7.5 million mods for Cyberpunk 2077 have been downloaded since the game's December 2020 release, which is not necessarily uncommon for popular games. However, when a game is as notorious as Cyberpunk 2077 was, mods are often used to overhaul it. Fans expected a radically different game to the one they received, so when modders got their hands on the game, it was only a matter of time before the title's total remodeling.
In the process of modding the game, the community massively reshaped the title. Command lines, fashion capabilities, NPC behavior, and Cyberpunk 2077's driving all received mod edits. Some of these mods work in a similar way to DSFix, a Dark Souls mod that made the game playable on PC. While many of the popular mods focus on bug fixes and shaders, a lot of the other most-downloaded mods make gameplay or mechanical changes to the title. For example, mods like "Cyber Fashion" allow players to make their V as stylish as possible by making every piece of clothing in the game wearable. A lot of content mods follow this trend, lightly altering elements already in the game to make it more vibrant.
On the other hand, many mods are used to fix gameplay states or bugs. For these mods, a lot of work is done to give players methods of fixing their own specific glitches and errors. A lot of the command line mods that exist for the game have a kind of debugging quality. Despite an extensive Cyberpunk 2077 1.12 patch, the game still has many issues. Glitches in Cyberpunk 2077 have become an almost defining part of the title and its reception.
Some of these still persist through the new patch (which even brought its own problems). Using command-line mods and other game-state editors allow players to try and fix specific issues they face in game. Other mods turn towards gameplay, and fix some of the unpopular mechanics in the game, like the driving system and possible player perspectives.
Cyberpunk 2077's Night City Feels More Vibrant With Mods
Especially for console players, many complaints about Night City's empty-feeling streets swamped the title at release. One of the biggest worries an open world game can have for its legacy is it not feeling alive. The "Alternate Crowd Behavior" mod changes up how Cyberpunk 2077 NPCs walk and move through the city. Thanks to mod creator TemplarGFX, characters move around the city with much more urgency and direction. Now, one interesting element revealed by the mod are the limitations to possible changes. In the description of the NPC mod, TemplarGFX goes into detail about where Cyberpunk 2077 fails in terms of city street population.
According to the mod creator, not even direct tweaks to the game's INI and EXE file settings can be made more complex due to the "simple systems at play." To fix the game's character movements, the mod dynamically replaces NPCs as they walk out of frame, and allow players to control how often this happens. Furthermore, the mod switches up traffic routines and enemy combat AI. This makes Night City not only feel more alive, but also allows players to customize how they want the city to feel. This can greatly help the longevity of an RPG like Cyberpunk 2077, as players can vary up how each playthrough feels.
Cyber Fashion Gives V More Threads
"Fashion Souls" is a term thrown around in the Soulsborne community a lot. It is the practice of making a player character look as good as possible, which is always a boon for a video game. However, when considering the "legacy" of an RPG, the affect of fashion in Dark Souls can be a useful case study. The "Fashion Souls" subreddit is nearly 60 thousand members strong, with members posting countless new fashion builds. The level of image customization in these games even leads to great cosplays like the one below.
So, how does this relate to a Cyberpunk 2077 mod? Well, the fashion of Night City was a major selling point of the game. Aesthetics are important to any cyberpunk setting, and as the Souls series proves, they are just as important to a game's legacy. What the "Cyber Fashion" mod does is add a wearable item ID for every item of clothing that exists in the game. These include the great Cyberpunk 2077 clothes in shop windows that are normally unwearable.
What mods like this do is allow players maximum customization of their in-game characters. Moreover, any playthrough of the game with these mods will not look the same. This mod can be combined with the immensely popular Third Person Perspective mod by Jelle Baker. When players can see themselves in any outfit possible, from any perspective, the replayable nature of the game increases immensely.
Finally, Driving In Night City Feels Good
One of the changes in the recent Cyberpunk 2077's 1.2 patch is how the driving works in the game. For a while, Cyberpunk 2077's driving was unpopular. So unpopular, in fact, that 228 thousand people downloaded the "Better Vehicle Handling" mod by mod author RB. This mod was a simple INI configuration file that shifted some numbers around, making vehicles handle much more realistically. Bikes no longer fly off across the map when handbrake turns are attempted.
In general, it makes moving with vehicles much less frustrating and more intuitive. "Better Vehicle Handling" can also be combined with others like "Drive It Like You Stole It." This mod updates some handling elements and makes traffic more exciting. Furthermore, there is combination potential with mods like "Unlock Night City." These let players go anywhere in the cyberpunk metropolis. When these mods are put with better city transport, Cyberpunk 2077 becomes a much more immersive game.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.