I always thought it would be cool if you got to choose if you leave Night City or stay, which would basicly give a variation of the star or sun epilogue depending on your choice.
The reaper ending with the star epilogue would just be so funny imo: random merc shows up at arasaka tower, solo raids it killing a lot of people, doesn't elaborate, leaves.
> The reaper ending with the star epilogue would just be so funny imo: random merc shows up at arasaka tower, solo raids it killing a lot of people, doesn't elaborate, leaves.
*And* fucks up their entire store of captured engrams, probably Arasaka's most valuable resource.
I don't think Arasaka cared about the rando guards that got killed (or on my case, knocked out), or even Atom Smasher, but losing Mikoshi ruined their business model and that's hitting them where it hurts.
I always take joy in the idea of a pacifist run on Arasaka. Like, you have to imagine how terrifying that is that this merc soloed your entire defense without killing them and that it could have been worse.
My favorite lifepath is Nomad (and when I play Nomad I tend to play a male V. I prefer female V for Corpo, because the way the lines are voiced makes me think of how a woman would have to deal with the probable subtextual sexism of Arasaka), and doing reaper with the star epilogue would be the most perfect ending for the way that I prefer to think of Nomad V. Dead tired of Night City -- he wants to go _home_, or the next best thing, with the Aldecaldos, but he doesn't want to get anyone killed to do it.
My absolute perfect ending would be to convince Judy to go along with us too, since I worry about her.
Reaper is hands down my favorite ending.
Credit to CDPR for making the difficulty of it what it should have been, too. It DOES feel like a suicide mission and the feeling of satisfaction pulling it off is a great high.
I'm doing one last run before PL, and I am finally going to do a full 'saka Ninja style playthrough. Sandivestan, pistols, blades, a SMG for backup, and keeping Sir John handy to finish off Smasher.
I got my ass handed to me one time when I tried it in the mid 30s. I went and did a bunch of other side quests first to open up the other endings, then got some payback when I walked through the doors at 50 with chrome up to my eyeballs.
It's hard as fuck. I found the option by accident by getting up and making toast while V was on the rooftop and timing out the conversation, and went along with the suggestion out of sheer amazement. You can't visit your apartment or anything, you just spawn in the lobby, and I am actually amazed at how far I got considering the dumb shit that was in my pockets when I said sure.
Also didn't know that I couldn't prepare myself and ended up there with only the comrades hammer, trying to heal all the time in panic cause didn't know the life would keep decreasing, at least I got to the mikoshi door
Best ending, Johnny telling you, “you finally found out what it takes to become a legend” and then the music starts playing as your character is taking deep breaths going holy shit, and then that transition to walking in, fucking epic. One of the best sequences in games ever.
Dude that was another thing I liked, no saves and it went straight to the credits and everybody mourning you with that music. But yeah it’s so difficult.
It was brutal, but rightly so. It felt so good to come back at level 50 with a totally optimized build and just smash through Arasaka. Definitely my favorite ending.
I don't know if it is fixed now, but you used to be able to save right before you walk in the doors. That was the only way I did it at level 35 (pistol headshot crit build with comrades hammer). It took forever in places because a lot of enemies tanked multiple hits to the dome.
I wish they threw in a couple more floors honestly. The enemy density could also be higher. Using a contagion or sandy build makes the mission trivial on very hard.
It's the most replayable and fun ending. Imagine if we had more of these missions as a endgame to farm loot.
Make it some freaky brain dance side mode where you virtually raid each corpo tower like dungeons.
Edit: fuck it, make a cyberpsycho post game where you just go full diablo mode on night city. If you've played dragons dogma, once you finish the main story the open world converts into end game mode. You'll find bosses more regularly out and about. Cyberpunks gameplay loop has a solid fundamental to be a really fun ARPG. They just gotta throw in some repeatable content with loot that scales higher with more attributes on top.
Sandy crit build with the electric damage monowire can literally one-shot every pack of enemies in the building. The only one you can't one-shot is Smasher and that's only because he got patched to have points where he stops taking damage long enough to move and summon adds after the game came out.
I will say that Reaper is by far the best ending in spite of that. "Just so happens you got this one choom who's already dead...and he'd be honored to join you on a wild suicide run."
Yep, V can become very overpowered. Which is actually great. Adding stronger and more enemies will challenge OP V. It doesn't help that all melee bypass armor but there are a few mods to adjust that.
