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But Night City is not just a fancy piece of artwork crafted by graphic designers. What really brings Cyberpunk 2077 to life is the population that is walking, eating, laughing, and talking. As V, players will interact with a variety of unforgettable characters that lend their advice, criticize others, and make conjectures about the nature of the universe. Whether funny, clever, wise, or blunt, these words will be written on the minds of the listeners long after the controller has been set down.
Updated on July 14th, 2022 by Hodey Johns: When playing a game with different backgrounds, endings, and plot choices, it’s simply impossible to hear every solid one-liner or quip in a single playthrough. To sneak a listen for every great quote, players will need to go through the games dozens of times. Now that Cyberpunk 2077 has been out for a few years, hardcore fans have had time to do exactly that. This list has been updated with more quotes from the game, discovered by gamers who are intentionally taking the road less traveled.
18 The Kids Messed It All Up
“This is why you don’t bring back fallen warriors, sooner or later they’re going to see everything they fought for’s turned to shit.” -Johnny Silverhand, disappointed in the state of the world.
Hard to believe a guy who was so focused on wrecking a city would be disappointed that the city got wrecked. Some people sell themselves a lie, just look at the QA for Cyberpunk 2077 itself. Johnny seemed to believe a blank slate would have given people the opportunity to do better. Instead, they did worse.
17 The Risk Of Gambling Everything
“They’d say you’re taking too big a risk. Poetically speaking, flying toward the sun to burn up.” - Mr. Blue Eyes on the importance of safe bets.
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Mr. Blue Eyes is one of the game’s most cherished mysteries. His motives are unknown and his story is never resolved. Blue eyes are typically a sign of receiving money from a transaction, however, and his are always blue. So taking monetary wisdom from him is one of V’s better ideas.
16 Is That Really About Hacking?
“They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care; They pursued it with forks and hope; They threatened its life with a railway-share; They charmed it with smiles and soap.” Spider Murphy, quoting Lewis Carroll.
When it comes to creative writing, it’s hard to give the crown to anyone other than Lewis Carroll. Although Night City isn’t usually a setting for poetry, Spider Murphy quotes The Hunting of the Snark by Carroll while hacking. In a very strange way, this actually is applicable to her situation, it’s just so unexpected to hear. Poems and cheaper gas make for odd fantasy in Night City.
15 Paying Up
“Actually, I wasn’t gonna pay you at all.” - Jackie, confessing his strategy to V.
Well, at least his honesty is refreshing! Jackie Welles and V don’t necessarily start on the right foot in their incredible prologue section, though they become partners rather quickly. It turns out that Jackie was planning on snubbing V on their very first job together. Sensing a new future, Jackie comes to his senses. V pays him back later by deciding whether to side with Dex or Evelyn without his input. It’s not exactly a partnership founded on trust.
14 That’s One Way To Kick A Nasty Habit
“Eh, you get used to it. I just gotta be careful not to pull the pin when I wanna pick my nose.” - Ozob, explaining the grenade on his face.
The grenade embedded in the face of Ozob has been a source of laughter and fear. His pals are hoping a preview of clothing design can help him realize the dire situation he’s in. He hardly seems to notice at all unless V decides to talk about the obvious. Ozob is surprisingly casual about the deadly device and dismisses most legitimate fears with a gruff sense of humor.
13 Love This Town
“Oo, I love this town! Love it like you might love a mother who popped you out on the steps of an orphanage and now stops you to ask if you got a smoke for her!” - Stanley, speaking to the world live via radio.
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As V wakes up from that meme-worthy, awkward position, the radio comes on and the player gets to listen to the news of the day with Stanley on the default radio station. It’s crass, but a pretty good metaphor, there’s a lot to love and resent in Night City. Tune in for more about Mr. Blue Eyes or current events!
12 Does God Want Everyone In Heaven?
Spoiler alert! Those who haven’t played more than an hour or two of Cyberpunk 2077 should skip to the next quote.
Padre: “I don’t know if God left the meeting happy, but I’m pretty certain Jackie did.” - Sebastian “Padre” Ibarra musing upon what Jackie is doing in heaven.
If ever there were a personality that got under God’s skin, it might be Jackie. Still, he died a faithful man and Padre feels that God must have honored that commitment, however begrudgingly. Tasked with explaining spiritual encounters that transcend understanding, maybe Padre could help explain how rocket launchers explode objects without actually firing.
11 Concussion Protocol
“V, V, V… If you don’t have a titanium skull lining, you are gonna have memory problems in no time.” Coach Fred to V, who is thinking about boxing.
Now maybe V got the Mantis Blades early on and feels ready to enter the boxing ring with the rest of the world, but all it takes is a couple of misplaced blows to get brain damage and V can thank Coach Fred for that reminder. Maybe he’s worried V will start to act like the goofy NPCs that try to enter their vehicles. It’s good to know that, in this future mixed with great progress and disappointment, at least science has figured out a way to keep athletes from getting frequent concussions.
