The Truth Behind Cyberpunk's New Ending... | Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty

[Music] cyberp Punk is not about saving the world it's about saving yourself this is a quote that's been expressed by the Creator Mike psmith several times yeah it sounds cool but it goes beyond that it's the foundation of the cyberpunk world and sets a precedent for what players should expect it's not a fantasy RPG like DND D in which you embark on a cross-dimensional adventure to save the Multiverse and become the hero of Prophecy no it's a much more Grim reality that shares its roots with our own the world is far larger than you no character should expect to Take On The World and change it as a whole sure you can make some ripples that extend to the lives of those around you or maybe even have some influence with a reputation of a legend but to save the world world and create true change is just not realistic just a look at Johnny silverhand his whole objective was to bring down the corporations that ruled the world with an iron fist doing anything he could to make them hurt yet even after his career as a rocker boy and helping to take arisaka Tower to the ground nothing changed not one bit a few decades later arisaka Tower was built once again and had a new hold on night City the in this world is to not restructure it as a whole but to find a spot in which you can belong to turn a shitty situation into one worth living to save yourself at any cost or to leave any sort of Mark behind that you were there that you were living there's a quote pretty early in the game by Dexter Deshawn that embodies this idea one that stays with you for the rest of the game would you rather live in pieces Mr Nobody die ripe old and smelling slightly of urine or go down for all times in a blaze of glory smelling near like posies without seeing your 30th it's first place and no place Dex cost isn't a factor huh classic I'd expect nothing less from eager Supple youth respect for the sake of Simplicity I'm just going to refer to v as a male my first playthrough years back and my initial run of phantom Liberty was with a male v it was just for my sake in reply B doesn't really have the option to say anything in objection it shows a clear determination of V early on in 2077 Story one that can't be changed or even influenced by the player just like his close friend Jackie Wells he has in his head that this is the only way of life that this is their calling and anything else is below them and their ideals in the base game of 2077 this remains throughout all the endings V raids arasaka Tower alone with Rogue with the alocado or with Hano arasaka all of which turn him into a legend that would aim to go out in a blaze of glory over anything else the release of the Phantom Liberty expansion spelled out a new option for V one that was never previously represented or available to him one that entails the quiet life over a blaze of glory and yes while it can be argued especially by silver hand that the devil ending is choosing the quiet life you still fight through arasaka and kill Adam Smasher so I wouldn't entirely consider it the same this is a life that is only obtainable through the sacrificing of others after all it's not about saving the world it's about saving yourself you're forced to betray Songbird inside with Reed a decision that would come to hunt a lot of players upon viewing her final message if you're watching this you know how our story ended I'm a SMI jealous I'll admit I'm scared V but I need to trust you and I do and if you're watching this I was right too so I thank you Songbird as a character has divided the community in what she stands for and what she deserves each player will come to their own conclusion displaying just how well woven she is into the complex story of 2077 this is my perspective just like many others she's a victim of the system who had her own flaws long before being picked up by Reed yet these flaws were the same as any other in the world dreams of becoming a legend being one of a kind and and accomplishing The Impossible one shared by the likes of v and Jackie Wells ones that got the keki crew killed and V enslaved to The Relic so should she really be viewed any differently than the likes of Jackie or V she's done what she needed to survive all while making one major miscalculation in her method always trying to play Both Sides she is of a type that legitimately wants to discard and kill whoever she uses a contrast to someone like Dexter Deshawn or the voodoo boys who always plan to get rid of anybody they use in one-off gigs even in the event that V betrays her at the meeting with Hansen she still doesn't want them to die especially not from the horrifying blood lust of Rogue AI being reward for betraying Songbird and signing with the N USA is provided his promised way out a chance at survival and to permanently remove the Relic and silver hand from his head going through with this offer from Myers and Reed V finds himself at the very same rooftop we've all seen before this time though the atmosphere has shifted there's a clear hesitancy from Johnny about calling Reed and going through with the surgery say you told the FIA to stick their offer where the sun don't shine just don't make the call to read we'll find another way do what now message didn't see it they want to wipe me need me to explain the ins and outs yeah it's just I didn't put the facts together till now H convenient but say I go along with that question is what are you going to do with the facts there's a desperation that hasn't been seen before they push for a route better suited to his lifestyle of toppling corporations Johnny shows fear of being deleted and anger at the outcome V has chosen the hell you want from me Johnny acknowledgment decency a sprinkling of regret and an apology ology want an apology for me choosing to save my own life no V an apology for [ __ ] ending mine spent your whole life living on a whim looking out for your ass and your ass alone got no right to lecture me silverhand you want me to act like this us was just a big nothing