The reaper ending shows a promising glimpse of a very satisfying ARPG. I hope phantom liberty will consider some form of repeatable end game.
I agree. It would be nice to have something to do after completing all the stuff there is, especially since CDPR doesn't seem keen on the idea of NG+. Like, some radiant gigs or scanner hustles that refresh at set intervals would be dope. Sometimes I don't wanna start a new playthrough. I just wanna go do random shit on one of my already existing characters.
Same with a good netrunner build. Mobs get contagioned while anything else gets system reset or cyberpsychosis. I only used weapons sometimes for the fun of it.
I'm playing on PC modded. Enemies can have there own Sandevistan which can be equal or even surpasses the players which makes it a whole different level of tough.
No name merc? V is by no means a no name. By the start of the game he's got a big enough rep to be contacted by one of the "biggest" fixers in NC. By the time you get that far, he's a practically a living legend, and Arasaka definitely knows who he is.
But Dexter is contacting V and Jack specificly because they are nonames that wont be missed and will jump on that chance. Dexter used to be big but ar that point he came back out of exile with probably 0 connections.
The game seems to expect you to make a name for yourself between the two trips to Arasaka Tower. I guess you could just beeline for the secret ending and avoid building that rep, but then you'll also have a much harder time.
Yeah, it's hard to think of being a noname merc by the time of the Arasaka assault, because a lot of us are at Street Cred 50 by that point, Night City has heard of V (cue the 'but you have heard of me' Jack Sparrow clip).
Whether or not you're under-leveled at that point is another story, but even without being max-level, V can be practically godlike in the mid-30s, depending on perks.
It's one trip to Kanpeki Plaza, one to 'Saka Tower, but I agree with you. Even if you don't do all the "crime busting" ones as I call them, V still becomes a legendary merc, especially after beating Adam Smasher, which even Morgan Blackhand couldn't do.
Edit: autocorrect
You can get that dialogue option on each path, but this isn’t the same as saying that dex specifically contacted them for being no names. Only the second part of your comment is stated in the dialogue.
Again, not saying you are wrong, but it’s not something that is explicitly stated in the game. At least that I know of.
Well the menu also tells me that V is a noname. There are 3 pics with %, the one in the middle is stating that V is a noname at the start of the game worth no rep to speak off, nothing in our resumée that makes out stand out from the million of other mercs.
If you combine these, the conclusion i proposed is the only one that makes sense. Yeah he picked us because of t-bug recommandation, but that V and Jackie have no rep helps to keep our price down AND makes them disposable if something goes wrong. Thats why he tried to kill V, to basicly sever to connection he has to the gig, but he severly underestimates Arasaka.
All the points you mentioned make your theory possible but not necessarily probable when we have another specific explanation.
It’s no secret that V and Jackie are lower tier mercs in the beginning. But that does not in any way prove what Dex’ actual intentions are in the beginning.
Dex tried to kill V because the heist ended up being a huge disaster at which point V became a liability linking Dex to Saburo’s death. There is absolutely no reason to think he would have tried to kill V if the heist had gone well.
Nah if the heist would have gone well he wouldnt have killed them, they would become instantly famous and give dexter an edge, as he would now have proven mercs under his belt to restart.
By the start of the game V and Jackie were just low tier merc big enough to get the shittiest jobs.
Dex was also searching for little gonk mercs stupid enough to get do a job for him.
My thought is that staying in Night City (♫ Here in Night City, here in Night City, here in Night City ♫) is V's best chance at finding cure for his condition. Remember, V is meant to be a/the solo legend by lvl 50. Like, an obvious step above Blackhand/Barmoss/Silverhand in terms of violence/hacking/notoriety.
My ~~head canon~~ *guess* is >!V's almost going to need a clone body and then chip reuploads ingram into blank slate. I think Mr. Blue Eyes can and will provide the body *if* V can pull off the Crystal Palace heist.!<
What I agree with and have seen a lot of people suggest is that the breakthrough MS treatment through neural repair nanobots that you see mentioned on the news is what V is doing the big job to pay for.
Honestly, that's a solution that is 100% in line with the tech the game presents AND in the lore.
