Complete Cyberpunk 2077 Stealth Guide Updated For Phantom Liberty

How Does Stealth Work in Cyberpunk 2077?

Crouching is where it all starts. Hit that crouch button and your footsteps get quieter, your profile shrinks, and enemies have a harder time spotting you. The Crouching Tiger perk bumps your sneaking speed by 20%, but here’s where it gets fun – Ninjutsu lets you sprint while crouched. This changes everything because you can reposition between takedowns without standing up and breaking stealth. I can’t count how many times this has saved me from getting spotted mid-infiltration.

Movement speed matters more than you’d think. Enemies in Update 2.0 got smarter about detecting motion, so walking or sprinting through hostile areas is basically asking to get caught. Crouch-sprinting with Ninjutsu keeps you fast and hidden.

Stealth Takedowns 

When you sneak up behind enemies while crouched, you’ll get a grab prompt. Once you’ve got them, choose lethal or non-lethal – both work the same for stealth purposes. 

Prior to the last patches enemies with skull icons (higher level than you) couldn’t be taken down. They break free and immediately alert everyone nearby.😅

Aerial Takedowns – Hidden Dragon Perk

The Hidden Dragon was a perk that unlocked at Cool level 5 and lets you perform non-lethal aerial takedowns. Now, after 2.0 patch you just position yourself on beams, crates, railings, whatever elevated surface you can find, then drop directly onto an enemy’s head or shoulders. The animation triggers automatically, no button press needed. Works only when enemies are unaware, and only gives you the non-lethal option, but man does it feel good to drop from the ceiling like some kind of cyber-ninja.

I use this constantly in multilevel buildings. Get high, wait for patrols to pass underneath, drop, grab, move on. It’s efficient and honestly pretty satisfying.

Throwing Knives Changed Everything

Update 2.0 made throwing weapons absurdly powerful. Knives are completely silent, deal massive headshot damage (200%+ multiplier), and automatically return to your hand after a short delay. The Juggler perk (3 points) instantly returns thrown weapons after neutralizing enemies with headshots, crits, or poison. You basically have unlimited silent ranged kills as long as your aim is decent.

I combine throwing knives with katanas for most stealth runs because they’re quieter than even silenced pistols and you never run out. Plus there’s something deeply satisfying about nailing headshots with knives from across a room and then finishing others with my katana… 😀

Quickhacks for Stealth Playstyles

Quickhacks changed completely in Update 2.0 with the traceability system. Some hacks reveal your position, others don’t. Untraceable quickhacks include Ping, Memory Wipe (Tier 4), Sonic Shock, and System Collapse. These won’t give away your location when used.

Traceable quickhacks like Contagion and Overheat trigger a “Revealing Position” sequence even if you’re hidden. The game literally shows enemies tracing your signal back to your location.

The stealth combo that works: 

1. Upload Memory Wipe (Tier 4) first to make all subsequent quickhacks untraceable
2. Follow with Reboot Optics (blinds enemies)
3. Then Sonic Shock (disables hearing and communication). 

This combination knocks out most non-skull enemies while keeping you completely untraced. Costs a chunk of RAM but it’s worth it for high-security zones.

Enemy Detection and Visibility Mechanics

Update 2.0 made AI detection way more realistic. Enemies notice you much faster if you’re walking or sprinting in hostile areas. They’ll also investigate bullet impacts even if they didn’t hear the weapon fire. Each level of Cool attribute reduces enemy detection speed by 0.5%, and leveling your stealth skill gives additional visibility reductions (10% at levels 4, 15, and 19).

Reducing Visibility Through Cyberware

You can stack visibility reduction through cyberware upgrades, and it makes a massive difference in how stealth plays out. Each level of Cool attribute reduces enemy detection speed by 0.5%, while leveling your stealth skill provides additional visibility reductions (10% at levels 4, 15, and 19).

Headhunter skill at level 25 automatically gives you 10% reduced visibility. Combine that with crouching bonuses and you’re already significantly harder to spot. Then there’s the cyberware angle – upgrade pieces at a Ripperdoc and you can get “decreased enemy vision” modifiers on individual slots. Some face items like tactical balaclava provide up to 7% reduced enemy visibility at Tier 5.

The real kicker? You can push this much further through systematic cyberware stat rerolling, which I’ll break down in detail later in this guide. For now just know that stacking these visibility reductions completely changes how aggressive you can be with stealth approaches. Walking past guards becomes viable, getting closer for takedowns stops feeling risky, and recovery from near-detection moments happens way more forgivingly.

