Cyberpunk 2077: What you should know before playing

“Cyberpunk 2077” has been on the market since December 10, 2020. With its new action role-playing game, CD Projekt RED exudes neo-futuristic charm and transports you to the dystopian Night City of the 2070s. Shortly after the unification war, however, not only corporations like Arasaka and Militech play an important role in the megapolis. This is how you meet in “Cyberpunk 2077” also gangs, who can become your friends and clients, but also your enemies.

Go straight to the Cyberpunk 2077 review.

Cyberpunk 2077: The Gangs of Night City

In Night City, every day brings a new struggle for survival. While Militech has been state-owned since the end of the Fourth Corporate War, Arasaka has since regained much control within the city limits. Those areas that are not in the hands of the mega corporation are controlled by the “Cyberpunk 2077” gangs. To avoid messing with the wrong people, it’s important to get an idea of ​​who’s in charge where.

N°1: Maelstrom – the cyberfetishists

The Northside Industrial District in the Watson borough once provided work for thousands of residents of the megapolis. Today, however, the factories and warehouses are largely abandoned and home to some shady characters – the Maelstrom. The gang is notorious for their brutal methods and obsession with cyberware bordering on fetishism.

They use what was once the cornerstone of Night City’s economic growth and prosperity for storage of stolen weapons, impromptu operations, and braindance recording studios. Their excessive and ruthless use of cybertechnology makes them one of those groups in town you’d rather not mess with.

N°2: Mox – the punks and freaks of kabuki

The Mox are a community made up mostly of sex workers, punks and freaks from Kabuki, another subdistrict of Watson. The Japanese pharmaceutical companies once ruled in Kabuki. But Araska sometimes used the Unification War to expel them there. Since then, poverty has ruled the district.

Elisabeth “Lizzie” Borden, one-time owner of the strip club Lizzie’s, was known for always treating her employees with respect and asking the same of her customers. So after a member of the Tyger Claws abused one of her girls, she just had to teach him a lesson. But the result was not in their favor. Lizzie lost her life and the Mox emerged from the riots that followed.

N°3: Tyger Claws – Weapons, Tattoos and Bikes

Japantown is one of the safest spots in Night City these days. Located in the Westwood district, it is home to dozens of clubs, bars and brothels, including the Tyger Claws, who are safe havens. First and foremost, this predominantly Japanese “Cyberpunk 2077” gang represents three interests: classic guns, colorful tattoos, and state-of-the-art motorcycles.

The Claws gang members follow a strict code of honor. They also run a large part of Japantown’s establishments, including brain dance clubs, casinos, battle arenas and brothels. Each of these deals is legal in and of itself, but many of them serve as a front for shady dealings. Money laundering and human trafficking exemplify the methods used by the Tyger Claws to secure money and power.

N°4: Valentinos – Mexican gangster folklore at its finest

In Westwood’s The Glen, the Valentinos rule. The members of this gang are easy to spot thanks to their penchant for shiny things. Gold-plated implants and Christian symbols characterize their image and are accompanied by a charm that only Mexican gangster folklore can exude. If you see Jesus crosses, spaghetti western-style mustaches and tuned-up hot rods, you know who you’re dealing with.

The Valentinos are also deeply rooted in The Glen, so the citizens of the borough are loyal to them and trust them. In return, they get protection from other gangs and the law enforcement branch, the NCPD. So if you want to mess with the Valentinos, you should dress warmly.

N°5: Animals – everything is fine as long as you are wild

“The Animals are obsessed with the wild side of human nature,” states the official Cyberpunk 2077 book. “They don’t use off-the-shelf cyberware, but rather custom-made bio-implants that they use to tweak their muscles until they look more animal than human.”

Unlike most other gangs in town, the Animals don’t have a clear territory, which is why they often clash with other groups.

N°6: 6th Street – the veterans of Sato Domingo

Arroyo is located in Santo Domingo and is more or less the southern counterpart to Northside. However, these factories are not used by the Maelstrom, but serve as hostels for the local militia. 6th Street is made up primarily of war veterans and armed civilians who take their right to self-defense very seriously.

They adorn themselves with the stars and stripes of the US flag and are patriots through and through, even under the surface. Originally, the merger arose from the plan to expel corporations and gangs from Arroyo. Meanwhile, however, 6th Street seems to be pursuing far more self-interested interests and enforcing them with violence.

N°7: Voodoo Boys – the arch-enemies of NetWatch

Traditionally, the Voodoo Boys specialize in netrunning. They are made up of members of the Haitian diaspora “who fought for their independence after the end of the Pacifica urban development project”. They want to uncover the secrets of the old Net and thus repeatedly come into conflict with NetWatch, which is commissioned by the European Union and whose task is to stop all cyber activities.

The Voodoo Boys usually keep to themselves and are suspicious of outsiders. Nevertheless, you could be useful to them in one or the other endeavor – and they could be useful to you in return.

N°8: Aldecaldos – the nomads

Years of war and climate catastrophes still leave deep scars today. Although the financial system seems to have largely recovered from its collapse in the 2010s, many people still roam the shattered country without a proper place of residence. Some of these nomads have banded together as the Aldecaldos, a faction that roams from one Free State to the next and sticks together as a family.

Typically, the Alecaldos stay away from metropolitan areas like Night City and are primarily found in the Eastern Wastelands.

N°9: Wraiths – the unreliable mercenaries

In the Southern Desert you meet the Wraiths. They are a subgroup of Raffen Sh. This band of outcast nomads would do anything for the right pay. The Wraiths rob, loot, and murder almost anything that gets in their way. So if you get lost in the desert, just be careful.

Learn more about the world of Cyberpunk 2077

Since December 10, 2020 you can download the new action role-playing game from the Polish developer CD Projekt RED and plunge into the turbulent world of Night City as V. Not only do we tell you where you can track down which of the “Cyberpunk 2077” gangs, we also give you deep insights into the development and history of Night City.

Source: own research

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