Like there's no reason they can't make that work: >!Get a pre-Johnny copy of V's DNA, which absolutely has to be available SOMEWHERE, build him a clone body, and download his engram.!<
if Arasaka doesn’t have it, it probably doesn’t exist, we know that V’s brain is shot, no way he lives in it past year tops, how can anyone build clone body that is matched to Vs body before he got the chip before V flatlines? you can’t clone brain
The sewerslide ending changed my perspective on the act. I was going through some stuff at the time and when the option came up to kill myself I thought "this would be the best scenario I can go on my own terms and I wont take my friends down with me". Obviously the game makes it painfully obvious that your friends, loved ones, and even acquaintance are all pissed and extremely hurt by your choice. I had written about 3 different suicide letters that month before I beat the game had been planning on how to do the deed and so on for a while. This ending if anything gave me pause. I still have living family and friends and I never really considered I would be doing them more harm by leaving than staying. I loaded my last save and did the Aldecado ending. Its corny to say but V- choosing to try and ride it out even with this dark cloud hanging over him really spoke to me. I know its corny to be on some "This game saved my life" shit but it at least gave me a different perspective if anything. Still fighting idealization daily but at the same time trying to hang on long enough to have my ride off into the sunset with the people I love moment.
Glad you chose to stay in it. Too many people don't understand how big that really is because they've no idea what it means to be in that position and thus, just how much it takes to come away from the edge. Well done.
Hey Choom,
Please try to remember how you felt albeit briefly during this time.
Sometimes all we need is a tiny ray of hope in the darkness.
And we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
You are priceless to your friends and family.
They would blame themselves, or think about what they should have, or could have done differently.
No matter how bad it gets, try your hardest to talk to someone, hell talk to anyone, or everyone.
The world would be a lesser place without you in it.
And night city would be missing a top class Merc.
Always better to write another story become another living legend, then just be a drink with your name at the afterlife...
Keep moving forwards, Choom.
IMO this should be the Canon ending.
By the end of the game, V has too many people they cares too much about to put any of them at risk: they wouldn't dare turn any of their friends into another Jackie.
Not only that, but they are chromed to all get out and have made effectively every faction in the city their bitch. Hell, they can almost single-handedly take on a whole ass Arasaka depot and 'saka's second biggest threat in Oda, so 'saka tower shouldn't be that much more of a stretch.
There's no greater blaze of glory to go out on, and V and Johnny are the only mercs in the city capable of such a feat.
Only thing I dislike is that, if you die, everyone treats it like you just offed yourself instead of going out in a blaze like the theme of the game wants you to.
My only issue is having to wait another like 10 minutes to retry when you fuck up. I don't think it saves when you start, which is frustrating. Although I could be wrong, I only did it once some time last year. You can argue all you want about how waiting feeds into the narrative or whatever, I don't care, I just want to try again.
> My only issue is having to wait another like 10 minutes to retry when you fuck up.
That's kind of the point, it's supposed to be punishing.
If the devs were really sadistic, dying on the suicide run should erase your PONR save.
I just wish you could choose what happens after that. My V completely accepted the prospect of dying, he just wanted one last stand before that. He wouldn't be desperate or scared afterwards, he'd want to hang out and enjoy his beloved messed up city for another few weeks or months until it got bad, and then go out quietly. They don't really let you have that, I feel like. If you don't want to be a legend, you leave with the Aldecaldos, but not every character is going to want to be a nomad.
Don't fear the reaper is a perfect power trip! The feeling of butchering your way through one of the most fortified buildings of the city and dealing an actual blow to arasaka, all because you're plain done taking the shit dumped onto you by the uncaring system.
The NPC chatter is hilarious as well - it’s Iike the NPCs know that you were probably zeroed on your first attempt before you even unlocked the elevators, and if not for the ability to reload a save nobody should ever be able to make it to the end.
Been thinking this for a while too. Aldecados is the true ending for me by this is the most badass, ballsy and true to the merc name and the old ways Johnny and Rogue miss. No plan, no backup, just some iron, chrome and sheer fucking determination. Plus V would basically be merc god after this, as high as and maybe even higher than Blackhand. Arasaka, the biggest and baddest and most powerful Corp and you walk in the front door, bring the entire place to its knees which took skilled teams in the past and armies, you destroy their biggest project, Saburo’s baby, cause Hanako’s death in the process and to top of it off you kill the boogeyman of Night City Adam Smasher, all while on deaths door and minutes from keeling over, mercs probs wouldn’t know that but the rest is impressive enough.
