Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberware Capacity – Your Complete Guide

What’s This Whole Cyberware Capacity Thing About?

So Update 2.0 introduced this limitation where your body can only handle so much chrome before, you know, things get messy. Every implant has a cost shown in yellow numbers, and your total capacity determines what you can actually install.

V starts with 24 Cyberware Capacity at level 1. The base formula is pretty straightforward: 21 + (3 × your level). Hit level 60 and you’re sitting at 201 capacity just from leveling. Not bad, but nowhere near enough for the really ridiculous builds.

The hard cap is 450, or 500 if you grab the Edgerunner perk (more on that nightmare later). Most players can realistically hit somewhere between 424-430 capacity without glitches or mods. CDPR confirmed 424 as the “intended maximum” back in 2023, which honestly feels kinda low when you look at how much Dogtown cyberware costs.

Here’s the thing though more powerful chrome costs more capacity. Those shiny Iconic implants from Phantom Liberty? Some of them eat 35-55 capacity per piece. That’s like 10-20% of your entire budget for one item. Makes you think twice before installing every legendary thing you find.

What’s the Maximum Capacity?

Here’s the full breakdown of where every point comes from:

Without Chrome Compressor:
201 + 15 + 20 + 54 + 14 + 6 = 310 base
+50 from Edgerunner = 360 maximum

With Chrome Compressor:
310 + 70 = 380 base
+50 from Edgerunner = 430 maximum

Realistic maximum for most builds:
Most players won’t get all 5 attributes to 9+ because it weakens specialization. So realistically:

• Without Edgerunner/Compressor: 306-320
• With Edgerunner: 350-370
• With Compressor: 376-400
• With both: 426-450

Hard caps:

• Base hard cap: 450
• With Edgerunner: 500
• Above this: UI breaks, capacity bar disappears, weird glitches start happening

I’ve personally hit 410 capacity on a Chrome Compressor + Edgerunner build. Could probably squeeze another 10-20 points if I hunted down every last shard and optimized attribute placement, but honestly 410 was more than enough to install everything I wanted.

How Do I Increase Cyberware Capacity?

Leveling Up (The Boring But Reliable Way)

Every single level gives you +3 Cyberware Capacity. No effort required, it just happens. By level 60 you’ve gained 201 capacity total. It’s not exciting, but it’s guaranteed unlike those shards that refuse to drop after you hit max level (seriously, the drop rates become garbage).

Engineer Skill Progression

The Engineer skill tree under Technical Ability throws you some capacity bonuses at specific milestones. Level 10 gets you +5 capacity, level 30 adds another +10. That’s 15 free capacity just for leveling a skill you’re probably using anyway.

Getting Engineer levels isn’t complicated. Use Tech Weapons (they’re actually pretty good now), chuck grenades at everything, hack cameras and turrets, craft stuff, disassemble junk. I usually hit Engineer 30 naturally just playing through the game and doing side gigs. 

Renaissance Punk Perk

This perk requires 9 points in Technical Ability and the All Things Cyber perk maxed out first. Once you’ve got it, you earn +4 Cyberware Capacity for each Attribute at 9 or higher.

Maximum possible gain is +20 capacity if all five attributes hit 9+. Realistically? Most builds get +16 (four attributes at 9+) because spreading points that thin usually weakens your build. I mean, you *can* go for all five, but then you’re not really specializing in anything you’re just chasing capacity numbers.

Still, 16-20 free capacity for planning your attribute spread? Yeah, I’ll take it.

Edgerunner Perk

Capstone perk in Technical Ability, requires 20 points invested. This one’s wild and kinda risky depending on your playstyle.

Edgerunner lets you exceed your capacity by up to 50 points. Sounds great until you see the drawback: -0.5% Max Health per point over capacity. Go full +50 and you’re sitting at -25% health. That’s… significant. Like, “one mistake and you’re flatlined” significant.

The perk also gives you a chance to enter Fury mode (0.1% per point over, so 5% chance at +50). Fury is pretty nice +10% Damage, +30% Crit Chance, +50% Crit Damage but relying on RNG in combat isn’t exactly a solid strategy.

I’ve run Edgerunner builds and they work, but you better have good armor and fast reflexes. It’s not for everyone (definitely not for my “charge in and face-tank everything” playstyle 😅).

Chrome Compressor Operating System

Phantom Liberty exclusive. Any Dogtown ripperdoc sells it, or you might snag one from airdrops.

Tier 5++ Chrome Compressor gives you a massive +40 to +70 capacity depending on tier. Tier 5++ is the full +70. That’s huge. That’s build-defining huge.

