Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty DLC is approaching, and you might be wondering how to access the expansion and whether you need to complete the base game first. Here's what you need to know about this DLC.
Phantom Liberty brings new storylines, missions, weapons, and even a new district, Dog Town, to Night City. While the expansion is substantial and exceptional, you can't simply start a new game and dive right into it.
When Can You Start Phantom Liberty in Cyberpunk 2077?
CD Projekt Red has confirmed that the Phantom Liberty story becomes accessible after completing the Transmission quest in the main game. During this quest, you'll encounter Maman Brigitte of the Voodoo Boys for the first time. Once you finish this mission, Songbird will reach out to you, allowing you to start the Phantom Liberty quests.
If you're already past this point in your save, Songbird will contact you shortly after you load your game.
Reaching the new district of Dogtown is key to accessing Phantom Liberty. Players will gain access to Pacifica, and thus Dogtown, which occurs approximately halfway through the game's main story missions. So, it will take a few hours of gameplay before you can explore the new content.
However, if you've already completed the game, it's a bit more complex because Phantom Liberty can impact the game's endings. You'll either need to return to an earlier save or replay the final mission, where you can choose to storm Araska Tower with Rogue or Panam's plan or head to Dogtown to start Phantom Liberty quests for an alternate story path.
Alternatively, you can select the new content from the Cyberpunk 2077 main menu to play the DLC immediately. Be aware that you'll need to create a new character if you choose this option.
How to Play Phantom Liberty Instantly in Cyberpunk 2077
There's another way to play the DLC without starting a whole new game. If you haven't played Cyberpunk 2077 at all, you can use the Phantom Liberty option in the main menu to jump right into the new DLC. Please note that you'll still need to own a copy of the base game.
With Update 2.0 releasing a few days before the expansion itself, you have some time to start a playthrough and get accustomed to the gameplay before the expansion goes live.
Do You Need to Finish Cyberpunk 2077 to Play Phantom Liberty DLC?
No, you don't need to complete Cyberpunk 2077 to play the Phantom Liberty DLC. Simply follow the instructions above. You can begin fresh with a new character or experience the game until you naturally encounter the new content.
