As a completionist, it hurts knowing there's no truly "good" ending where V lives on AND is still a merc. But it makes for a good theme that the anime doubled down on: There are no happy endings in Night City. It's annoying how quickly V's friends forget them though. I thought the love interest would stick around at least.
I'm glad that somebody said it. V's dreams did not take into account of their own mortality. the entire game is literally trying to fight against all odds and still achieve their dreams to be a somebody in Night City. V follows a culture that Glorifies HOW YOU DIE. The point of V's goals is fulfillment not longevity. So yes with the number of endings that you can go for for V but the ones that seem to the truest to V at least for me considering V's Goals and how V chooses to interact with Johnny. either Giving Johnny their body as he grows as a person watching you perservere, or any of V owning the Afterlife and about to go off on a Heist at the Crystal Palace. Doing something that no one has ever achieved before as a Solo and Merc. If anything having those 6 months of life and fighting to prolong their life would probably feel liberating especially after attacking a Juggernaught like Arasaka and Adam Smasher.
I feel like Kerry is given to little credit, i mean sure he's busy but he wasn't mad, he understood, and he even offered to see V the next possible chance he got. After that ending i felt like the only people i had left tho were vik, Kerry, and Misty so it still was sad.
Judy was understandable, 2 years is alot of time so u move on and try to fill that hole from someone who departed from ur life with someone else, it's likely judy moved on from V after those 4 months, she probably left night city then and met a new contact in a new city this "Bianca" probably within her first month there in pittsburgh and then married her probably 1 or 2 months before V woke up. Panam leaving and not even bothering to open up and contact V is weird asf, girl is gonna be mad after 2 years? She needed us to fix her shit again? with saul? even after saul agreed to let panam lead the family with him? why the fuck would V and outsider continuously be her go to ticket to fix her shit? she is 100% dependant in other people. River is just sad honestly, he decided to sell ncpd secrets to trauma team to pay for randy's rehab, even this doesnt make sense..number 1 randy nor river can afford a trauma team plan, joss is poor and river is a private investigator not 100% affiliated with the ncpd, and he ruins his life for a rehab for his nephew? didn't randy make a full recovery? in many of the credits endings you can hear randy hanging out with dorian and monique as river is recording a message to V, did the kid go through a collapse? did he get himself into drug related problems after we saved his ass? wtf is going on?
In night city it’s be somebody or faint into the background as nobody. It’s no surprise that their friends that are conditioned to see things like that would have moved on and detached after 2 years. Also on a poetically level. You can see it as a lesson that everything comes at a price and actions have consequences. In order to get that ending you sacrifice two other people (Songbird and Johnny) and probably the whole world with them by granting Myer’s oligarchy over the blackwall. So yeah expecting a wholesome happy ending after that is the least to say delusional.
Nice vid. It is the worst ending possible beside arasaka ending. Selling your principles for corrupt powers and stealing your friends desperate last hope for survival is not in any shape or form hopeful/good. The amount of copium it takes people to call it that is just absurd. The games story teaches us that the city sucks, corpos suck, system suck and friends family good. And also Reed = takemura. Blind loyalty to corrupt system
Yeah, and it's not really a fair comparison as V doesn't have his legendary moment in this ending. We don't get to storm the Arasaka Tower and destroy Mikoshi, which gives V the glory and makes him become a legend of the Afterlife. Without that, he's just a mediocre merc who has the reputation of getting shit done, but no legendary reputation. It's easy to stay a legend in people's minds if you leave on the peak of your career as Morgan Blackhand does, but not in V's case in this ending.
@@whitemanex Or the fact that Blackhand made himself a legend without significant cybernetics. V was a serious edgerunner pushing the limit of what a brain could handle(and it seems like canon that V was built different like Smasher to an extent in that regard). Its not like V can just suddenly be an elite soldier, V is a busted up husk of a person after the nanites rebuild their brain, a person who relied on physical and cognitive boosting cybernetics and now has to adapt to life without them.
i think the cutscene makes this ending seem a lot sadder than it actually is because: V is still a millionaire with multiple apartments, cars, connections, merc experience etc. she has a lot of resources to live comfortably. Even though she cant use implants for combat anymore, she could still keep them for the intimidation factor, less chances of being attacked because they will think you are chromed out. But she also did a bunch of gigs with Jackie even without implants (First cutscene) so she could still be a merc and only take low level gigs. And while she does lose a lot of friends (only if you did their side quests), you can still make new friends. As for Johnny, he already died when Saburo turned him into an engram. V is just a potential "second chance" at life for him. Also the Alt ending where he is living eternally as an AI trapped in the blackwall sounds more like torture than resolution. What they should have done instead of that custscene is have 3 different endings based on your choices or lifepath: Streetkid V could become a a fixer, plus she has merc experience and money to pay mercs. Corpo V worked for Arasaka before she was "fired" so she should be fine working for the FIA. Nomad V could just go back to the badlands, live peacefully and find a new family. Imo its better to live for 40+ years as a wealthy NC legend than to slowly die for the next 3 months with your few friends that forget about you once you go into the coma.. i really dont like the ending for PL... i would have loved to see V working as a fixer in the Afterlife in the final cutscene instead of this "just another face in the crowd" thing. it doesn't make any sense to me and it feels like they just made it sad for the sake of being sad. I loved the DLC but the ending was really poorly executed.. i don't think anyone is happy with it.
There is a problem...................................................V lost his place because rent wasnt paid............and your V might in your mind be millionaire but that is hypothetical in your mind...... What the main canon of this type of ending is implying by the writers, is that V lost everything.......
V lost everything. Apartments? They got evicted from their main apartment, there's no way the other homes are still there's. And merc experience is useless if they can't be a merc, aside from being a teacher for a want-to-be mercenary, their merc experience is useless. And not to mention V's connections. If V had lost all their friends in the span of two years, then the fixers probably think V is a stranger by now. Not to mention, fixers can die (as seen with Faraday in edgerunners) or systems of powers could change. Not to mention. the gigs the fixers gave V were small scale. The only thing that can't exactly be disproven is their eddies and cars, assuming that they've just been chilling in some car park for two years. And V can't use their implants for intimidation either. Those thugs didn't seem to be scared of V. And Bennet(from that one Mr. Hands side mission) stopped being scared of Aguilar(that one deadly Columbian guy or whatever) and fought him. Low level gigs where they act as grunts doing grunt work and stuff? Yeah, okay, that might actually work. But then, V would just die to the next solo who probably also has an engram of some other rockerboy in their head.
It might be a sad ending, but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad ending .. it depends on what u want for v.. the game basically asks u to decide what’s more important, “Living” or “being alive”…I think it’s just another excellent ending to add to the others, that has its own place depending on wha u believe is most important for ur v.. pretty early on the game makes it clear that surviving is gonna be difficult, and if it’s possible ar all it will take a lot of sacrifice for it to come to fruition .. and still, v may not have his previous life anymore , but he’s still alive and he can make a new life for him/herself .. every ending is bitter sweet, no matter which one u choose, there r pros and cons, and it’s up to u to decide which ones r worth it to u
Yeah this ending sucks, you don't become a legend, lost all your friends and respect, lost YOURSELF, jesus I get it, we'll live, the relic won't kill us ok, but living that unprotected, on NC, it's a death sentence anyways,
In all actuality... This may actually be the best ending, even though I still think it sucks in most ways. V lives, got their skills intact(with a little bit of rehab), still got some connections and a whole life in front of them. Sure it sucks that their love interest is basically gone, and that combat chrome may be forever out of reach. But still got a stacked bank account, probably. In fact, if V is a part of the next game... maybe even protagonist, I am fairly certain this is the canon ending.
