If you have a higher relationship then Silverhand accepts and supports your decision in a rather heartfelt goodbye that ends with Johnny using V’s full name.
Yeah and that honestly makes it a much better ending than Silverhand not accepting your choice. I also like how he references the oil field conversation you have that gets your relationship to 70%.
@@HippoBean Personally, I’ve replayed Cyberpunk 2077 3 times including the one for Phantom Liberty, and each time I do all endings. So I’ve killed Adam Smasher so many times that I honestly avenged 15 Johnny’s lmao. It’s nice to see a new ending after almost 3 years.
A lot of Johnny’s dialogue changes DRASTICALLY if you have maxed his relationship and done all of his quests. He actually ends things… at peace. He’s okay with going in the way he does and he seems okay with it all, and doesn’t blame V whatsoever. It’s actually really sweet
Yup, i did kerrys questline before finishing songs and reeds quests, and I had a feeling they incorporated this with Johnny. Part of why I enjoyed this ending I think the first go. Ultimately I felt this game is about V and Johnny, so that closure was all I needed. Same with Tower ending honestly but also diff.
This is even more interesting considering how I'm pretty sure this is the only ending where the sad rendition of "Never Fade Away" doesn't play during the credits.
Well the one guy beat me to it but I’m gonna say it anyway, it’s a really nice touch that never fade away plays in all the other endings except this one. Makes me feel like this ending was planned from the start.
I can relate. This ending pretty much happened to me. Got sick in my late 20's. 5 surgeries over a few years. I lost everything, a whole life. Had to restart a whole new life at 30. I still struggle with that fact. I'm alive and as happy as I can be, but I still resent the life I lost, and wonder what should have been. Yeah your last paragraph basically took all the words right out of my mouth
I wish you the best. My father always said the only point of saying “I should’ve, or what could have been,” is just reopening an old wound. Live the life you have because you can.
I feel that one close to home as well. After I started uni, I had some issues with motivation and dropped out. Had problems with getting a job. I felt like i lost so much time, I lost a lot of friends and contacts. Now I am at a much better place in my life, but at the same time I feel very lonely. Time and age can be a big divide. I feel disconnected from my peers and too far away from the younger ones. I hope you are doing better. I can definitely understand that resentment you feel. But life is just not fair and you can only give up or try to do the best out of bad situation. Keep your chin up choom!
If there's one thing happy about this ending, its that it is undeniable proof that V *can* be saved. The Star ending left things up for interpretation, as in will V find help or not, but with The Tower you could easily say V does. If I'm gonna be real for a second though, romancing Judy and calling her 2 years later to find out she's married, damn bro I wanted to cry for V. That shit hurt.
i'm glad someone else was destroyed by the judy call lmao. literally before doing the ending i was like "i'm totally calling judy first", and then i got... that
There was dialogue for female V and Judy telling her about what to do after she dies. It was cut. I’m not sure why, but it would have fit so I’m sure it’s wasn’t cut for anything besides story reasons.
the fact that most of V's friends just don't want to accept him in their life anymore is sad, if you played the game constantly trying to do good for them, this is the repayment you get from them after managing to survive the relic. sure, 2 years without any comunication is terrible and worrying but they knew that something would eventually happen to V. was it this unnatural to expect him to die or even better survive? for me the most devastating thing is that johnny (if you're friends with him) just supports you till the end. the one person who tried to kill you initially becomes the most real friend in the end while the others who meet you on better circunstances just leave you.
well Judy doesn't cut contact. She invited him to her new home. It's more that V feels akward getting into her life too much, now that she is married. Kerry didn't cut contact with V, he is just in middle of tour. He would give V all support after it Only Panam.... Well thing is Panam has always been a bit immature and emotions could cloud her judgment.
Don't forget, everyone knew you didn't have that long left ... So when you say you'll be gone for a month and haven't reappeared 6 month later, most of them had to accept that you were dead and grieve for you. Then, 2 years later, you show back up like a flower despite most of them having moved on, some are more mature about it (Victor, Judy, Misty, ...) and others like Panam had a hell of a nightmare letting you go and take it out on you since you could've contacted them (not really but this isn't a rational reaction).
@@TaigaXsenpai For male V him and Judy were never more than friends anyway so aside from the initial "holy shit I thought you were dead but you're alive" awkwardness, being friends with her again shouldn't be too much of an issue. I can definitely see where things would be super weird with a female V who romanced Judy though. Judy: "Hey honey, meet my ex girlfriend, we're going to be homies again now." Yeeeeeeah... maybe not.
Mine was 85% when I did this.. big regret (the things you must do for trophies and completion) I went with letting songbird go, and I command coded the Erebus and canto MK6 in my save. And the finale being with the aldecaldos
So many people miss that V gives a little smirk at that last turn before he/she fades into the crowd. He/She is amused and accepting of how things have came to be in the end.
Yeah, the major league isn't worth it. The mercenary life isn't worth it. He/she was dying and got a chance to not only live but to start over. This shit is poetic bro I'm telling you
@@rexistreves Yep. Kept striving to be the best. What did it get him/her? Dead friends, personal death and resurrection just to find your losing yourself anyways. Only way out is to die and be a copy or let Johnny have the body. Yeah having the chip removed and losing the implant use, yet living and being able to change your life path to me is actually the best option. Thats why I liked Misty's talk at the end. She was the more spiritually centered person in the whole game. Just go with the flow stop trying to swim against the current and flow with it.
It really depends. Game itself ask that question, go out in a glory or live in peace as mister nobody. Thats so great about the game. Some might think being a legend but dying (dont fear the reaper) is best, some thinks V surviving is best, other think going in with Nomads (probably dying, but with a real family and friends) is the best. Thats why its so good. Game lets you decide that what is best.@@rexistreves
The dialogue of Johnny begging for his life really surprised me, because when I got this ending on my first playthrough Johnny asked me not to make the call but after that he just said goodbye and that he had no regrets. Maybe it’s because I actively worked to be tight with Johnny
I wouldn't even call this a hero's journey. This is more of a survivor's journey. No one is really a good person in this story. Reed is 100% fine with letting the government essentially manipulate someone for the rest of their life. Songbird constantly gave someone hope of being saved only to lie to them at every turn. Johnny doesn't want to be erased but V didn't ask to have Johnny with them. It's really messed up when you think about it. Everyone is in a fucked situation and only a few will come out ok. That's Night City for ya.
yes!! it is drilled into our heads from the beginning that there's no happy endings in Night City; there's always a drawback (even with the star ending)
The LEAST Reed could have done was, like, call up everyone of importance on V's contacts list and say "Hey, V's gonna be gone for an unknown amount of time. Undergoing an operation to fix their mind. Don't know how long it'll take."
@@AT-cd2pp Not giving the player the OPTION to do this utterly undercuts their intended tone here to me. Even if you think your out for a month, you'd tell people that, at least those you trust.
@@billywise643 Reed got ton of work in the office, he rarely had time to monitor V. Know Reed his sense of duty is fanatical. He is type of police officer that would neglect his family for sake of duty
After experiencing the ending myself, I gotta say if you did all sidequest it felt more fulfilling, V had something to fallback on. Depending on your choices, V could have at least 1 vehicle, a Delamain that's loyal only to him, eddies and connection from a world famous rockerboy, connection and experience from working with the biggest fixers, a job opening at Langley, and probably a teacher in the form of ex Arasaka head of security. V's have a lot of potential moving forward. Also I found it cute that Rogue adopted your cat and potentially bought your stuff (or at least Johnny's). But it is more infuriating if you like the Aldecaldos, they just straights up say go fuck yourself even though you're the reason they still exist
For a group so much about #family they sure as shit cut you out pretty hard. One would think that a member of your family that you thought was dead coming back and finding out they were in a coma would be a cause for celebration. But nah fuck them all, hell and they purposely keep you being alive away from panam "because it would hurt her". Fuck you choom, she's a grown ass adult let her make her own decisions.
V got several millions of Eddies by just selling weapons and clothes. Takemura has shown, that you can be a beast without chrome. The ending could just end on a positive note, but the writers didnt want to give V a true happy ending. Fitting for Cyberpunk and fitting for the development years of 2018 and 2019, not 2023, having games telling you how bad the world is doesnt cut it anymore, when the world gets worse every year.
It’s not just about being friendly with him, it all hinges on one specific dialogue choice at Johnny’s grave. If anything, the specific choice seems less friendly than the others on the surface, it’s very misleading and not fair
@@TheTickler Which exact dialogue choice was it? Because i could do the Johnny + Rogue ending just fine. Had a great relationship with Johnny but i got the cold shoulder from him when I went for this ending...
@@Ericboy114558 You can find a specific video on what to say exactly, but personally I have no Idea why the entire final interaction with him hinges on this obscure choice. I do remember you need to take the option "you fucked that up too", and then he asks for a second chance and you give it to him. I tried to be nice and didn't say he fucked it up, and that ruined my ending lol
@@TheTickler Ah I see, I probably did the same thing. Had to check a youtube video to see the other reaction. It's a really good scene, a shame it's dependant on such an obscure choice.
@@Ericboy114558 my thoughts exactly, it should definitely be based purely off relationship, not one random dialogue lol. I was so upset I missed that dialogue, I went back 20 hours of gameplay, made right choices and just sped ran to that point just to hear it
They were never V’s friends; they are “Assets” of a Dying Cyberpunk Mercenary that are all pretending to be his lovers and friends. No matter what V does for these people their lives fall apart with-in two years after V dies. The only thing V can accomplish in NC is helping Arasaka win their “Civil War.” Also, every ending were V “lives” he didn’t. Engrams aren’t their original. The real Alt Cunningham & Johnny Silverhand are dead. I LOVE how in this ending V, the real V, Lives.
I just felt so pissed at V's so-called friends ditching him. Judy, Panam, River - even Kerry. Viktor had dug his own hole. Oddly, Misty actually cheered me up and for a fleeting moment I thought the two would go off into the sunset together. This ending gutted me, left me deflated and sad. I was thinking, 'Where will he live? How will he make money? Will he survive without his cyberware?' Then the video messages during the credit roll didn't help - except Rogue's, seeing her with the cat. At least the cat had a good home. To sum it up, I have to say, to those people V shed blood for, sweated for and fought for only to have them turn their back on him/her, I actually thought, "F**k you!" That's saying a lot, especially regarding Judy, as she seemed the only one who kept contact and really appreciated V as a friend. I also grieved for Silverhand - he didn't deserve that.
2 years is a long time and for the most part the only person that ditched you is Panam. Her and the Aldecaldos say you're apart of the family and welcome to join them whenever but as soon as something happens that is outside of V's control (being in a coma for 2 years) suddenly Panam hates you forever? I know she tries to contact you multiple times through your messages and to her it seems like V ignores her but even after trying to call her after waking up her giving you the cold shoulder feels wrong and out of character. Judy moving on fits, she constantly talks about leaving NC even when you romance her. She hates the city and wants to move on. It is bittersweet that even though you tell her that you'll be out for surgery for a bit that she still moves on to another relationship (and gets married very quick) but again V says its will only be a month but then she is gone for 2 years. River is whatever. I never consider V and River particularly close and Ive never seen his romance so his reaction didnt really bother me Kerry still very much considered V a friend but is obviously busy when you call him. He offers to give you whatever help you want but given that he is currently in space on the Crystal Palace and on tour he cant see you in person.
I agree, the only decent people in the game are Vik and Misty. And River was, he is just disgusted by himself, by what he had become, that is why he is refusing V, but he at least was a righteous man. Other people are garbage. Well, I agree except for that Silverhand bit. Who knows, but you might be saving Silverhand a fate worse than death by just removing him (supposing Militech won't trap him in some engram jail like Mikoshi, but I doubt that, Johnny was an operative for Militech and Arasaka tower raid was Militech operation, so they have nothing to gain from Johnny's engram, they might use the biochip for study, but they can do that without Johnny). Just when you realize that all the demons you were hunted by in the Cynosure facility and that literally possessed Song were from beyond the Blackwall, it begs to question - who Alt really is and what does she do with the engrams? Because from the cynosure chapter it is pretty clear they are going forward with the interpretation of rogue AI as literal demons and the world beyond the Blackwall as literal hell. So begs the question - are you sending Johnny to a literal hell? Or where are you exactly sending him? Anyway. The one person who does not deserve the ending in this ending is Songbird. Recruited as a teen, her life was more akin to a prison. In the shard in Solomon's hideout, you can read that the FIA knew about her condition for longer than 7 years, they knew maybe... heck not maybe, damn sure they knew even before Song realized what is happening to her and didn't do anything about it because if they did it would mean she cannot netrun beyond the blackwall for them. I can not even imagine what they did to her in this ending. She deserves a chance to live.
This is probably the most relatable and the most ending that resonated with me in any piece of fiction. I went through something similar i was very ambitious, i had strong relationship with my friends and relatives, but i left my home country for 7 years and i learned it the hard way that people just...move on even your closest friends and relatives, they will change some will not answer your call, some will be nice to you but wont spend any time rebuilding the relationship with you because "they are too busy" some will tell you straight that things have changed and dont want to rebuild the relationship with you, there are some who wont change and will rebuild the bridge but they are sadly very few. Life will always move on and so will your loved ones, you either get stuck in the past or just move on.
Can't agree more. I always feel like whoever says this ending is depressing don't have much life experience. When you're getting older, you will understand. Someday, you will get the injury/sickness that changes you, and you will no longer be able to do things you used to. Yes, things are never static. Friends will part ways. Being given a refresh start, living worry free and not on borrowed time, and be able to leave the past behind is really as the happiest ending as you can get.
the effect also depends on your life path. I played as a corpo, meaning my V couldn't catch a break from the start, wanting a calmer quieter life and searching for a way out. She wanted a way out and this is exactly that, the slower paced life that she longed for at Arasaka and was fighting for in Act 2 and Act 3 is here.
The life paths actually don't relate much to V's mindset down the road, as they're effectively reshaped by V's 6-month partnership with Jackie leading up to the Konpeki incident. Corpo had you as an Arasaka counter-intel agent (unhappily but steadily) moving up the chain that had the bad luck of working for a boss that lost an office politics fight. Street kid made it that you went to Atlanta, GA looking for happiness but didn't find it (though it's probably more that you didn't know what happiness was for you at that point). Nomad features you leaving everything behind because the family you were a part of was merging into a much bigger group and all the values and ideals you believed in were at risk of being redefined by someone you probably wouldn't like. In a sense, even your new chapter of life with Jackie isn't necessarily ambition-driven. The fixer gigs you're doing with him are pretty much for the money and even the Konpeki heist has a focus of you're gonna be swimming in eddies if it works out. At least to me, the whole "blaze of glory" and "making it big" might be more that from the player's perspective, V has had the power to influence and change so much in his favor that there isn't a reason to pack it down and consider living in peace, but that doesn't mean that V should be guaranteed to choose that kind of path. That's why it's nice that there is a "safe" option, compared to the others where you have to risk it in one last battle; your only alternative to a "blaze of glory" before this was suicide, and that's...one of the worst (if not hands-down the worst) endings you can choose.
@@Sorain1for myself, I see it as the possibility to rewrite V’s legend and this part to simply be the reboot. Streetkid V can become a great fixer with amazing connections and insider knowledge. Just not on the field. Fixers don’t need to get to the combat anyway. So my streetkid V can see her legend be reborn as a great fixer like Rogue and her past as this guns blazing powerful netrunner be a “back in my days” type beat lol. I see the ending as having great potential, better than any other option. Yes Silverhand has to die but he already died once; he had his life to live! This is V’s.
@@thisiskittalet's be honest, V is like John wick in his prime, they know how to take action but making long-term plans isn't really their thing, also just imagin how shit V must feel like, he used to be one of the strongest people in world and now he's a nobody, also choosing the quiet life goes against V's character all the way, even dying during the raid at the Arasaka tower is way better because at least V ends everything in his own terms!
For me, I headcanon'd that my Corpo Fem-V would go and take Reed's FIA job offer. She was booted from one "desk job" and found herself at another, in the end, but with new possibilities in her life. I'd like to think she remembered Johnny, in her own way, like picking up smoking or his other small behaviors (I ended it on good terms with him). To me, it was like the ending of Casino, with Robert de Niro's character saying: "But in the end, I wound up right back where I started... And why mess up a good thing? And that's that."
