V's time in Night City is a long and turbulent one. Not only is he slowly being taken over by an antagonistic rocker, but plenty of his friends are often put in harm's way. While the protagonist can't avoid all of these hardships, Cyberpunk 2077 gives players plenty of chances to make it worse.
From skipping important quests to making bad decisions, there are several mistakes players can make that affect the overall story. Of course, most try to avoid the pitfalls. Yet, without knowing what they are, it's difficult to bypass them. Therefore, here are the main ones.
10 Siding With The NetWatch Agent Over The Voodoo Boys
V's desperate search for ways to remove Johnny's chip leads to The Voodoo Boys. The leader of the gang can help the merc, yet to meet her, V needs to do a job for them. So, the protagonist investigates another crew known as the Animals to appease the group. The quest ends with a confrontation with a NetWatch agent, who's trying to find a way into The Voodoo Boys' systems.
Players then get the opportunity to side with the agent or the gang. Neither party is morally good, yet choosing to trust NetWatch leads to a dangerous battle against The Voodoo Boys later in the story. V even has to fight Placide - although it's not one of the tougher boss battles in the game.
9 Not Telling The NCPD Officers The Truth About Andrew
Some of the most engaging stories in Cyberpunk are told during the side quests. One such example involves a depressed man, a dead pet, and a pair of NCPD officers. The officers ask V to check on their friend Barry, who's staying secluded in his apartment. Those who do will learn more about what the guy's going through. For instance, he's coping with the passing of his best friend.
By continuing the quest, V finds out that the friend was a tortoise and his death was the last straw for Barry. If players don't deliver this information to the officers, then Barry will kill himself. There are a few other ways players can accidentally allow the man to die, but this one is the hardest to stomach as V knows the guy's struggles.
8 Mistreating Johnny Throughout The Game
At the end of the story, players get to choose how the final quest plays out. However, their options are based on what they've done during the game. Of course, players want a full selection of choices, but that's not possible if they mistreat Johnny during the adventure.
By doing so, players will not get the rocker's friendship level (found in the middle of the menu screen) to the 70% needed to unlock the secret ending. So, make sure to be nice to him and follow his advice on occasion.
7 Sending Jackie's Body To Vik
Tragedy strikes early in Cyberpunk 2077 as Jackie dies during a big heist. The Delamain taxi then asks V what they want to do with his body. The choices are either to send him to his mother's place or to take him to Vik - there's also the option to wait, which leads to the same outcome as the mother one.
It's a misstep to pick the Vik option as Jackie actually ends up in Arasaka's cold corporate hands instead. In this scenario, players do get to see him again if they choose the Arasaka ending, yet he's more of a clever computer program than the real Jackie. Plus, players miss the chance to give him a proper send-off.
6 Letting Takemura Die
The easiest mistake to make throughout Cyberpunk is to let Takemura die. This is because the game doesn't make it clear that he can be saved.
The incident occurs during the "Search and Destroy" quest when V and Takemura are attacked by Arasaka troops. The natural instinct in this situation is to circumvent all of the enemies and escape. However, if players head to the stairs instead of the exit, they can save the ally; otherwise, he'll perish. If alive, he'll reappear in certain endings of the game.
5 Accepting Payment From Maiko
Judy is among the best people living in Night City, and she also has a compelling questline. Her penultimate job sees V infiltrate a meeting of the Tyger Claws who run Clouds. The plan is to wrestle control away from the unsavory individuals. Although, V's supposed ally, Maiko Maeda, attempts to gain control for herself. While it's preferable to letting the ruthless Hiromi run things, it still leaves a bad taste in V and Judy's mouths.
From here, there are several ways things can play out. If players assist Maiko, they'll want to avoid accepting the payment Maiko offers in return. Otherwise, they'll ruin their friendship or romantic relationship with Judy and miss out on her final quest.
4 Skipping Johnny's Side Jobs
Side jobs are some of the most interesting quests in Cyberpunk, especially those that feature a major character. And by skipping them, players don't just miss out on a few fun adventures, but it can impact their choice of ending.
This is the case with the Johnny Silverhand missions that occur late into the story. By not doing them, players can't achieve either the Rogue or secret endings. Plus, they won't have the same appreciation for the rocker in their head.
3 Skipping Panam's Side Jobs
Panam's side jobs are also ones that players don't want to miss. They revolve around the popular character's issues with her nomad clan. Not helping her out means V never gets close to Panam or her people.
Thus, later in the game, players never get the opportunity to call them to assist in attacking Arasaka tower. And they miss out on one of the best conclusions to the game. Of course, it also means V has no chance to romance the nomad.
2 Siding With Hanako At The End Of The Game
Due to V's impending doom, all of the endings are somewhat bleak. Yet, the conclusion players get when joining forces with Hanako is still worse than most. In it, V helps Hanako forcibly take control of Arasaka from her evil brother.
Once that's done, the company finally removes the biochip from the protagonist's head. V then struggles to recover from the procedure before being given a fairly grim final choice. Unlike some of the other endings, there's no slither of hope or happiness. V doesn't even get to spend time with a few lovable companions.
1 Throwing The Pills Away
While the Hanako ending is bad, it's still not the worst conclusion to the game. That honor goes to the one where V chooses to take their own life. It only occurs if players decide to throw their pills away when talking to Johnny on Misty's roof.
The protagonist's reasons for doing so are understandable as they want to avoid more bloodshed. Although, it's still way too sad, and players don't even get a final quest to play through. Instead, the pills get thrown, a conversation with Johnny happens, and V shoots themself. It's a choice that's not worth making.