The ending reminds me alot of the ending of Goodfellas. You only wanted fame and fortune and when it turned against you betray everything and are left as a nobody, alive sure, but a nobody
The story of Cyberpunk 2077 after V is recovered from the landfill is only a couple of weeks canonically. So all the ‘friends’ you made aren’t lifelong friends. Sucks to lose them but, grand scheme, not the absolutely worse (unless you romanced Panam, like me😂). Still, it’s an ugly ending where it’s better to go down on top vs slowly fading away. I put this ending MARGINALLY above the suicide ending.
Does someone really count Suicide ending as an ending? I can't acknowledge it as a true ending and we also don't have any achievement for getting it as far as I know playing in Steam (bc literally nothing happens). But ok, it really is worse than the Tower one. It's always worse to do nothing than to do at least something to make your situation better.
@@whitemanex Credits roll after you do it, so it IS an ending. I can understand them not putting trophies/achievements behind suicide (almost encouraging it). But yeah, definitely one of the worst ones
My friend Takemura is alive and well in that ending and he now too hates Arasaka! That's the biggest win for me. But I'm glad you too see Panam for what she really is, lmao. The way she behaves is real funny
Takemura............was never a friend, he was as charming a Myers.....just happens that in this ending Myers is the one who got the benefit of your decision.....and Takemura didn't.
What makes V strong is not their cyberware, in my opinion. It's their ability to persevere and adapt. Being in a coma for 2 years is not going to leave you in a position where you are handling a physical altercation. It's a bit of a leap to suggest V getting beat up is strictly because of a lack of cyberware. You can make plenty of really strong builds in the game with no cyberware. To be depressed about this ending is nothing without cyberware and will always be weak post recovery. That's not fair to V at all, and is, in my opinion, shortsighted. Morgan Blackhand is a beast and has practically no cyberware. I would agree it's a bit stark that everyone's moved on as hard as they have in 2 years. Panam in particular seems like a break in character and development. V's taken on the impossible before and literally lives to tell the tale in this ending. To suggest V can't find a way forward with this new status quo is really more a reflection on you wanting to have sunshine and roses thrown in your face more than seeing that life is challenging and those challenges are what make us strong. If V spends a 6 months to a year getting in top physical shape and explores other avenues who knows what's possible.
V has plenty to live for after the coma. A fixer who is an undercover FIA agent working to further Militech's grip on the region/clean up Heywood after Padre has gone soft would make for some solid story telling. My V also has a vast amount of money and physical assets worth millions so I'm not buying the whole. "well you're broke now" bullshit, that's a massive cop out from CDPR although its never directly stated, only that your apartment was sold off for not paying the rent. The street thug thing was also kind of stupid too, then again the fact that you can just walk off a 2 year coma without rehab proves how tough the character is.
not the ending, the world of Cyberpunk is. If you aren't a legend, a solo figting for your own sphere of influence then you are no-one - you can get killed by a random gang member, your corpo empoyer - your life mens little while friendships and human values are mostly long gone. The ending is bit forced but it shows that Night City is a world of lonely people. You are gone - you get forgotten and discarded by pretty much eveyone. The only way to prevent people from discarding and forgetting you is to become a legend, number one, die during a spectatcular raid, not in your bed at the age of 100+. And in Dex car we can't pick the no-name path as an answer as V too.
@@m4rcin847 You are naive if you think like that. She has nothing. She lost all her friends expect Victor but he is unhappy and not well as. Songbird lives in hell but I guess you might hate her so you probably don't care. Ok I understand that but to get this ending she also betrayed Johnny and her old enemies still remains. She can be easily killed in Night City. Work for FIA is like a deal with the devil. She is alive but not for long.
What? Its the best one! He get rid of Johnny, stay alive for more than half a year, he didnt have to be (and cannot be) a fucking cyborg, just a normal human being with a ton of money, apartaments, cars and so on... He can start something new, like he said in one of dialog options (with Misty?) - he can be a fixer. HOW THE FUCK IS THIS SUPPOSE TO BE WORSE THAN SUICIDE? OR ANY ARASAKA ENDING? I absolutely, wholeheartly disagree with that opinion.
V's goals were never about getting rich or just surviving, his goal was always to become a legend of the Afterlife, be the best merc in the city. How's this ending helps him achieve his goals? Even Rogue tells him to not come to the Afterlife too often to not ruin his image, and his public image is the only thing V cares about. Besides, we have an open ending with the Crystal Palace, where Mr Blue Eyes tells V he can help him with his problem in exchange for doing the gig. So we have an ending where V gets to live and not give up on his ambition, which is the best for his character in my opinion.
@@whitemanex Dude, we played the same game? Being a legend was his goal until Konpeki Plaza heist happen. He trying to survive since then, he even mention that in couple of dialogs. In that case absolute best ending for V is "(Dont fear) The Ripper". That is exactly what he wanted to achieve at the start of the game. This could be cool for a video game character but not with more realistic approach. Who would refuse to be a suicidal maniac and mass murderer with so much chrome hes barely a human. So much better than second chance to get normal life and job, right?
Whitemane, I am about to rebut every single one of your arguments. Buckle up, this is gonna be long and rough. Firstly, it's true, we are not V. We are the player, and therefore we have the benefit of foresight to see the big picture. It's because we are not V we can see things like how Yorinobu is actually a heroic character. But I'll expand on this point a little later. Secondly, you gave the argument of not trusting a corp. And the alternative is either: trusting another corp that fails V in every possible way, or trusting an AI that only gives V borrowed time. At least the NUSA truly gives V his lifespan back. But this was a dire situation. A golden ending where V double jumps off into the sunset is too much to ask of the cyberpunk genre. In terms of fulfilled promises, the Tower ending delivers the most. Thirdly, Johnny Silverhand. Unfortunately for him, his time is done. A completionist run would have given him one last date with Rogue and one last gig with Samurai. That's more than what a dead man could ask for. Avenging himself on Adam Smasher was just his wounded pride talking. Fourthly, fifthly and sixth are about all that V has lost during the operation. His demigod-like combat prowess, his possessions and his friends. Like other videos have pointed out; V had gone back to Night City without any rehab, nor his best iron he had on him when he boarded the AV. (The latter was a phenomenally forced stupid decision like how the game forces V to shake Meredith Stout's hand in an isolated storm drain) That means we haven't got a chance to see if V could return to a level where he could handle another booyah thug. And even if the worst has happened and V can never throw nor take a punch again, that still doesn't take away his other non-physical skills like netrunning knowledge, technical skill, smooth-talking nor stealth. He still has his vast combat experience. Don't ever discount experience. Recall the difference between your first and second playthrough in any game. Experience makes a world of difference. As other comments have pointed out, V still has his eddies. Any late-game V could easily be a multimillionaire. Being rich in the cyberpunk world ain't that bad a lifestyle if you ask me. There are worse fates than being a multimillionaire in Langley, working a cushy desk job with blue skies and green trees outside. (Take me back to Night City! Save me from this hellscape!