Ayyy nice! My Pentacles head cannon corpo fem V took the FIA job. Johnny relationship was high so he was cool. She's actually set for life as she saved the prez. She lives in a nice 2 bed in a small FIA community. Has a brown dog she calls Johnny. Loves listening to birds while they walk in the park. Hair grew back. Still dyes it purple. Enjoys the gun range and home cooking with real ingredients. Keeps in touch with Vic n Misty. I saved Goro and she asked FIA to track him. He stayed with her for a couple months till he gets back on his feet. Still deciding if he opens a food joint in NC, or she helps him go back to Japan...
@@RaidenXavierBiohazardGoro could name his food truck "Better Buckle Up!" I truly love your RP head cannon. I hope one day someone makes a mod to be able to say "yes" to the job offer, and Vincent/Valerie becomes a face in a sea of faces in office cubicles, as someone's repeated phone greeting of "Corporate Assassinations Nina Speaking, just a moment" fades into the background as the camera pans away, through the window and retreats from the FIA campus at Langley.
@@Cyromantik Hey thanks for replying! Relieved my head cannon resonated with someone & wasn't ripped on! Food truck name = awesome! I can vibe with your cubicles camera pan! 👍 She started corpo, and she ends corpo. (with a hell of a story to tell!) Dex: Blaze of glory or old & smelling of pee? My fem corpo took the path of pee! But my male street kid V is going 'all in' with Johnny and saving songbird!
Yeah I hope someone mods in the choice or even it shows up in an update... Seems a little eavy handed... But yeah the outcome world wsie is what I wanted and V is a NUSA hero and should get the hishest medl under the table ofcorse... Like I don't get why only I seem to do this for NUSA and not to survive infact I thought V would be turned into an John-117 super shoilder like character... But uh no NUSA didn't do that... LIke hwe got them a world changing super weapon and they just said "K, thank bye?" in a cyberpunk setting? I'll take that all day!
I think the part I liked most of this ending was that little smirk V had right after his shoulder got bumped by that random guy right before fading into the crowd. It said to me, he finally got it. For the first time, he realised just how much of a blessing he had gotten was. Sure, Judy, Panam, River, and Vic turned out worse in this ending, but seeing the messages from Rogue, Takemura, and especially how Misty turned out, feels like things aren't so bad (yes, its' bad for Takemura, but this is the only ending where he didn't crawl back to Arasaka or turned into a little ball of spite). It sucks for V that the only way to live was to burn almost all his previous bridges, but it's also the only way for him to move on from Night City, and that's the only way you can win in Night City. That's the only way anybody won against Night City in even the other endings. I've always been in the camp that the best ending prior to 2.0 was the Temperance ending. V got to live on in a roundabout way as a construct with Alt and Johnny learned that to make the world better wasn't to destroy evil, but to create good where you can. The other side of it, I don't agree that Songbird should've faced a fate worse than death as part of the price for V to get his happy ending. Death should've been high enough price for her, and should've especially been an option at the space port. Sure, she lied and betrayed everybody, and tried to have her cake and eat it by trying to fix things, but being betrayed and given death by the only person she actually trusted should be enough I think. After all, Meyers and Reed both deserved it, and taking the first chance she had to jump ship wasn't wrong at all. By being betrayed by V and being her executioner, it would've put a pretty satisfying conclusion to Songbird's arc I think, especially once it was clear that only one of them could be cured.
Idk Takemura looked like he's permanently pissed off and bitter, and complains how his life is complete shit. Doesn't offer to meet up or even wish you luck
If you've got relation with Johnny fully developed the ending is even better. He understands V's decision and supports her/him even if he knows he's gonna get wiped. He is happy for him.
I think the biggest thing is the ending might not feel satisfying for everyone. We dont' live the life of V, we only experience it through a screen. Leaving with Judy, Panam and the Aldecaldos is satisfying. You get to stay with the characters you love. Letting Destroying Arasaka alone is satisfying, you get to fuck them over to get to mikoshi, and you feel like a badass while doing it. But the new ending? Realistically, it's the happiest. Sure, you lose your cybernetics, and your main relationships, but you live for so much longer. You can meet new people, you have the option of working for the government and having a pretty easy job outside of the hellhole that is Night City. But for the player, you lose a large part of your character (the cyberware and immense strength, hacking ability and street cred), you lose your romance option and the closest people to your character. You see Vik lose himself, Misty move on, you probably don't get to see So Mi again. Johnny is gone permanently. It really feels like you lost everything as a player. I really love how this feels though, because it shows how opposite things can be just because it's a game. When we don't have to really live with the consequences, we can choose the worse options that feel better in the short term and still feel like we made the right choice. But when you are really confronted with death, and you have the option to live, I think most people playing would take that option
Congratulations, you get to live a pointless life where you betrayed everyone who trusted you, V’s not even themselves anymore, their a spineless panthetic survivor, a far cry to the V who jackie and judy(or any love interest) loved
@@thedemonjester7755 that's fine if you see it that way, but you didn't betray anyone, the surgeries and treatment took significantly longer than it was meant too. Not exactly a purposeful betrayal. I definitely don't agree that V is a pathetic survivor. Sure, a lot has changed with them, redefining who they are. You can still live a good life after hitting the hard reset button V gets. If you really think one decision decides who you are, then yea, your life is gonna be miserable. I'll choose life at the cost of who I was over living a few more months with people I have known for maybe months. Especially as young as 27 (or however old V is).
In the ending on the plane where Jonny and v have a heart to heart, i had 85% relationship with Jonny and his dialogue is completely different, he actually comforts v the entire time it's a huge shift and aot of development. Check it out after the rogue date
This game completely destroys me. I care so much for every character, and trusted Reed and Songbird all the way through, until the end. I will always choose to let Songbird go to the moon, because I think Johnny deserves a better ending than this. This ending is so heartbreaking yet hopeful all in one and CDPR knocked it out the park with this whole story line. I care so deeply for everyone and I haven’t been so connected to a game like this before. It’s pretty impressive what they’ve achieved, and I’m so glad my heart hurts because of this game, it gives it so much meaning.
Dude I feel the same its been so long since I could relate and feel so many emotions to a freaking video game but these storyline and characters everything feels more than a game cyberpunk is a genuine experience than it is a video game
That might just be the true good ending. There was a lot of good in Reed, but he was also a loyal tool for the corrupt and powerful elite. Also remember that Reed just kills you instantly if you keep walking carrying Songbird. Songbird wanted to be free, and she never really wanted to be a tool for them in the first place. Reed and his state religion turned her into what she is, and she does show a lot of remorse for her mistakes. That's a nice reason to choose her over Reed. Plus, the cure is still out there and there's no saying V won't get it. If not, he'll die as a badass who didn't turn into a tool. Like Johnny, but much more successful in the end. If he lives, it's even better. You also see Johnny admiring Songbird for doing what he couldn't do. It's the only ending where you can say you beat the world of Cyberpunk.
If you trusted Reed and Songbird, you are genuinely hopeless. They both literally admit to manipulation of you and others several times. They are spies. They do whatever they have to to meet their goals. I didn't think anyone could be so naive. Not to say they are bad people. But lying and half truths are what they do, that should have been crystal clear
Not quite the same, but I can emphasize with V in this ending. I joined the military and left my home for 4 years. During that time I missed so much, birthday parties, Christmas's, life in general. My friends made new friends and my family became a little more distant. Sure I would visit and I would be welcomed, but I can tell they moved on. Life never sits still for anyone.
It is a masterpiece! V becomes The Fool starting a new journey all over again. Her neural system not being able to support combat cyberware is actually a blessing in disguise. AI from beyong the Blackwall will sooner than later invade, so being 'ganic is a clear advantage! Also, the fact she can escape Militech and other corpos's radar and disappear into the crowds is a good ending, like Morgan Blackhand tier good :) Can't wait for Cyberpunk Orion!
@kurtstar5425 Replaying the ending, V says her combat cyberware was "deactivated," so right now, I am unsure if her limbs, organs, eyes , etc were replaced by biological ones or they remain, but only have their basic function. Gotta re-watch that conversation with Reed
@@Cloney1337 man, It became possible since 2.0 with cyberware rework. This ability also had a bug: after removing arm implants your hands turn invisible.
I actually like this ending, my relationship with Johnny was pretty good so he was pretty supportive of my decision. It's a proper send off to a character who has been through so much. Ezio got a quiet ending in revelations, MC got his in H3 and snake did so too in MGS4. These guys deserve a quiet life, deserve to live their remaining days in peace however that may be.
I remember getting this ending and having this terrible feeling of emptiness and pain. Now though I feel a lot more at ease after listening to you explain it more. It is supposed to feel disjointing but that’s how life would be in that scenario. Honestly it made me appreciate cdpr’s writing that much more.
Yup. The people who complain about this ending to me seem like they are too just too young to understand real life or they haven't been beat down and lost everything. When you're young every relationship you make feels larger than life and like it will last forever. It won't. I feel all Vs friends reactions after the 2 years are spot on. Someone who's never lost everything will see Vs predicament and think it's so sad and their life is over. As someone who's been in that same place several times, if you are strong like a Phoenix you will rise from the ashes stronger. For every door that closes, another opens. Hope is lost when you give up or die. And V doesn't strike me as one to give up. This is what they fought for after all. Life. Now they gotta fight to make that life worth living
@@sparkyspinz9897 my only bummer is panam’s reaction. If you get into a relationship with her it doesn’t change. I mean I understand she is a mad type of person but for 2 years. That’s crazy.
Super agreed honestly. Life a lot of times is all about accepting and letting go to build anew. It’s like misty says… you,l build your peace once you accept, and then when that fades, you’ll build the peace anew with whatever it is that you have
Considering V is aware of how rare it is to live long enough to die old in Night City through some base game dialoge, It only highlights how V didn't actually think surviving was a possibility. In a way, the new ending reminds me of what some war veterans have gone through. Now I am not a veteran myself but I have met quite a few who had seen combat and while their homecoming experience isn't quite as dramatic as V's, that sense of being out of place was something they all shared. Even one of my friends and a cousin felt that when they came home after their contract was up. They didn't see combat or anything but that same sense of alienation was there but to a lesser degree. For them, starting over was the hard part. For V at least, he has the option to go back to Langley, much like how my cousin decided to re-enlist after a year or two struggling at home.
I’m just going to point out it’s entirely possible there is a fix for his inability to use cyber ware in the NUSA’s R&D and Meyers is keeping it in pocket for the next time she needs V.
Ok THANK YOU for saying this, I really loved this ending. Of course Aldecados ending still has the most hopeful tone, but this ending is far from dismal. Yes your friends have moved on, but people grow, people move on, people come back, and most of all, people reconcile. None of those relationships have to be dead as long as you still continue living - in time they may come back around knowing that you're alive. And yeah, you might never be the V who you were before, but you get to start over and become a new V, not necessarily a worse V, but a V who can reinvent themselves into something just as good, if different. You are alive, you can make something of yourself, and if you persevere, you can live a damn good life.
Honestly they will be studying this story for years. It so good. This game is a masterpiece and I try to move past it and play other games but the stories get boring pretty quickly.
The ending feels like a kick in the face. Not only do you lose everything you work so hard for during entirety of the game. But you also lose everyone that stood by you.
V worked towards survival pointed out by him so many times through the entire game V has a chance for a whole new life for new friends and relationships no way it feels like a kick in the face
@@soullesscreed6886 yeah no. He literally lost everything. His old life, his ambitions, anyone that he ever cared for. Sure he gets to live but is living without your loved ones worth it? Is the survivor's guilt really worth it? This ending is V's punishment for choosing to sacrifice both Songbird and Johnny to ensure his survival knowing damn well there were other options even if more risky.
Imagine just getting started on a journey with friends just to lose them, be infected with something that will ether hold you back, stop you in your tracks and say pick another one, or make that journey you wanted, a whole lot shorter. Dex was a ass, but he definitely set the tone
I’d disagree that this is the happiest ending V could hope for. While I appreciate your perspective, to me this ending highlighted what does it truly mean to live. This life isn’t worth living having sacrificed everyone that gave your life meaning. To me the Aldecaldos ending is the best especially for the Nomad life path. Sacrifices are made, but by making this choice V realizes that the people and relationships in your life that make it worth living. You still live life on your own terms, and even though the plot says you have 6 months to live; that’s 6 months if you do nothing. Like Johnny’s parting words say in this ending you never stop fighting and given the lore and the nature of the relic, there is actually a good chance that V and Panam find a solution. Also the tarot reading Misty gives in the Star ending is by far the most promising. Just my take
I grew to love this ending more than the Nomad ending, not only does V actually get to live without fear of death and with no guarantee a cure is found. But I do get why people are down on it, especially those who romanced Panam(me), River and especially Judy, they got it the worst. Kerry seemed to be the only one who was happy to see V and wanted to meet up with him after the tour. But V, and I think it's safe to say, V is canonically tenacious and determined. Do you really think after all V went through, he/she would just sit with arms crossed and move on from their partner just because they didn't want to see V? Maybe Judy is the outlier here. But I don't see a scenario where V won't try to track down Panam or River, V went through so much to just give up on Panam/River after they crossed the finish line. People lose contact with each other and could never talk again all the time but they could also meet again and rekindle those relationships. At least that's how I saw this ending. Looks grim and down at the start but V has his/her whole life ahead and V is not one to give up easily(except for that one ending, you know which one.)
For real. At least in my mind if he/she takes that FIA offer V's got hella prospects. Even if it is just a glorified desk job you're going to have some pull to track down where these friends ended up and potentially help or at least find closure And for my conspiratorial take, I'm not convinced the FIA didn't do this on purpose to take a wild card and tame/test its loyalty. I kinda think this neutering was intentional Wouldn't be shocked if they "discovered" a fix after proving he/she is FIA loyal. If V doesnt take the job... well then who the hell is gonna believe your story? V at the end of the game should they be turned NUSA would be a huge asset. I find it hard to believe Myers or Reed doesn't see that. Sure you're still getting manipulated but hey, you ain't dead in 6 months...maybe I'm stretching but I like the idea Especially if you went Corpo. Dude was literally Arasaka counter-intel... NUSA is gunna be VERY interested in that. Surprised they were willing to let me go that easy in the first place when I played Corpo lol
no fear of death? you think criminals gonna excuse V just cuz they're all educated and self reserved? night city is still the same shit hole it always been, corpo man tells it himself "you aint gonna make it" color me surprised if V doesnt show up dead within the next day of their "new awesome peasant life"
I think it helps to consider what "The Tower" in tarot symbolizes in general, since it's the Major Arcana that represents the ending. Destruction, chaos, sudden upheaval, trauma, unexpected change, revelations. Though one positive aspect is that the destruction is usually something that was based on false beliefs, wasn't good for you, was built on bad foundations, things like that. The sudden upheaval and destruction can lead to renewal. I think this Handsome Jack from Tales from the Borderlands quote sums it up well: "You gotta break it all down to build it back up. This was your first step in that. It's the only way, you'll see. And there's so much to break down before you can build again." Also, even though I know that we realistically can't keep Johnny (even if just because it may/would defeat the purpose of the story), letting go of Johnny for good is a gut punch - especially with a good relationship. My attachment issues and abandonment issues hate that we can't keep Johnny around in some way in any of the endings, but I don't think any of the endings are bad because of that specifically (Arasaka ending is bad, but it's intended to be a bad ending for V - the wrong choice to make, which I appreciate). But you know, if you romance Kerry, it's a big positive to know that even after two years he's happy to hear your voice and know you're still around. Even if he's on tour and can't stop what he's doing to just visit you out of the blue (which is perfectly understandable), it's nice to know that at least one romance in the story has hope in this ending (though I suppose you could list a million different possibilities for the other romances, like hey, maybe Panam will decide to call V back, etc). I think in this ending, V found out who his real friends were from his Tower moment. Misty and Vik are still there for V (even if Misty is leaving Night City, that doesn't mean they can't keep in touch).