The problem? **It replaces your Operating System slot.** No more Sandevistan slow-mo. No Berserk mode. No Cyberdeck for quickhacking. You’re giving up your entire active ability for raw capacity.

This works great for pure gunplay builds that don’t rely on OS abilities. Netrunners and melee builds using Sandevistan? Yeah, probably skip this one. Also there’s a confirmed bug where you can’t unequip Chrome Compressor once installed, so save before slotting it in. 

All Things Cyber Perk

This isn’t a capacity increase per se, but it’s worth mentioning. Level 2 of All Things Cyber reduces capacity cost for Integumentary System and Skeleton cyberware by 20%.

Depending on your build, that can save 20-40 capacity points total. It’s like gaining capacity without actually gaining capacity you just get more value from what you already have.

After about six hours of gameplay and some strategic perk choices, I managed to hit around 310 capacity without even touching Edgerunner or Chrome Compressor. Add those in and you’re pushing 380-430 depending on how hard you commit. Not bad for a street merc 😎

Let’s Talk About Cyberware Capacity Shards

Right, so these little progression shards are scattered all over Night City and Dogtown. They permanently boost your capacity when you pick them up no manual activation needed, just grab and go.

Shard Rarities and What They Give You

• Uncommon (Green) +2 capacity
• Rare (Blue) +3 capacity  
• Epic (Purple)  +4 capacity
• Legendary (Yellow/Orange) +6 capacity

The tier you find depends on your character level. Higher level = access to better shards. Which means rushing through the game at low level kinda screws you over later when guaranteed shards drop at lower tiers. I learned this on my first playthrough did the Psycho Killer quest at level 18 and got a +4 shard instead of the +6 you get at level 25+. Live and learn, I guess.

How Many Capacity Shards Exist?

Base game – 54 capacity total from random drops. There’s a limit to how many of each tier can drop:

• 7 Green shards (14 capacity)
• 4 Blue shards (12 capacity)
• 4 Purple shards (16 capacity)
• 2 Yellow shards (12 capacity)

Phantom Liberty DLC +13 to +14 capacity from DLC content. This includes 5 guaranteed drops from Cyber Junkies in Dogtown (2 capacity each = 10 total), plus mission rewards and hidden locations.

If you’re playing without Phantom Liberty, you’re missing out on a decent chunk of capacity. The DLC isn’t just story content it literally gives you more power budget for your build.

How Shard Drops Work?

This is where it gets kinda technical but bear with me because understanding the system helps you farm more efficiently.

• Base drop rate is 5% from enemies before you hit level 60. There’s a pity system that adds +1% for each enemy that doesn’t drop a shard. Once you hit 100%, you’ll find one within the next 2-3 kills. Then it resets back to 5% and the cycle starts over.
• Hit level 60 and drop rates tank hard. Legendary shards go from 5% base to 0.6% base, with only 0.1% pity increase. Finding shards at max level is painful. Like, “maybe I’ll just console command these instead” painful.
• Each rarity has a drop limit. Once you’ve found all possible shards of a specific tier, they stop dropping completely. This is why around capacity 300-350 you suddenly stop seeing shards you’ve hit the limits for multiple tiers.

Your character level also determines which tier can drop. Low level characters can’t find Legendary shards no matter how lucky they get. The game gates higher tiers behind level requirements, which makes sense lore-wise (a level 10 V probably shouldn’t be finding top-tier military chrome lying around) but feels kinda restrictive gameplay-wise.

Best Places to Farm Shards

Dogtown Cyberpsychos and Cyber Junkies

Phantom Liberty added 7-11 Cyberpsychos/Cyber Junkies scattered around Dogtown. Five of them have guaranteed Tier 2 shard drops (+2 capacity each, 10 total).

Confirmed locations I’ve personally hit:

• Luxor High area: Down the road, right side building. Climb up to the generator area.
• Luxor High Underpass: Literally below the big Luxor High sign. Hard to miss.
• Terra Cognita Metal Dome: Big dome structure. Take the elevator/NPC up near Terra Cognita.
• Terra Cognita Scrap Yard: Inside a hole in the scrap yard. Bit hard to spot but it’s there.
• Terra Cognita Blade Encounter: Just outside the scrap yard area.
• Golden Pacific: Hansen’s Tower area, down an alleyway. There’s usually some Barghest guards nearby.
• “Fixing the Generators” encounter: Also in Luxor High area.

There are more (Wesley Hunt near boxing arena, Maggie Isley at corner of stalls, Jacob Bernard on top of a building, Sean McMillan in sewer tunnels), but those first five with guaranteed drops are the priority targets.