/s) Then there are V's friends. Here's something to notice: most of V's friends that cut him out of their lives are those that V has only known for a few months at most; Panem, Judy, and River. Granted that they come off as horrible friends since V came and changed their lives mostly for the better, but you can't blame them for moving on for a merc that disappeared for two years. What pushes them to AH territory is refusing to meet up with V once they knew he was alive. (Panem, what kind of toddler tantrum are you throwing here?) Meanwhile, other friends who were willing to resume their relationship are those who knew V longer than that, Viktor and Misty. Kerry had no problems resuming his friendship with Johnny after 50 years, 2 years for V is nothing. Seventh, Arasaka's retreat from Night City. You mean the ending when Yorinobu completes his work in dismantling Arasaka's tyrannical grip on Night City is bad? That's your argument? You've seen the alternative. And you know CDPR will never completely kill off such a major antagonist corporation. Night City has always been living on borrowed time. Arasaka should have been gone from Night City after the 2023 attack. However, since the NUSA and the Unification War wanted North California and Night City in its grip, then councilman Lucius Rhyne turned to Arasaka as a counterweight. That was Arasaka's chance to resink its hooks in Night City and they sunk it in good. That's why Night City became such a corporate dystopia, it was for "independence". In 2077, only two Free States remain; North California, and the Republic of Texas. It was merely a matter of time before the NUSA reabsorbed Night City. Yes, we know Militech is as bad as Arasaka, but that's a struggle for another game. Eighth, Adam Smasher is still alive. And this matters how to V? Other than Johnny's grudge, Smasher had not wronged V in any way. Aside from Smasher being a final boss to beat, is there a particular reason why V must take the responsibility to personally destroy Smasher? Really, answer this question, I'm curious. Ninth, the loss of V's old life. Believe me, I get it. I truly understand the raw feeling of revulsion as you see V's life crash around him. I felt it too when I first saw this ending. For now, I'd like to bring your attention to Takemura in this ending. In the credits, he brings up the metaphor of bitter medicine. He said that strong medicine was bitter to the mouth. What did he mean by that? In this route, Takemura and Hanako tried storming Arasaka Tower by themselves. They failed, she died, and Takemura was scapegoated for another Arasaka death. Takemura all but admits that his faith in the Arasaka Corp has been broken; the same thing V tried to do but failed in the Devil ending. But thanks to that, a huge mental shackle has been broken off Takemura. That's medicine. However, he can never return to his old life, that's bitter medicine. How does that relate to V? In many ways, the glorification of the Edgerunner lifestyle is a cultural result of Night City's dystopia. Life is cheap there, and the only way its people can inject meaning into their terrible lives is to go out in a blaze of glory. However, what people want is not necessarily good for them. Just ask fast food. Or alcohol. Or drugs. Do you know what is the end result of such a lifestyle? David Martinez, Johnny Silverhand. We have seen firsthand for ourselves the tragedy of their lives. David could very well had a longer, fulfilling life with Lucy if he just slowed himself down once they got that penthouse. And Johnny, we've seen for ourselves what Johnny's lifestyle got him; an unmarked grave in the middle of nowhere. Is that what you want for V? We get a glimpse of what the merc life truly costs during the Sun ending. Breaking up with V's lover, chasing the elusive dream of more and more even as the end approaches. That is what V was mourning for during the Tower epilogue. Is that lifestyle truly what's best for V? Back to bitter medicine. Now V has his lifespan back. That's medicine. However, he is permanently cut off from a lifestyle that would jeopardize everything he holds dear on a daily basis. He loses his old life. That's bitter medicine. Like you said, we are not V. We are in a better position to see what's better for him in the long run. Tenth, (oh yeah, there's still more) sacrificing So Mi. Yes, the character presents a compelling struggle between V's principles and survival. I mean, I could make the argument that V only got involved in the whole ugly mess because So Mi promised a cure, but let's put that aside for now. Let's talk about Meredith Stout and Anthony Gilchrist. Tell me, who deserved to die? Meredith, who was simply trying to find her missing cargo or else she's dead, or Anthony, whose daughter was kidnapped by Adam Smasher and has to do what Maelstrom says or else? Both have legitimate reasons to do what they did, but one way or another, someone has to die. If you were Meredith, if you heard why Anthony betrayed Militech, would you give in to sympathy and face the music with your superiors instead? Cause that's basically what helping So Mi to the Moon entails. It is so easy to talk about principles behind a screen. The true test comes when you face defending them in front of a barrel of a gun. God willing, none of us will have to face such a test, but never declare lightly that you'd be willing to lay your life for another like that. Eleventh, and finally, you make it sound that V is doomed to a meaningless life, where he'll die alone and forgotten. You know how similar that sounds? When V wakes up in Viktor's clinic after The Heist. At that point, V had lost his friends, except Viktor and Misty. He had been hit with shocking news, and now he has to dust himself off and keep going. Sound familiar? We as the player saw V hone his strengths, make new friends, and find ways to fix his condition. What makes you think V is going to weep in an alley for the rest of his days once the credits roll? V can make new friends, just like how he met people like Panem, River and Judy, and he can do it now without the threat of a terminal condition looming over them. It feels like no one has been listening to Misty at all. Don't you know how free V is now in this ending? For those of you who played Cyberpunk 2077 at least a second time, didn't you appreciate the freedom from death V had during Act 1 before the heist? Wasn't it liberating to shower without coughing blood, to look in the mirror and not see Keanu Reeves staring back at you? V now has that freedom back, and you're calling it bleak? V is free, freer than he has ever been in his life. The Tower ending is the equivalent to receiving the bad news from Viktor, and then passing out after the first appearance of Johnny, roll credits. We don't see how V picks up his life after that, because the game has to end eventually. Players calling it a bad ending weep for the loss of Night City and the mercenary lifestyle, but I hope I have sufficiently pointed out that neither of them are worth clinging to.
Also the tower is not a good card according to the ingame description. Especially compared to the star and sun cards. Baffling how people think that one of the only 2 endings where smasher definitely lives (i guess you can spare him in the other endings but why would you do that?) is a good ending. This ending is only marginally better than the devil ending and thats only because you do definitely get cured, but i think you can get cured in the other endings as well, especially path of glory with blue eyes considering he can and seemingly did get songbird cured using some tech found in an abandoned bunker. Who knows what advanced tech could be found in the crystal palace where many corporations have leased space like utopian corp, who are secretly one of the worlds most advanced corps specializing in nanotech. Also the cards that misty pull, imply that V succeeds so thats another plus.
I still don’t think it’s that bad… what happens to Songbird sucks… and we don’t know what happens to Panam. But a lot of other people are doing all right. And V is free to start over. Maybe become a fixer, or find Panam and be with her indefinitely. Honestly the only part I view as really bad is the fact that Johnny gets erased. If there could have been a way to stabilize him in your brain so the two of you could co-exist I think it would have been a nearly perfect ending.
Funny enough I'm actually working on a mod that allows for that ending where you merge with Johnny and carry on playing the game. I have 3 new endings planned depending on if I can get that one to work properly
I hate this ending more for its overall shity writing -V doesn`t tell ANYONE any details even tho Reed tells you "If you got plants that need watering set something up" -V bitching about how their old life is gone (as a Merc) ignoring that all lifepath V`s were quite competent before meeting Jackie and during their 6 Months working together And not to forget to mention the "argument" many hide behind "Blaze of Glory or Quiet Life" or "No good endings in NC" a Narrative that's Bullshit x10 -Jackie made the Major Leagues at a price -Rogue helps directly or indirectly to Avange Johnny and the others and can die happy -Johnny for once in his life helped someone and gave his life, like someone did for him -V in the Nomad ending has a short but happy life or (if you`ll count it as good) he gives his body to Johnny keeping his promise to him and is this time the best Choom that dies Even in a setting like Cyberpunk, you can have a happy ending if you work for it, looking at Songbird.