What this ending reminds me of most is the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life, where James Stewart is shown by his guardian angel Clarence Odbody what the world would be like if he had never existed. We get to see the impact of what V ghosting and giving up on his dream has on the people in his life. Framing it as a positive ending because V survives is missing a great deal of context. For one, V's objective the whole game is not to survive, but to be the best. Needing to survive the biochip rises out of this need, but it does not replace it. V's conversation with the Doll at Clouds makes it clear that V's greatest fear is to be forgotten, to have their identity erased. Details like Victor giving into Zetatech, Misty's shop closing down and River turning to a life of crime are not just there to make the ending melancholy, they are direct reactions to V disappearing. V is a singular entity whose incredible ability to do the impossible inspires characters like Victor and River to keep fighting for what they believe in even when it seems hopeless. Comparing this ending to the hero's journey because V's life has to change is also off the mark. This cannot be the conclusion to the hero's journey because in this timeline V isn't a hero. V wanted to be the best, to prove to Night City that they mattered. In this ending Night City literally swallows V up. In order for someone to be considered a hero, they by definition cannot fail at what they set out to do. They can die, but they can't fail.
I agree with this to an extent. I agree that it's not really the ending to the hero's journey that the video suggests, for the reasons you've given about V's goals to be the best. However, I also think that given the promise of a future of some sort, many things are possible and V may still become a hero, making this part of the hero's journey if not the conclusion. For example, V can no longer use Cyberware, but what about Exoskeletal technology and suits/outfits that could give V the opportunity to be a Merc, Fixer or even a FIA agent once more. Perhaps a V who's been changed by their journey with Johnny would even seek to continue his fight against the corporations that tighten their grip on everything, like Zetatech with Viktor.
@@ethanlawrence5502 The end does not show the remainder of V's life, no, but many endings to films and other fiction don't spell those things out either. It is possible that in the ending to The Mist, David Drayton eventually overcomes the terrible trauma of murdering his entire family right before the world went back to normal, but the ending much more strongly implies that he will commit suicide. It's possible that Frodo returns to the land of Middle Earth, but the framing of the ending suggests more firmly that he needs a permanent new beginning. When we don't have an explicit answer to questions like this, the best course of action is to examine the themes and imagery we are provided with, and the Tower Endings' use of V symbolically being swallowed up by the crowds of people on the streets of Night City strongly suggests this is the last the world hears of him.
Ending is 100% the best written one, hit me in the feels, had similar feeling when completing SOMA, completely different plot, but sense of loneliness and despair after all the sacrifices which finishes with a bit of happyness seeing u get to live on even if your old life is over, shit is left open as V does have a lot of options for happyness. Also I didn't call Songbird my friend tbh, mid story I kinda got tired of her obvious manipulations, Reed on the other hand is what I ended up relating with. By the time Reed asked me to capture Songbird I was like fyeah, she is lying 100% and not even sure how much blackwall stuff fried her brain anyway.
Reed says only combat implants can't be used. During boarding the spaceship to the moon when the combat implants were disabled the cyberdeck still works. So without combat implants V can still be a legendary Net Runner.
I still think it's a pretty miserable ending. Not for V maybe but for everyone else. The real problem with other endings is that they aren't really endings but more like cliffhangers and it's easy to assume the worst because more isn't probably coming for this character. Like for example, I would have loved the Devil ending if it had had more, like V waking up 2 years later in a cloned body, forced to sign a 20 year contract with Arasaka and shown him/her working under a new boss, just like at the start, only this time with Goro as their friend instead of Jackie. Same with the other ones.. did the Crystal Palace heist succeed? Did we find a cure.. did V find a cure in the badlands or slowly died among the nomads? If all of those had had conclusions or answers to them, they could be so much better but instead we just get a fade to black and never know.
I always liked Johnny so I chose the nice options with him and when you do he gives a really heartfelt speech to V. And I think that’s what actually made it sad in a sense. I agree that V being able to live a full life now is amazing but saying goodbye to silverhand and then him using Vs full name in the end when he says goodbye just made it hard to say bye to him in the end
"Of course he was welcome, they told him, welcome to the money. And he was going to need it. Because -- still smiling -- they were going to make sure he never worked again."
The problem why it's depressing is that it's too life like. It's realistic. I know that I just said real life is depressing. Loosing friends, not to death necessarily, is real. I bet many reading this comment have faced that. Also now that V is "normal." He can be whatever he wants. Just like anyone today. Earlier the option was violent death or Johnny taking over his life. Edit: How come all those gang members still be in gangs even though many of then still seem like nobodies?
I never got the impression this ending was meant to be depressing. You get to live and move on with your life, V gets to say goodbye to Johnny and end it on good terms (if you have a good relationship), none of your friends die trying to save your life and you are still remembered as a legend as Rouge says. Yes most of your friends have moved on but most of them (Excluding River and arguably Vick) seem to be ok. Judy gets married and leaves the city like she said she would, Panam is still with her family and getting on despite cutting u off, Kerry's career is booming. They don't have time for you but V was gone for 2 years, they have lifes of their own and its nice that the game Acknowledges that you are not the main character of everyone's story. V is young, there is time to make new friends, start a new career have a new life. That and the NUSA owes you makes the future look decent. Even V smiles before walking into the crowd and becoming just another member of society. I think the ending is kind of beautiful. You were asked "quite life or blaze of glory?" And you simply chose the former. Nothing wrong with that.
Only Dex lives the quiet life if you know what I mean lol and V would've joined him by letting the relic overwrite V's brain. Arasaka falls regardless Yori made sure of it so I take it as a big win.
@@muchluck7981 matter of perspective. V saved a NUSA president, did a big heist on Arasaka, witnessed death of Saburo Arasaka, met rogue AI, assaulted Kang Tao convoy and more. That's good enough of a legend and definitely enough for one live.
Each origin has a best ending that completes its story. Nomad is best with Panam’s ending completing the story of a nomad who left the life for dreams of the big city only to return to where he truly belonged. Street kids best ending is the solo job becoming the legend he always dreamed of and fulfilling the promise to his best friend. Corpo didn’t really have a best ending until now. Now it’s the decline of a power hungry corporate goon who continues to fall further until finally hitting rock bottom.
This ending is a blessing in disguise when you realize V is unplugging from a cruel city that would chew him up and spit him out if given the chance, and by extension, avoiding the same fate as others who couldn’t let go, like Johnny Silverhand or Adam Smasher. I imagine V would eventually take that offer to get a real job and a real life after having time to let everything sink in.
Angel and Skye say it best at clouds, V never backs down from anything, even when they probably should've. And V can address it directly during the same convo, "I was out to grab everything, and then, well... it all happened. Feels like that person wasn't even me..." Depending on whether you pick Angel or Skye, they have different paths but still they tell V what they want to hear; just keep going. If they have to kill, kill. If they need to burn it all to the ground, let it burn. V is constantly reaching for higher highs and in return they keep experiencing the lowest of lows, all while leaving a path of death, destruction and hurt in their wake. This hard reset, a new V, in a new Night City, with a new lease on life, with no possible way to go back to their old life, unable to do more harm... it's what they need imo, just to stop trying, to just settle down.
As long as you are alive, you can continue to make choices. As long as you have the power to choose, you can write your own destiny. And thats why I think V will ultimately be okay. They will make new friends, forge new paths. This ending is the manifestation of "In Cyberpunk, it isnt about saving humanity. It's about saving yourself."
The big thing about Phantom Liberty’s V gets cured ending to me is how it’s the truest form of Night City’s ethos where there are no happy endings in Night City. And in a way it highlights the conflict of human nature and ambition; V doesn’t want to die, but at the same time a life of living in obscurity is grim. In the end, is being cured worth losing all of his friends and seeing his home be changed like Vik’s clinic?
My headcanon is that V may have lost their cyberware and superhuman combat abilities, but still has lots of knowledge and contacts at all levels of Night City society, and is very well positioned to become a fixer.
The dumb thing is that V can still use power weapons, like, he's not completely helpless lol It's even more funny if you (if you're psychotic anyway) play the game with no cyberware enhancements or abilities and only use power weapons, playing the game as JUST a dude. He can't use smart weapons or tech weapons, or blades as effectively, but I'm certain V can still use Liberty's and the like.
@@TheOriginalPoon we have people like navy seals irl. V with no cyberware is still formidable with the right training, maybe not top Merc but you could 100% defend yourself.
Was so glad I left the StreetKid path to this play through (my 3rd one actually). Night City felt so familiar to me as it would to a V who grew up in it. StreetKid V mentions how things haven’t changed since they’ve been gone the first time around but the second… everything has. Something not a lot of people seem to realise is that Alt uses soul-killer. The thing that killed Johnny and created his engram. I’m not devaluing his sentience and character but the way people refer to him as ‘THE’ Johnny Silverhand show how they can’t accept he’s gone. In every ending, except for the ‘World’ where you’ll die eventually anyway, the V we know dies the moment they plug into Mikoshi and an engram copy is given a few months to live. The difference is the people around them get closure, get a resolution and ending to their shared story with V. V leaves behind a copy of themself, if only for a few more months, to help finalise what was most important to them whether that’s the friends and family they made in The Star ending, or the Legend they’ve grown in The Sun ending. But in this ending, the real V gets to live on a new story at the cost of their part in everyone else’s story. The lyrics of ‘Never Fade Away’ fit this ending more than any other imo. Whatever the case, one thing is for sure. V is old news by the time 2079 rolls around and I can make a good guess when Project Orion will be set.
I didn’t find it as sad as everyone else found it. V has lost everytging from their life but there are so many opportunities. Even opportunities to help his old friends maybe at some point like River or visiting Judy possibly. They can build a new life. Maybe by a tiny chance V could be cured by a miracle. Although losing Johnny and everyone was very sad I think.
V was saying he wanted to survive no matter what, he just wanted another tomorrow in the entire game when we are after some solution for relic, with this ending, we lost friends but its not the end of life, there is a tomorrow waiting now, new friends and family are just waiting, no more violence and killing for V, he can leave the town to anywhere as long as he is alive there is hope, this is the best ending in my opinion
Just got this ending just messing around with phantom liberty, it was very depressing indeed. Only because it felt so real and the phone call from Mitch was a gut wrencher
My V was a strange bird, did everything she could to stay alive but both time she had a choice to save herself or to sacrifice someone else she took the higher road. I sent Songbird to the moon and gave my body to Jonhy, in a way I think this is the most positive of all endings. She still lives in cyberspace, songbird is free and Jonhy isn't spoiling his second chance.
I dont want to be pessimistic but the more i think about songbird moon ending and the less i see it as a good choice for her. While on the surface its a good ending in reality we know for sure that she will become a lab rat, she told us as much. But this isnt even the biggest problem of all of this. Something i found surprising when So Mi told me that the matrice can only work once is that this is never a problem when you give her to the NUSA. If you also remember Solomon tells us that the matrice didn’t work on her and was then kept in storage for V. This mean that most likely, since Lagleys doctor are extremely good, giving a better life for V than for exemple Arasaka s doctor, that in the moon ending So Mi was in reality never cured. This mean that both the moon ending and NUSA ending are the same, with the same problem as before PL but with even less liberty, meaning that the only « good » ending for her would be to honor her wish while following Solomon road and let her die.
There is messege some time after moon ending from Songbird(presumably) and reward so I'm not sure if she became lab rat. Also I'm not sure if they even used matrix and just lied to Solomon.
In this ending V is saved, but we all know they want be happy like this... Lets be real with each other. If V would've known it would've become like this, would they have really chosen that path? It was never about the quiet life.
It's a rock and a hard place man. The answer is no, and you can know it isn't enough and really mean it, but when your time comes down to the moment and your facing death, you will always struggle to find a way out. Any way possible. Your mind races a thousand times faster testing every scenario for an escape. You can overcome it with sheer effort, I did. But I got to tell ya it's, unique. You have to experience it to really know. V is trapped and will never be happy but that's what makes this story so raw, so real.
I think the best ending is with the Aldecados and the romanced Judy, even if you die, you get to live the quiet life with people you care about and do things that you're good at.
I think it's based on very specific dialogue choices, but when you speak to Johnny at 9:00 I've seen people say that he was actually much more supportive of the decision with a kind of touching dialogue. I got the negative one like you did though :(
@gowthamk7416 I had the maximum you can get with the dlc of 85%, I'm guessing it's gated with the same dialogue that allows you to do the "don't fear the reaper ending" which requires you to do 3 specific dialogue choices, and missing a single one locks you out. Super stupid, had to look it up after not being able to get the ending at 80+ hours in
@@sixft_under I'm 100% sure it has something to do with the oil field scene and the same dialogues that unlock the secret ending In one of his response Johnny says something like "we made our peace at the oil field"
@@sixft_under Totally agree, I got Fear the Reaper recently. But I'm actually super lucky all this new content came out since it made me want to replay the whole game. When I beat the game a while ago I didn't choose those options so I couldn't get Fear the Reaper. Unironically probably the worst thing for me in Cyberpunk, because while the bugs are annoying at least they're unintentional. Especially since they could've just had it be linked to Johnny's affinity instead some random dialogue.
@ungabunga9581 yea, I did a replay explicitly for that ending, said 2 out of 3 of the dialogue choices correct, had a really good relationship with Johnny, and then he treated me like a pos bc I chose to save myself like he said he wanted me to when i tried the dlc ending. Really soured the whole thing honestly. Also you already gotta wait for 5 whole minutes at the choice for the hidden option to come up for DFTR, idk why they gotta keep it locked behind a specific chain of dialogue. I had to turn the game off and walk away for a bit when I realized I had fucked it off of one line of dialogue
The new ending left me... Empty. Like a lost soul into a world that I don't understand and don't recognize anymore. It's becoming an adult after teenage years of dreaming about glory, being enraged and angry against the whole world, to admit to not being someone special. Doing your best, being authentic and living according to your principles is enough to survive. Sometimes you lose everything, friends and love, but you can start again. Admitting all that and finally managing to settle down is a peaceful life. Man is desperate to be part of an infinite world, where he counts for zero.
- save life of V - spare the Saul, Rogue and possibly Takemura from death - be unsang hero in NUSA instead of dead legend in NightCity - have stable job as fixer or desk jock - ditch Arasaka without moving finger and sacrifice countless number of people - do not sell yourself to Mr. Blue Eyes ...and the people still think it's the worst fate because you can date Panam/Judy or ripp the heads off with bare hands no longer. Seriously, the most tragic thing here is ditching Silverhand, the rest is berable.
The Tower ending is my favorite. V is still good with guns. V still has his reputation at the Afterlife. V still has all his money. V still has very high HP. V still has all of his organic perks and skills, V still has the possibilities to reconnect with Kerry, Judy, Viktor, and Misty. Give V more time to recover from his atrophied and he can go back to kicking Night City's ass in no time, or he can just live a peaceful life, leave the city, become a fixer, etc. Instead of dying in six months V can now do whatever he wants (given enough time and without implants.)
So to summerise: giving a life of power with death on the clock for a fresh start were V gets to live and can be something else, interesting, and fiting
An excellent analysis and it made me connected something that I didn't expect to connect. Depending on how they choose to handle the sequel, the new ending both presents an interesting situation on in universe political level with Yorinobu purging his surviving family and fully controlling Arasaka and its aftereffects but also puts V on a similar position with Neuromancer's protagonist, Case. His system is burned and can't live the life he led which makes him considerably "moody" but then a mysterious benefactor presents a way to return to the life he knew and enjoy for a job.
@@asura7915depends on what you mean by different story. Mr Blue Eyes didn’t just appear for no reason in the sun ending for the base game and the king of wands ending for phantom liberty. They’re clearly building something up here and I don’t think it would be wise on CDPR’s part to forget about the role V and Songbird have to play in Mr Blue Eyes’ plans, whether we play as V or not. Especially considering that CDPR already made it clear Orion is going to be a sequel to 2077
Reed telling me that I can't manage in Night City without chrome inspired me to do a run on max difficulty without any chrome. Can't wait to see the completely unchanged look on his face when I wake up from a coma to tell him that surviving without chrome is my bread and butter.
