Guide on How to Level Up And Get Perks Faster in Cyberpunk 2077

What You Need to Know Before Farming XP

Before we get into specific routes and methods, there’s some groundwork that makes everything else work better. Think of this as your pre-game warmup, except it actually matters.

Sleep in your apartment. Every single time before you go farm XP, hit up any bed in your apartments and sleep. You’ll get the “Rested” buff which gives you +20% Skill XP for one hour. Now here’s the thing – this doesn’t boost your character level XP, but it absolutely destroys when it comes to leveling up your individual skills. And those skills? They’re what unlock the really broken builds that make the game way more fun.

Don’t fast travel right after sleeping. Don’t do that. Fast traveling cancels the buff and you just wasted your time. Walk, drive, do whatever – just don’t fast travel immediately.

Crank the difficulty to Hard. I know, sounds counterintuitive when you’re trying to farm efficiently, right? But here’s the thing – most farming methods involve one-shotting enemies anyway, so the increased difficulty doesn’t actually slow you down. Hard and Very Hard give the same experience. What it does do is boost your XP rewards across the board. More XP for the same amount of work? Yeah, I’ll take that trade any day.

You can also stack some other apartment buffs while you’re at it:

• Shower for the “Refreshed” buff (health regen in combat for one hour)
• Brew Coffee for “Energized” (Max Stamina and Stamina Regen for one hour)

These aren’t as critical as the sleep buff, but hey, free stats are free stats.

The Fastest Ways to Level Your Character

Main Jobs Give Insane XP (But Take Forever)

Main story missions are basically XP bombs. Like, we’re talking enough experience to level you up entirely from a single mission sometimes. The catch? They’re long. Some of these jobs can take 30-40 minutes or more depending on how you play.

If you’re already planning to run through the story anyway, great – you’ll level naturally. But if you’re specifically trying to farm levels, main jobs aren’t the most efficient time investment. They’re front-loaded with cutscenes, dialogue, objectives that can’t be rushed. Good for natural progression, not great for pure farming.

Gigs Are the Sweet Spot

This is where things get interesting. Gigs are these shorter missions you get from fixers around Night City, and they’re kinda perfect for XP farming. Each one typically gives you 500-1500 XP and most can be done in just a few minutes once you know what you’re doing.

The beauty of gigs is that they’re everywhere. You’re never far from one, and they don’t require the same level of commitment as a full story mission. Pop in, complete the objective (usually stealing something, killing someone, or both), collect your XP and Street Cred, and move on to the next one.

When I was pushing for levels early on, I basically just bounced between gigs in a specific district. Clear a few, maybe hit some NCPD hustles in between, rinse and repeat. Not the most exciting gameplay loop, I’ll admit, but it works.

NCPD Scanner Hustles Are Your Bread and Butter

NCPD Scanner Hustles show up as those light blue icons scattered all over your map. There are two main types you’ll see:

• Assault in Progress (the spiked club icon) – usually easier fights
• Suspected Organized Crime Activity (skull icon) – tougher encounters but better rewards

Each hustle gives you XP for clearing out the enemies, plus you get an extra 125 XP just for opening the evidence case after you’re done. That’s basically free XP for hitting the interact button.

These are perfect filler content. Got a minute between missions? Clear a hustle. Waiting for a friend to get online? Clear three hustles. They’re quick, they’re consistent, and honestly they’re probably the most time-efficient pure XP source in the game outside of exploits.

The Best XP Farming Locations in Night City

Knowing what to do is one thing. Knowing where to do it makes all the difference. I’ve tested a bunch of different farming routes and these are the ones that actually hold up.

Pacifica Coastview Farming Route

Start at the Start at Grand Imperial fast travel in Pacifica, specifically in the Coastview sub-district. This route is stupid efficient because enemy groups respawn when you loop back to the starting point.

Here’s the route:

1. Start at Grand Imperial fast travel
2. Clear the arena first (usually a few enemies here)
3. Move left toward the BBQ area – you’ll find enemies hanging around
4. Continue through the open area where multiple groups spawn
5. Check near the Rindo hotel for more encounters
6. Loop back and everything respawns

The whole circuit takes maybe 3-4 minutes if you’re moving fast, and you’re looking at 2 groups of 3 enemies each minimum, sometimes more depending on spawns. It’s repetitive, yeah, but that’s kinda the point when you’re farming.

Glenn Apartment Farming Loop in Heywood

This one’s a bit more involved but has way more enemies. Start at the Glenn apartment fast travel point, get your buffs, and you’re looking at a circular route with 20+ groups of enemies that continuously respawn.

The route basically involves moving in a circle around the fast travel point. You’ll be clearing Valentinos mostly, sometimes other gangs depending on territory. Takes longer than the Pacifica route but gives more XP per full loop.

I used this one when I wanted to combine XP farming with testing out new weapons or builds. More targets means more opportunities to try different approaches without running out of enemies.

Santo Domingo for XP and Loot Combined

Santo Domingo has multiple good farming routes, and the bonus here is you’re not just getting XP – you’re also picking up crafting materials and decent loot along the way.