Not really. First, V does write everyone that they will be out of the city and does say it's a medical leave. No one plans to go through a coma and disappear for 2 years. Second, the old life for V is gone as well. Nomad V doesn't have a clan and the only chance of getting one (the Aldecaldos) is gone with Panam. Street Kid is over due to not being able to defend themselves against a bunch of thugs and being out for 2 years kinda makes you miss a lot going on streets. We even have a dialogue trying to say that we're from NC, mentioning the Coyote bar and the thugs say that it's been closed for a while and punch us. Corpo V is kinda over from the start, and you also need implants to be a good corpo dog. Quiet life or blaze of glory is a good outline for what's happening in the game, and in any case V is going to die (well, if we don't count the Sun ending Mr. Blue Eyes theory), and it's kinda good that CDPR created a way for them to live on. The question is "Is it the life worth living?" So I don't share your scepticism about the story, I think the story in Cyberpunk is one of the best videogame stories of all time and these DLC contributes massively to how we experience it.
this ending is a result of what V is fighting for the hole game the cure for the bio chip and what will happened if V get the cure. CDPR make the statement super clear that if u want to save u self. You will betray and sacrafice other people thats with V and with So Mi. After all V gets new life with endless posabilitys and thats not sad or depressing at all.
You either die a legend, burning the candle at both ends, or you don't, and get to live an ordinary life. It's not supposed to be a good ending, just an ending. In so far as giving you choices, it does add to the possibilities.
@@clarencewalters338Sortof, the CIA actually was an agency back when the United States still existed. They were part of the Gang of Four who basically committed treason to take out the president and vp in the 90’s.
I sided with Reed in both my playthroughs, i just couldn't bring myself to save songbird. Bitch was lying every time and manipulating V for her own selfish gain. While hiding behind a pretty face. And who's to say what a rogue AI that rewrites the memory of human will do with such an asset? Better she's dead and no longer a weapon
The cancer metaphor does not work at all in my opinion. It sounds close, but the stakes are very different. The path to getting this ending is the most questionable thing, the ending itself is not that bad. V could always start over. If your friends forget you after two years of no contacting each other (hi, covid!) them are they even truly your friends? Not to say it's easy to get those in Night City. I think avoiding death to live again is not bad, however, the requirements and path to getting there...means that V has probably become a person I don't really want to see get a new start like that. Another thing is, it's easy to forget, but the story of characters does not Revolve around the player or V. The fact they ended up where they do in that ending is not V/player's fault or burden. It sure would have been nice for them to have someone around to help out, yes, but it is not V's fault for not being there with them through it (especially considering how dire the consequences of V's situation are, you can't fault him for trying to deal with their own issues. sure would be nice if he and the friends had each other through those difficult times through).
The Sun is the best ending for V, but I could see an argument with the Tower ending V could become a Fixer due to their experience. Specifically Suicide mission, Don't fear the Reaper is peak.
Alex died because i messed up the last question. Sided with Reed but let songbird have her death. Best outcome is to let songbird die and protect Reed. Just don’t let Alex die.
Why should will let someone who has been chained and tortured all their adult life long have their death? Alex and So Mi are the ones who want out. Want no part in this. Reed is there voluntarily out of his knight in armour saviour syndrome. So yeah if he wants to die for the flag and his beliefs let him have it.
I think it’s not a bad ending. You can always start over. You get handed a cushy government job and you can make new friends in a better city. Not to mention, Morgan Blackhand is light on his cyberware as well. So, the path to being a merc is still open, V just needs to adapt.
All of my playthroughs are Street kid V's with minimal cyberware. I always rely on stealth and headshots/weapon mastery so the whole 'you can't use combat implants' is fairly neglible to me anyways
While it is one of the worst endings for V as a character, it is a moderately happy ending for the players. V survived. He gets to live his life as he wishes with all of his skills, knowledge and wealth. Sure, some of his friends that he knew for couple of months abandoned him but a loss of a friends is not the end of the world. Furthermore, ending leaves a lot of space for headcannons: becoming a fixer, leaving NC, tracking down Panam and the rest of nomads and so on and so forth. Honestly, by cyberpunk genre it is a happy ending.
This isn't the worst ending in Cyberpunk ! It's stupid and has its faults i.e - not having a contingency plan during surgery, but it definitely ain't the worst. Whereas you're 'good' ending means handing over Songbird, who has cyberpsychosis and possessed by a Blackwall AI, to Mr Blue Eyes who runs an army of Manchurian candidates, such as the Peralez's, who's intentions are vastly unknown and most likely will imprison her on the Moon as a lab rat to continue with piercing the Blackwall and probably get most people on Earth killed. Myers is a piece of shit granted, but she's a piece of shit who can be brought down and motivations are easily understood which can be used against her. The real title of the video should be "I'm gonna simp for my pretty cyborg Waifu and here's why you should too"
except, she only goes psycho if you betray her and in which case you cant hand her over to blue eyes anyways so what are you on about? Also we know almost nothing about blue eyes and can only make assumptions based on his one appearance in the base game that isnt the ending. I find it quite funny how you make assumptions about what happens on the moon to justify not sending her there, but seemingly support handing her over to myers, who will without a doubt use her as a weapon and kill people. Kinda just seems like you're coping to justify you picking the ending where you condemn her to a fate worse than death (btw killing her is also a valid option if you dont want to send her to the moon), sell out to a corp, and essentially betray and kill your homie.
And you're justifying being a simp who white knights for someone who fucks you over and was out to fuck you over from the get go. How is she your 'homie' ? V is a means to an end for Songbird, whether she starts catching feelings for V or not. V in the FIA gets to live, where's the cope about that ? Blue Eyes literally hacks peoples brains and implants new memories in them i.e Peralez and the others in that datatruck that you hack, whether he's a force for good or not, that's shady af, along with kidnapping Garry who is just a homeless guy shouting in the street. Your the one coping being left in a situation whereby you might have 6 months to live (maybe longer, maybe shorter) backed by a guy who's sketchy at best who is your best shot at survival after you gave up a bonafide cure so that your plutonic cyborg waifu could run off to the Moon@@spizzy34
This is the worst ending for me people say V can live well if the gang the V fighting will leave V alone will they or FATE WORST THAN DEATH V´s HEAD ON A SPIKE AND ALL THAT
As a completionist, it hurts knowing there's no truly "good" ending where V lives on AND is still a merc. But it makes for a good theme that the anime doubled down on: There are no happy endings in Night City. It's annoying how quickly V's friends forget them though. I thought the love interest would stick around at least.
I'm glad that somebody said it. V's dreams did not take into account of their own mortality. the entire game is literally trying to fight against all odds and still achieve their dreams to be a somebody in Night City. V follows a culture that Glorifies HOW YOU DIE. The point of V's goals is fulfillment not longevity. So yes with the number of endings that you can go for for V but the ones that seem to the truest to V at least for me considering V's Goals and how V chooses to interact with Johnny. either Giving Johnny their body as he grows as a person watching you perservere, or any of V owning the Afterlife and about to go off on a Heist at the Crystal Palace. Doing something that no one has ever achieved before as a Solo and Merc. If anything having those 6 months of life and fighting to prolong their life would probably feel liberating especially after attacking a Juggernaught like Arasaka and Adam Smasher.
People who think tower ending is the good ending never paid attention to the storytelling of Cyberpunk.
The best ending is killing Somi and leaving with Panam and maybe meeting the Technomancers among the nomads.
I feel like Kerry is given to little credit, i mean sure he's busy but he wasn't mad, he understood, and he even offered to see V the next possible chance he got. After that ending i felt like the only people i had left tho were vik, Kerry, and Misty so it still was sad.
