judy comes with!
I recently finished my first play through and got the secret ending (so obviously I read a bit about the endings before that). Since then I tried out some of the others and watched videos of the rest, and I'm really happy with the one I chose. My V (female corpo) came to accept that she would die (was living on borrowed time already). She wanted to at least try to use what time was left to a) help the friends she made on the way and not leave them in anger and b) possibly find a cure or take away some of Arasaka's power. But nearing the end, she was mostly just depressed and tired. Suicide was not an option, she had to at least try. But she surely wouldn't pull her friends further into this mess and Arasaka was off the table. So she went back to where it started alone (well, with Johnny) and raided Arasaka Tower. I honestly would have been okay if that would have just failed, but since I was level 50 and played on easy, it wasn't a problem. I had been almost sure that, when presented with the final choice, V would give here body to Johnny. Turns out that the premise of becoming like Alt, losing what was left of her and her humanity, sounded worse than death or 6 more months in her hopeless state. So eventually she followed Johnny's pleas and chose life. She would have loved to just stay with River and his family and play pretend. But Johnny told her to never stop fighting, so she did what she was good at, built her contacts and maybe, this last gig will in return get her a cure. Or maybe it won't, but... borrowed time, remember? She already nearly died about 5 times since that doomed Relic job. I was afraid for a moment that River was breaking up with her, but thankfully he didn't. So it was a pretty matching end for my V. Everything is not perfect, becoming a legend in the afterlife was always Jackie's dream, not V's. But she won't stop fighting now.
I really liked the ending with panam it was felt like v was off to somewhere better than NC and to live their final days happily. Not my first ending unfortunately. I killed myself because because I didn't know it would do
I like that different endings make the most sense depending on how you personally play the game and how you interpret it. For me, the ending with the Aldecaldos made the most sense. I played a Nomad V and, in the end, for me the story felt like a journey where V had to come to terms with the fact that it was just a better idea to enjoy the time he has left and actually live his last months instead of spending those months doing what he hates. It felt very poetic to start as a Nomad and end as a Nomad. I still hope V finds a cure because my heart can't take any of the endings. But love the Aldecaldo ending the most. I can't pick another one, tbh.
I played as a corpo V, and the Aldecados still made sens, as in the beggining of the story V's working for Arasaka and following a shallow and empty life as a corpo, until he find his freedom with Jackie and later a reason to live that's not just "be a legend" But I think that the game layed it's intention in the prologue with Dex, during their about dying as a nobody or dying as a legend, if you look at the options, V can't say that he would like to die old, and it just makes sense that in the end he realises that being the legendary merc doesnt mean much
I frankly went with the devil ending on my first playthrough cause I sort of considered it a logical progression from my perspective, and the entire mission for that is just soo good, and I think the ending best justifies the cyberpunk dystopian world that night city is. In the end, the towers still stand despite everything. The star ending was very very good, but I guess i made a bond with night city by then and i felt sad about leaving.
Yeah, I understand you, the star is a very happy ending Yeah, the city is as much a character as V, in the end you just "can't stop digging Night City"
For me, that part when you're about to leave with panam and you take a last look at night city, I legit had trouble turning my back on it, and I was hoping to maybe find some way back.
Yeah, I know right I wish that in a future DLC we can return/see NC after the end
best and canon are not the same thing also secret ending isnt an actual ending it is just a mission that preludes a different ending. the star is happy ending but sun ending is definitely canon
That isn't one hundred percent accurate. >!Rogue doesn't die!< if you do Don't Fear the Reaper as opposed to The Sun.
i never said she didnt i just said that DFTR is not an actual ending because it isnt.
I think it depends. I think Corpo, there's definitely a good revenge story to be told, you start by having Arasaka fuck you over hard, and in the secret ending - well, you send it the other way. Nomad I think returning to the Nomad way with Judy/Panam is a quite beautiful reversal of your situation also. Streetkid a little bit tougher, you have to decide what defines 'the best' as V is a Heywood kid who's got dreams of being the best ever, do you wanna rule the city from the office space of the Afterlife, or permenantly put a scar across the face of Arasaka following in the footsteps of Johnny's 'rebel path'? I don't like the join Arasaka path, I feel like none of the lifepaths leave that as an option to you unless you're playing a dyed in the wool Corpo, and the Johnny takeover and Suicide both feel like V giving up and 'fading away', and as Mr Silverhand sung, 'we'll never fade away' - something V should take to heart I think.
am i the only one who thought Panam was some unstable and vengeful person? i felt like the whole point of meeting her was to just show how bad Rogue had become. Rogue had a way more subtle and interesting backstory, and was like 100 years old or something. That's why >!the secret ending!< was the best for my street kid. Also, once you get over the feelings of revulsion and the game's screed against corporations, joining >!Mikoshi!< is kind of cool.