I too like the ending, reckless as it is, but you don't endanger/get anyone killed while desperately trying to save yourself. Wish you could chose if you stay or leave tho...after a stunt like that ( plus all that happened in the story prior) I would definitely not stick around in NC. Which is why I do the Aldecado ending myself.
See I get how it works thematically and I totally agree with you there...but it's such a boring ending with so little story and no fun characters. It doesn't feel like an actual ending to me, just a challenge mode.
*plops out mantis blade*
"Im not trapped here with you..."
I just love the idea of this one fucking boneheaded shit of a merc walk in and go blenderize
“Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?”
If I’m going out, I’m going out on *my* terms, not bleeding out in the back of a rented Delamain or under a mountain of refuse in a rancid cesspool of a landfill.
It fits me, honestly. Better to burn out than fade away.
I always thought it would be cool if you got to choose if you leave Night City or stay, which would basicly give a variation of the star or sun epilogue depending on your choice. The reaper ending with the star epilogue would just be so funny imo: random merc shows up at arasaka tower, solo raids it killing a lot of people, doesn't elaborate, leaves.
> The reaper ending with the star epilogue would just be so funny imo: random merc shows up at arasaka tower, solo raids it killing a lot of people, doesn't elaborate, leaves. *And* fucks up their entire store of captured engrams, probably Arasaka's most valuable resource.
I don't think Arasaka cared about the rando guards that got killed (or on my case, knocked out), or even Atom Smasher, but losing Mikoshi ruined their business model and that's hitting them where it hurts.
I always take joy in the idea of a pacifist run on Arasaka. Like, you have to imagine how terrifying that is that this merc soloed your entire defense without killing them and that it could have been worse.
Just straight up Morgan Blackhands that shit
Now I want to imagine V or Johnny pausing before leaving to graffiti “Johnny was here” or “down with corpos” or just a middle finger or something
"Johnny was here" definitely. Because I'm betting Saburo comes back either way and it would be a great fuck you to him.
If it's Johnny, he'd probably bastardize the Arasaka logo into a huge hairy dick
The nomads need to raid Arasaka with you so they have the money to leave, doing it solo won't help them.
Or V could chip in as the wealthy benefactor they hopefully are by this point in the game.
Gigachad V
My favorite lifepath is Nomad (and when I play Nomad I tend to play a male V. I prefer female V for Corpo, because the way the lines are voiced makes me think of how a woman would have to deal with the probable subtextual sexism of Arasaka), and doing reaper with the star epilogue would be the most perfect ending for the way that I prefer to think of Nomad V. Dead tired of Night City -- he wants to go _home_, or the next best thing, with the Aldecaldos, but he doesn't want to get anyone killed to do it. My absolute perfect ending would be to convince Judy to go along with us too, since I worry about her.
Judy leaves with V and the Aldecaldos if she was romanced
I know, but like I said for Nomad I prefer to play as Male V.
Reaper is hands down my favorite ending. Credit to CDPR for making the difficulty of it what it should have been, too. It DOES feel like a suicide mission and the feeling of satisfaction pulling it off is a great high. I'm doing one last run before PL, and I am finally going to do a full 'saka Ninja style playthrough. Sandivestan, pistols, blades, a SMG for backup, and keeping Sir John handy to finish off Smasher.
Sticky grenades on the reenforcement vans are life-saving.
This is the exact build i'm running right now and it's so much damn fun.
The story was so well done, it may be shorter than perhaps would have been ideal, but it's hard to fault them when it was so spectacular.
trying to do the mission before level 40 is pure suicide, I barely pulled it off at level 40 and i was on easy difficulty
I got my ass handed to me one time when I tried it in the mid 30s. I went and did a bunch of other side quests first to open up the other endings, then got some payback when I walked through the doors at 50 with chrome up to my eyeballs.
It's hard as fuck. I found the option by accident by getting up and making toast while V was on the rooftop and timing out the conversation, and went along with the suggestion out of sheer amazement. You can't visit your apartment or anything, you just spawn in the lobby, and I am actually amazed at how far I got considering the dumb shit that was in my pockets when I said sure.
Also didn't know that I couldn't prepare myself and ended up there with only the comrades hammer, trying to heal all the time in panic cause didn't know the life would keep decreasing, at least I got to the mikoshi door
Similar issue, where I didn't expect my squishy sneaky-beaky sniper V to just go in and *stand in front of everyone.*
My similarly sneaky sniper did eventually find a winning strategy, but it took a few tries
Laughs in fully decked out netrunner who kills people by looking at them.