Airdrops in Dogtown

Random events marked by red smoke plumes in the sky and a low pulsating beep. They contain high-tier loot and sometimes capacity shards.

Airdrop types you’ll encounter:

• Shootout: Kill everyone first, then loot
• Retake: Just a few enemies, quick fight
• Ambush: No guards initially, but enemies spawn after you start looting (fun surprise 😑)
• Grab: Free loot, no combat
• Custom: Unique encounters with lore bits

You’ll need to hack the airdrop (Breach Protocol puzzle) to open it. Loot quality varies but I’ve pulled several Epic and Legendary shards from these over multiple playthroughs. The catch? Airdrops are random spawns, so you can’t reliably farm them you just gotta keep exploring Dogtown and hope one pops up nearby.

Police Scanner Hustles

NCPD Scanner Hustles across Night City can drop capacity shards from high-threat enemies. Emphasis on “can” because the drop rate is pretty low and you’re subject to the same RNG as regular enemy drops.

I wouldn’t farm these specifically for shards, but if you’re clearing them anyway (for street cred or loot), you might get lucky. I’ve gotten maybe 3-4 shards total from hustles across 100+ hours, so don’t expect miracles.

El Capitan Vehicle Missions

Complete vehicle theft/acquisition missions for El Capitan and check the reward crates. Some contain capacity shards. Again, not guaranteed, but worth doing since El Cap’s missions are usually quick and pay decent eddies.

Dogtown Cyber Junkies are your best bet for guaranteed drops. Everything else is RNG hell that gets worse after level 60. If you’re serious about farming, hit those five guaranteed encounters first, then pray to the loot gods for the rest.

Console Commands for spawning shards

Sometimes you just want to test a build without spending 20 hours farming shards. Just know it’s technically cheating and might mess with achievement tracking depending on your platform.

You’ll need Cyber Engine Tweaks (CET) mod installed first. Then press ~ (or whatever you bound the console key to) and type:

Game.AddToInventory("Items.CWCapacityPermaReward_Legendary")

Boom. Tier 5 Legendary shard (+6 capacity) added to your inventory. It auto-activates immediately, so your capacity jumps up right away.

Other tier commands:

Game.AddToInventory("Items.CWCapacityPermaReward_Uncommon")

Game.AddToInventory("Items.CWCapacityPermaReward_Rare")

Game.AddToInventory("Items.CWCapacityPermaReward_Epic")

Game.AddToInventory("Items.CWCapacityPermaReward_Legendary")

Just copy-paste whichever tier you want, hit enter, and watch the number go up. Easy. Probably too easy, honestly there’s something satisfying about finding shards naturally even if it takes forever.

Shard Duplication Glitches (Use at Your Own Risk)

Right, so glitches. These methods are technically exploits and might be patched depending on when you’re reading this. I’m documenting them for posterity and because, let’s be real, some of you just want to hit max capacity without grinding for 30 hours.

Shard Doubling Glitch (Still Working as of Patch 2.31+)

This one’s wild because it doesn’t duplicate the shard itself, it doubles the capacity you gain from each shard.

• Green shards: +4 instead of +2
• Blue shards: +6 instead of +3
• Purple shards: +8 instead of +4
• Yellow shards: +12 instead of +6

How to do it:

1. Find a Cyberware Capacity Shard (cyberpsycho, mission reward, whatever)
2. When you pick it up, immediately press two buttons simultaneously:PC: F + ESC, PlayStation: Square + Options, Xbox: X + View/Start, Switch: Configure buttons in settings (I don’t play on Switch so IDK the defaults)
3. If done correctly, the shard disappears from view
4. Make a Quick Save
5. Reload that Quick Save
6. Check your capacity it should’ve increased by double the normal amount

Timing is super important here. Press the buttons at the exact same moment or just after looting. Too early or too late and it doesn’t work. I’ve gotten it to work maybe 60% of the time it takes practice.

This glitch has survived multiple patches (2.0 → 2.31+) because it’s not a traditional duplication exploit. It’s a save/load timing thing that’s harder for CDPR to detect and fix without breaking other systems. Still, no guarantees it’ll work forever.

Trunk Duplication Method (Mostly Patched)

This older method involved carrying NPC bodies to specific car trunks to create a “floating bag” that respawns items. It’s been mostly patched out since Update 2.02+, but I’ve seen a few reports of it occasionally working under specific conditions.

