Why trade lead when you can just fry their prefrontal cortex? Following the 2.0 overhaul, the Cyberpunk 2077 Netrunner skill system turns V from a standard street mercenary into a walking digital plague. Whether you want to ghost through Arasaka network cameras or force an entire squad to self-delete, here is your fast-track guide to maxing out your rank and claiming the only Intelligence perks that matter.
Netrunner Skill Progression & Bonuses
Independent of your standard level, your standalone Netrunner Skill starts at Rank 1 and caps out at Rank 60. You earn passive milestone bonuses every five ranks. Even if you run a hybrid build that relies heavily on smart weapons or monowires, pushing this skill to its upper limits provides invaluable RAM (your hacking mana) and recovery buffs.
If you are interested in how other playstyles function, it is worth comparing this to the skill progression system as a whole to see how different archetypes, like the stealth-focused Cyberpunk 2077 Headhunter skill, offer their own unique milestone rewards.
You can track your exact XP in-game by navigating to Character > Skill Progression.
| Rank | Passive Bonus Reward |
|---|---|
| 5 | Increases RAM Recovery Rate by 5%. |
| 10 | Increases RAM by 1. |
| 15 | Gain 1 extra Perk Point. |
| 20 | Gain 20% additional lock-on range with Smart weapons. |
| 25 | Increases RAM Recovery Rate by 5%. |
| 30 | Increases RAM by 1. |
| 35 | Gain 1 extra Perk Point. |
| 40 | Reduces RAM cost for quickhacks on devices and vehicles by 20%. |
| 45 | +15% duration for Control/Covert quickhacks; +5% damage for Combat quickhacks. |
| 50 | Increases Overclock duration by 40%. |
| 55 | Reduces the health cost of Overclock quickhacks by 10%. |
| 60 | Overclock reveals enemies within 10m and lets you quickhack through cover. |
How to Level Up Your Netrunner Skill Fast
Because the XP cost scales significantly past Rank 10, relying on passive gameplay will leave you under-leveled. To reach Rank 60 efficiently, integrate these three dedicated habits into your playstyle:
- Scan and Quickhack Everything: You gain XP for every quickhack deployed, regardless of its sources. Constantly trigger low-cost quickhacks like Distract Enemies on surrounding electronics, even during active firefights.
- Solve Expert Matrix Sequences: Whenever you jack into an Access Point using Breach Protocol, always aim to complete the bottom “Expert” code string. Successfully tapping the expert matrix yields a massive chunk of Netrunner progression XP.
- Hunt for Skill Shards: Introduced in the 2.0 overhaul, Skill Shards instantly grant hefty sums of XP. Keep an eye out for Tier 1 through Tier 5 Netrunner Skill Shards dropped by elite enemies. These items are hidden in secure containers or occasionally sold by black-market vendors.
Cyberpunk 2077 Netrunner skill: Top 8 Essential Netrunner Perks
To make the most of your expanding RAM pool, you need to invest your attribute points into Intelligence. Ranked from great to absolute game-changers, these are the top eight perks required for a pure netrunner build:
8. Carhacker
Vehicle combat is a major factor across Night City and Dogtown. Requiring only one perk point, Carhacker lets you take remote control of enemy vehicles, trigger their alarms to force a stop or cause them to self-destruct to eliminate surrounding hostile squads.
7. Speculation
Managing RAM economy is critical. With Speculation, you can neutrelize enemies with Combat Quickhack instantly refunds RAM equal to 25% of the total cost of all quickhacks currently uploaded to that target. This heavily rewards multiple hacks onto tough foes before dealing the final blow.
6. Optimization
Available early once you invest a few attribute points, Optimization requires a single perk point and grants a massive 35% increase to your base RAM recovery rate across both stealth and combat. It serves as the mandatory gateway to the middle tiers of the Intelligence tree.
5. All Things Cyber
Equipping high-tier cyberdecks and chrome heavily taxes your neural system. Pushing into the Pro tier (9 Intelligence), All Things Cyber boosts your overall cyberware stat modifiers, directly scaling secondary attributes like quickhack damage and passive RAM regeneration.
4. Eye In The Sky
True netrunners clear entire buildings without drawing a weapon. Eye in the Sky automatically highlights nearby security cameras and access points. Furthermore, deploying Covert or Control quickhacks through a hijacked camera reduces their cost by 1 RAM and extends their duration by 50%.
3. License To Chrome
Building directly upon your cyberware stat modifiers, this three-point investment is vital for survivability. Level 1 boosts chrome modifiers by 10%, Level 2 grants a flat +40 Armor (crucial since clothing no longer provides defense), and Level 3 unlocks an entirely new cyberware slot for V’s skeleton.
2. Data Recycler
If an enemy dies while you still have expensive quickhacks queued up in their upload timeline, Data Recycler instantly refunds 80% of the wasted RAM. This eliminates the risk of over-hacking a target and allows you to seamlessly weave in pistol headshots to finish off debuffed enemies.
1. Overclock
The absolute undisputed pinnacle of the netrunner class. Unlocked at the Phenom tier (15 Intelligence), Overclock introduces an active mode that completely breaks standard resource limits. When activated, you can cast quickhacks even at zero RAM by sacrificing 10 Health for every missing RAM unit. Combined with health-steal cyberware, this turns V into an unstoppable digital god.
Cyberpunk 2077