Managing Enemy Vision and Cameras

Use Ping quickhack to reveal all enemies connected to the local network and mark them through walls. Cameras are serious threats because they can detect you and alert enemies even if temporarily disabled. Either destroy cameras with silenced weapons or use Camera Control quickhack to take them over and hack enemies from a safe position.

I prefer taking control of camera networks because you can scout entire buildings, mark all enemies, and even upload lethal quickhacks through the camera feed without physically entering dangerous areas.

Stealth Damage Multipliers Explained

Stealth damage applies whenever you’re undetected, regardless of whether enemies are alerted elsewhere. Each level of Cool increases stealth damage by 10%. This multiplier is additive with other damage sources, so stacking becomes powerful.

The Killer Instinct perk provides an additional 25% damage with silenced weapons while undetected. The XC-10 Cetus Suppressor (Tier 5) offers a 2.50x stealth damage multiplier and makes stealth headshots guaranteed critical hits. Combine this with perks like Dead Eye (headshot/weakspot damage) and Long Shot (removes damage falloff), and you’re one-shotting enemies from absurd distances.

I built around stealth damage for my second playthrough and combat encounters became trivialized. Most enemies died before they knew I existed even cyberpsychos.

Advanced Stealth Tactics

Distraction and Positioning

Distract Enemies quickhack can be uploaded to devices like vending machines, speakers, and floodlights to lure guards away from groups. Enemies have approximately 160-degree peripheral vision, so approach from directly behind rather than the side. Even a few degrees off-center can trigger detection.

I use distractions constantly to isolate enemies from groups. Lure one guy to a vending machine, take him down, hide the body, repeat. It’s methodical but effective.

Breaking Combat to Return to Stealth

Update 2.0 introduced the ability to return to stealth after being detected. If spotted, quickly and silently eliminate the detecting enemy before they alert others – you might stay in stealth if you’re fast enough. Alternatively, break line-of-sight and remain hidden. After some time, enemies stop searching and you can resume stealth operations.

Memory Wipe quickhack instantly removes your traced status and returns you to stealth mode. It’s expensive (10 RAM Tier 4, 32 RAM Tier 5) with a 120-second cooldown, but when you absolutely need to reset combat state, nothing else works as reliably.

Gag Order perk delays detection by several seconds after being spotted, giving you precious time to either eliminate the detecting enemy or escape to cover. I spec into this on every stealth build because those extra seconds are the difference between staying hidden and triggering full combat.

Body Management

Bodies are your biggest stealth liability. Always scout for containers (marked with crate icons) before engaging. Some containers hold two bodies, others only one. Plan your takedown order based on container availability to avoid leaving exposed corpses that alert patrols.

I learned this lesson the hard way during a gig in Japantown. Took down six guys, only found containers for four bodies, left two in the open, patrol found them, full combat triggered. Now I always count containers before I start taking people down.

Recovering When Stealth Breaks

Immediate Response Options

When stealth breaks, you’ve got a few critical seconds to respond:

• Quick Elimination Method – Immediately and silently eliminate the detecting enemy before they alert others. Your first 1-3 seconds after detection are critical because enemies haven’t fully processed the threat yet. I use silenced headshots or throwing knives for this.
• Memory Wipe Quickhack – Tier 4 or Tier 5 Memory Wipe instantly removes your traced status and can return you to stealth mode during combat. At Tier 4+, it affects the target’s entire squad. After uploading Memory Wipe, enemies exit combat state and ignore you for approximately 13.5 seconds. Expensive but worth it for high-security zones.
• Break Line-of-Sight Strategy – Sprint to cover, move behind walls or containers, crouch, and wait. Enemies eventually stop searching and return to patrol patterns. Works best in complex environments with lots of cover and vertical spaces.
• Emergency Cloaking Escape – Emergency Cloaking Relic perk (Phantom Liberty) causes enemies to lose track of you when activating Optical Camo during combat. Combined with Vanishing Act perk, you automatically trigger Optical Camo when crouch-sprinting for instant escape options.

I’ve used all these methods depending on the situation. Memory Wipe is my go-to for “oh crap” moments in tight spaces, while line-of-sight breaking works better in open areas with lots of cover.

Must-Have Cyberware for Stealth Gameplay

Optical Camo (Integumentary System)

Optical camo the single most important cyberware for any stealth build. Tier 5 version provides -90% visibility to enemies for 7 seconds, making you extremely hard to detect outside combat and difficult to hit during combat. Available from the Ripperdoc in Santo Domingo (Rancho Coronado) or Buck’s Clinic in Watson (Kabuki).