10 Lessons From The Grave
“I have found that people lie, most often deceiving themselves. Not so the dead. The dead are so very, very loud. And yet, lying is not in their nature. It is so… humbling, to listen to the dead speak.” - Saburo Arasaka, talking about learning from mistakes.
Saburo Arasaka stands out as a huge detail, even with extremely limited screen time. The man has shaped Night City and his family. Hearing that he learned humility is surprising, but hearing that he learned it from the dead is terrifying. Players wish he was around long enough for his company to add flying cars to the game.
9 How We Used To Say Goodbye
“Once upon a time, people were talking to graves and nobody batted an eyelid, right?” - Judy Alvarez to V on the phone.
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Judy Alvarez is a techie with custom equipment that is short on casual conversation but heavy on philosophy. At first, she’s skeptical of V, but after getting into her inner circle, V becomes a trusted friend and confidant. This includes listening to her reflections on how people handle life and death with her knowledge of history coloring her beliefs on how to handle it.
8 Aspiring Musician
“Give yourself time. Ideas’ll come. Life’ll shake you, roll you, maybe embrace you. The music’ll find you.” - Johnny and V, in unison.
V doesn’t strike anyone as a natural musician, but after Johnny Silverhand joins up with the protagonist’s mind, V learns a thing or two about how to rock out. Johnny and V both know that changing the culture of Night City is going to take more than traditional weaponry. Musicians need guidance and, while Johnny can’t be trusted with much, he’s good for a quip about how to really jam.
7 The Buffet Of Life
“Now, as that ol’ Greek dawg says, life’s a banquet - so don’t go thirsty, but don’t get drunk, either.” - Dexter DeShawn being a quasi-intellectual.
Dexter is making a quote about a quote here, but he’s not doing the best job of it. The quote, attributed to the fictional Mame Davis from Auntie Mame, is “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!” The quote is profound, even if Dexter did put a misguided spin on it. One thing’s for sure, he’s always got something for V to do when life gets boring.
6 The Impossibility Of Solitude
“Be alone with my thoughts? Near on unachievable these days.” - V explaining his frazzled mind to Misty.
V is forced to deal with a lot of terrible and impactful decisions on a journey that no one could have predicted. Rarely does V sit down and think about simple things like what to eat, where to party, how to get a raise, or if pineapple belongs on pizza (which is illegal in 2077, by the way). V is frustrated with it all and never gets a chance to just do nothing. Thankfully, Misty is around to lend her understanding and support.
5 Terrible Slogan
“The city of dreams. I’d gladly kick the balls off the idiot who thought that one up.” - Panam to V.
Night City can seem like a really fun place when V is hunting down the best mod in the game, but the player should stop and think about what kind of dream that really is. Is it really life when the best thing that can happen is finding an upgrade that kills people faster? Night City is ultimately violent and bad for finding what humanity is meant to be about. As a Nomad, Panam feels no obligation to hold back in her criticism.
4 Not Interested In Friendship
“You want nice, supportive? Call a damn helpline.” T-Bug when V asks her to be nice.
Alright, so maybe T-Bug is not the friendliest gal in Night City. At least she’s not the meanest. There are times early on in the game where she’s so condescending and rude that fans might challenge each other to pump her full of lead. Ultimately, while her manners leave something to be desired, T-Bug is there for V and Jackie as they pull off some stunts that might even make Johnny blush.
3 A Man Of Principle
“Swap meat for chrome, live a BD fantasy, whatever, but at the end of it all, it’s the code you live by that defines who you are. " - Johnny to V.
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When someone says they are an anarchist, sometimes they mean they just want to see all systems destroyed and don’t care who gets hurt in the process. Other times, they mean there is a principle and a philosophy that adheres to the idea that mankind is not meant to be ruled by tyrannies and corporations. In Johnny’s mind, both of those things are true. He’s violent, but it’s all about the endgame and the ideas that guide him.
2 Terrorist For Kicks
“He burned down half the city just to prove he was right and burned the other half just for fun.” - Information entry about Johnny Silverhand.
This is the other side of that anarchist coin. Johnny is not remorseful or sorry for the sacrifices that are needed for his vision. In his mind, if innocent people die trying to get something done, that’s better than nothing getting done. And his view on who is innocent is limited, if not unattainable. He recognizes almost any normal action as contributing to a status quo that he can no longer abide by.
1 It Gets Better
“Well, that way you’d kill two souls. Is that what you want?” - Misty to V.
Players would do well to remember that V might only be alive because of Misty. While Night City nurtures a lot of human instincts, it’s not very good at satisfying spiritual needs. This type of nourishment comes from Misty, who convinces V to press on in spite of tragedy and depression.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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