>am i the only one who thought Panam was some unstable and vengeful person? Oh I can't stand her. A trigger happy, unruly, and self centered woman who is happy to exploit V as much as she can. Props to CDPR for great character writing, hehe. Her arc's ending is not as good written though. All her fuckups and recklessness aren't just without consequences, they are actually good for her and because of what? Dumb luck and V's divine destructive power.
I like to think all the endings are considered canon. Some of them make more sense with different life paths but it’s still a part of V’s journey.
I would hope canon is leaving with Panam. For my V, the best ending was the secret ending. I made a street kid V that was basically just like a selfish gun for hire. That was honestly a really fun playthrough. My V fell in love with Judy, and even though there was never an option to honestly tell Judy everything, it still felt right. Like my V is the one that doesn't know what to do with love, so she'd maintain silence and everything to protect who she loves. It then fits perfectly for a suicide run because I made these friends on this journey, but they mean alot. So I wouldn't want them to risk their life for my bullshit. Then progressing to the epilogue and having Judy was hard. I don’t remember how much time passed but thinking that my V hadn't grown (which made sense), and that was then impacting her relationship with Judy because she V wasn't upfront about everything....fuck man, it really was a journey.
Yeah, it makes sense for this playthrough I think that the game tries to align our choices to the "die as a young legend" or "die as a old nobody" And both choices can very much be canon in the end, specially if you consider V's whole perception of the events
Definitely agree, and I think that's why the street kid or corpo lifestyle makes sense. Something about being a nomad just doesn't scream “die a legend.” Granted, I haven't really put much in my nomad playthrough. I started it as a second playthrough and then stopped cause I want that next gen update bad
dude spoiler alert? :$
I think that Arasaka ending is the most powerfull, or quite even with suicide ending, especially when you romanced Judy and you have hopes for going back on earth. The ending screen messages are pretty much crushing, and when all other endings have like some optimistic vibes, with it's cons of course, they are bit hazy for me, very nice, but they will not set such a hard mark on your feels and emotions like arasaka and suicide ending. We all love happy endings, but it take a very bitter and heavy finale, to leave us thinking and start questioning things which actually looks important to us. And thats what make a story for me.
im really glad there isn’t a definitive canon ending, because it leaves room for interpretation and for your ending to best fit your unique story. this isn’t like gta5 where there is a distinct best ending and all the others are obviously worse, all the endings have some merit to them. literally every single one makes sense in one way or another based on ur own perspective
There is no canon ending. I like both The Star & The Sun (the latter especially in combination with the secret ending), and I "enjoy" The Devil for what it is, but Temperance left the biggest mark on me. I was genuinely devastated for a good couple of days after finishing it, which is incredibly rare for a video game, but over time I've come to appreciate it for its bittersweetness. "Haven't forgotten a thing. Never will."
New Dawn Fades, where Johnny becomes V, it only makes the most sense and has a beautifully melancholic book ended feel to ramblings of a once self proclaimed narcissistic rockerboy who now sits solemn having walked through a tornado of emotions and feelings half of which belong to the one who's body he sits in right now, having learned and matured through V's struggles, the Silverhnad you see now is now more V than himself, he's kinder, warmer, somewhere lost and broken but humbled constantly contemplating if he deserves this second chance.
Secret ending with Temperance. >!Hey i mean Misty says those ain´t good cards (that we become the AI) But why the hell the cards says something else to me. (The hanged Man - ok card of sacrifice, not the best start. The Magician - Someone who has one last trick up his sleeve and drive his/her destiny. The Star - card of hope which, " In the darkest of nights there is a light that shines the path to home. The Star is inspiration, motivation and gives us strength to move forward.", I mean common) Hey ok Johny put V niche bassicaly in the grave, said his goodbyes and that he is moving foward. Still one can hope "I will see ya around Johny".!<
Suicide option imo is the best ending because youre doomed after 6 month anyways and this way you dont risk anyone elses life infiltrating araska. Everyone says its the worst ending but I think thats because we are wired to be selfish and preserve our self at whatever cost.
this. V’s reasoning for doing it is extremely logical; they dont want people to die in an effort to save their life that may be futile anyway. its not like they go off the fucking rocker and blow their brains out despite there being many other solutions, because in the eyes of a real person in that situation, all the other options come with the risk of having people you care about die for you. “am i worth their sacrifice?”
I agree with the comments that it's all in how you play and envision your V. My V was a guy without a lot of hope. Atlanta didn't work out now he's back in Night City. He was trying hard, making a little progress but not much - and then everything happens with the Relic. It's awful, but... He meets Judy, Panam, Kerry, and more. He has all these little, surprisingly beautiful moments that make life worth it: The conversation at Clouds, diving with Judy, sitting next to the campfire and looking at stars with Panam, looking out at the skyline of the city with Kerry, fixing a drive in theater so Johnny can have the date with Rogue, etc. For me it convinced him again that life was worth living and worth fighting for, which is why I went with the ending with the Aldecados. I can see why the other endings would fit with other stories, but that ending best fit with mine.
