Cyberpunk 2077 Lore Guide: Fear and Loathing in the City at Night

Cyberpunk 2077 Lore Guide: Fear and Loathing in the City at Night
“No one leaves Night City. Except in a body bag. These are the words of Night City resident Bes Isis, a keyboard extraordinaire and assassin who has become a network news leader. As we're visiting these rough and ready streets when Cyberpunk 2077 comes out in September, it's probably worth getting an idea of ​​where we're headed. This is not the kind of place you want to miss out on. So we've put together this handy guide to the Cyberpunk Night City based on what we know about the board game, including the history of the city, the gangs, and the mega-corporations you'll come across.

The climb ...

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red) Night City is located in Del Coronado Bay on the west coast of the United States in the Northern Free State of California. It was also not named after Night, but rather after its founder, Richard Night. Night envisioned a capitalist utopia and parted ways with his company Halsey, Ferris and Night to form Night International. As part of this venture, construction work began in the city of Coronado, then named after the bay, in 1992. A year later, megacorporations like Arasaka, EBM, and Petrochem had invested heavily. , subscribing to the No Poverty, No Criminal and No Laws night vision to hinder the ethically dubious work of Megacorps. Capitalist gears freshly greased by the blood of workers, Coronado City has become a reality. Before Night could carry out his experiment, he was assassinated in 1998 by organized crime syndicates muscled by his corporate vision. Coronado City was named Night City in his honor and quickly fell into chaos.

The fall...

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red) With last night, gangs and mega corps openly battled for control. Any idea of ​​a crime-free utopia disappeared like gun smoke, the city awash with greed, violence, and despair. In 2005, the mega corps lost their will to fight and retreated to the haven of the corporate district, leaving the gangs to fight amongst themselves for control of the dirtier areas of Night City. It was a difficult and eventful time for Night City, with lawless gangs dividing up what was left of the city for themselves. Inevitably, a full-scale turf war broke out in 2009. The two years between 2009 and 2011 were the deadliest in Night City history, until Arasuka stepped in with paramilitary intervention to end the war with a shuddering shudder. Knowing that more people's wars could reduce profits and hurt their results, the mega corps retained a firm grip on the city after the war. In 2020, when the board game takes place, Night City is calm between two storms. By the time we arrive in 2077, the city has been voted "the worst place to live in America," suggesting that the beer storm is raging.

bands

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red) There are many gangs in Night City, and while it's best to avoid them, some are more dangerous than others. pets
With the gameplay we've seen so far, the animals are a melee gang addicted to the steroid "Juice". They also get high as big players in the organized drug crime and underground fights of Night City. Expect to get to know them a lot during your stay. lizzies
The Lizzies are fans of Night City singer and influencer Lizzy Wizzy. Imagine if Marnie from Pokemon was covered in chrome and Team Yell was on LSD. They are minor players with no real territory, but you don't want to cross them. swirl
The Maelstrom is a heavy wrestling band, formed from the remnants of the Metal Warriors, which disbanded during Night City's most chaotic periods. Above the table, they roamed the Old Downtown area around the docks, but by the time we got there in 2077, they'd moved to the All Food Pig Slaughterhouse in the Watson District, where we saw these brutes in some of the in-game footage. scavengers
We've seen a bit of the Scavengers in the released gameplay footage, which suggests they'll have a big presence in the game. They don't vie for control, but are little thugs who kidnap people and harvest their cyber undergarments. Hide your super cool chest cannon around these guys. Tyger's claw
Heavy martial arts gang in Japantown, they seem to have abandoned their 2020 cyber position to embrace the technology of 2077. According to rumors, Megacorp Arasuka would support them. valentines
It's not really a gang so much as himbos. No violence, no grass, no fighting, just a bunch of brothers who want to sleep with every woman in town. Voodoo Boys
On the table, the Voodoo Boys were the scariest gang in Night City. While they get their money from drugs, they indulge in rape, torture, and murder. Sometimes they mark the doors of potential victims in chicken blood, though sometimes they don't care about the warning. However, in 2077, they seem to have become the guardians of their community, protecting the Haitian community in the Pacifica district. Yakuza
Violent and ruthless, the Yakuza are everywhere in the city, involved in drugs, firearms, and money laundering.

megacorporations

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red) Although mega corps seem less threatening than gangs, they could be more dangerous. This is what you need to know. MediaCorp
Network News 54, Diverse Media Systems, and World News Service are the three 24-hour news services in Night City; all three were allegedly bribed by various government officials. AgriCorps
Farming was originally a small family business, until conglomerates drove everyone away. Today, CHOOH2 biofuel is produced mainly by Petrochem, while the Russian company SovOil produces less CHOOH2 and sells it cheaper. ManuCorps
These guys really run Night City and are unaffected by the turmoil. Arasaka, Militech and Mitsubishi-Sugo supply the military-industrial complex, while EBM and IEC compete for control of cyber manufacturing. cyberbody
Once the parts are done, the rest of the cyber cash is divided between Zetatech (which deals with the software) and Microtech (which builds mainframes and servers). These mega corps are running Night City. BioCorps
While CyberCorps runs outside tech, body enhancements are split between Dakai Soundsystems, Cyphire Cyberware, Dynalar Technologies, and Asahi Rem Tech. Dakai and Cyphire collaborate on audio upgrades, while Dynalar makes stylish implants for celebrities, and Asahi produces the more everyday things. There is also Biotechnica, which markets GM foods and invented the wheat V. Megasuavis, essential for the production of CHOOH2. WeaponCorps
Arasaka and Militech are big enough to make weapons and train security mercenaries, while Lázaro specializes in paramilitary contractors. Night City is a place we can't wait to explore, especially with Keanu by our side. Just be careful not to walk through the dark alleys...

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