Steps (probably won’t work):

1. Defeat a cyberpsycho that drops a capacity shard
2. Pick up the cyberpsycho’s body
3. Take the body to a specific car trunk location (cars near Terra Cognita, Golden Pacific, etc.)
4. Place items including the shard in the trunk
5. Place the NPC body in the trunk
6. A floating bag should appear above the car
7. Take everything except the shard from the bag
8. Walk away 30-40 meters
9. Return items should’ve respawned
10. Repeat

This was discovered by accident when players noticed NPC inventories would glitch out in car trunks. CDPR shut it down pretty fast once it became widespread knowledge. You might get lucky on an older patch or unupdated game version, but don’t count on it.

Unlimited Capacity Glitch (Patch 2.12, Long Patched)

Exploit involving Chrome Compressor and save/reload mechanics to push capacity beyond the hard cap. Worked in Patch 2.12 but got nuked in later updates.

Method (doesn’t work anymore):

1. Equip cyberware up to 3 points below max
2. Equip a low-capacity item (Smart Link = 4 capacity)
3. Quick save
4. Reload the save
5. Game adds back the 4 capacity, pushing you over limit
6. Security checks disabled once you exceed max
7. Now you can equip Chrome Compressor and additional cyberware

This was pretty broken while it lasted. Players were hitting 600+ capacity and installing literally everything. CDPR patched it quickly because it completely trivialized the capacity system.

Look, glitches are your choice. But if you want the “legitimate” experience, stick to natural drops and perks. Either way worksjust know what you’re getting into.

Common Bugs and How to Fix Them

Shards Not Increasing Capacity

You pick up a shard, see the notification, but your capacity stays the same. Frustrating as hell.

Potential fixes:

• Restart from a save before collecting the shard
• Check if you’ve hit the drop limit for that tier (game stops registering them after you find all available shards of that rarity)
• Verify the shard actually entered your inventory (some are bugged and don’t register properly)
• Report to CDPR support with save file details

I’ve had this happen twice. Once it fixed itself after a full game restart. The other time I had to reload an earlier save and grab the shard again second attempt worked fine.

Capacity Display Disappearing

Your capacity bar just vanishes from the ripperdoc UI. Usually happens when you exceed 416 capacity with Edgerunner perk active, or push past 450 hard cap.

Fixes:

• Unequip cyberware until you’re below the threshold
• Reload a previous save before the bug triggered
• If using mods, check for conflicts (Enhanced Cyberware Capacity mod can cause this if configured wrong)

The UI just can’t handle numbers that high. It’s not a critical bug your capacity still functions but not seeing the bar is annoying.

Shards Stop Dropping Completely

You hit around 300-350 capacity and suddenly shards never drop again. No matter how many enemies you kill, nothing.

This is partially intended due to the drop limit system. Each rarity tier has a maximum number of drops per playthrough. Once you’ve found all shards of a specific rarity, they stop appearing.

CDPR confirmed in 2023 that max legitimate capacity is 424 without glitches. If you’re missing capacity, you probably didn’t collect all available guaranteed shards from missions.

Arms Slot Capacity Bug

Arm cyberware (Gorilla Arms, Mantis Blades, etc.) capacity not registering correctly when stowed. Your capacity number fluctuates randomly when visiting ripperdocs.

Fix: Re-equip the arm cyberware, or swap to different arms then back to your preferred ones. Usually resolves itself after a ripperdoc visit.

Chrome Compressor Cannot Be Unequipped

After installing Chrome Compressor, you literally can’t switch back to a Cyberdeck or Sandevistan. The option just isn’t there.

Confirmed bug. There’s no fix except loading a save from before you installed it.

This is why I always save before making major cyberware changes. Lost a 40-hour save once because I installed Chrome Compressor without thinking, then realized my netrunner build was completely bricked 😑

Phantom Liberty Save File Capacity Differences

Characters started in version 2.0-2.02 can reach 366 capacity without Chrome Compressor. Post-2.1 characters max at 354.

CDPR moved some capacity into the Chrome Compressor buffs in patch 2.1, reducing the baseline max for characters that started after the update. It’s not a bug it’s an intentional rebalance that screwed over newer players.

If you’re experiencing weird capacity limits, check which patch version your character was created in. Might explain the discrepancy.

Mods for Enhancing Cyberware Capacity System

Enhanced Cyberware Capacity

What it does: Lets you edit max capacity stat, remove the 450 hard cap, add flat bonuses, apply character level multipliers. Has a Native Settings UI so you can configure everything in-game without editing files manually.

This is basically the god-tier capacity mod. You can set your cap to whatever you want (1000, 5000, unlimited), add flat bonuses on top of leveling, or just tweak the formula slightly for balance. I’ve used this on several playthroughs when testing builds because having to farm shards for 10 hours just to see if a build concept works is exhausting.