Yeah, Kerry is a bro after all, but still it doesn't really change the full picture
Judy was understandable, 2 years is alot of time so u move on and try to fill that hole from someone who departed from ur life with someone else, it's likely judy moved on from V after those 4 months, she probably left night city then and met a new contact in a new city this "Bianca" probably within her first month there in pittsburgh and then married her probably 1 or 2 months before V woke up.
Panam leaving and not even bothering to open up and contact V is weird asf, girl is gonna be mad after 2 years? She needed us to fix her shit again? with saul? even after saul agreed to let panam lead the family with him? why the fuck would V and outsider continuously be her go to ticket to fix her shit? she is 100% dependant in other people.
River is just sad honestly, he decided to sell ncpd secrets to trauma team to pay for randy's rehab, even this doesnt make sense..number 1 randy nor river can afford a trauma team plan, joss is poor and river is a private investigator not 100% affiliated with the ncpd, and he ruins his life for a rehab for his nephew? didn't randy make a full recovery? in many of the credits endings you can hear randy hanging out with dorian and monique as river is recording a message to V, did the kid go through a collapse? did he get himself into drug related problems after we saved his ass? wtf is going on?
You live ,but the tragedy is you lose everything and everyone you were living for.
In night city it’s be somebody or faint into the background as nobody. It’s no surprise that their friends that are conditioned to see things like that would have moved on and detached after 2 years.
Also on a poetically level. You can see it as a lesson that everything comes at a price and actions have consequences. In order to get that ending you sacrifice two other people (Songbird and Johnny) and probably the whole world with them by granting Myer’s oligarchy over the blackwall. So yeah expecting a wholesome happy ending after that is the least to say delusional.
Nice vid. It is the worst ending possible beside arasaka ending. Selling your principles for corrupt powers and stealing your friends desperate last hope for survival is not in any shape or form hopeful/good. The amount of copium it takes people to call it that is just absurd. The games story teaches us that the city sucks, corpos suck, system suck and friends family good. And also Reed = takemura. Blind loyalty to corrupt system
"Morgan Blackhand has little cybernetics but is still a legend merc!" Is the biggest cope I've ever heard.
Yeah, and it's not really a fair comparison as V doesn't have his legendary moment in this ending.
We don't get to storm the Arasaka Tower and destroy Mikoshi, which gives V the glory and makes him become a legend of the Afterlife. Without that, he's just a mediocre merc who has the reputation of getting shit done, but no legendary reputation.
It's easy to stay a legend in people's minds if you leave on the peak of your career as Morgan Blackhand does, but not in V's case in this ending.
Life is all about cope. Just like V had to cope with his condition after The Heist.
@@whitemanex Or the fact that Blackhand made himself a legend without significant cybernetics. V was a serious edgerunner pushing the limit of what a brain could handle(and it seems like canon that V was built different like Smasher to an extent in that regard). Its not like V can just suddenly be an elite soldier, V is a busted up husk of a person after the nanites rebuild their brain, a person who relied on physical and cognitive boosting cybernetics and now has to adapt to life without them.
Sure you say it was the bad ending, but after getting to the end my bank balance was popping because crime does pay.
i think the cutscene makes this ending seem a lot sadder than it actually is because:
V is still a millionaire with multiple apartments, cars, connections, merc experience etc. she has a lot of resources to live comfortably.
Even though she cant use implants for combat anymore, she could still keep them for the intimidation factor, less chances of being attacked because they will think you are chromed out.
But she also did a bunch of gigs with Jackie even without implants (First cutscene) so she could still be a merc and only take low level gigs.
And while she does lose a lot of friends (only if you did their side quests), you can still make new friends.
As for Johnny, he already died when Saburo turned him into an engram. V is just a potential "second chance" at life for him. Also the Alt ending where he is living eternally as an AI trapped in the blackwall sounds more like torture than resolution.
What they should have done instead of that custscene is have 3 different endings based on your choices or lifepath:
Streetkid V could become a a fixer, plus she has merc experience and money to pay mercs.
Corpo V worked for Arasaka before she was "fired" so she should be fine working for the FIA.
Nomad V could just go back to the badlands, live peacefully and find a new family.
Imo its better to live for 40+ years as a wealthy NC legend than to slowly die for the next 3 months with your few friends that forget about you once you go into the coma..
i really dont like the ending for PL... i would have loved to see V working as a fixer in the Afterlife in the final cutscene instead of this "just another face in the crowd" thing. it doesn't make any sense to me and it feels like they just made it sad for the sake of being sad. I loved the DLC but the ending was really poorly executed.. i don't think anyone is happy with it.
Absolutely happiest ending in the entire game. He achieved everything he want except no implants rule.
My v lives happy with paman becoming a pet detective..
There is a problem...................................................V lost his place because rent wasnt paid............and your V might in your mind be millionaire but that is hypothetical in your mind...... What the main canon of this type of ending is implying by the writers, is that V lost everything.......
V lost everything.
Apartments? They got evicted from their main apartment, there's no way the other homes are still there's. And merc experience is useless if they can't be a merc, aside from being a teacher for a want-to-be mercenary, their merc experience is useless. And not to mention V's connections. If V had lost all their friends in the span of two years, then the fixers probably think V is a stranger by now. Not to mention, fixers can die (as seen with Faraday in edgerunners) or systems of powers could change. Not to mention. the gigs the fixers gave V were small scale.
The only thing that can't exactly be disproven is their eddies and cars, assuming that they've just been chilling in some car park for two years.
And V can't use their implants for intimidation either. Those thugs didn't seem to be scared of V. And Bennet(from that one Mr. Hands side mission) stopped being scared of Aguilar(that one deadly Columbian guy or whatever) and fought him.
Low level gigs where they act as grunts doing grunt work and stuff? Yeah, okay, that might actually work. But then, V would just die to the next solo who probably also has an engram of some other rockerboy in their head.
@@henrycorpman2596 Still better than dying in your bed and piss after half a year. Or anything that includes Arasaka.
It might be a sad ending, but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad ending .. it depends on what u want for v.. the game basically asks u to decide what’s more important, “Living” or “being alive”…I think it’s just another excellent ending to add to the others, that has its own place depending on wha u believe is most important for ur v.. pretty early on the game makes it clear that surviving is gonna be difficult, and if it’s possible ar all it will take a lot of sacrifice for it to come to fruition .. and still, v may not have his previous life anymore , but he’s still alive and he can make a new life for him/herself .. every ending is bitter sweet, no matter which one u choose, there r pros and cons, and it’s up to u to decide which ones r worth it to u
The Arasaka and PL endings also tie in really well with the question Dex asks you at the beginning of the game.
Yeah this ending sucks, you don't become a legend, lost all your friends and respect, lost YOURSELF, jesus I get it, we'll live, the relic won't kill us ok, but living that unprotected, on NC, it's a death sentence anyways,
In all actuality... This may actually be the best ending, even though I still think it sucks in most ways. V lives, got their skills intact(with a little bit of rehab), still got some connections and a whole life in front of them. Sure it sucks that their love interest is basically gone, and that combat chrome may be forever out of reach.
But still got a stacked bank account, probably.
In fact, if V is a part of the next game... maybe even protagonist, I am fairly certain this is the canon ending.
If v is part of the next game i would say its in sort of a fixer role
@@h4rshturtle456 Maybe...
The ending reminds me alot of the ending of Goodfellas. You only wanted fame and fortune and when it turned against you betray everything and are left as a nobody, alive sure, but a nobody
The story of Cyberpunk 2077 after V is recovered from the landfill is only a couple of weeks canonically. So all the ‘friends’ you made aren’t lifelong friends. Sucks to lose them but, grand scheme, not the absolutely worse (unless you romanced Panam, like me😂).