I don’t have one specific route mapped out for Santo Domingo because honestly there are several good ones and they all kinda blur together. Just pick a fast travel point, start clearing groups, and keep moving in a consistent direction.

The area is dense enough with enemy spawns that you’ll find plenty to do.

Watson Clearing for Early Game Leveling

If you’re early in the game and haven’t done the heist yet, Watson is your playground. You can clear out basically the entire district and hit level 24 with Street Cred 50 before the story even really kicks off.

Focus on the area between Megabuilding H11 and Totentantz. This zone has consistent spawns of Maelstrom, Scavs, and Tyger Claws. It’s perfect for getting your bearings, testing out different playstyles, and getting a massive head start on leveling before the game opens up fully.

I kinda wish I’d known about this on my first playthrough because starting the main story at level 24 makes a huge difference in how fights feel.

How to Max Out Street Cred Fast

Street Cred is its own separate progression system and honestly it matters more than your character level in some ways. Higher Street Cred unlocks better weapons, cyberware, and vendor inventory. Plus it just looks cool having that number maxed out 😉.

Gigs Give the Most Street Cred

Just like with character XP, gigs are king for Street Cred farming. Each gig gives you 500-1500 Street Cred depending on the difficulty and length. If you’re specifically grinding Street Cred, prioritize gigs over everything else.

NCPD Hustles Give Consistent Smaller Gains

Each NCPD Scanner Hustle awards 300-500 Street Cred, which isn’t massive but adds up quick when you’re clearing multiple hustles in a row. Think of these as your filler content while you’re waiting for new gigs to pop up or traveling between districts.

Cyberpsycho Sightings Are Worth Your Time

Cyberpsychos are these tougher optional boss fights scattered around Night City. Each one gives you 350-800 Street Cred based on threat level. They take longer than hustles but less time than gigs, and the rewards are solid.

Plus they’re actually fun fights most of the time, which is a nice change of pace from shooting the same gang members over and over.

Use the Street Smart Clothing Mod (pre 2.0)

There was a clothing mod called Street Smart that gave you +10% Street Cred from all activities. It’s not game-breaking or anything, but it’s one of those small optimizations that adds up over time.

How Does Skill Progression work in 2.0 +

The 2.0 update completely overhauled how skills work, and it’s way better than the old system. You’ve got five main skills now, and each one levels up based on how you actually play.

The Five Skills and How They Level

• Headhunter – levels through headshots, precision weapons, stealth takedowns. If you’re playing a sniper or stealth build, this’ll max out naturally.
• Netrunner – levels from quickhacks, device hacking, and intelligence-based activities. Basically, hack everything you see and this skill will take care of itself.
• Shinobi – levels through blade weapons, assault rifles, SMGs, and acrobatic movements. Sliding around and cutting people up? That’s your Shinobi XP right there.
• Solo – levels with shotguns, LMGs, fists, gorilla arms, blunt weapons. Close-range combat specialist skill.
• Engineer – levels through tech weapons, grenades, and crafting activities. If you like making stuff explode or building your own gear, this is your skill.

The cool thing about this system is it actually encourages you to experiment with different playstyles. On my first post-2.0 playthrough I focused heavily on Netrunner and Headhunter because I was doing a stealth hacker build. Second time through I went full Solo with shotguns and it felt like playing a completely different game.

Farming Specific Skills

Want to power-level a specific skill? Here’s what actually works:

• For Headhunter, grab a sniper rifle or Skippy (that talking pistol that auto-aims headshots) and just go to town on enemy groups. Headshots give way more skill XP than body shots.
• For Netrunner, hack literally everything. Every device, every camera, every access point. Use quickhacks in combat even when you could just shoot someone. It feels wasteful but the skill XP adds up fast.
• For Shinobi, use katanas or mantis blades and constantly slide and dash around during fights. The acrobatic movements give skill XP on their own, separate from kills.
• For Solo, shotguns at close range or just punch everyone. Gorilla arms make this pretty viable even at higher levels.
• For Engineer, spam grenades and use tech weapons. Crafting also gives Engineer XP but honestly just throwing grenades is way faster for pure leveling purposes.

Get Experience With Console Commands

If you’re on PC and have the Cyber Engine Tweaks mod installed, you can just… skip all this farming nonsense and give yourself levels directly through console commands.

I’m not gonna judge if you use these. Sometimes you just want to test a build at max level or you’re on your third playthrough and can’t be bothered to grind again. Here’s what you need:

Level Commands

Sets your player level (both numbers need to match):

Game.SetLevel("Level", x, x) 

So if you want to be level 50, you’d type:

Game.SetLevel("Level", 50, 50)

Sets your Street Cred level

Game.SetLevel("StreetCred", x, 1)

Experience Commands

Adds Perk Points directly

Game.AddToInventory("Items.PerkPointSkillbook", x)

Adds Attribute Points

Game.AddToInventory("Items.AttributePointSkillbook", x)

These are honestly kinda broken because they bypass the normal progression completely. But hey, it’s a single-player game – play however you want 🤔.