More Cyberware Capacity Per Level

What it does: Doubles capacity gained per level (vanilla: 21 + 3×level, modded: 21 + 6×level). Also has x4 and x5 variants if you’re feeling really generous.

At level 60 with this mod, you’d have 381 capacity instead of 201. That’s 180 extra capacity just from leveling enough to run most high-end builds without needing shards or perks.

Actual Chrome Compression

What it does: Makes Chrome Compressor actually compress cyberware costs instead of just adding capacity. Reduces allocated capacity by 5-30% depending on tier. Tier 5++ gives 30% reduction.

This makes Chrome Compressor way more viable compared to other Operating Systems. Instead of just getting +70 capacity, you effectively get +70 plus 30% reduction on everything you’ve already installed. That can easily add another 60-90 capacity worth of value depending on your build.

Virtual Atelier – Shard Vendor Mod

Adds vendors who sell Cyberware Capacity Shards for eddies instead of forcing you to farm them. Requires Virtual Atelier framework mod.

I’ve never used this one personally because buying shards feels too easy, but if you’re on your 5th playthrough and just want to skip the tedious parts… yeah, I get it.

Backup your saves before installing mods. Some can break existing saves if you uninstall them mid-playthrough.

Some Random Interesting Facts About Cyberware

• Cyberpsychosis lore: In Cyberpunk universe, excessive cyberware increases risk of cyberpsychosis a dissociative disorder where people lose their humanity and go violently insane. The capacity system is your body’s limit before things get… problematic.
• Why doesn’t V get cyberpsychosis? Mike Pondsmith (Cyberpunk creator) explained that V’s exceptional mental fortitude, combined with Johnny Silverhand’s engram acting as a “psychological buffer,” prevents V from succumbing despite massive chrome installation. Which is a convenient lore excuse for letting players install 30+ implants without consequences, but hey, it works 🤷
• Adam Smasher’s capacity: Adam Smasher is 90%+ cyborg with virtually unlimited capacity due to full-body conversion. He’s technically cyberpsychotic but doesn’t care dude was already a sadistic killer before the chrome. More machine than human at this point and loving every second of it.
• Update 2.0 revolution: The capacity system didn’t exist before Update 2.0 (September 2023). Previously you could install unlimited cyberware with no restrictions beyond attribute requirements. Those were wild times. Completely broken builds everywhere. Fun, but also kinda imbalanced.
• Fury mode mechanics: When using Edgerunner perk and exceeding capacity, you have a 0.1% chance per point over to enter Fury mode every few seconds. At +50 capacity, that’s a 5% chance. Fury gives +10% Damage, +30% Crit Chance, +50% Crit Damage. It’s nice when it procs, but 5% is low enough that you can’t rely on it.
• Phantom Liberty doubles drops: Simply owning the Phantom Liberty DLC doubles the drop cap for Uncommon and Rare shards, giving +26 more capacity potential. The DLC isn’t just story it’s a mechanical advantage for capacity building.
• Level 60 drop disaster: After reaching max level, Legendary shard drop rates plummet from 5% to 0.6%. Makes them nearly impossible to find naturally. This is why I always save guaranteed mission shards for after I hit 60 at least those still work.

Honestly, the capacity system adds a lot more strategic depth than the old “install everything” approach. Forces you to actually think about builds instead of just maxing out every slot by default. 300-350 is enough to run really strong, specialized builds that can handle Very Hard difficulty without breaking a sweat.

How to Maximize Your Cyberware Priority checklist

So yeah, that’s pretty much everything I’ve learned about Cyberware Capacity across multiple playthroughs and way too many hours testing builds.

Priority checklist for max capacity:

1. Hit level 60 naturally (+201)
2. Level Engineer to 30 (+15)
3. Get Renaissance Punk perk, plan attributes for 9+ in at least 4 stats (+16-20)
4. Farm the 5 guaranteed Cyber Junkie shards in Dogtown (+10)
5. Complete Psycho Killer at level 25+ (+6)
6. Grab Dog Eat Dog parking garage shard at high level (+4-6)
7. Farm random drops until you hit the tier limits (+38-44)
8. Decide if Edgerunner health trade-off is worth it (+50)
9. Consider Chrome Compressor if your build doesn’t need OS abilities (+70)

Follow that path and you’ll hit 400+ capacity without glitches or mods. Add console commands or the shard doubling exploit if you want to speed things up no judgment from me.

Remember: Higher capacity doesn’t automatically equal better build.

Quick Answers to Your Questions