Still, it’s an ugly ending where it’s better to go down on top vs slowly fading away. I put this ending MARGINALLY above the suicide ending.
Does someone really count Suicide ending as an ending? I can't acknowledge it as a true ending and we also don't have any achievement for getting it as far as I know playing in Steam (bc literally nothing happens).
But ok, it really is worse than the Tower one. It's always worse to do nothing than to do at least something to make your situation better.
@@whitemanex Credits roll after you do it, so it IS an ending. I can understand them not putting trophies/achievements behind suicide (almost encouraging it).
But yeah, definitely one of the worst ones
realistically, there is no “cure” for the relic even if there is one, its gonna come at a greater cost
My friend Takemura is alive and well in that ending and he now too hates Arasaka! That's the biggest win for me. But I'm glad you too see Panam for what she really is, lmao. The way she behaves is real funny
Panam was literally unlovable before V entered her life. She was all flaws and it requires a patient simping V to change her even a little.
Takemura............was never a friend, he was as charming a Myers.....just happens that in this ending Myers is the one who got the benefit of your decision.....and Takemura didn't.
@@mai_tq Yeah after some recent research about him placing trackers on V and all I think about the same.. :(
What makes V strong is not their cyberware, in my opinion. It's their ability to persevere and adapt. Being in a coma for 2 years is not going to leave you in a position where you are handling a physical altercation. It's a bit of a leap to suggest V getting beat up is strictly because of a lack of cyberware. You can make plenty of really strong builds in the game with no cyberware.
To be depressed about this ending is nothing without cyberware and will always be weak post recovery. That's not fair to V at all, and is, in my opinion, shortsighted.
Morgan Blackhand is a beast and has practically no cyberware.
I would agree it's a bit stark that everyone's moved on as hard as they have in 2 years. Panam in particular seems like a break in character and development.
V's taken on the impossible before and literally lives to tell the tale in this ending. To suggest V can't find a way forward with this new status quo is really more a reflection on you wanting to have sunshine and roses thrown in your face more than seeing that life is challenging and those challenges are what make us strong.
If V spends a 6 months to a year getting in top physical shape and explores other avenues who knows what's possible.
V has plenty to live for after the coma. A fixer who is an undercover FIA agent working to further Militech's grip on the region/clean up Heywood after Padre has gone soft would make for some solid story telling.
My V also has a vast amount of money and physical assets worth millions so I'm not buying the whole. "well you're broke now" bullshit, that's a massive cop out from CDPR although its never directly stated, only that your apartment was sold off for not paying the rent.
The street thug thing was also kind of stupid too, then again the fact that you can just walk off a 2 year coma without rehab proves how tough the character is.
Morgan had a Sandi.
It’s funny but it’s actually the best ending.
This ending is definitely evil. I'm glad that we agree about that. I would never help Reed.
not the ending, the world of Cyberpunk is. If you aren't a legend, a solo figting for your own sphere of influence then you are no-one - you can get killed by a random gang member, your corpo empoyer - your life mens little while friendships and human values are mostly long gone. The ending is bit forced but it shows that Night City is a world of lonely people. You are gone - you get forgotten and discarded by pretty much eveyone. The only way to prevent people from discarding and forgetting you is to become a legend, number one, die during a spectatcular raid, not in your bed at the age of 100+.
And in Dex car we can't pick the no-name path as an answer as V too.
@@riklaunim I know. That's a reason why I love this game. It's not the black and white world like Life is Strange.
Yea, he could live a new life with a ton of money, cars and apartaments. The only downside - no chrome. Such an evil ending!
@@m4rcin847 You are naive if you think like that. She has nothing. She lost all her friends expect Victor but he is unhappy and not well as. Songbird lives in hell but I guess you might hate her so you probably don't care. Ok I understand that but to get this ending she also betrayed Johnny and her old enemies still remains. She can be easily killed in Night City. Work for FIA is like a deal with the devil. She is alive but not for long.
@@m4rcin847 + Adam Smasher is fucking alive.
What? Its the best one!
He get rid of Johnny, stay alive for more than half a year, he didnt have to be (and cannot be) a fucking cyborg, just a normal human being with a ton of money, apartaments, cars and so on... He can start something new, like he said in one of dialog options (with Misty?) - he can be a fixer.
HOW THE FUCK IS THIS SUPPOSE TO BE WORSE THAN SUICIDE? OR ANY ARASAKA ENDING? I absolutely, wholeheartly disagree with that opinion.
V's goals were never about getting rich or just surviving, his goal was always to become a legend of the Afterlife, be the best merc in the city. How's this ending helps him achieve his goals?
Even Rogue tells him to not come to the Afterlife too often to not ruin his image, and his public image is the only thing V cares about.
Besides, we have an open ending with the Crystal Palace, where Mr Blue Eyes tells V he can help him with his problem in exchange for doing the gig. So we have an ending where V gets to live and not give up on his ambition, which is the best for his character in my opinion.
@@whitemanex Dude, we played the same game? Being a legend was his goal until Konpeki Plaza heist happen. He trying to survive since then, he even mention that in couple of dialogs. In that case absolute best ending for V is "(Dont fear) The Ripper". That is exactly what he wanted to achieve at the start of the game. This could be cool for a video game character but not with more realistic approach. Who would refuse to be a suicidal maniac and mass murderer with so much chrome hes barely a human. So much better than second chance to get normal life and job, right?
Whitemane, I am about to rebut every single one of your arguments. Buckle up, this is gonna be long and rough.
Firstly, it's true, we are not V. We are the player, and therefore we have the benefit of foresight to see the big picture. It's because we are not V we can see things like how Yorinobu is actually a heroic character. But I'll expand on this point a little later.
Secondly, you gave the argument of not trusting a corp. And the alternative is either: trusting another corp that fails V in every possible way, or trusting an AI that only gives V borrowed time. At least the NUSA truly gives V his lifespan back. But this was a dire situation. A golden ending where V double jumps off into the sunset is too much to ask of the cyberpunk genre. In terms of fulfilled promises, the Tower ending delivers the most.
Thirdly, Johnny Silverhand. Unfortunately for him, his time is done. A completionist run would have given him one last date with Rogue and one last gig with Samurai. That's more than what a dead man could ask for. Avenging himself on Adam Smasher was just his wounded pride talking.
Fourthly, fifthly and sixth are about all that V has lost during the operation. His demigod-like combat prowess, his possessions and his friends. Like other videos have pointed out; V had gone back to Night City without any rehab, nor his best iron he had on him when he boarded the AV. (The latter was a phenomenally forced stupid decision like how the game forces V to shake Meredith Stout's hand in an isolated storm drain) That means we haven't got a chance to see if V could return to a level where he could handle another booyah thug. And even if the worst has happened and V can never throw nor take a punch again, that still doesn't take away his other non-physical skills like netrunning knowledge, technical skill, smooth-talking nor stealth. He still has his vast combat experience. Don't ever discount experience. Recall the difference between your first and second playthrough in any game. Experience makes a world of difference.
As other comments have pointed out, V still has his eddies. Any late-game V could easily be a multimillionaire. Being rich in the cyberpunk world ain't that bad a lifestyle if you ask me. There are worse fates than being a multimillionaire in Langley, working a cushy desk job with blue skies and green trees outside. (Take me back to Night City! Save me from this hellscape!/s)
Then there are V's friends. Here's something to notice: most of V's friends that cut him out of their lives are those that V has only known for a few months at most; Panem, Judy, and River. Granted that they come off as horrible friends since V came and changed their lives mostly for the better, but you can't blame them for moving on for a merc that disappeared for two years. What pushes them to AH territory is refusing to meet up with V once they knew he was alive. (Panem, what kind of toddler tantrum are you throwing here?) Meanwhile, other friends who were willing to resume their relationship are those who knew V longer than that, Viktor and Misty. Kerry had no problems resuming his friendship with Johnny after 50 years, 2 years for V is nothing.