Getting Perk Points, Progression Shards and Crafting

Progression Shards

Skill Progression Shards give you 5000 XP to specific skills instantly. Just use them from your inventory and boom, massive skill XP boost.

You can buy these from the Petrochem Stadium Junk Shop in the Phantom Liberty area (one shard for each skill category), and they also drop randomly from enemies and loot containers throughout the game. And it has one Perk shard as well. 

Perk Shards

There are also Perk Shards that give full perk points, and you can find these in 13 specific locations around Night City and Dogtown. 

Perk Shards Locations:

Phantom Liberty (Dogtown) Perk Shards:

1. Dog Eat Dog Mission (EBM Petrochem Stadium): A Perk Shard located in the trunk of a blue Villefort car inside the stadium basement. This shard is missable if you progress past certain points in the mission.
2. EBM Petrochem Stadium Junk Shop: You can purchase a Perk Shard here for about 17,000 eddies. This shop is an Easter egg referencing CD Projekt Red founders.
3. Longshore Stacks: Hidden behind destructible cardboard boxes in a narrow corridor beneath the Junk Shop in Dogtown’s Longshore Stacks.

Base Game (Night City & Surroundings) Perk Shards (10 shards):

4. Watson, Northside: Warehouse with letters A, B, and C. After destroying drones, find the crate with a Perk Shard at the back.
5. Westbrook, Japantown: An “Assault in Progress” event east of the Japantown: South fast travel spot rewards a Perk Shard on a corpse in a car.
6. City Center, Corpo Plaza (2 shards):One shard on the rooftops above the Metro: Republic Way fast travel, another from an “Assault in Progress” at the Metro: Memorial Park station.
7. Heywood, The Glen: Reward from completing an “Assault in Progress” northwest of Ventura & Skyline fast travel.
8. Santo Domingo, Arroyo: Reward from an “Assault in Progress” southeast of Red Dirt Bar fast travel.
9. Santo Domingo, Rancho Coronado: Found during the reported crime “Welcome to Night City.”
10. Arasaka Industrial Park, Santo Domingo, Arroyo: Possibly available during the “Gimme Danger” main quest in a guard tower briefcase (may be missable or no longer available depending on game version).

Crafting For Engineering XP 

Crafting items gives engineering XP. If you’ve got a mountain of crafting materials just sitting in your inventory, you can turn those into levels.

The problem with this method is it’s boring. Like, mind-numbingly boring. You’re just sitting in a menu crafting the same item over and over. It works, but at what cost to your sanity?

XP Glitches That Still Work Sometimes

Glitches get patched so I can’t guarantee any of these still work by the time you’re reading this, but as of the last time I checked:

Skill Shard Duplication

Drop bodies into containers, then pause the game and pick up skill shards at the same time. If done right, you get infinite skill XP. This one feels pretty exploit-y so use at your own discretion.

Pacify and Kill Method

Use non-lethal takedowns on enemies, then finish them with lethal damage. Supposedly this gives you XP twice – once for the takedown, once for the kill. I tried this a few times and honestly couldn’t tell if it was working or if I was just getting normal XP. 

How to Progress Efficiently Without Grinding Yourself to Death 

Here’s the thing – you don’t have to farm if you don’t want to. The game is designed to let you progress naturally just by playing through missions and engaging with content as you encounter it.

Just Play The Game Naturally And Use Experience Buff 100% Of The Time

If grinding XP routes sounds like hell to you, just focus on main story missions, side jobs, and NCPD hustles with experience buff as you come across them organically. You’ll level up at a totally reasonable pace and actually enjoy the game instead of turning it into a checklist simulator.

Some tips for natural progression:

• Prioritize main story missions when you want big XP gains
• Complete side jobs and gigs between story beats for steady XP and rewards
• Don’t ignore NCPD hustles – they’re quick XP and you’ll pass them anyway while exploring
• Use different weapons and abilities to level multiple skills at once
• Remember to sleep in your apartment for the XP buff before play sessions
• Don’t waste time killing random police or civilians – they give basically no XP

Use Interactive Maps 

The game has enough content that you’ll naturally hit high levels just by engaging with what Night City throws at you. Grinding is for min-maxers and people on their second or third playthrough who want to hit max level before Act 2 or whatever.

C’mon, Go And Farm Already

So that’s basically everything I know about leveling fast in Cyberpunk 2077. You’ve got your apartment buffs (sleep is mandatory), your farming routes (Pacifica Coastview is my go-to), your Street Cred methods (gigs and hustles), skill progression tips (just use the weapons that match your build), and even console commands if you’re on PC and want to skip the grind entirely.

What method you choose depends entirely on what kind of player you are. Want to optimize every second of your playtime? Farm the Pacifica or Glenn routes until your eyes glaze over. Just here for the story and don’t care about hitting max level? Play normally and you’ll be fine. On PC and can’t be bothered? Console commands exist for a reason.

The most efficient approach, honestly, is some combination of all this stuff. Sleep before you play, do gigs and hustles as you travel around, don’t go out of your way to grind unless you’re specifically trying to hit a level threshold for gear or perks. Night City has enough going on that you don’t need to turn the game into homework.

Common Leveling Questions