I agree with the Hope for V to have a better life but i still view it as a sad ending. V's body is damaged and has the hope to now live a long life, but to refer again to the Dexter DeShawn conversation. when V replies "Night City doesnt let nobodies survive" its the same for V too. in this new ending we even see two low level gangoons beat up V with no issue and in my view its foretelling of this new ending. An ending even sadder then some of the base ones hes lost everything and the city has changed, V is now a nobody and Night city doesnt let Mr. nobody walk away not here. P.S very good video
V doesn't have to stay in Night City. He/She has an option to work for Langley and there is a dialogue option "I might leave the city"
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I see it like this: basically V becomes one with the player. He/she transforms from a superhero into a completely normal person, a face in the crowd, and thus enters the world of the player, so to speak, and becomes one of us (or we become him/her). Maybe that's what makes many players so "moody" (including me). And as in real life, there's no way back. This brings us to the topic of "change", which is addressed in the video. Many players certainly associate this with own bittersweet memories, old friends, past youth - I think this ending touches on such emotions. It feels more personal than other endings. Especially because V is now like us.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with this, and it is why a lot of people believe this ending is depressing. Not because it’s actually bad or anything, but because it resonates so much with everyone. It hurts because of how real it is. I think most people go through life struggling to decide what they actually want out of it, and seeing V choose the normalcy of our daily routines over something extraordinary pains a lot of folks because they secretly wish to do amazing things themselves. That, and most of V’s friends moving on is an unfortunate thing that we all experience at least once in our lives, so it is hard to be reminded of those times. That being said, I think this ending is beautifully written and bittersweet.
I think what made this ending so sad for me is that its the death of V's character, goals, dreams and ambitions. Even with the quest for survival taking precedent when they get the relic, V always stated that they wanted to be sombody, make it big, be a big shot solo. The fact that V and every other character close to her have all just degraded and accepted a less happy existence is so very sad. I genuinely feel that with V's character at the end of the game, if we came back to V 10 years later they would still regret having the surgery instead of blazing their own trail. Its just a shame is all
This is the sobering reality of real life for 99% of people. Hell is the failure of your life's greatest ambition. However, there's always the potential to recontextualize your meaning and purpose. It's both the saddest most heartbreaking thing in the world and the most hopeful and life affirming to lose everything - that's what makes this ending a masterpiece for me! Especially in the context of games where we're used to cut and dry good or bad endings where both lack nuance
It all depends if V is still in a teen-like conquer-the-world mode or if the Relic story told him something and life outside of the Night City rat race. With the amount of killing and reputation farming it may be hard to get those lessons. Then depends on which skills V would master during the story. A pure solo would have it hard to adapt to post-solo life - having no remaining friends, no useful skills, and so on, just like a FIA meh job position. A techie probably would have it best (and FIA could give you a job working on big mechs!), netrunner would likely have to switch a few things as without Chrome there would be no combat hacking or some heroic coding. Maybe analytic, spy, tracking things indirectly. A Cool master could probably make a bar, music band, or whatever and have fun :P We are forgetting Biotechnica and the like - with the AI war looming and Blackwall collapse a non-net-connected body would be better. Biotechnica making genetically modified organs or clones even could create a big market of beefed up biological body parts, bodies that could re-level V again into top-tier or just be weak in the Chrome era but strong in the AI war era. Also, Reed's offer is also a generic corpo-like job position and becoming a target for ganks, and nomads, like all those "friendly" Aldecaldos who could take a job to kidnap V as a no-name Militech employee having some info or access someone else wants to use. And this is Myers land where an agent can be forgotten, sold, killed. If future ends threaten her or someone higher in the chain V can get on the chopping block because he knows... There is no modern lifestyle in the world of Cyberpunk. It's way too twisted on purpose and we as players in the real world are biased and expect a modern-life happy ending. Like in which hero fantasy video game do we get Homer Simpson ending? :D
Lots of good points. I just didn't think Panam was consistently written. In the text messages she says if she has to pick between the clan or V, it's V...but that runs contrary to the other endings where she actually does the very opposite. And being mad at V would certainly be in character, but not taking the opportunity to tell him off (and ultimately reconcile in some way, even if that is by moving on) seemed like a missed opportunity.
I always found Panam to be a weird character in general. Right from the very first quest with her it was like, this chick talks weird, she acts weird, I don't know what's going on here. One of the reasons I prefer female V is because I think Judy is a much better character as a romance option. She may have her issues but you can at least get an accurate read on her personality and what she cares about. Panam to me feels like a character that was written by two people who didn't communicate well enough during the creation process.
@@chriswhinery925i agree with you mostly besides the last point. I think Panam is just immature and volatile. She acts very childishly if you’re female V and not caring about doing everything she wants. Actually made her quite offputting to me. Hotheaded, volatile and immature… pretty nasty combo. It only makes sense she moved on from V and wants nothing to do with him after he basically ghosted her.
Tbf in The Sun ending I think it's moreso that V's such a miserable bastard. She says something like she's glad she didn't have to choose in The Star but she's the only leader the Aldecaldos have at that point. Absolutely agree with your second point. I really like this ending but CDPR did Panam dirty.
Yeah found it odd that people thought the new ending as the worst, I see it as the MOST hopeful. Seeing my V have that hopeful smile is so heartfelt after going through all the endings
All I can say is I am glad I was chooms with Johnny. Thats such a cruel conversation to end his life on. That and that this is an amazing video and Phantom Liberty is a WORK OF ART!!!!
To me, the thing that was saddest about this ending was the same as the legend ending, and that is that while you have a lot of potential and arguably that shred of hope l, so many more seem to fall by the wayside. In the legend ending you have what you wanted more or less but it's so clear that the cost has been extreme. Your romantic partner isn't happy, you're still pushing for 'one more job', and it really is a gilded cage you built. In the new ending many of the people you contact have fallen into very unhappy places and while it may suck to be told they are busy- for a lot of them it didn't strike me as 'aw man fuck that guy' as much as 'damn this city ate them alive.' Nothing really drive that home harder than Vic. He'd just lost too much, seen too much. Going from the guy who stayed to his own course and provided a lot of help and sage advice to people (I've never confirmed it but when several NPCs talk about seeking advice from a ripper, particularly in one badlands cyber psycho scenario, it really sounds like it's Vic's advice) to a guy who got so tired of losing people, and so burnt out by that loss that he gave up. Most of the ones who seem to have done well in any ending are the ones who got out, got away. The hardest lesson to learn is how deeply that siren song affected so many people.
Imagine if V starts to hit the GYM hard, and gets himself a Cybernetic Suit, in order to become a Legend again. Simply put he becomes discount Jet-Stream Sam from MGRR. Superhéroes with crutches symbolize perseverance. 😉
@@CristanioPeweyyy: Because when the Doctors removed Johnny from V, it severely damaged his nervous system, and the nervous system is essential for cyberware to work.
When I first heard of this ending, I thought it would be that V would become the next Morgan Blackhand. A solo who barely had any cyberware yet through skill alone would become the Solo's solo. Also, V could just get Bioware, even Morgan Blackhand has it. V, by this ending, even has connections to Militech so why wouldn't they get it.
@@zer0stars Her nerve damage is beyond repair, it would pretty much kill her if she any insane upgrades. Maybe in Cyberpunk 2 if it happens. V might get her nerve damage repaired and could end up being the best solo without any cyber upgrades.
That moment where V turns towards the player and gives a slight smile is V feeling hope for the very first time in forever, V now has a chance to live his life free from restrains; plus even if V can't use cyberware, they can still get enhancements in other ways if they need...
You know i had basically the same opinion on this. People (not unreasonbaly) are upset that a lot of friends V made just moved on (and yeah especially romance characters moving on hurt more) but if you look at the situation as a whole - imo this is probably the happiest ending you can imagine for V (second one being the nomad ending). Hell, if V and Jackie would have been content with being nobodies, a lot more people would be alive and happy (as happy as one can be in NC). And yeah, old friendships fizzling away and breakups suck, but hey thats just part of life. V would have moved on as well in time, make new friends, find new love (just think of the stories V can tell to his new friends over a couple of beers), hell maybe live long enough to find a way to overcome the side effects of the operation. And besides, Judy, Viktor and Misty still keep contact with V so its not all bad (hell even Kerry seemed willing to help with whatever financial troubles V had). Besides, if you were in V's shoes, what would you choose? A painful breakup and a boring life as a regualr joe or a few months at the top of the world knowing there is NO HOPE for you?
I like this interpretation of the ending, and it actually made me change my viewpoint a bit. My original interpretation of the event was that V made an NPC choice (Benjamin Franklin: "those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither") therefore, he ended up with an NPC life. There is almost a similar tone with the Arasaka/Devil ending or even with the Relic/Engram itself: you can live, but at what cost? Only thing really bothering me are: 1. How did the NUSA stop the nanites from converting Vs body when a Rogue AI could not? 2. Panam vows to hunt down Johnny to the ends of the Earth if V gives up his body but completely moves on if V suddenly disappears for 2 years with no warning?
The shortcomings of the ending definitely lie in the fact that everyone he knew abandons him after two years, and Reed never bothered to reach out on our behalf. But I also found that the ending is just as poetic as the others. With V having to live a normal life. That moment at the end where the camera zooms out and V fades into the crowd reminded me of the suicide ending. With how somber both endings are, though definitely, the cure is the better of the two. I've always preferred the Star and Sun endings though.
I loved the fact that the endings dealt with either surviving Night City or becoming legend, which usually meant going out in a blaze of glory and not surviving. It fits with Pondsmith's ideas about Night City and survival. In many of the endings it's not just V but does Johnny survive or does V survive? Does V become legend.
I do agree that this is a great ending, if not the best! However, because of a glitch that would make V bald, I was not able to take the cutscene seriously.
I think it’s because of the surgery or something but it is weird that the hair wouldn’t grow back in two years. I think they wanted to make the point that v isn’t the same despite the fact being bald after 2 years doesn’t make logical sense.
I mean they obiviously had to do alot of surgery to remove all the high-tech combat chrome V had, including giving them a new face . Not entirely sure why her hair was shaven, but then again considering they basically kitted V with tech that could change her body and facial shape , one would assume they had to remove pretty much her entire skin and replace it with something else, which might explain the different face and missing hair.
IMO the biggest disappointment of this ending is that you dont get to call Panam and tell her "Hey going in for surgery that might cure me. I might be out of it for a while, I'll call you when I get out" That would have been the best ending. Basically the aldecado ending but with a V that gets to keep living. Its my head canon ending. Just V and his gf living as nomads with a whole clan by their side.
Even if you did they can't sit and wait for two years, they have to keep moving, and there's no telling when they'd get back. If anything telling Panam beforehand would make her over-obsess about you and get the clan killed by leaving them open to rival nomads or corps to run them down. The nomads only form strong ties within the clan, external attachments create vectors for external forces to threaten the group. This is why until V is accepted by the Aldecaldos as a whole you're talked about like an outside. Even taking into account a romance with Panam, she's not the type who handles that kind of psychological strain very well, and its also why she's so willing to dive into hell to help you in the Star ending. Ultimately the reality is V was doomed from the start. No ending is a 'perfect' one, there is always a cost, or a catch.
@@HippoBean "Cyberpunk isn't about saving humanity. It's about saving yourself." I dig this ending because it offers a get out card so many never get, but the trade-off's a bittersweet batch. Everything in CP is transactional -- win some lose some -- quiet life or blaze of glory? It's not particularly happy, but extremely provocative, and as happy as it's gonna get in Night City.
@@HippoBean Oh I completely agree with you and it's what I was getting at, it isn't a particularly happy ending but a bittersweet and well-written closure of the story, it's fittingly poignant and melancholic in it's message and fits Cyberpunk perfectly; "Was it worth losing all sense of your "self" at the cost of saving it?". I like that the answer depends on our own V.
@@HippoBean Well, biologically V is gone but his copied ghost lives on in place of Johnny on that chip. Soul killer does what it say on the tin. The engramatic V may not be able to tell the difference, but the V that just wanted to live will never regain consciousness. His brain has completely deteriorated and he is basically in a coma, being parasitically hijacked by a clone of himself on an implant.
@@HippoBean Adam Smasher living doesnt rly matter for V. He is not V main enemy. You dont even interact with him in story. He is more enemy for Johnny/Rogue bec of the past. V has nothing to do with him
yo, this is 💯facts!… I’ll rather live with nothing that to die with everything… my “V” will be aight .. she’s going to be a bad ass fixer once she settles down ….
Personally i just can't take the idea that somehow V is totaly useless and can't even stand up for themselves without his chrome even remotely seriously. Dude has killed 100's of people, and you could have played nearly the entire game without any dirrect combat chrome, who still has access to premsumably a million or more eddeis. And besides, his neurons cant handle chrome anymore, big fucking deal. Bioware that doesn't interact with the neurons has been around since the 2020's, and he could easily use it to maybe not be as deadly as they once was, but certainly pretty close to it. And like, slap a bit of subdermal armor on them and BAMN! They're ready to jump back on the cutting edge and pick up where they left off
If you have a higher relationship then Silverhand accepts and supports your decision in a rather heartfelt goodbye that ends with Johnny using V’s full name.
Yeah and that honestly makes it a much better ending than Silverhand not accepting your choice. I also like how he references the oil field conversation you have that gets your relationship to 70%.
Johnny accepting your decision makes killing him that much more heart breaking.
This made me cry. He sounded so sad about it that it punched me in the gut. "Think this is it kiddo" that fucking hurt
@@HippoBean Personally, I’ve replayed Cyberpunk 2077 3 times including the one for Phantom Liberty, and each time I do all endings. So I’ve killed Adam Smasher so many times that I honestly avenged 15 Johnny’s lmao. It’s nice to see a new ending after almost 3 years.
V said: only people who know me well can use my real name
A lot of Johnny’s dialogue changes DRASTICALLY if you have maxed his relationship and done all of his quests. He actually ends things… at peace. He’s okay with going in the way he does and he seems okay with it all, and doesn’t blame V whatsoever. It’s actually really sweet
Yup, i did kerrys questline before finishing songs and reeds quests, and I had a feeling they incorporated this with Johnny. Part of why I enjoyed this ending I think the first go. Ultimately I felt this game is about V and Johnny, so that closure was all I needed. Same with Tower ending honestly but also diff.
Mine wasn't like that, more like a tsundere. At the end he still kinda accepts it.
New cap is 85% though, so you really need to know what to do to get this.
yep, the dialogue was more accepting and respect for V's decision. I had mine at 80%.
It made it hurt so much more honestly, even with him at peace and accepting it. Especially when he uses V's full name. Couldn't help but cry
All I can think about is the song "Never Fade Away", and how V literally fades away into the crowd of civilians. I find that poetic in a way.
This is even more interesting considering how I'm pretty sure this is the only ending where the sad rendition of "Never Fade Away" doesn't play during the credits.
a thing of beauty
The other endings are similar, V or Johnny (depending on your choices) fades away behind the blackwall. The song is very fitting.
Well the one guy beat me to it but I’m gonna say it anyway, it’s a really nice touch that never fade away plays in all the other endings except this one. Makes me feel like this ending was planned from the start.
We lost everything, we had to pay the price...
I can relate. This ending pretty much happened to me. Got sick in my late 20's. 5 surgeries over a few years. I lost everything, a whole life. Had to restart a whole new life at 30.
I still struggle with that fact. I'm alive and as happy as I can be, but I still resent the life I lost, and wonder what should have been. Yeah your last paragraph basically took all the words right out of my mouth
I wish you the best. My father always said the only point of saying “I should’ve, or what could have been,” is just reopening an old wound. Live the life you have because you can.
I feel that one close to home as well. After I started uni, I had some issues with motivation and dropped out. Had problems with getting a job. I felt like i lost so much time, I lost a lot of friends and contacts. Now I am at a much better place in my life, but at the same time I feel very lonely. Time and age can be a big divide. I feel disconnected from my peers and too far away from the younger ones.
I hope you are doing better. I can definitely understand that resentment you feel. But life is just not fair and you can only give up or try to do the best out of bad situation. Keep your chin up choom!
Shoulda lived it up when u had the chance
As long as your happy now that's all that matters
Ah, having the same thing starting from early 20s. Life is weird but hope you’re doing well
If there's one thing happy about this ending, its that it is undeniable proof that V *can* be saved. The Star ending left things up for interpretation, as in will V find help or not, but with The Tower you could easily say V does.
If I'm gonna be real for a second though, romancing Judy and calling her 2 years later to find out she's married, damn bro I wanted to cry for V. That shit hurt.
i'm glad someone else was destroyed by the judy call lmao. literally before doing the ending i was like "i'm totally calling judy first", and then i got... that
@@Tulip_bip Same. Fucking destroyed me. I though she would welcome you with open arms and live a normal life togedher after some reaquainting.