The Emergency Cloaking Relic perk (Phantom Liberty) causes enemies to lose track of you when activating Optical Camo during combat. This gives you an escape mechanism when stealth breaks. Pair with Vanishing Act perk to automatically trigger Optical Camo when crouch-sprinting for near-continuous invisibility uptime.

Lynx Paws (Legs)

Reduces footstep noise by 50% and increases crouched movement speed by 12%. Not as flashy as double-jump cyberware, but for dedicated stealth builds where remaining undetected matters more than mobility, Lynx Paws are perfect. Available from Finger’s M.D. at Japantown or Instant Implants at Kabuki (Tier 4).

I kept double-jump legs on my first stealth character because vertical mobility felt too good to give up, but on my second pure-stealth run I switched to Lynx Paws and honestly? The noise reduction made a noticeable difference in tight indoor spaces.

Kiroshi Optics

Basic Kiroshi Optics make it harder for cameras to spot you. Higher-tier variants provide additional scanning and targeting enhancements for marking enemies through walls.

For pure stealth, even basic tier works fine since the camera detection slowdown doesn’t improve with higher tiers.

Silenced Weapons Ranked

Top Silenced Pistols Ranked

Her Majesty (Phantom Liberty) stands as the absolute best. Built-in unique silencer, perfect accuracy, guaranteed headshot crits while Optical Camo is active, 150% headshot damage multiplier, 100% crit chance when conditions met. This weapon truly excels when your entire build focuses on stealth with Optical Camo uptime maximization.

Other options:

• Tamayura serves as the best base-game option. Standard power pistol that accepts suppressors, higher base headshot multipliers than even some iconic variants. With Tier 5 XC-10 Cetus Suppressor, becomes a one-shot kill machine for most enemies.
• Death and Taxes fires two-shot bursts while silenced. Each trigger pull releases two rounds, functioning like a pocket shotgun. Extremely effective for one-tapping enemies even without perfect headshots.
• Pride features 100% crit chance on the first shot against each enemy. Requires purchasing a separate silencer, guaranteed opening crit makes it devastating for initiating stealth eliminations. Only available post-game, limiting practical use.

Silenced Rifles Worth Using

Overwatch remains the only sniper rifle with a built-in silencer. 300% headshot damage multiplier, 50% armor penetration, increased reload speed. Despite its silencer, may still alert nearby enemies to bullet impacts if they see the impact. Position carefully and prioritize isolated targets.

PSALM 11:6 (crafted from Tom Ayer’s spec during “Just Say No”) offers full-auto stealth capability with thermal damage that can burn enemies to death without additional shots. Tier 5 features 50 rounds per magazine and 30% burn chance.

M221 Saratoga (Tier 5) provides exceptional fire rate (15 attacks/second) and reload speed (1.4s) while accepting silencers. Highly customizable with scopes and accessories. BARGHEST variant from Dogtown offers superior stats.

Best Basic Stealth Builds for Different Playstyles

Assassin/Ninja Build

Focus on Cool and Reflexes. Key perks:

• Ninjutsu – Sprint while crouched
• Vanishing Act – Automatically activates Optical Camo when crouch-sprinting
• Creeping Death – Boosts health, stamina, and movement when killing with Optical Camo active
• Scorpion Sting – Throwing weapons poison targets on headshots/crits
• Juggler – Instantly returns thrown weapons after neutralizing enemies

This build turns you into a mobile assassin who never stops moving. Crouch-sprint between targets, auto-activate camo, throw knives for silent kills, repeat. It’s fast, aggressive, and incredibly fun.

Stealth Netrunner Build 

Combine Intelligence and Cool for hacking-focused stealth. Get the Arasaka Mk.5 Cyberdeck because it blocks tracing progress while Overclock is active. Use Memory Wipe Tier 4 to make all subsequent quickhacks untraceable, then chain Reboot Optics and Sonic Shock for silent knockouts. Shadowrunner perk reduces trace after takedowns.

This build lets you clear entire buildings without firing a single shot or throwing a single knife. Pure hacking stealth feels almost like cheating when done right.

Stealth Sniper Build

Prioritize Cool and Reflexes for long-range eliminations. Core components:

• Overwatch sniper rifle 
• Focus perk chain (slows time while aiming, resets on kills)
• Deep Breath (improves weapon control with slowed time)
• Gag Order (delays detection after being spotted)

Long-range stealth sniping works best in open areas like the Badlands or industrial zones. Find an elevated position, mark all enemies with Ping, then systematically eliminate them one by one. The Focus perk chain is kinda ridiculous because kills reset the slow-time effect, so you can chain sniper headshots in perpetual bullet-time.