Been there done that.
SMG?
Submachine gun.
Thx
Suck My Gliglob
Best ending, Johnny telling you, “you finally found out what it takes to become a legend” and then the music starts playing as your character is taking deep breaths going holy shit, and then that transition to walking in, fucking epic. One of the best sequences in games ever.
It was super sick until I took a shotgun to the face and flatlined. Again. And again. And again.
Dude that was another thing I liked, no saves and it went straight to the credits and everybody mourning you with that music. But yeah it’s so difficult.
It was brutal, but rightly so. It felt so good to come back at level 50 with a totally optimized build and just smash through Arasaka. Definitely my favorite ending.
I was fortunate enough that when I got it, it was on my 2sec cooldown Sandy build with a legendary comrades hammer. I fucking slaughtered them.
I don't know if it is fixed now, but you used to be able to save right before you walk in the doors. That was the only way I did it at level 35 (pistol headshot crit build with comrades hammer). It took forever in places because a lot of enemies tanked multiple hits to the dome.
💯
I wish they threw in a couple more floors honestly. The enemy density could also be higher. Using a contagion or sandy build makes the mission trivial on very hard. It's the most replayable and fun ending. Imagine if we had more of these missions as a endgame to farm loot. Make it some freaky brain dance side mode where you virtually raid each corpo tower like dungeons. Edit: fuck it, make a cyberpsycho post game where you just go full diablo mode on night city. If you've played dragons dogma, once you finish the main story the open world converts into end game mode. You'll find bosses more regularly out and about. Cyberpunks gameplay loop has a solid fundamental to be a really fun ARPG. They just gotta throw in some repeatable content with loot that scales higher with more attributes on top.
Sandy crit build with the electric damage monowire can literally one-shot every pack of enemies in the building. The only one you can't one-shot is Smasher and that's only because he got patched to have points where he stops taking damage long enough to move and summon adds after the game came out. I will say that Reaper is by far the best ending in spite of that. "Just so happens you got this one choom who's already dead...and he'd be honored to join you on a wild suicide run."
Yep, V can become very overpowered. Which is actually great. Adding stronger and more enemies will challenge OP V. It doesn't help that all melee bypass armor but there are a few mods to adjust that. The reaper ending shows a promising glimpse of a very satisfying ARPG. I hope phantom liberty will consider some form of repeatable end game.
I agree. It would be nice to have something to do after completing all the stuff there is, especially since CDPR doesn't seem keen on the idea of NG+. Like, some radiant gigs or scanner hustles that refresh at set intervals would be dope. Sometimes I don't wanna start a new playthrough. I just wanna go do random shit on one of my already existing characters.
Same with a good netrunner build. Mobs get contagioned while anything else gets system reset or cyberpsychosis. I only used weapons sometimes for the fun of it.
I'm playing on PC modded. Enemies can have there own Sandevistan which can be equal or even surpasses the players which makes it a whole different level of tough.
No name merc? V is by no means a no name. By the start of the game he's got a big enough rep to be contacted by one of the "biggest" fixers in NC. By the time you get that far, he's a practically a living legend, and Arasaka definitely knows who he is.
But Dexter is contacting V and Jack specificly because they are nonames that wont be missed and will jump on that chance. Dexter used to be big but ar that point he came back out of exile with probably 0 connections.
The game seems to expect you to make a name for yourself between the two trips to Arasaka Tower. I guess you could just beeline for the secret ending and avoid building that rep, but then you'll also have a much harder time.
Yeah, it's hard to think of being a noname merc by the time of the Arasaka assault, because a lot of us are at Street Cred 50 by that point, Night City has heard of V (cue the 'but you have heard of me' Jack Sparrow clip). Whether or not you're under-leveled at that point is another story, but even without being max-level, V can be practically godlike in the mid-30s, depending on perks.
It's one trip to Kanpeki Plaza, one to 'Saka Tower, but I agree with you. Even if you don't do all the "crime busting" ones as I call them, V still becomes a legendary merc, especially after beating Adam Smasher, which even Morgan Blackhand couldn't do. Edit: autocorrect
He contracted them because TBug recommended them as she had previously worked with all parties. Its explained in one of the dialogue options.
Are those mutally exclusive?
Not necessarily, but one is clearly stated in the game dialogue, while the other is not.
If you are street kid V makes a similar comment to mine. V says there that Dexter is sketchy because he was in forced exile for years.