@@boneflesh she is for the streets
There was dialogue for female V and Judy telling her about what to do after she dies. It was cut. I’m not sure why, but it would have fit so I’m sure it’s wasn’t cut for anything besides story reasons.
glad someone brought it up. absolutely heartbreaking phone call
the fact that most of V's friends just don't want to accept him in their life anymore is sad, if you played the game constantly trying to do good for them, this is the repayment you get from them after managing to survive the relic. sure, 2 years without any comunication is terrible and worrying but they knew that something would eventually happen to V. was it this unnatural to expect him to die or even better survive?
for me the most devastating thing is that johnny (if you're friends with him) just supports you till the end. the one person who tried to kill you initially becomes the most real friend in the end while the others who meet you on better circunstances just leave you.
well Judy doesn't cut contact. She invited him to her new home. It's more that V feels akward getting into her life too much, now that she is married.
Kerry didn't cut contact with V, he is just in middle of tour. He would give V all support after it
Only Panam....
Well thing is Panam has always been a bit immature and emotions could cloud her judgment.
Don't forget, everyone knew you didn't have that long left ... So when you say you'll be gone for a month and haven't reappeared 6 month later, most of them had to accept that you were dead and grieve for you.
Then, 2 years later, you show back up like a flower despite most of them having moved on, some are more mature about it (Victor, Judy, Misty, ...) and others like Panam had a hell of a nightmare letting you go and take it out on you since you could've contacted them (not really but this isn't a rational reaction).
ikr shit happened to me irl and it happened to me in a video game lol
imma need a story time on that one@@papafoundry5537
@@TaigaXsenpai For male V him and Judy were never more than friends anyway so aside from the initial "holy shit I thought you were dead but you're alive" awkwardness, being friends with her again shouldn't be too much of an issue. I can definitely see where things would be super weird with a female V who romanced Judy though.
Judy: "Hey honey, meet my ex girlfriend, we're going to be homies again now."
Yeeeeeeah... maybe not.
Johnny was a lot more supportive of V in my playthrough, even called her Valerie when he was saying goodbye.
THEY CANT KEEP GETTING AWAYYY WITH TDHIS!
It depends on your relation.
Mine was 85% when I did this.. big regret (the things you must do for trophies and completion)
I went with letting songbird go, and I command coded the Erebus and canto MK6 in my save.
And the finale being with the aldecaldos
Righteous
Stop playing female V.
One thing comes to mind with this ending, when vic said he stopped chasing fame and had been sleeping better ever since.
V basically did what he did.
Until an arrow to the knee seems.
Ambition is a great motivator. But it is also a curse.
So many people miss that V gives a little smirk at that last turn before he/she fades into the crowd. He/She is amused and accepting of how things have came to be in the end.
One must imagine V happy....
Came full circle from the beginning of the game.
Yeah, the major league isn't worth it. The mercenary life isn't worth it. He/she was dying and got a chance to not only live but to start over. This shit is poetic bro I'm telling you
@@rexistreves Yep. Kept striving to be the best. What did it get him/her? Dead friends, personal death and resurrection just to find your losing yourself anyways. Only way out is to die and be a copy or let Johnny have the body. Yeah having the chip removed and losing the implant use, yet living and being able to change your life path to me is actually the best option. Thats why I liked Misty's talk at the end. She was the more spiritually centered person in the whole game. Just go with the flow stop trying to swim against the current and flow with it.
It really depends. Game itself ask that question, go out in a glory or live in peace as mister nobody. Thats so great about the game.
Some might think being a legend but dying (dont fear the reaper) is best, some thinks V surviving is best, other think going in with Nomads (probably dying, but with a real family and friends) is the best. Thats why its so good. Game lets you decide that what is best.@@rexistreves
The dialogue of Johnny begging for his life really surprised me, because when I got this ending on my first playthrough Johnny asked me not to make the call but after that he just said goodbye and that he had no regrets. Maybe it’s because I actively worked to be tight with Johnny
right on all other endings he supports your decision even the suicide one this was out of character for him .
It’s because in the main game Johnny doesn’t die he just fuse with alt so
I wouldn't even call this a hero's journey. This is more of a survivor's journey. No one is really a good person in this story. Reed is 100% fine with letting the government essentially manipulate someone for the rest of their life. Songbird constantly gave someone hope of being saved only to lie to them at every turn. Johnny doesn't want to be erased but V didn't ask to have Johnny with them. It's really messed up when you think about it. Everyone is in a fucked situation and only a few will come out ok. That's Night City for ya.
would been cool if johnny could stayed in your head and you been helped and cured.
@@ravenspurplebeats5412 I like that all of them have consequences
@@reyagu4607bro i betrayed songbird and felt bad even though she was a liar and actually dangerous af
If you wanna be a hero get Songbird to the moon and give Johnny your body.
yes!! it is drilled into our heads from the beginning that there's no happy endings in Night City; there's always a drawback (even with the star ending)
The LEAST Reed could have done was, like, call up everyone of importance on V's contacts list and say "Hey, V's gonna be gone for an unknown amount of time. Undergoing an operation to fix their mind. Don't know how long it'll take."
S E R I O U S L Y.
Does reed not understand the concept of common courtesy or someshit?
Or let V call them himself.
They screw v every time you go with them. Fuck the fia and myers
@@AT-cd2pp Not giving the player the OPTION to do this utterly undercuts their intended tone here to me. Even if you think your out for a month, you'd tell people that, at least those you trust.
@@billywise643 Reed got ton of work in the office, he rarely had time to monitor V.
Know Reed his sense of duty is fanatical. He is type of police officer that would neglect his family for sake of duty
After experiencing the ending myself, I gotta say if you did all sidequest it felt more fulfilling, V had something to fallback on. Depending on your choices, V could have at least 1 vehicle, a Delamain that's loyal only to him, eddies and connection from a world famous rockerboy, connection and experience from working with the biggest fixers, a job opening at Langley, and probably a teacher in the form of ex Arasaka head of security. V's have a lot of potential moving forward. Also I found it cute that Rogue adopted your cat and potentially bought your stuff (or at least Johnny's). But it is more infuriating if you like the Aldecaldos, they just straights up say go fuck yourself even though you're the reason they still exist
perhaps Saul was right to sell them out to biotechnica
facts
For a group so much about #family they sure as shit cut you out pretty hard. One would think that a member of your family that you thought was dead coming back and finding out they were in a coma would be a cause for celebration. But nah fuck them all, hell and they purposely keep you being alive away from panam "because it would hurt her". Fuck you choom, she's a grown ass adult let her make her own decisions.
I see the ending as the potential to restart my V’s life as a fixer. I don’t need the combat cyberware for that.
V got several millions of Eddies by just selling weapons and clothes. Takemura has shown, that you can be a beast without chrome.
The ending could just end on a positive note, but the writers didnt want to give V a true happy ending.
Fitting for Cyberpunk and fitting for the development years of 2018 and 2019, not 2023, having games telling you how bad the world is doesnt cut it anymore, when the world gets worse every year.
I really loved how they let you actually choose between “blaze of glory or the quiet life” that dexter deshawn asked you in the beginning
Wish if you had the corpo life path you could accept Reed's offer pretty much going full circle.
Songbird calling you a two faced snake is peak irony
The dialogue between Johnny and V in the AV is completely different if you are friendly with him
It’s not just about being friendly with him, it all hinges on one specific dialogue choice at Johnny’s grave. If anything, the specific choice seems less friendly than the others on the surface, it’s very misleading and not fair
@@TheTickler Which exact dialogue choice was it? Because i could do the Johnny + Rogue ending just fine. Had a great relationship with Johnny but i got the cold shoulder from him when I went for this ending...
@@Ericboy114558 You can find a specific video on what to say exactly, but personally I have no Idea why the entire final interaction with him hinges on this obscure choice. I do remember you need to take the option "you fucked that up too", and then he asks for a second chance and you give it to him. I tried to be nice and didn't say he fucked it up, and that ruined my ending lol
@@TheTickler Ah I see, I probably did the same thing. Had to check a youtube video to see the other reaction. It's a really good scene, a shame it's dependant on such an obscure choice.
@@Ericboy114558 my thoughts exactly, it should definitely be based purely off relationship, not one random dialogue lol. I was so upset I missed that dialogue, I went back 20 hours of gameplay, made right choices and just sped ran to that point just to hear it
This ending ruined how i see V's friends forever 💀
They were never V’s friends; they are “Assets” of a Dying Cyberpunk Mercenary that are all pretending to be his lovers and friends. No matter what V does for these people their lives fall apart with-in two years after V dies. The only thing V can accomplish in NC is helping Arasaka win their “Civil War.”
Also, every ending were V “lives” he didn’t. Engrams aren’t their original. The real Alt Cunningham & Johnny Silverhand are dead.
I LOVE how in this ending V, the real V, Lives.
Misty was a real homie
@@robertdesertrider2694well if you wanna be a dick about it, technically the “real” V died from a bullet to the head from dex
@@jonahshields1925Very True, but it didn’t turn V into an Engram.
@@robertdesertrider2694 @jonahshields1925 Damn. I agree with you both.
I just felt so pissed at V's so-called friends ditching him. Judy, Panam, River - even Kerry. Viktor had dug his own hole. Oddly, Misty actually cheered me up and for a fleeting moment I thought the two would go off into the sunset together. This ending gutted me, left me deflated and sad. I was thinking, 'Where will he live? How will he make money? Will he survive without his cyberware?' Then the video messages during the credit roll didn't help - except Rogue's, seeing her with the cat. At least the cat had a good home. To sum it up, I have to say, to those people V shed blood for, sweated for and fought for only to have them turn their back on him/her, I actually thought, "F**k you!" That's saying a lot, especially regarding Judy, as she seemed the only one who kept contact and really appreciated V as a friend.
I also grieved for Silverhand - he didn't deserve that.
2 years is a long time and for the most part the only person that ditched you is Panam. Her and the Aldecaldos say you're apart of the family and welcome to join them whenever but as soon as something happens that is outside of V's control (being in a coma for 2 years) suddenly Panam hates you forever? I know she tries to contact you multiple times through your messages and to her it seems like V ignores her but even after trying to call her after waking up her giving you the cold shoulder feels wrong and out of character.
Judy moving on fits, she constantly talks about leaving NC even when you romance her. She hates the city and wants to move on. It is bittersweet that even though you tell her that you'll be out for surgery for a bit that she still moves on to another relationship (and gets married very quick) but again V says its will only be a month but then she is gone for 2 years.
River is whatever. I never consider V and River particularly close and Ive never seen his romance so his reaction didnt really bother me
Kerry still very much considered V a friend but is obviously busy when you call him. He offers to give you whatever help you want but given that he is currently in space on the Crystal Palace and on tour he cant see you in person.
Don't stay angry. Change your ending. There's others
@@HippoBean
Save Songbird. Kill Reed and return to Night City to confront Arasaka with the Adecaldos and kill Smasher, everyone happy..lol
All those cars and apartments that you bought disappear? V is not poor.
I agree, the only decent people in the game are Vik and Misty. And River was, he is just disgusted by himself, by what he had become, that is why he is refusing V, but he at least was a righteous man. Other people are garbage. Well, I agree except for that Silverhand bit. Who knows, but you might be saving Silverhand a fate worse than death by just removing him (supposing Militech won't trap him in some engram jail like Mikoshi, but I doubt that, Johnny was an operative for Militech and Arasaka tower raid was Militech operation, so they have nothing to gain from Johnny's engram, they might use the biochip for study, but they can do that without Johnny). Just when you realize that all the demons you were hunted by in the Cynosure facility and that literally possessed Song were from beyond the Blackwall, it begs to question - who Alt really is and what does she do with the engrams? Because from the cynosure chapter it is pretty clear they are going forward with the interpretation of rogue AI as literal demons and the world beyond the Blackwall as literal hell. So begs the question - are you sending Johnny to a literal hell? Or where are you exactly sending him?
Anyway. The one person who does not deserve the ending in this ending is Songbird. Recruited as a teen, her life was more akin to a prison. In the shard in Solomon's hideout, you can read that the FIA knew about her condition for longer than 7 years, they knew maybe... heck not maybe, damn sure they knew even before Song realized what is happening to her and didn't do anything about it because if they did it would mean she cannot netrun beyond the blackwall for them. I can not even imagine what they did to her in this ending. She deserves a chance to live.
This is probably the most relatable and the most ending that resonated with me in any piece of fiction.
I went through something similar i was very ambitious, i had strong relationship with my friends and relatives, but i left my home country for 7 years and i learned it the hard way that people just...move on even your closest friends and relatives, they will change some will not answer your call, some will be nice to you but wont spend any time rebuilding the relationship with you because "they are too busy" some will tell you straight that things have changed and dont want to rebuild the relationship with you, there are some who wont change and will rebuild the bridge but they are sadly very few. Life will always move on and so will your loved ones, you either get stuck in the past or just move on.
I love how V smiles before turning away from the camera.
Can't agree more. I always feel like whoever says this ending is depressing don't have much life experience. When you're getting older, you will understand. Someday, you will get the injury/sickness that changes you, and you will no longer be able to do things you used to. Yes, things are never static. Friends will part ways.
Being given a refresh start, living worry free and not on borrowed time, and be able to leave the past behind is really as the happiest ending as you can get.
8:17
The fact you had a sandstorm going on while this scene played out makes it feel all the more tragic for some reason...
Though if he was doing the suicide ending, V calling the Sandstorm "beautiful" would be kinda weird. 😂
the effect also depends on your life path.
I played as a corpo, meaning my V couldn't catch a break from the start, wanting a calmer quieter life and searching for a way out. She wanted a way out and this is exactly that, the slower paced life that she longed for at Arasaka and was fighting for in Act 2 and Act 3 is here.
That's an interesting way of putting it. I wonder how it'd logically follow for the others.
The life paths actually don't relate much to V's mindset down the road, as they're effectively reshaped by V's 6-month partnership with Jackie leading up to the Konpeki incident. Corpo had you as an Arasaka counter-intel agent (unhappily but steadily) moving up the chain that had the bad luck of working for a boss that lost an office politics fight. Street kid made it that you went to Atlanta, GA looking for happiness but didn't find it (though it's probably more that you didn't know what happiness was for you at that point). Nomad features you leaving everything behind because the family you were a part of was merging into a much bigger group and all the values and ideals you believed in were at risk of being redefined by someone you probably wouldn't like.
In a sense, even your new chapter of life with Jackie isn't necessarily ambition-driven. The fixer gigs you're doing with him are pretty much for the money and even the Konpeki heist has a focus of you're gonna be swimming in eddies if it works out.
At least to me, the whole "blaze of glory" and "making it big" might be more that from the player's perspective, V has had the power to influence and change so much in his favor that there isn't a reason to pack it down and consider living in peace, but that doesn't mean that V should be guaranteed to choose that kind of path. That's why it's nice that there is a "safe" option, compared to the others where you have to risk it in one last battle; your only alternative to a "blaze of glory" before this was suicide, and that's...one of the worst (if not hands-down the worst) endings you can choose.
@@Sorain1for myself, I see it as the possibility to rewrite V’s legend and this part to simply be the reboot. Streetkid V can become a great fixer with amazing connections and insider knowledge. Just not on the field. Fixers don’t need to get to the combat anyway. So my streetkid V can see her legend be reborn as a great fixer like Rogue and her past as this guns blazing powerful netrunner be a “back in my days” type beat lol. I see the ending as having great potential, better than any other option. Yes Silverhand has to die but he already died once; he had his life to live! This is V’s.
@@thisiskittalet's be honest, V is like John wick in his prime, they know how to take action but making long-term plans isn't really their thing, also just imagin how shit V must feel like, he used to be one of the strongest people in world and now he's a nobody, also choosing the quiet life goes against V's character all the way, even dying during the raid at the Arasaka tower is way better because at least V ends everything in his own terms!
The best decision is: Sending So Mi to the moon
And then doing the Star Ending.
For me, I headcanon'd that my Corpo Fem-V would go and take Reed's FIA job offer. She was booted from one "desk job" and found herself at another, in the end, but with new possibilities in her life. I'd like to think she remembered Johnny, in her own way, like picking up smoking or his other small behaviors (I ended it on good terms with him). To me, it was like the ending of Casino, with Robert de Niro's character saying: "But in the end, I wound up right back where I started... And why mess up a good thing? And that's that."