Seventh, Arasaka's retreat from Night City. You mean the ending when Yorinobu completes his work in dismantling Arasaka's tyrannical grip on Night City is bad? That's your argument? You've seen the alternative. And you know CDPR will never completely kill off such a major antagonist corporation. Night City has always been living on borrowed time. Arasaka should have been gone from Night City after the 2023 attack. However, since the NUSA and the Unification War wanted North California and Night City in its grip, then councilman Lucius Rhyne turned to Arasaka as a counterweight. That was Arasaka's chance to resink its hooks in Night City and they sunk it in good. That's why Night City became such a corporate dystopia, it was for "independence". In 2077, only two Free States remain; North California, and the Republic of Texas. It was merely a matter of time before the NUSA reabsorbed Night City. Yes, we know Militech is as bad as Arasaka, but that's a struggle for another game.
Eighth, Adam Smasher is still alive. And this matters how to V? Other than Johnny's grudge, Smasher had not wronged V in any way. Aside from Smasher being a final boss to beat, is there a particular reason why V must take the responsibility to personally destroy Smasher? Really, answer this question, I'm curious.
Ninth, the loss of V's old life. Believe me, I get it. I truly understand the raw feeling of revulsion as you see V's life crash around him. I felt it too when I first saw this ending. For now, I'd like to bring your attention to Takemura in this ending. In the credits, he brings up the metaphor of bitter medicine. He said that strong medicine was bitter to the mouth. What did he mean by that? In this route, Takemura and Hanako tried storming Arasaka Tower by themselves. They failed, she died, and Takemura was scapegoated for another Arasaka death. Takemura all but admits that his faith in the Arasaka Corp has been broken; the same thing V tried to do but failed in the Devil ending. But thanks to that, a huge mental shackle has been broken off Takemura. That's medicine. However, he can never return to his old life, that's bitter medicine.
How does that relate to V? In many ways, the glorification of the Edgerunner lifestyle is a cultural result of Night City's dystopia. Life is cheap there, and the only way its people can inject meaning into their terrible lives is to go out in a blaze of glory. However, what people want is not necessarily good for them. Just ask fast food. Or alcohol. Or drugs. Do you know what is the end result of such a lifestyle? David Martinez, Johnny Silverhand. We have seen firsthand for ourselves the tragedy of their lives. David could very well had a longer, fulfilling life with Lucy if he just slowed himself down once they got that penthouse. And Johnny, we've seen for ourselves what Johnny's lifestyle got him; an unmarked grave in the middle of nowhere. Is that what you want for V? We get a glimpse of what the merc life truly costs during the Sun ending. Breaking up with V's lover, chasing the elusive dream of more and more even as the end approaches. That is what V was mourning for during the Tower epilogue. Is that lifestyle truly what's best for V?
Back to bitter medicine. Now V has his lifespan back. That's medicine. However, he is permanently cut off from a lifestyle that would jeopardize everything he holds dear on a daily basis. He loses his old life. That's bitter medicine. Like you said, we are not V. We are in a better position to see what's better for him in the long run.
Tenth, (oh yeah, there's still more) sacrificing So Mi. Yes, the character presents a compelling struggle between V's principles and survival. I mean, I could make the argument that V only got involved in the whole ugly mess because So Mi promised a cure, but let's put that aside for now. Let's talk about Meredith Stout and Anthony Gilchrist. Tell me, who deserved to die? Meredith, who was simply trying to find her missing cargo or else she's dead, or Anthony, whose daughter was kidnapped by Adam Smasher and has to do what Maelstrom says or else? Both have legitimate reasons to do what they did, but one way or another, someone has to die. If you were Meredith, if you heard why Anthony betrayed Militech, would you give in to sympathy and face the music with your superiors instead? Cause that's basically what helping So Mi to the Moon entails. It is so easy to talk about principles behind a screen. The true test comes when you face defending them in front of a barrel of a gun. God willing, none of us will have to face such a test, but never declare lightly that you'd be willing to lay your life for another like that.
Eleventh, and finally, you make it sound that V is doomed to a meaningless life, where he'll die alone and forgotten. You know how similar that sounds? When V wakes up in Viktor's clinic after The Heist. At that point, V had lost his friends, except Viktor and Misty. He had been hit with shocking news, and now he has to dust himself off and keep going. Sound familiar? We as the player saw V hone his strengths, make new friends, and find ways to fix his condition. What makes you think V is going to weep in an alley for the rest of his days once the credits roll? V can make new friends, just like how he met people like Panem, River and Judy, and he can do it now without the threat of a terminal condition looming over them. It feels like no one has been listening to Misty at all. Don't you know how free V is now in this ending? For those of you who played Cyberpunk 2077 at least a second time, didn't you appreciate the freedom from death V had during Act 1 before the heist? Wasn't it liberating to shower without coughing blood, to look in the mirror and not see Keanu Reeves staring back at you? V now has that freedom back, and you're calling it bleak? V is free, freer than he has ever been in his life. The Tower ending is the equivalent to receiving the bad news from Viktor, and then passing out after the first appearance of Johnny, roll credits. We don't see how V picks up his life after that, because the game has to end eventually.
Players calling it a bad ending weep for the loss of Night City and the mercenary lifestyle, but I hope I have sufficiently pointed out that neither of them are worth clinging to.
Also the tower is not a good card according to the ingame description. Especially compared to the star and sun cards. Baffling how people think that one of the only 2 endings where smasher definitely lives (i guess you can spare him in the other endings but why would you do that?) is a good ending. This ending is only marginally better than the devil ending and thats only because you do definitely get cured, but i think you can get cured in the other endings as well, especially path of glory with blue eyes considering he can and seemingly did get songbird cured using some tech found in an abandoned bunker. Who knows what advanced tech could be found in the crystal palace where many corporations have leased space like utopian corp, who are secretly one of the worlds most advanced corps specializing in nanotech. Also the cards that misty pull, imply that V succeeds so thats another plus.
I still don’t think it’s that bad… what happens to Songbird sucks… and we don’t know what happens to Panam. But a lot of other people are doing all right. And V is free to start over. Maybe become a fixer, or find Panam and be with her indefinitely.
Honestly the only part I view as really bad is the fact that Johnny gets erased. If there could have been a way to stabilize him in your brain so the two of you could co-exist I think it would have been a nearly perfect ending.
Funny enough I'm actually working on a mod that allows for that ending where you merge with Johnny and carry on playing the game. I have 3 new endings planned depending on if I can get that one to work properly
I hate this ending more for its overall shity writing
-V doesn`t tell ANYONE any details even tho Reed tells you "If you got plants that need watering set something up"
-V bitching about how their old life is gone (as a Merc) ignoring that all lifepath V`s were quite competent before meeting Jackie and during their 6 Months working together
And not to forget to mention the "argument" many hide behind "Blaze of Glory or Quiet Life" or "No good endings in NC" a Narrative that's Bullshit x10
-Jackie made the Major Leagues at a price
-Rogue helps directly or indirectly to Avange Johnny and the others and can die happy
-Johnny for once in his life helped someone and gave his life, like someone did for him
-V in the Nomad ending has a short but happy life or (if you`ll count it as good) he gives his body to Johnny keeping his promise to him and is this time the best Choom that dies
Even in a setting like Cyberpunk, you can have a happy ending if you work for it, looking at Songbird.
