I'm really struggling to take down Netrunners in Cyberpunk 2077. How do the hacking mechanics work in this game? What methods do you think are most effective? What's the best way to deal with their protection systems? Can anyone share some general hacking strategies for the game?
What strategies do you recommend against Netrunners?
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You need to approach Netrunners the same way you’d deal with ARC in *Deus Ex* or neuromods in *Prey*—shift your focus from the player to the system itself. When Netrunners detect your character, they open fire, so hacking their AI and disrupting the system is key. For example, when I tried the max-level hack in *Cyberpunk 2077*, I turned the Netrunners into little kids bickering among themselves—when one focused on breaching my system, both got distracted, and I picked them off in that opening.
For defense, use "ICE breaker" specialty weapons like the devastating explosives in *Tomb Raider*. For instance, with the *System Reset* module, you can instantly disable the network a Netrunner is connected to. Or invest in the *Recon* ability to predict their hacks and counter them on the spot. Most importantly, keep your backup ready—it’s smarter to pull back quickly and strike again than to spend your whole turn on one Netrunner.
The most reliable strategy against Netrunners is to focus on their decoy systems. First, try to isolate them—engage only one at a time before a fight breaks out. When you encounter one, switch their sensors to manual mode and go for an audio attack to disable their cyberware quickly. But the real key is their decoy system—make it your top priority to shut it down. Before they drop their weapon, hit their systems with a couple of EMP blasts to reduce AI responses and give yourself the upper hand.
When it comes to defense, physical pressure works better than hacking. With good composure and movement skills, you can close the gap on Netrunners before they even start hacking you. If you have to, position yourself near a power source—while they try to hijack your systems, you can slip into theirs. Just remember, Netrunners are more dangerous than they seem—always have an escape plan.
Exactly like that, bro, I've also taken a lot of beatings from Netrunners. If you don't build a proper hacking strategy in the game, they can wreck you. From my experience, you first need to really understand how to deal with hackers.
Netrunners are the guys who can hijack your drones or straight-up damage you, so as soon as you encounter them, your priority should be to move away from their UAVs and set up a trigger mechanism to disable them. To do that, activating abilities like "Supression" and "EMP" in the Hacking Module and using devices that disrupt Netrunners' signals works really well. For example, tossing EMP bombs like "Bouncing Betty" into their proximity does the trick.