Ayyy nice! My Pentacles head cannon corpo fem V took the FIA job. Johnny relationship was high so he was cool. She's actually set for life as she saved the prez. She lives in a nice 2 bed in a small FIA community. Has a brown dog she calls Johnny. Loves listening to birds while they walk in the park. Hair grew back. Still dyes it purple. Enjoys the gun range and home cooking with real ingredients. Keeps in touch with Vic n Misty. I saved Goro and she asked FIA to track him. He stayed with her for a couple months till he gets back on his feet. Still deciding if he opens a food joint in NC, or she helps him go back to Japan...
@@RaidenXavierBiohazardGoro could name his food truck "Better Buckle Up!" I truly love your RP head cannon. I hope one day someone makes a mod to be able to say "yes" to the job offer, and Vincent/Valerie becomes a face in a sea of faces in office cubicles, as someone's repeated phone greeting of "Corporate Assassinations Nina Speaking, just a moment" fades into the background as the camera pans away, through the window and retreats from the FIA campus at Langley.
@@Cyromantik Hey thanks for replying!
Relieved my head cannon resonated with someone & wasn't ripped on!
Food truck name = awesome!
I can vibe with your cubicles camera pan! 👍
She started corpo, and she ends corpo. (with a hell of a story to tell!)
Dex: Blaze of glory or old & smelling of pee? My fem corpo took the path of pee!
But my male street kid V is going 'all in' with Johnny and saving songbird!
Yeah I hope someone mods in the choice or even it shows up in an update... Seems a little eavy handed... But yeah the outcome world wsie is what I wanted and V is a NUSA hero and should get the hishest medl under the table ofcorse... Like I don't get why only I seem to do this for NUSA and not to survive infact I thought V would be turned into an John-117 super shoilder like character... But uh no NUSA didn't do that... LIke hwe got them a world changing super weapon and they just said "K, thank bye?" in a cyberpunk setting? I'll take that all day!
I think the part I liked most of this ending was that little smirk V had right after his shoulder got bumped by that random guy right before fading into the crowd. It said to me, he finally got it. For the first time, he realised just how much of a blessing he had gotten was.
Sure, Judy, Panam, River, and Vic turned out worse in this ending, but seeing the messages from Rogue, Takemura, and especially how Misty turned out, feels like things aren't so bad (yes, its' bad for Takemura, but this is the only ending where he didn't crawl back to Arasaka or turned into a little ball of spite). It sucks for V that the only way to live was to burn almost all his previous bridges, but it's also the only way for him to move on from Night City, and that's the only way you can win in Night City. That's the only way anybody won against Night City in even the other endings.
I've always been in the camp that the best ending prior to 2.0 was the Temperance ending. V got to live on in a roundabout way as a construct with Alt and Johnny learned that to make the world better wasn't to destroy evil, but to create good where you can.
The other side of it, I don't agree that Songbird should've faced a fate worse than death as part of the price for V to get his happy ending. Death should've been high enough price for her, and should've especially been an option at the space port. Sure, she lied and betrayed everybody, and tried to have her cake and eat it by trying to fix things, but being betrayed and given death by the only person she actually trusted should be enough I think. After all, Meyers and Reed both deserved it, and taking the first chance she had to jump ship wasn't wrong at all.
By being betrayed by V and being her executioner, it would've put a pretty satisfying conclusion to Songbird's arc I think, especially once it was clear that only one of them could be cured.
Idk Takemura looked like he's permanently pissed off and bitter, and complains how his life is complete shit. Doesn't offer to meet up or even wish you luck
If you've got relation with Johnny fully developed the ending is even better. He understands V's decision and supports her/him even if he knows he's gonna get wiped. He is happy for him.
I think the biggest thing is the ending might not feel satisfying for everyone. We dont' live the life of V, we only experience it through a screen. Leaving with Judy, Panam and the Aldecaldos is satisfying. You get to stay with the characters you love. Letting Destroying Arasaka alone is satisfying, you get to fuck them over to get to mikoshi, and you feel like a badass while doing it. But the new ending? Realistically, it's the happiest. Sure, you lose your cybernetics, and your main relationships, but you live for so much longer. You can meet new people, you have the option of working for the government and having a pretty easy job outside of the hellhole that is Night City. But for the player, you lose a large part of your character (the cyberware and immense strength, hacking ability and street cred), you lose your romance option and the closest people to your character. You see Vik lose himself, Misty move on, you probably don't get to see So Mi again. Johnny is gone permanently. It really feels like you lost everything as a player.
I really love how this feels though, because it shows how opposite things can be just because it's a game. When we don't have to really live with the consequences, we can choose the worse options that feel better in the short term and still feel like we made the right choice. But when you are really confronted with death, and you have the option to live, I think most people playing would take that option
Good observation. It's almost a dilemma between players desiring happy now (but for a short time) or sad now with hope a better future.
"Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it."
Perfect comment
Congratulations, you get to live a pointless life where you betrayed everyone who trusted you, V’s not even themselves anymore, their a spineless panthetic survivor, a far cry to the V who jackie and judy(or any love interest) loved
@@thedemonjester7755 that's fine if you see it that way, but you didn't betray anyone, the surgeries and treatment took significantly longer than it was meant too. Not exactly a purposeful betrayal.
I definitely don't agree that V is a pathetic survivor. Sure, a lot has changed with them, redefining who they are. You can still live a good life after hitting the hard reset button V gets. If you really think one decision decides who you are, then yea, your life is gonna be miserable.
I'll choose life at the cost of who I was over living a few more months with people I have known for maybe months. Especially as young as 27 (or however old V is).
In the ending on the plane where Jonny and v have a heart to heart, i had 85% relationship with Jonny and his dialogue is completely different, he actually comforts v the entire time it's a huge shift and aot of development. Check it out after the rogue date
Strange thing is i also had 85% but he was not ok with this ending.. I wonder what i did wrong
This game completely destroys me. I care so much for every character, and trusted Reed and Songbird all the way through, until the end. I will always choose to let Songbird go to the moon, because I think Johnny deserves a better ending than this. This ending is so heartbreaking yet hopeful all in one and CDPR knocked it out the park with this whole story line. I care so deeply for everyone and I haven’t been so connected to a game like this before. It’s pretty impressive what they’ve achieved, and I’m so glad my heart hurts because of this game, it gives it so much meaning.
Dude I feel the same its been so long since I could relate and feel so many emotions to a freaking video game but these storyline and characters everything feels more than a game cyberpunk is a genuine experience than it is a video game
That might just be the true good ending. There was a lot of good in Reed, but he was also a loyal tool for the corrupt and powerful elite. Also remember that Reed just kills you instantly if you keep walking carrying Songbird. Songbird wanted to be free, and she never really wanted to be a tool for them in the first place. Reed and his state religion turned her into what she is, and she does show a lot of remorse for her mistakes. That's a nice reason to choose her over Reed. Plus, the cure is still out there and there's no saying V won't get it. If not, he'll die as a badass who didn't turn into a tool. Like Johnny, but much more successful in the end. If he lives, it's even better. You also see Johnny admiring Songbird for doing what he couldn't do. It's the only ending where you can say you beat the world of Cyberpunk.
If you trusted Reed and Songbird, you are genuinely hopeless. They both literally admit to manipulation of you and others several times. They are spies. They do whatever they have to to meet their goals. I didn't think anyone could be so naive. Not to say they are bad people. But lying and half truths are what they do, that should have been crystal clear
Not quite the same, but I can emphasize with V in this ending. I joined the military and left my home for 4 years. During that time I missed so much, birthday parties, Christmas's, life in general. My friends made new friends and my family became a little more distant. Sure I would visit and I would be welcomed, but I can tell they moved on. Life never sits still for anyone.
It is a masterpiece! V becomes The Fool starting a new journey all over again. Her neural system not being able to support combat cyberware is actually a blessing in disguise. AI from beyong the Blackwall will sooner than later invade, so being 'ganic is a clear advantage! Also, the fact she can escape Militech and other corpos's radar and disappear into the crowds is a good ending, like Morgan Blackhand tier good :) Can't wait for Cyberpunk Orion!
Yes, being organic in some circumstances is good, but how did they do it ? New arms, legs, eyes, face, skeleton, joints, heart who know what's else.
@kurtstar5425 Replaying the ending, V says her combat cyberware was "deactivated," so right now, I am unsure if her limbs, organs, eyes , etc were replaced by biological ones or they remain, but only have their basic function. Gotta re-watch that conversation with Reed
@@kurtstar5425 If you install mantis blades and later remove them again, you magically regrow your natural limbs.
Its magic.
@@Cloney1337 man, It became possible since 2.0 with cyberware rework. This ability also had a bug: after removing arm implants your hands turn invisible.
Hell nah man💀
I actually like this ending, my relationship with Johnny was pretty good so he was pretty supportive of my decision. It's a proper send off to a character who has been through so much. Ezio got a quiet ending in revelations, MC got his in H3 and snake did so too in MGS4. These guys deserve a quiet life, deserve to live their remaining days in peace however that may be.
H3?
I remember getting this ending and having this terrible feeling of emptiness and pain. Now though I feel a lot more at ease after listening to you explain it more. It is supposed to feel disjointing but that’s how life would be in that scenario.
Honestly it made me appreciate cdpr’s writing that much more.
Yup. The people who complain about this ending to me seem like they are too just too young to understand real life or they haven't been beat down and lost everything. When you're young every relationship you make feels larger than life and like it will last forever. It won't. I feel all Vs friends reactions after the 2 years are spot on. Someone who's never lost everything will see Vs predicament and think it's so sad and their life is over. As someone who's been in that same place several times, if you are strong like a Phoenix you will rise from the ashes stronger. For every door that closes, another opens. Hope is lost when you give up or die. And V doesn't strike me as one to give up. This is what they fought for after all. Life. Now they gotta fight to make that life worth living
@@sparkyspinz9897 my only bummer is panam’s reaction. If you get into a relationship with her it doesn’t change. I mean I understand she is a mad type of person but for 2 years. That’s crazy.
@@sparkyspinz9897 That's a gross simplification from why some people don't like this ending.
Super agreed honestly. Life a lot of times is all about accepting and letting go to build anew. It’s like misty says… you,l build your peace once you accept, and then when that fades, you’ll build the peace anew with whatever it is that you have
Trying to be happy will be V’s toughest mission yet…
Considering V is aware of how rare it is to live long enough to die old in Night City through some base game dialoge, It only highlights how V didn't actually think surviving was a possibility.
In a way, the new ending reminds me of what some war veterans have gone through. Now I am not a veteran myself but I have met quite a few who had seen combat and while their homecoming experience isn't quite as dramatic as V's, that sense of being out of place was something they all shared. Even one of my friends and a cousin felt that when they came home after their contract was up. They didn't see combat or anything but that same sense of alienation was there but to a lesser degree.
For them, starting over was the hard part. For V at least, he has the option to go back to Langley, much like how my cousin decided to re-enlist after a year or two struggling at home.
I’m just going to point out it’s entirely possible there is a fix for his inability to use cyber ware in the NUSA’s R&D and Meyers is keeping it in pocket for the next time she needs V.
The best decision is: Sending So Mi to the moon
And then doing the Star Ending.
Ok THANK YOU for saying this, I really loved this ending. Of course Aldecados ending still has the most hopeful tone, but this ending is far from dismal. Yes your friends have moved on, but people grow, people move on, people come back, and most of all, people reconcile. None of those relationships have to be dead as long as you still continue living - in time they may come back around knowing that you're alive. And yeah, you might never be the V who you were before, but you get to start over and become a new V, not necessarily a worse V, but a V who can reinvent themselves into something just as good, if different. You are alive, you can make something of yourself, and if you persevere, you can live a damn good life.
exactly
Something a lot of people miss is that V has a slight smile before he turns around. It is hard to spot but shows he / she is ok with it
Honestly they will be studying this story for years. It so good. This game is a masterpiece and I try to move past it and play other games but the stories get boring pretty quickly.
The ending feels like a kick in the face. Not only do you lose everything you work so hard for during entirety of the game. But you also lose everyone that stood by you.
meanwhile silverhand was dead for like 50 years and rogue and kerry still stick by him 💀
V worked towards survival pointed out by him so many times through the entire game V has a chance for a whole new life for new friends and relationships no way it feels like a kick in the face
@@DIGITALGH05T they really dont make em like they used to lol
@@soullesscreed6886 yeah no. He literally lost everything. His old life, his ambitions, anyone that he ever cared for. Sure he gets to live but is living without your loved ones worth it? Is the survivor's guilt really worth it? This ending is V's punishment for choosing to sacrifice both Songbird and Johnny to ensure his survival knowing damn well there were other options even if more risky.
That's why my preferred ending is to come with panam and live however much life V have.
Imagine just getting started on a journey with friends just to lose them, be infected with something that will ether hold you back, stop you in your tracks and say pick another one, or make that journey you wanted, a whole lot shorter. Dex was a ass, but he definitely set the tone
I’d disagree that this is the happiest ending V could hope for. While I appreciate your perspective, to me this ending highlighted what does it truly mean to live. This life isn’t worth living having sacrificed everyone that gave your life meaning. To me the Aldecaldos ending is the best especially for the Nomad life path. Sacrifices are made, but by making this choice V realizes that the people and relationships in your life that make it worth living. You still live life on your own terms, and even though the plot says you have 6 months to live; that’s 6 months if you do nothing. Like Johnny’s parting words say in this ending you never stop fighting and given the lore and the nature of the relic, there is actually a good chance that V and Panam find a solution. Also the tarot reading Misty gives in the Star ending is by far the most promising. Just my take
I grew to love this ending more than the Nomad ending, not only does V actually get to live without fear of death and with no guarantee a cure is found. But I do get why people are down on it, especially those who romanced Panam(me), River and especially Judy, they got it the worst. Kerry seemed to be the only one who was happy to see V and wanted to meet up with him after the tour.
But V, and I think it's safe to say, V is canonically tenacious and determined. Do you really think after all V went through, he/she would just sit with arms crossed and move on from their partner just because they didn't want to see V?
Maybe Judy is the outlier here. But I don't see a scenario where V won't try to track down Panam or River, V went through so much to just give up on Panam/River after they crossed the finish line. People lose contact with each other and could never talk again all the time but they could also meet again and rekindle those relationships.
At least that's how I saw this ending. Looks grim and down at the start but V has his/her whole life ahead and V is not one to give up easily(except for that one ending, you know which one.)
For real. At least in my mind if he/she takes that FIA offer V's got hella prospects. Even if it is just a glorified desk job you're going to have some pull to track down where these friends ended up and potentially help or at least find closure
And for my conspiratorial take, I'm not convinced the FIA didn't do this on purpose to take a wild card and tame/test its loyalty. I kinda think this neutering was intentional Wouldn't be shocked if they "discovered" a fix after proving he/she is FIA loyal. If V doesnt take the job... well then who the hell is gonna believe your story? V at the end of the game should they be turned NUSA would be a huge asset. I find it hard to believe Myers or Reed doesn't see that. Sure you're still getting manipulated but hey, you ain't dead in 6 months...maybe I'm stretching but I like the idea
Especially if you went Corpo. Dude was literally Arasaka counter-intel... NUSA is gunna be VERY interested in that. Surprised they were willing to let me go that easy in the first place when I played Corpo lol
no fear of death? you think criminals gonna excuse V just cuz they're all educated and self reserved? night city is still the same shit hole it always been, corpo man tells it himself "you aint gonna make it"
color me surprised if V doesnt show up dead within the next day of their "new awesome peasant life"
"Without the fear of death" I guess we're just ignore what kind of city night city is set up to be.
I think it helps to consider what "The Tower" in tarot symbolizes in general, since it's the Major Arcana that represents the ending. Destruction, chaos, sudden upheaval, trauma, unexpected change, revelations. Though one positive aspect is that the destruction is usually something that was based on false beliefs, wasn't good for you, was built on bad foundations, things like that. The sudden upheaval and destruction can lead to renewal. I think this Handsome Jack from Tales from the Borderlands quote sums it up well: "You gotta break it all down to build it back up. This was your first step in that. It's the only way, you'll see. And there's so much to break down before you can build again." Also, even though I know that we realistically can't keep Johnny (even if just because it may/would defeat the purpose of the story), letting go of Johnny for good is a gut punch - especially with a good relationship. My attachment issues and abandonment issues hate that we can't keep Johnny around in some way in any of the endings, but I don't think any of the endings are bad because of that specifically (Arasaka ending is bad, but it's intended to be a bad ending for V - the wrong choice to make, which I appreciate).