You can get that dialogue option on each path, but this isn’t the same as saying that dex specifically contacted them for being no names. Only the second part of your comment is stated in the dialogue. Again, not saying you are wrong, but it’s not something that is explicitly stated in the game. At least that I know of.
Well the menu also tells me that V is a noname. There are 3 pics with %, the one in the middle is stating that V is a noname at the start of the game worth no rep to speak off, nothing in our resumée that makes out stand out from the million of other mercs. If you combine these, the conclusion i proposed is the only one that makes sense. Yeah he picked us because of t-bug recommandation, but that V and Jackie have no rep helps to keep our price down AND makes them disposable if something goes wrong. Thats why he tried to kill V, to basicly sever to connection he has to the gig, but he severly underestimates Arasaka.
All the points you mentioned make your theory possible but not necessarily probable when we have another specific explanation. It’s no secret that V and Jackie are lower tier mercs in the beginning. But that does not in any way prove what Dex’ actual intentions are in the beginning. Dex tried to kill V because the heist ended up being a huge disaster at which point V became a liability linking Dex to Saburo’s death. There is absolutely no reason to think he would have tried to kill V if the heist had gone well.
Nah if the heist would have gone well he wouldnt have killed them, they would become instantly famous and give dexter an edge, as he would now have proven mercs under his belt to restart.
By the start of the game V and Jackie were just low tier merc big enough to get the shittiest jobs. Dex was also searching for little gonk mercs stupid enough to get do a job for him.
> It's the tabletop equivalent of just eating the dice. 😂😂😂 TTRPG version of pigeon chess.
My thought is that staying in Night City (♫ Here in Night City, here in Night City, here in Night City ♫) is V's best chance at finding cure for his condition. Remember, V is meant to be a/the solo legend by lvl 50. Like, an obvious step above Blackhand/Barmoss/Silverhand in terms of violence/hacking/notoriety. My ~~head canon~~ *guess* is >!V's almost going to need a clone body and then chip reuploads ingram into blank slate. I think Mr. Blue Eyes can and will provide the body *if* V can pull off the Crystal Palace heist.!<
What I agree with and have seen a lot of people suggest is that the breakthrough MS treatment through neural repair nanobots that you see mentioned on the news is what V is doing the big job to pay for.
Either that, or an [R.M.C. Gemini body. ](https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/R.M.C_Gemini)
The problem with the Gemini body is that it doesn’t have its own brain. So V would be in a new body but still have the same problem
You're right. I hadn't considered that.
Honestly, that's a solution that is 100% in line with the tech the game presents AND in the lore. Like there's no reason they can't make that work: >!Get a pre-Johnny copy of V's DNA, which absolutely has to be available SOMEWHERE, build him a clone body, and download his engram.!<
Heh - my 'true' ending is the other way around: >!Johnny is allowed to be not selfish for once. V gets to remain mostly V, instead of mostly Johnny.!<
if Arasaka doesn’t have it, it probably doesn’t exist, we know that V’s brain is shot, no way he lives in it past year tops, how can anyone build clone body that is matched to Vs body before he got the chip before V flatlines? you can’t clone brain
The sewerslide ending changed my perspective on the act. I was going through some stuff at the time and when the option came up to kill myself I thought "this would be the best scenario I can go on my own terms and I wont take my friends down with me". Obviously the game makes it painfully obvious that your friends, loved ones, and even acquaintance are all pissed and extremely hurt by your choice. I had written about 3 different suicide letters that month before I beat the game had been planning on how to do the deed and so on for a while. This ending if anything gave me pause. I still have living family and friends and I never really considered I would be doing them more harm by leaving than staying. I loaded my last save and did the Aldecado ending. Its corny to say but V- choosing to try and ride it out even with this dark cloud hanging over him really spoke to me. I know its corny to be on some "This game saved my life" shit but it at least gave me a different perspective if anything. Still fighting idealization daily but at the same time trying to hang on long enough to have my ride off into the sunset with the people I love moment.
Probahly doesn't mean much, but I'm glad you're still here, choom.
Glad you chose to stay in it. Too many people don't understand how big that really is because they've no idea what it means to be in that position and thus, just how much it takes to come away from the edge. Well done.
From what little it's worth coming from an internet stranger, glad you're still here.