burger and we'll just drift up off into sweet Slumber except only one of us is waking up this is the final conversation between V and silverhand yet it turns out to be bitter a swarm of emotions from Johnny felt likely negatively impact a lot of players guilting them into regret but what if I told you this isn't the only reaction you can get out of Johnny you can get one that's much more fitting for this conclusion of V's Journey if youve secured the prerequisites for the secret ending and achieved a 100% relationship with silverhand you'll get an entirely different response from the rocker boy one that is much more agreeable with your decision and understanding of the outcome you can still tell that silver hand doesn't want to simply be killed off like he said before he'd prefer the outcome of entering the net but this time around he doesn't want to guilt feet silverhand understands that at the end of it all it was always V's body and the expectation was always that V would get it back to himself after all silveran is just a copy of the original an AI that is composed of code utilizing the original Consciousness and brain of silverhand the in Universe term for this would be Soul killed pseudo intellect otherwise known as SPI or ghosts by all of this the information doesn't really detract from the reality of it all silver hand original or not is a living construct one capable of human emotion and especially empathy something even the original silver hand lacked I believe that it's best you listen to his final words think this is it kiddo yes so promise me one thing will you I promise no idea what but I promise not asking you to never give up sometimes you got to let go just don't let anyone change who you are okay Johnny I've good night Valerie today was a good day and after this farewell be awoke in the year of 2079 with an absence of Johnny and The Relic which was expected of his surgery but there was much more missing something that had helped to Define V up to this point is Chrome a side effect in which his neurons could no longer handle the activation of combat implants it would overload his system and kill him to add insult to injury Vic is the only person V is able to meet up with when visiting night City for the first time in 2 years everyone he previously knew had moved on had new lives and had no space for him any longer he wasn't just feeling the absence of silverhand but nearly all of his old Chums what was just moments for V everyone had managed to live their own lives without him a very realistic reminder for some that life can continue ahead with or without you and For Better or For Worse a theme present in all of night city's new atmosphere conflicts had come and gone gangs and corporations pushed out while others moved in night city was now an unfamiliar territory to someone who once had it at his feet Victor despite being the welcoming and empathetic person he's always been no longer has a shop that shares this atmosphere the previous relaxing and self-owned garage had been entirely converted to a sterile corporate shop now owned by Zeta Tech he no longer had the control he once did only the self- delusion that he was happy to work as a ripper do even under a corporation a living night City Legend was reduced to nothing more in a corporate owned asset a parallel to V's own Journey not only is Vic unable to help V but he ends up not even having time to spend with him as their short-lived meeting is interrupted by a patient threatening to file a corporate report against Vic if he doesn't provide assistance at a moment's notice opting to leave the clinic instead of causing trouble for Vic V is forced to face the harsh reality of his new life that fully comprehend that he is starting at square one two lowly thugs are able to effortlessly toss V down a stair case knocking him out no matter what V does in this situation he is powerless a living legend who was once capable of taking on the likes of Kurt Hansen Oda and even Adam Smasher is defeated by two street level thugs two thugs that couldn't have even scraped be's armor before the surgery luckily he wasn't alone in this defeat he awoke to see a familiar face Misty with her spiritual and emotional guidance be was finally able to stop looking back at his life life he wants knew is gone and with it the old hym is dead he's forced to start a new reduced to that of just another person in the crowd one who no longer had to cling to his reputation as a night City Legend I've seen this ending leave a bad taste in my mouth of players after its initial playthrough well it did for me as well while initially playing this ending I had a similar reaction I thought God damn damn it really another bad outcome in the sea of Despair that is night City yeah he's alive but at what cost surely we could have gone at least one happy ending before a dreaded wait until the release of the sequel I find this to have been a result of the surge of emotions the ending gave me a point blank reaction before looking at the Greater Image it took some reflection not only a phantom Liberty but cyberpunk as a whole to come to A New Perspective that I think everyone should share together and no I don't mean 2077 as a whole I mean the entirety of the series TBL Toops comics and the new novel included I've always been a firm believer that the endings of 2077 aren't nearly as Grim as everyone makes them out to be I know a contradictory statement to my initial reaction to The New Ending like I said I was pretty emotional and Creator and fan of cyber Punk whenever I see people deating happy endings I see this silver hand quote tossed around a lot guess I meant I don't know a happier ending for everyone involved here for folks like us wrong City wrong people while this quote might initially look to be true you've got to VI the situation from a different lens while the endings tend to put a 6-month lifespan on V it doesn't change that at the end of the day he's been bought some time while he might be back to square one it's with the knowledge strength and experiences that he's gained during his time becoming