But you know, if you romance Kerry, it's a big positive to know that even after two years he's happy to hear your voice and know you're still around. Even if he's on tour and can't stop what he's doing to just visit you out of the blue (which is perfectly understandable), it's nice to know that at least one romance in the story has hope in this ending (though I suppose you could list a million different possibilities for the other romances, like hey, maybe Panam will decide to call V back, etc). I think in this ending, V found out who his real friends were from his Tower moment. Misty and Vik are still there for V (even if Misty is leaving Night City, that doesn't mean they can't keep in touch).
What this ending reminds me of most is the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life, where James Stewart is shown by his guardian angel Clarence Odbody what the world would be like if he had never existed. We get to see the impact of what V ghosting and giving up on his dream has on the people in his life.
Framing it as a positive ending because V survives is missing a great deal of context. For one, V's objective the whole game is not to survive, but to be the best. Needing to survive the biochip rises out of this need, but it does not replace it. V's conversation with the Doll at Clouds makes it clear that V's greatest fear is to be forgotten, to have their identity erased. Details like Victor giving into Zetatech, Misty's shop closing down and River turning to a life of crime are not just there to make the ending melancholy, they are direct reactions to V disappearing. V is a singular entity whose incredible ability to do the impossible inspires characters like Victor and River to keep fighting for what they believe in even when it seems hopeless.
Comparing this ending to the hero's journey because V's life has to change is also off the mark. This cannot be the conclusion to the hero's journey because in this timeline V isn't a hero. V wanted to be the best, to prove to Night City that they mattered. In this ending Night City literally swallows V up. In order for someone to be considered a hero, they by definition cannot fail at what they set out to do. They can die, but they can't fail.
I agree with this to an extent. I agree that it's not really the ending to the hero's journey that the video suggests, for the reasons you've given about V's goals to be the best. However, I also think that given the promise of a future of some sort, many things are possible and V may still become a hero, making this part of the hero's journey if not the conclusion. For example, V can no longer use Cyberware, but what about Exoskeletal technology and suits/outfits that could give V the opportunity to be a Merc, Fixer or even a FIA agent once more. Perhaps a V who's been changed by their journey with Johnny would even seek to continue his fight against the corporations that tighten their grip on everything, like Zetatech with Viktor.
@@ethanlawrence5502 The end does not show the remainder of V's life, no, but many endings to films and other fiction don't spell those things out either. It is possible that in the ending to The Mist, David Drayton eventually overcomes the terrible trauma of murdering his entire family right before the world went back to normal, but the ending much more strongly implies that he will commit suicide. It's possible that Frodo returns to the land of Middle Earth, but the framing of the ending suggests more firmly that he needs a permanent new beginning.
When we don't have an explicit answer to questions like this, the best course of action is to examine the themes and imagery we are provided with, and the Tower Endings' use of V symbolically being swallowed up by the crowds of people on the streets of Night City strongly suggests this is the last the world hears of him.
Ending is 100% the best written one, hit me in the feels, had similar feeling when completing SOMA, completely different plot, but sense of loneliness and despair after all the sacrifices which finishes with a bit of happyness seeing u get to live on even if your old life is over, shit is left open as V does have a lot of options for happyness.
Also I didn't call Songbird my friend tbh, mid story I kinda got tired of her obvious manipulations, Reed on the other hand is what I ended up relating with. By the time Reed asked me to capture Songbird I was like fyeah, she is lying 100% and not even sure how much blackwall stuff fried her brain anyway.
Reed says only combat implants can't be used. During boarding the spaceship to the moon when the combat implants were disabled the cyberdeck still works. So without combat implants V can still be a legendary Net Runner.
I still think it's a pretty miserable ending. Not for V maybe but for everyone else. The real problem with other endings is that they aren't really endings but more like cliffhangers and it's easy to assume the worst because more isn't probably coming for this character.
Like for example, I would have loved the Devil ending if it had had more, like V waking up 2 years later in a cloned body, forced to sign a 20 year contract with Arasaka and shown him/her working under a new boss, just like at the start, only this time with Goro as their friend instead of Jackie.
Same with the other ones.. did the Crystal Palace heist succeed? Did we find a cure.. did V find a cure in the badlands or slowly died among the nomads? If all of those had had conclusions or answers to them, they could be so much better but instead we just get a fade to black and never know.
I always liked Johnny so I chose the nice options with him and when you do he gives a really heartfelt speech to V. And I think that’s what actually made it sad in a sense. I agree that V being able to live a full life now is amazing but saying goodbye to silverhand and then him using Vs full name in the end when he says goodbye just made it hard to say bye to him in the end
"Of course he was welcome, they told him, welcome to the
money. And he was going to need it. Because -- still smiling --
they were going to make sure he never worked again."
You can get a better dialogue with Johnny, where he's more supportive. Have to max out his approval.
The problem why it's depressing is that it's too life like. It's realistic. I know that I just said real life is depressing. Loosing friends, not to death necessarily, is real. I bet many reading this comment have faced that.
Also now that V is "normal." He can be whatever he wants. Just like anyone today. Earlier the option was violent death or Johnny taking over his life.
Edit: How come all those gang members still be in gangs even though many of then still seem like nobodies?
@@meow69696 But V was also just in a coma for two years. The piss poor reaction speed and extremely weak body could just be from severe atrophy.
@@meow69696 literally what do you mean 250ms response time is bad lmao. average human response time is 275. delete your comment
@@T1Diabeticit's bad for when you want to use chrome that requires like 20ms and less lmao
I never got the impression this ending was meant to be depressing.
You get to live and move on with your life, V gets to say goodbye to Johnny and end it on good terms (if you have a good relationship), none of your friends die trying to save your life and you are still remembered as a legend as Rouge says.
Yes most of your friends have moved on but most of them (Excluding River and arguably Vick) seem to be ok. Judy gets married and leaves the city like she said she would, Panam is still with her family and getting on despite cutting u off, Kerry's career is booming. They don't have time for you but V was gone for 2 years, they have lifes of their own and its nice that the game Acknowledges that you are not the main character of everyone's story.
V is young, there is time to make new friends, start a new career have a new life. That and the NUSA owes you makes the future look decent. Even V smiles before walking into the crowd and becoming just another member of society.
I think the ending is kind of beautiful. You were asked "quite life or blaze of glory?" And you simply chose the former. Nothing wrong with that.
Yeah the ending doesn’t feel so great if you romanced Judy and find out she’s married
Only Dex lives the quiet life if you know what I mean lol and V would've joined him by letting the relic overwrite V's brain. Arasaka falls regardless Yori made sure of it so I take it as a big win.
@@Nightmare_-ix7dk The big difference is that Arasaka doesn't fall by your hands. it falls by events not done by you. you never become a legend
@@muchluck7981 matter of perspective. V saved a NUSA president, did a big heist on Arasaka, witnessed death of Saburo Arasaka, met rogue AI, assaulted Kang Tao convoy and more. That's good enough of a legend and definitely enough for one live.
@@maxbardus3019 As Rogue said, your legend will decrease with every visit to the afterlive. V was a legend, now a normal dude
Each origin has a best ending that completes its story. Nomad is best with Panam’s ending completing the story of a nomad who left the life for dreams of the big city only to return to where he truly belonged. Street kids best ending is the solo job becoming the legend he always dreamed of and fulfilling the promise to his best friend. Corpo didn’t really have a best ending until now. Now it’s the decline of a power hungry corporate goon who continues to fall further until finally hitting rock bottom.
nomads and streetkids can relate to songbird where as corpos can relate to reed
This ending is a blessing in disguise when you realize V is unplugging from a cruel city that would chew him up and spit him out if given the chance, and by extension, avoiding the same fate as others who couldn’t let go, like Johnny Silverhand or Adam Smasher.
I imagine V would eventually take that offer to get a real job and a real life after having time to let everything sink in.
Angel and Skye say it best at clouds, V never backs down from anything, even when they probably should've. And V can address it directly during the same convo, "I was out to grab everything, and then, well... it all happened. Feels like that person wasn't even me..."
Depending on whether you pick Angel or Skye, they have different paths but still they tell V what they want to hear; just keep going. If they have to kill, kill. If they need to burn it all to the ground, let it burn.
V is constantly reaching for higher highs and in return they keep experiencing the lowest of lows, all while leaving a path of death, destruction and hurt in their wake. This hard reset, a new V, in a new Night City, with a new lease on life, with no possible way to go back to their old life, unable to do more harm... it's what they need imo, just to stop trying, to just settle down.
As long as you are alive, you can continue to make choices. As long as you have the power to choose, you can write your own destiny. And thats why I think V will ultimately be okay. They will make new friends, forge new paths. This ending is the manifestation of "In Cyberpunk, it isnt about saving humanity. It's about saving yourself."
The big thing about Phantom Liberty’s V gets cured ending to me is how it’s the truest form of Night City’s ethos where there are no happy endings in Night City. And in a way it highlights the conflict of human nature and ambition; V doesn’t want to die, but at the same time a life of living in obscurity is grim.
In the end, is being cured worth losing all of his friends and seeing his home be changed like Vik’s clinic?
My headcanon is that V may have lost their cyberware and superhuman combat abilities, but still has lots of knowledge and contacts at all levels of Night City society, and is very well positioned to become a fixer.
The dumb thing is that V can still use power weapons, like, he's not completely helpless lol
It's even more funny if you (if you're psychotic anyway) play the game with no cyberware enhancements or abilities and only use power weapons, playing the game as JUST a dude. He can't use smart weapons or tech weapons, or blades as effectively, but I'm certain V can still use Liberty's and the like.
@@TheOriginalPoon we have people like navy seals irl. V with no cyberware is still formidable with the right training, maybe not top Merc but you could 100% defend yourself.
@@baconbro304 We even met some people in the game who had no or very little cyberware and they were doing just fine in NC.
Was so glad I left the StreetKid path to this play through (my 3rd one actually). Night City felt so familiar to me as it would to a V who grew up in it. StreetKid V mentions how things haven’t changed since they’ve been gone the first time around but the second… everything has.
Something not a lot of people seem to realise is that Alt uses soul-killer. The thing that killed Johnny and created his engram. I’m not devaluing his sentience and character but the way people refer to him as ‘THE’ Johnny Silverhand show how they can’t accept he’s gone. In every ending, except for the ‘World’ where you’ll die eventually anyway, the V we know dies the moment they plug into Mikoshi and an engram copy is given a few months to live.
The difference is the people around them get closure, get a resolution and ending to their shared story with V.
V leaves behind a copy of themself, if only for a few more months, to help finalise what was most important to them whether that’s the friends and family they made in The Star ending, or the Legend they’ve grown in The Sun ending.
But in this ending, the real V gets to live on a new story at the cost of their part in everyone else’s story. The lyrics of ‘Never Fade Away’ fit this ending more than any other imo.
Whatever the case, one thing is for sure. V is old news by the time 2079 rolls around and I can make a good guess when Project Orion will be set.
I didn’t find it as sad as everyone else found it. V has lost everytging from their life but there are so many opportunities. Even opportunities to help his old friends maybe at some point like River or visiting Judy possibly. They can build a new life. Maybe by a tiny chance V could be cured by a miracle. Although losing Johnny and everyone was very sad I think.
V was saying he wanted to survive no matter what, he just wanted another tomorrow in the entire game when we are after some solution for relic, with this ending, we lost friends but its not the end of life, there is a tomorrow waiting now, new friends and family are just waiting, no more violence and killing for V, he can leave the town to anywhere as long as he is alive there is hope, this is the best ending in my opinion
was waiting for someone to make this video cause I feel the same way
Just got this ending just messing around with phantom liberty, it was very depressing indeed. Only because it felt so real and the phone call from Mitch was a gut wrencher
My V was a strange bird, did everything she could to stay alive but both time she had a choice to save herself or to sacrifice someone else she took the higher road. I sent Songbird to the moon and gave my body to Jonhy, in a way I think this is the most positive of all endings. She still lives in cyberspace, songbird is free and Jonhy isn't spoiling his second chance.
she got *eaten* by Alt
I like your V.
@@chriscormac231 Oh yea....forgot about that...
I dont want to be pessimistic but the more i think about songbird moon ending and the less i see it as a good choice for her. While on the surface its a good ending in reality we know for sure that she will become a lab rat, she told us as much. But this isnt even the biggest problem of all of this. Something i found surprising when So Mi told me that the matrice can only work once is that this is never a problem when you give her to the NUSA. If you also remember Solomon tells us that the matrice didn’t work on her and was then kept in storage for V. This mean that most likely, since Lagleys doctor are extremely good, giving a better life for V than for exemple Arasaka s doctor, that in the moon ending So Mi was in reality never cured. This mean that both the moon ending and NUSA ending are the same, with the same problem as before PL but with even less liberty, meaning that the only « good » ending for her would be to honor her wish while following Solomon road and let her die.
There is messege some time after moon ending from Songbird(presumably) and reward so I'm not sure if she became lab rat. Also I'm not sure if they even used matrix and just lied to Solomon.
In this ending V is saved, but we all know they want be happy like this... Lets be real with each other. If V would've known it would've become like this, would they have really chosen that path? It was never about the quiet life.
It's a rock and a hard place man. The answer is no, and you can know it isn't enough and really mean it, but when your time comes down to the moment and your facing death, you will always struggle to find a way out. Any way possible. Your mind races a thousand times faster testing every scenario for an escape. You can overcome it with sheer effort, I did. But I got to tell ya it's, unique. You have to experience it to really know. V is trapped and will never be happy but that's what makes this story so raw, so real.
I think the best ending is with the Aldecados and the romanced Judy, even if you die, you get to live the quiet life with people you care about and do things that you're good at.
I think it's based on very specific dialogue choices, but when you speak to Johnny at 9:00 I've seen people say that he was actually much more supportive of the decision with a kind of touching dialogue. I got the negative one like you did though :(
We need affinity with Johnny maxed out for that I guess
@gowthamk7416 I had the maximum you can get with the dlc of 85%, I'm guessing it's gated with the same dialogue that allows you to do the "don't fear the reaper ending" which requires you to do 3 specific dialogue choices, and missing a single one locks you out. Super stupid, had to look it up after not being able to get the ending at 80+ hours in
@@sixft_under I'm 100% sure it has something to do with the oil field scene and the same dialogues that unlock the secret ending
In one of his response Johnny says something like "we made our peace at the oil field"
@@sixft_under Totally agree, I got Fear the Reaper recently. But I'm actually super lucky all this new content came out since it made me want to replay the whole game. When I beat the game a while ago I didn't choose those options so I couldn't get Fear the Reaper. Unironically probably the worst thing for me in Cyberpunk, because while the bugs are annoying at least they're unintentional. Especially since they could've just had it be linked to Johnny's affinity instead some random dialogue.
@ungabunga9581 yea, I did a replay explicitly for that ending, said 2 out of 3 of the dialogue choices correct, had a really good relationship with Johnny, and then he treated me like a pos bc I chose to save myself like he said he wanted me to when i tried the dlc ending. Really soured the whole thing honestly. Also you already gotta wait for 5 whole minutes at the choice for the hidden option to come up for DFTR, idk why they gotta keep it locked behind a specific chain of dialogue. I had to turn the game off and walk away for a bit when I realized I had fucked it off of one line of dialogue
The new ending left me... Empty. Like a lost soul into a world that I don't understand and don't recognize anymore.
It's becoming an adult after teenage years of dreaming about glory, being enraged and angry against the whole world, to admit to not being someone special. Doing your best, being authentic and living according to your principles is enough to survive. Sometimes you lose everything, friends and love, but you can start again. Admitting all that and finally managing to settle down is a peaceful life.
Man is desperate to be part of an infinite world, where he counts for zero.
- save life of V
- spare the Saul, Rogue and possibly Takemura from death
- be unsang hero in NUSA instead of dead legend in NightCity
- have stable job as fixer or desk jock
- ditch Arasaka without moving finger and sacrifice countless number of people
- do not sell yourself to Mr. Blue Eyes
...and the people still think it's the worst fate because you can date Panam/Judy or ripp the heads off with bare hands no longer.
Seriously, the most tragic thing here is ditching Silverhand, the rest is berable.