Not really.
First, V does write everyone that they will be out of the city and does say it's a medical leave. No one plans to go through a coma and disappear for 2 years.
Second, the old life for V is gone as well. Nomad V doesn't have a clan and the only chance of getting one (the Aldecaldos) is gone with Panam.
Street Kid is over due to not being able to defend themselves against a bunch of thugs and being out for 2 years kinda makes you miss a lot going on streets. We even have a dialogue trying to say that we're from NC, mentioning the Coyote bar and the thugs say that it's been closed for a while and punch us.
Corpo V is kinda over from the start, and you also need implants to be a good corpo dog.
Quiet life or blaze of glory is a good outline for what's happening in the game, and in any case V is going to die (well, if we don't count the Sun ending Mr. Blue Eyes theory), and it's kinda good that CDPR created a way for them to live on. The question is "Is it the life worth living?"
So I don't share your scepticism about the story, I think the story in Cyberpunk is one of the best videogame stories of all time and these DLC contributes massively to how we experience it.
Totally agree with you! IMO "The sun" ending is still the best one)
this ending is a result of what V is fighting for the hole game the cure for the bio chip and what will happened if V get the cure. CDPR make the statement super clear that if u want to save u self. You will betray and sacrafice other people thats with V and with So Mi. After all V gets new life with endless posabilitys and thats not sad or depressing at all.
Okay, first off, love the videos, keep it up
Love the quality and production of your videos, Keep it up man.
You either die a legend, burning the candle at both ends, or you don't, and get to live an ordinary life. It's not supposed to be a good ending, just an ending. In so far as giving you choices, it does add to the possibilities.
In my opinion FIA is Cyberpunk version of CIA. Even the names are similar. Only one C is replaced with F.
Literally not an opinion, it is the NUSA equivalent. Would any of us trust the CIA to keep their end of a deal? 😹
@@clarencewalters338 I would never. Well FIA reminds me CIA. That's why I compared this.
@@clarencewalters338Sortof, the CIA actually was an agency back when the United States still existed. They were part of the Gang of Four who basically committed treason to take out the president and vp in the 90’s.
“A-to-the-fuckin-men.” - Johnny
And this was my original ending for phantom liberty...
I sided with Reed in both my playthroughs, i just couldn't bring myself to save songbird. Bitch was lying every time and manipulating V for her own selfish gain. While hiding behind a pretty face. And who's to say what a rogue AI that rewrites the memory of human will do with such an asset? Better she's dead and no longer a weapon
Johnny told us "Happier ending? Wrong city, wrong people.", did people really expect them to add a happier ending than the ones available?
The cancer metaphor does not work at all in my opinion. It sounds close, but the stakes are very different.
The path to getting this ending is the most questionable thing, the ending itself is not that bad. V could always start over. If your friends forget you after two years of no contacting each other (hi, covid!) them are they even truly your friends? Not to say it's easy to get those in Night City. I think avoiding death to live again is not bad, however, the requirements and path to getting there...means that V has probably become a person I don't really want to see get a new start like that.
Another thing is, it's easy to forget, but the story of characters does not Revolve around the player or V. The fact they ended up where they do in that ending is not V/player's fault or burden. It sure would have been nice for them to have someone around to help out, yes, but it is not V's fault for not being there with them through it (especially considering how dire the consequences of V's situation are, you can't fault him for trying to deal with their own issues. sure would be nice if he and the friends had each other through those difficult times through).
The Sun is the best ending for V, but I could see an argument with the Tower ending V could become a Fixer due to their experience.
Specifically Suicide mission, Don't fear the Reaper is peak.
There's no friend for V after all except Misty and Victor.
Alex died because i messed up the last question. Sided with Reed but let songbird have her death. Best outcome is to let songbird die and protect Reed. Just don’t let Alex die.
Why should will let someone who has been chained and tortured all their adult life long have their death? Alex and So Mi are the ones who want out. Want no part in this. Reed is there voluntarily out of his knight in armour saviour syndrome. So yeah if he wants to die for the flag and his beliefs let him have it.
@@Rumx1412 Well said. I feel bad for the girls. They were both used by Reed.
Songbird must live. My bad Reed
This ending making me take a break right now lol
Reed isnt worth saving. I think Somi and Alex getting a second chance is the way to go, then leaving with the Avacadoes or solo attacking Arasaka.
I think it’s not a bad ending. You can always start over. You get handed a cushy government job and you can make new friends in a better city.
Not to mention, Morgan Blackhand is light on his cyberware as well. So, the path to being a merc is still open, V just needs to adapt.
exactly
All of my playthroughs are Street kid V's with minimal cyberware. I always rely on stealth and headshots/weapon mastery so the whole 'you can't use combat implants' is fairly neglible to me anyways
I agree, 100%
While it is one of the worst endings for V as a character, it is a moderately happy ending for the players. V survived. He gets to live his life as he wishes with all of his skills, knowledge and wealth. Sure, some of his friends that he knew for couple of months abandoned him but a loss of a friends is not the end of the world. Furthermore, ending leaves a lot of space for headcannons: becoming a fixer, leaving NC, tracking down Panam and the rest of nomads and so on and so forth. Honestly, by cyberpunk genre it is a happy ending.
gameplay v is different from canon v
This isn't the worst ending in Cyberpunk ! It's stupid and has its faults i.e - not having a contingency plan during surgery, but it definitely ain't the worst. Whereas you're 'good' ending means handing over Songbird, who has cyberpsychosis and possessed by a Blackwall AI, to Mr Blue Eyes who runs an army of Manchurian candidates, such as the Peralez's, who's intentions are vastly unknown and most likely will imprison her on the Moon as a lab rat to continue with piercing the Blackwall and probably get most people on Earth killed.
Myers is a piece of shit granted, but she's a piece of shit who can be brought down and motivations are easily understood which can be used against her.
The real title of the video should be "I'm gonna simp for my pretty cyborg Waifu and here's why you should too"
except, she only goes psycho if you betray her and in which case you cant hand her over to blue eyes anyways so what are you on about?
Also we know almost nothing about blue eyes and can only make assumptions based on his one appearance in the base game that isnt the ending.
I find it quite funny how you make assumptions about what happens on the moon to justify not sending her there, but seemingly support handing her over to myers, who will without a doubt use her as a weapon and kill people.
Kinda just seems like you're coping to justify you picking the ending where you condemn her to a fate worse than death (btw killing her is also a valid option if you dont want to send her to the moon), sell out to a corp, and essentially betray and kill your homie.
And you're justifying being a simp who white knights for someone who fucks you over and was out to fuck you over from the get go. How is she your 'homie' ? V is a means to an end for Songbird, whether she starts catching feelings for V or not.
V in the FIA gets to live, where's the cope about that ? Blue Eyes literally hacks peoples brains and implants new memories in them i.e Peralez and the others in that datatruck that you hack, whether he's a force for good or not, that's shady af, along with kidnapping Garry who is just a homeless guy shouting in the street.
Your the one coping being left in a situation whereby you might have 6 months to live (maybe longer, maybe shorter) backed by a guy who's sketchy at best who is your best shot at survival after you gave up a bonafide cure so that your plutonic cyborg waifu could run off to the Moon@@spizzy34
imagine liking being screwed over
This is the worst ending for me people say V can live well if the gang the V fighting will leave V alone will they or FATE WORST THAN DEATH V´s HEAD ON A SPIKE AND ALL THAT