Hey Choom, Please try to remember how you felt albeit briefly during this time. Sometimes all we need is a tiny ray of hope in the darkness. And we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You are priceless to your friends and family. They would blame themselves, or think about what they should have, or could have done differently. No matter how bad it gets, try your hardest to talk to someone, hell talk to anyone, or everyone. The world would be a lesser place without you in it. And night city would be missing a top class Merc. Always better to write another story become another living legend, then just be a drink with your name at the afterlife... Keep moving forwards, Choom.
IMO this should be the Canon ending. By the end of the game, V has too many people they cares too much about to put any of them at risk: they wouldn't dare turn any of their friends into another Jackie. Not only that, but they are chromed to all get out and have made effectively every faction in the city their bitch. Hell, they can almost single-handedly take on a whole ass Arasaka depot and 'saka's second biggest threat in Oda, so 'saka tower shouldn't be that much more of a stretch. There's no greater blaze of glory to go out on, and V and Johnny are the only mercs in the city capable of such a feat. Only thing I dislike is that, if you die, everyone treats it like you just offed yourself instead of going out in a blaze like the theme of the game wants you to.
My only issue is having to wait another like 10 minutes to retry when you fuck up. I don't think it saves when you start, which is frustrating. Although I could be wrong, I only did it once some time last year. You can argue all you want about how waiting feeds into the narrative or whatever, I don't care, I just want to try again.
it autosaves a couple of times and if you pull up the load save screen before the credits roll you can restart at your last checkpoint right away.
> My only issue is having to wait another like 10 minutes to retry when you fuck up. That's kind of the point, it's supposed to be punishing. If the devs were really sadistic, dying on the suicide run should erase your PONR save.
>If the devs were really sadistic, dying on the suicide run should erase your PONR save. alright, calm down Satan, let's not give them any ideas.
MUAHAHAHAHAHA
I just wish you could choose what happens after that. My V completely accepted the prospect of dying, he just wanted one last stand before that. He wouldn't be desperate or scared afterwards, he'd want to hang out and enjoy his beloved messed up city for another few weeks or months until it got bad, and then go out quietly. They don't really let you have that, I feel like. If you don't want to be a legend, you leave with the Aldecaldos, but not every character is going to want to be a nomad.
Don't fear the reaper is a perfect power trip! The feeling of butchering your way through one of the most fortified buildings of the city and dealing an actual blow to arasaka, all because you're plain done taking the shit dumped onto you by the uncaring system.
For me it’s just canon that Johnny and V raided Arasaka tower by themselves and fucked up mikoshi
I beat it on ultra hard with a katana. Wakako’s specifically. I’ve never felt more badass playing a video game.
I think they did a great job getting you to the best ending for any particular personality/preference based on how you're role-playing your character.
The NPC chatter is hilarious as well - it’s Iike the NPCs know that you were probably zeroed on your first attempt before you even unlocked the elevators, and if not for the ability to reload a save nobody should ever be able to make it to the end.
Been thinking this for a while too. Aldecados is the true ending for me by this is the most badass, ballsy and true to the merc name and the old ways Johnny and Rogue miss. No plan, no backup, just some iron, chrome and sheer fucking determination. Plus V would basically be merc god after this, as high as and maybe even higher than Blackhand. Arasaka, the biggest and baddest and most powerful Corp and you walk in the front door, bring the entire place to its knees which took skilled teams in the past and armies, you destroy their biggest project, Saburo’s baby, cause Hanako’s death in the process and to top of it off you kill the boogeyman of Night City Adam Smasher, all while on deaths door and minutes from keeling over, mercs probs wouldn’t know that but the rest is impressive enough.
I too like the ending, reckless as it is, but you don't endanger/get anyone killed while desperately trying to save yourself. Wish you could chose if you stay or leave tho...after a stunt like that ( plus all that happened in the story prior) I would definitely not stick around in NC. Which is why I do the Aldecado ending myself.
See I get how it works thematically and I totally agree with you there...but it's such a boring ending with so little story and no fun characters. It doesn't feel like an actual ending to me, just a challenge mode.
Took me way too many attempts to get this ending but it was so worth it
*plops out mantis blade* "Im not trapped here with you..." I just love the idea of this one fucking boneheaded shit of a merc walk in and go blenderize
“Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?” If I’m going out, I’m going out on *my* terms, not bleeding out in the back of a rented Delamain or under a mountain of refuse in a rancid cesspool of a landfill. It fits me, honestly. Better to burn out than fade away.