The Tower ending is my favorite. V is still good with guns. V still has his reputation at the Afterlife. V still has all his money. V still has very high HP. V still has all of his organic perks and skills, V still has the possibilities to reconnect with Kerry, Judy, Viktor, and Misty. Give V more time to recover from his atrophied and he can go back to kicking Night City's ass in no time, or he can just live a peaceful life, leave the city, become a fixer, etc. Instead of dying in six months V can now do whatever he wants (given enough time and without implants.)
If he still had all of those physical abilities he wouldn't have gotten rocked by a thug. He's a normal guy now.
So to summerise: giving a life of power with death on the clock for a fresh start were V gets to live and can be something else, interesting, and fiting
An excellent analysis and it made me connected something that I didn't expect to connect. Depending on how they choose to handle the sequel, the new ending both presents an interesting situation on in universe political level with Yorinobu purging his surviving family and fully controlling Arasaka and its aftereffects but also puts V on a similar position with Neuromancer's protagonist, Case. His system is burned and can't live the life he led which makes him considerably "moody" but then a mysterious benefactor presents a way to return to the life he knew and enjoy for a job.
i very much doubt the sequel will continue Vs story, it will probably be set in the same world but with a diferent protagonist and a diferent story
@@asura7915depends on what you mean by different story.
Mr Blue Eyes didn’t just appear for no reason in the sun ending for the base game and the king of wands ending for phantom liberty.
They’re clearly building something up here and I don’t think it would be wise on CDPR’s part to forget about the role V and Songbird have to play in Mr Blue Eyes’ plans, whether we play as V or not. Especially considering that CDPR already made it clear Orion is going to be a sequel to 2077
Reed telling me that I can't manage in Night City without chrome inspired me to do a run on max difficulty without any chrome. Can't wait to see the completely unchanged look on his face when I wake up from a coma to tell him that surviving without chrome is my bread and butter.
It's kinda like Spider-Man No Way Home's bittersweet ending. They're free, but at the cost of everything they know and love.
I agree with the Hope for V to have a better life but i still view it as a sad ending. V's body is damaged and has the hope to now live a long life, but to refer again to the Dexter DeShawn conversation. when V replies "Night City doesnt let nobodies survive" its the same for V too. in this new ending we even see two low level gangoons beat up V with no issue and in my view its foretelling of this new ending. An ending even sadder then some of the base ones hes lost everything and the city has changed, V is now a nobody and Night city doesnt let Mr. nobody walk away not here. P.S very good video
V doesn't have to stay in Night City. He/She has an option to work for Langley and there is a dialogue option "I might leave the city"
I see it like this: basically V becomes one with the player. He/she transforms from a superhero into a completely normal person, a face in the crowd, and thus enters the world of the player, so to speak, and becomes one of us (or we become him/her). Maybe that's what makes many players so "moody" (including me). And as in real life, there's no way back. This brings us to the topic of "change", which is addressed in the video. Many players certainly associate this with own bittersweet memories, old friends, past youth - I think this ending touches on such emotions. It feels more personal than other endings. Especially because V is now like us.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with this, and it is why a lot of people believe this ending is depressing. Not because it’s actually bad or anything, but because it resonates so much with everyone. It hurts because of how real it is. I think most people go through life struggling to decide what they actually want out of it, and seeing V choose the normalcy of our daily routines over something extraordinary pains a lot of folks because they secretly wish to do amazing things themselves. That, and most of V’s friends moving on is an unfortunate thing that we all experience at least once in our lives, so it is hard to be reminded of those times. That being said, I think this ending is beautifully written and bittersweet.
I think what made this ending so sad for me is that its the death of V's character, goals, dreams and ambitions. Even with the quest for survival taking precedent when they get the relic, V always stated that they wanted to be sombody, make it big, be a big shot solo. The fact that V and every other character close to her have all just degraded and accepted a less happy existence is so very sad. I genuinely feel that with V's character at the end of the game, if we came back to V 10 years later they would still regret having the surgery instead of blazing their own trail. Its just a shame is all
Exactly my thoughts! This feels just like siding with Arasaka! You betray your friends for your survival and get a miserable, long life in return…
This is the sobering reality of real life for 99% of people. Hell is the failure of your life's greatest ambition. However, there's always the potential to recontextualize your meaning and purpose. It's both the saddest most heartbreaking thing in the world and the most hopeful and life affirming to lose everything - that's what makes this ending a masterpiece for me! Especially in the context of games where we're used to cut and dry good or bad endings where both lack nuance
the thing of it is - sometimes you have to recognize when to let your dreams go so you can make space for new, exciting unknowns.
Great analysis! This is my favorite ending, it’s just so fitting for the world of cyberpunk.
It all depends if V is still in a teen-like conquer-the-world mode or if the Relic story told him something and life outside of the Night City rat race. With the amount of killing and reputation farming it may be hard to get those lessons. Then depends on which skills V would master during the story. A pure solo would have it hard to adapt to post-solo life - having no remaining friends, no useful skills, and so on, just like a FIA meh job position. A techie probably would have it best (and FIA could give you a job working on big mechs!), netrunner would likely have to switch a few things as without Chrome there would be no combat hacking or some heroic coding. Maybe analytic, spy, tracking things indirectly. A Cool master could probably make a bar, music band, or whatever and have fun :P
We are forgetting Biotechnica and the like - with the AI war looming and Blackwall collapse a non-net-connected body would be better. Biotechnica making genetically modified organs or clones even could create a big market of beefed up biological body parts, bodies that could re-level V again into top-tier or just be weak in the Chrome era but strong in the AI war era.
Also, Reed's offer is also a generic corpo-like job position and becoming a target for ganks, and nomads, like all those "friendly" Aldecaldos who could take a job to kidnap V as a no-name Militech employee having some info or access someone else wants to use. And this is Myers land where an agent can be forgotten, sold, killed. If future ends threaten her or someone higher in the chain V can get on the chopping block because he knows... There is no modern lifestyle in the world of Cyberpunk. It's way too twisted on purpose and we as players in the real world are biased and expect a modern-life happy ending. Like in which hero fantasy video game do we get Homer Simpson ending? :D
Lots of good points. I just didn't think Panam was consistently written. In the text messages she says if she has to pick between the clan or V, it's V...but that runs contrary to the other endings where she actually does the very opposite. And being mad at V would certainly be in character, but not taking the opportunity to tell him off (and ultimately reconcile in some way, even if that is by moving on) seemed like a missed opportunity.
I always found Panam to be a weird character in general. Right from the very first quest with her it was like, this chick talks weird, she acts weird, I don't know what's going on here. One of the reasons I prefer female V is because I think Judy is a much better character as a romance option. She may have her issues but you can at least get an accurate read on her personality and what she cares about. Panam to me feels like a character that was written by two people who didn't communicate well enough during the creation process.
@@chriswhinery925i agree with you mostly besides the last point. I think Panam is just immature and volatile. She acts very childishly if you’re female V and not caring about doing everything she wants. Actually made her quite offputting to me. Hotheaded, volatile and immature… pretty nasty combo. It only makes sense she moved on from V and wants nothing to do with him after he basically ghosted her.
I think she killed herself after his disappearance.
@@Vogue69 wait what? No, Mitch tells you not to call her because it’s been hard for her to move on. She’s still alive.
Tbf in The Sun ending I think it's moreso that V's such a miserable bastard. She says something like she's glad she didn't have to choose in The Star but she's the only leader the Aldecaldos have at that point.
Absolutely agree with your second point. I really like this ending but CDPR did Panam dirty.
Yeah found it odd that people thought the new ending as the worst, I see it as the MOST hopeful. Seeing my V have that hopeful smile is so heartfelt after going through all the endings
All I can say is I am glad I was chooms with Johnny. Thats such a cruel conversation to end his life on. That and that this is an amazing video and Phantom Liberty is a WORK OF ART!!!!
I just want to say that this comment section has been an absolute joy to read through.
Everyone wanted that ending where v gets to live, no one realized that would be the most bitter sweet ending of all
To me, the thing that was saddest about this ending was the same as the legend ending, and that is that while you have a lot of potential and arguably that shred of hope l, so many more seem to fall by the wayside. In the legend ending you have what you wanted more or less but it's so clear that the cost has been extreme. Your romantic partner isn't happy, you're still pushing for 'one more job', and it really is a gilded cage you built.
In the new ending many of the people you contact have fallen into very unhappy places and while it may suck to be told they are busy- for a lot of them it didn't strike me as 'aw man fuck that guy' as much as 'damn this city ate them alive.' Nothing really drive that home harder than Vic. He'd just lost too much, seen too much. Going from the guy who stayed to his own course and provided a lot of help and sage advice to people (I've never confirmed it but when several NPCs talk about seeking advice from a ripper, particularly in one badlands cyber psycho scenario, it really sounds like it's Vic's advice) to a guy who got so tired of losing people, and so burnt out by that loss that he gave up. Most of the ones who seem to have done well in any ending are the ones who got out, got away. The hardest lesson to learn is how deeply that siren song affected so many people.
Imagine if V starts to hit the GYM hard, and gets himself a Cybernetic Suit, in order to become a Legend again. Simply put he becomes discount Jet-Stream Sam from MGRR. Superhéroes with crutches symbolize perseverance. 😉
Why can't V get cyber upgrades again?
@@CristanioPeweyyy: Because when the Doctors removed Johnny from V, it severely damaged his nervous system, and the nervous system is essential for cyberware to work.
@@thedarkknight727 The lore is amazing, thank you.
When I first heard of this ending, I thought it would be that V would become the next Morgan Blackhand. A solo who barely had any cyberware yet through skill alone would become the Solo's solo.
Also, V could just get Bioware, even Morgan Blackhand has it. V, by this ending, even has connections to Militech so why wouldn't they get it.
@@zer0stars Her nerve damage is beyond repair, it would pretty much kill her if she any insane upgrades.
Maybe in Cyberpunk 2 if it happens. V might get her nerve damage repaired and could end up being the best solo without any cyber upgrades.
I love how in this ending for the first time my street kid dialogue didn’t work. They stripped me of even that
That moment where V turns towards the player and gives a slight smile is V feeling hope for the very first time in forever, V now has a chance to live his life free from restrains; plus even if V can't use cyberware, they can still get enhancements in other ways if they need...
You know i had basically the same opinion on this. People (not unreasonbaly) are upset that a lot of friends V made just moved on (and yeah especially romance characters moving on hurt more) but if you look at the situation as a whole - imo this is probably the happiest ending you can imagine for V (second one being the nomad ending). Hell, if V and Jackie would have been content with being nobodies, a lot more people would be alive and happy (as happy as one can be in NC). And yeah, old friendships fizzling away and breakups suck, but hey thats just part of life. V would have moved on as well in time, make new friends, find new love (just think of the stories V can tell to his new friends over a couple of beers), hell maybe live long enough to find a way to overcome the side effects of the operation. And besides, Judy, Viktor and Misty still keep contact with V so its not all bad (hell even Kerry seemed willing to help with whatever financial troubles V had). Besides, if you were in V's shoes, what would you choose? A painful breakup and a boring life as a regualr joe or a few months at the top of the world knowing there is NO HOPE for you?
I like this interpretation of the ending, and it actually made me change my viewpoint a bit. My original interpretation of the event was that V made an NPC choice (Benjamin Franklin: "those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither") therefore, he ended up with an NPC life. There is almost a similar tone with the Arasaka/Devil ending or even with the Relic/Engram itself: you can live, but at what cost?
Only thing really bothering me are: 1. How did the NUSA stop the nanites from converting Vs body when a Rogue AI could not?
2. Panam vows to hunt down Johnny to the ends of the Earth if V gives up his body but completely moves on if V suddenly disappears for 2 years with no warning?
The shortcomings of the ending definitely lie in the fact that everyone he knew abandons him after two years, and Reed never bothered to reach out on our behalf. But I also found that the ending is just as poetic as the others. With V having to live a normal life. That moment at the end where the camera zooms out and V fades into the crowd reminded me of the suicide ending. With how somber both endings are, though definitely, the cure is the better of the two. I've always preferred the Star and Sun endings though.
I loved the fact that the endings dealt with either surviving Night City or becoming legend, which usually meant going out in a blaze of glory and not surviving. It fits with Pondsmith's ideas about Night City and survival.
In many of the endings it's not just V but does Johnny survive or does V survive? Does V become legend.
This Video is a masterpiece, cant wait for your analysis of songbird and any other you'd make.
I do agree that this is a great ending, if not the best! However, because of a glitch that would make V bald, I was not able to take the cutscene seriously.
I think it’s because of the surgery or something but it is weird that the hair wouldn’t grow back in two years. I think they wanted to make the point that v isn’t the same despite the fact being bald after 2 years doesn’t make logical sense.
I mean they obiviously had to do alot of surgery to remove all the high-tech combat chrome V had, including giving them a new face . Not entirely sure why her hair was shaven, but then again considering they basically kitted V with tech that could change her body and facial shape , one would assume they had to remove pretty much her entire skin and replace it with something else, which might explain the different face and missing hair.
I don't think it's a glitch at all lol
@genb4374 what I meant is that the V shaved In the cutscene reminded me of a glitch
they literally removed my Vs eyebrows, making him look so goofy that i could barely take this ending seriously lmao
I was really hoping they’d do a symbiosis ending where if your synergy with Johnny was high enough the two minds could merge
Ah yes, the green ending. 😂
Feels like that would be a Brundlefly type of situation lol.
@@cave_hag great memories of a botched video game ending lol
kinda takes the impact and consequences out of the equation which makes it less enjoyable in my opinion
not possible since the Relic doesnt work this way, would need to redcon whole story
IMO the biggest disappointment of this ending is that you dont get to call Panam and tell her "Hey going in for surgery that might cure me. I might be out of it for a while, I'll call you when I get out"
That would have been the best ending. Basically the aldecado ending but with a V that gets to keep living. Its my head canon ending. Just V and his gf living as nomads with a whole clan by their side.
Even if you did they can't sit and wait for two years, they have to keep moving, and there's no telling when they'd get back. If anything telling Panam beforehand would make her over-obsess about you and get the clan killed by leaving them open to rival nomads or corps to run them down. The nomads only form strong ties within the clan, external attachments create vectors for external forces to threaten the group.
This is why until V is accepted by the Aldecaldos as a whole you're talked about like an outside. Even taking into account a romance with Panam, she's not the type who handles that kind of psychological strain very well, and its also why she's so willing to dive into hell to help you in the Star ending.
Ultimately the reality is V was doomed from the start. No ending is a 'perfect' one, there is always a cost, or a catch.
@@HippoBean "Cyberpunk isn't about saving humanity. It's about saving yourself." I dig this ending because it offers a get out card so many never get, but the trade-off's a bittersweet batch. Everything in CP is transactional -- win some lose some -- quiet life or blaze of glory?
It's not particularly happy, but extremely provocative, and as happy as it's gonna get in Night City.
@@HippoBean Oh I completely agree with you and it's what I was getting at, it isn't a particularly happy ending but a bittersweet and well-written closure of the story, it's fittingly poignant and melancholic in it's message and fits Cyberpunk perfectly; "Was it worth losing all sense of your "self" at the cost of saving it?". I like that the answer depends on our own V.
@@HippoBean Well, biologically V is gone but his copied ghost lives on in place of Johnny on that chip. Soul killer does what it say on the tin. The engramatic V may not be able to tell the difference, but the V that just wanted to live will never regain consciousness. His brain has completely deteriorated and he is basically in a coma, being parasitically hijacked by a clone of himself on an implant.
@@HippoBean Adam Smasher living doesnt rly matter for V. He is not V main enemy. You dont even interact with him in story. He is more enemy for Johnny/Rogue bec of the past. V has nothing to do with him
yo, this is 💯facts!… I’ll rather live with nothing that to die with everything… my “V” will be aight .. she’s going to be a bad ass fixer once she settles down ….
Songbird was lying the whole time V didn’t sacrifice a friend he gave her a taste of her own medicine
Personally i just can't take the idea that somehow V is totaly useless and can't even stand up for themselves without his chrome even remotely seriously. Dude has killed 100's of people, and you could have played nearly the entire game without any dirrect combat chrome, who still has access to premsumably a million or more eddeis.
And besides, his neurons cant handle chrome anymore, big fucking deal. Bioware that doesn't interact with the neurons has been around since the 2020's, and he could easily use it to maybe not be as deadly as they once was, but certainly pretty close to it.
And like, slap a bit of subdermal armor on them and BAMN! They're ready to jump back on the cutting edge and pick up where they left off