a living legend even for silveran he just ends up beyond the black wall to survive with all Cunningham and the other Soul killed AI she's gathered an ideal situation that he actually shows to want in the new Phantom Liberty ending further this with the various theories that he could be saved such as with the aid of Mr blue eyes or biotechnica cloning and he does have a reasonable shot given his resources in every ending besides the devil be is soul killed therefore he's an AI imp planted in a body being overwritten so in theory this AI could be transferred to a capable body and survive oh but how could a clone be made of his original body if his DNA is being overwritten well it's the Cyber Punk genre it's extremely doubtful that his original DNA or blood work isn't in storage somewhere n USA his rerock Vic or even met necklace hanging around his neck would make do a necklace containing the bullet that originally killed him so yes B has a shot of surviving and living a maybe sort of happy life in the other endings if achieved but what does it all mean for the new tower ending well it shouldn't be viewed as depressing this new ending is a chance for V to live any way he wants he had been forced to struggle just to survive because of his he at compi and slotting The Relic he never had a choice it was either to fight or to die it's actually a miracle that he's in the situation he's in keep in mind what silveran says to you you start from the bottom once you're fully capable of getting back to the top never let night City keep you down after all we all know V won't let that happen he has more opportunity now than he could ever know what to do with whether it's the life of an edge Runner or not he can continue on with the certainty that he has the choice to live he has the rest of his life to form new relationships friends connections and more this is the start of a much more cemented life or V we must keep in mind as well that the extent of damage to his nervous system is unknown it's stated that he can't use combat cyberware but his physical condition might be much better off than the impression the ending provides us he is just 2 years out of a coma the fact he can even walk is impressive in all likelihood it sounds like he can still perform as any normal Chum that doesn't Chrome up even has his personal link and simple Co processors So in theory he could still netrun just not performing as effectively as a combat Netrunner I also like to point out that the number one solo and night City Legend Morgan Blackhand was modest in his cyberware installments and favor traditional Weaponry even with lower levels of cyberware installed he reached the top of the mercenary world and could even outperform the full Borg Adam Smasher if you're a little confused it's probably because he hasn't mentioned much in 2077 since he hadn't been seen since 2023 so all this information comes from the Canon Source books created by Mike psmith so even with no cyberware Beast still has all of his experiences in a functioning body while he certainly couldn't come close to being a top mercenary when he has zero cyberware installed he could definitely still perform as one just no longer have a level expected of a night City Legend but let's think about it his chance at learning the field of zero Chrome could actually provide him an advantage in the future blackan predicted this of the solo class that everyone was becoming too reliant on special gadgets and going in loud to get the job done well B will learn to do without what benefits does this provide to V well with all the hints provided throughout the tabletops in 277 there is likely an AI Invasion inbound an invasion from the Rogue AI of the old net ones that we've barely seen a glimpse of from just the Cerberus Ai and when this Invasion does happen happen everyone will be caught off guard with their Tech turning against them or running around like headless chickens not knowing how to function without all their gadgets this is when V's predicament will be most favorable now this isn't to say we see him in the future sequel but it's to point out that his life as a mercenary or even just a life without Chrome shouldn't be seen so negatively if anything it will be a benefit to him going forward in terms of conclusions I believe his ending is the most hopeful yeah it's depressing as change Always is but he no longer has to fight for survival Against The Relic I believe there's chances for him to survive no matter the ending but none of them are nearly as cemented as this one he was so focused on Survival throughout the story of 2077 that he never got to completely process the death of Jackie and everything that followed it much less being able to look to the Future and think about what he would do after everything was sorted out honestly I think that be's best ending was always going to be fading back into the city he had been there once and After experiencing the numerous traumatic events following keki preceding his surgery he deserves a chance to change as a person so I have one final message for you when you reflect over the new endings core values and what it means for V's future don't focus on all the other possibilities that could have been don't criticize V for pursuing the most promising chance at survival because at the end of it all once it's all said and finished cyberpunk is not about saving the world it's about saving yourself

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Keywords: cyberpunk 2077, cyberpunk lore, cyberpunk 2077 lore, cyberpunk red, cyberpunk 2077 phantom liberty, cyberpunk 2077 lore explained, cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update, cyberpunk new ending, cyberpunk 2077 new ending, phantom liberty ending, cyberpunk 2077 expansion, cyberpunk 2077 dlc, phantom liberty, phantom liberty lore, johnny silverhand, phantom liberty theory, cyberpunk 2077 rogue ai, cyberpunk 2077 theory, phantom liberty ending explained, cyberpunk 2077 new ending explained

Id: h00Bpx4ffWc

Length: 22min 7sec (1327 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 18 2023