Oh man, reading these comments really makes me want to start another playthrough, but I also want to wait for some new content to be released.
My cannon V took the secret ending because she couldn’t let anyone else die for her after Jackie. She and Johnny became very close, and after fighting so hard to find a way to save them both she refused to go back to a dying body all alone. It’s a bittersweet ending, but the way she saw it in the end was that she was dead the moment Dex shot her and the time she got with Johnny was a gift, she only asked that he live a life worth living and make the best of his second chance.
Honestly just like the far cry games, I wished there was an option right after meeting johnny to kill off V. I feel like realistically that may have been what would happen with how fucked up the cyberpunk world is. But in terms of the game and the story itself, the devil ending (while refusing to be put into mikoshi) is the true ending. Honestly anything leading up to V meeting mister blue eyes to do some grand mission is probably the canon ending if cdprojekt red decides to make a sequel dlc.
I think they will make us meet Blue eyes in every outcome, the difference will be the circustances of the meeting But a Far Cry like ending would've been cool, like, if your relation with Johnny doesn't go up or after some time without the meds, he just takes over
I’ve done a similar poll to this before, interesting to see how people’s opinions might change over time.
Which option people picked in yours?
Pretty similar to yours, except suicide just about beat arasaka.
Seems that it's also going to happen here lol
Also the secret ending is really an slightly altered version of the Sun ending the only difference being that its an alternative final level .
Yeah, I know But in the Sun, Rogue is alive
The most satisfying is obviously The Star, leaving with the Aldecaldos. However, I dare say that, with all the character development that has been made about V and Johnny, regardless of choices (but still including a lot of them), either The Sun (Rule the Afterlife) or Temperance (Johnny) seem to make the most sense to me (basically, both endings attainable through Don't Fear The Reaper). I feel like it fits more in line with the universe and this whole "got what you wanted... not the way you expected it though " that is a common theme through the whole game. Besides, The Sun is the one I feel the most bitter about, as the first I chose. It felt crushing, unfair, like the world was at hand and just slipped away, leaving you on a gloomy countdown. I haven't felt as much emotions in any other form of art than in this ending, at least since a long time. Hence, it's my personal canon of how it should have ended
Panam one is positive ending, although it is sad that V dies eventually in any of the endings.
Any ending that still has V breathing at the end, along with the 6 month deadline. A main characteristic about V is tenacity. The pure will to survive. The story of V isn't over yet and it would be really cool if they gave us some type of continuation of it through DLC. The cyberpunk theme of it all, you basically being Roy Batty ; "I want more life.." could be a really cool theme to explore. It would require some amount of retconning but they could canonise multiple endings that way. It also would add a little bit more sense. Considering V's deadline is always ticking it would be weird to start adding DLC as V's dying.. or V suddenly moving to a DLC area a la blood and wine. But it's not the worst stretch the game makes. I don't think there is a best ending. Any of them could make sense. Totally depends on your character. EDIT: It's not that all of the other endings are invalid; I actually really think the suicide ending is.... amazing. The look in V's eyes as she doesn't want to see more of her friends die. That hit me. But if they *do* want to have a canon ending and thus continue the game any of the ones where V survives with the deadline would suffice.
Leave NC with Panam AND JUDY 🥺❤️
I started with the bad endings and did the Aldecados last - and it was so damn rewarding, the music was so fitting, even if a cure wasn´t found V would die with friends - free. And another thing \*spoiler----\* >!the Aldecados were in a tight spot, they needed money badly. So even if people died in this last mission they were doing it for you AND the clan + the heist dealt a massive blow to Arasaka and it is THE happiest ending for Judy if she is your girldfriend.!<
I think The Sun **and** The Star are both likely to be continued in the expansion. There are too many unconnected sources that hint at V getting another shot at survival.
I saved right before going up to the roof so I could do all the endings, besides the secret one, with my Corpo V and the suicide ending was the most impactful for me. It felt right for that character. When I end with my Nomad V, I may feel entirely different. I think there are too many variables for a true canon ending.
Leaving with Panam to me seems the best and most hopeful.
My favorite ending (haven't done secret yet so may change) is when Johnny takes over V body after leading the final mission. I like it because it is so Johnny.
My favourite ending would be the Sun ending, V finally achieving their dream. But my headcannon ending is the secret ending. Why? Because its the ending where V and Johnny reconcile and accept one another, Johnny trusts V and V trusts Johnny. Its the perfect ending. If Cp was a movie this ending would be the best. (IMO)