Optimizing Cyberware for Near-Invisibility

Cyberware Stat Rerolling for 1% Visibility

Post-Update 2.0, you can achieve 1% or even 0% visibility through strategic cyberware upgrading. At any Ripperdoc, upgrade your cyberware pieces to higher tiers – each upgrade randomizes stat bonuses, including “decreased enemy vision” modifiers ranging from 1.9% to 10.9% per piece.

1. The process requires Level 20 Technical Ability and Level 50 Engineer. 
2. Upgrade cyberware pieces and check for “decreased enemy vision” bonuses.
3. If unsatisfactory, wait 24 hours in-game or save/reload, then purchase and upgrade again. 
4. Target 3-10% reduced visibility per cyberware piece.

With 21+ cyberware slots and systematic upgrading, you can accumulate 70-100%+ reduced visibility. Combine with Headhunter Level 25 (automatic 20% reduced visibility), crouching bonus, and specific face items (some ski/bank robber masks provide up to 7% reduced enemy visibility at Tier 5).

At 1% visibility, you can walk directly in front of enemies without detection. At 0%, you’re practically invisible even when standing in their direct line of sight. I’ve tested this extensively and it’s honestly kinda broken but also incredibly fun.

Optics Mods and Enemy Tracking

Kiroshi Optics Variants

Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t feature traditional vision cone displays, but several Kiroshi Optics variants help track enemy positions:

• Kiroshi “Clairvoyant” Optics highlight nearby enemies within 19.5m at Tier 5 whenever you scan. Highlighting persists for 60 seconds after scanning, providing passive enemy-tracking radar. Enemies glow through walls, letting you monitor patrol patterns without maintaining line-of-sight.
• Kiroshi “The Oracle” Optics (Tier 4+, available at Level 30+) combine multiple detection types – highlights enemies within 19.5 meters, cameras/turrets within 39 meters, explosives/traps within 29 meters, 60-second highlight duration. Costs 10 cyberware capacity (high) but gives omniscient threat awareness.
• Kiroshi “Sentry” Optics highlights cameras and turrets within 39 meters at Tier 5. Less valuable late-game when netrunner perks provide similar functionality.

Ping Quickhack as Superior Alternative

Ping remains the most reliable method for revealing enemy positions and patrol routes. Upload Ping to any enemy or network device, reveals all enemies connected to that network through walls, highlighted enemies remain visible for extended duration, untraceable so doesn’t reveal your position.

After Pinging, manually tag each revealed enemy to permanently mark them. These markers persist even when you move far away, letting you plan routes around patrol patterns. I use Ping at the start of every infiltration because it gives complete situational awareness.

Monowires, Katanas, and Stealth Limitations

Default Game Limitations

Cyberpunk 2077’s vanilla game does not support stealth takedowns with melee weapons or arm cyberware. You can only perform stealth takedowns unarmed (grab from behind, then choose lethal or non-lethal). This frustrated me initially because stealth takedown animations for katanas and mantis blades seem like obvious features that should exist.

Workaround Through High Damage

With sufficient damage output, you can “stealth kill” enemies by one-shotting them with melee weapons before they alert others. Build for stealth damage bonuses (10% per Cool point), crit chance, and headshot damage. Perks like Dead Eye let you eliminate enemies with a single heavy attack from stealth. Works, but without dedicated animations, enemies may briefly shout or trigger partial alerts.

• Throwing Knives work better than melee. At higher stealth skill levels, throwing knives one-shot normal enemies with headshots. Juggler perk instantly returns thrown weapons after headshot/crit/poison kills, making throwing knives effectively silent ranged stealth weapons.
• Mantis Blades cannot perform stealth takedowns. You can build for one-shot kills using leap attacks and finishers, but these are loud and break stealth. Mantis blades excel in open combat, not stealth scenarios.
• Monowire kills silently and can be smuggled past weapon searches, but cannot perform dedicated stealth takedowns. Pre-Update 2.0 it counted as a bladed weapon and synergized with blade perks. Post-2.0 it’s classified differently and less effective for stealth.

The Stealth Finishers mod

The Stealth Finishers mod (by Kvalyr, updated for 2.0+) adds melee weapon finishers as stealth takedowns, cyberware stealth takedowns (mantis blades, monowire, gorilla arms), option to initiate grapple OR immediate takedown from stealth. Limitations include melee finishers creating more noise than unarmed chokes and front-facing animations often playing even when attacking from behind.

Do Weather, Lighting or Time of Day Affect Stealth?

Environmental Factors

Cyberpunk 2077’s stealth mechanics are largely independent of environmental conditions. Light levels don’t matter – enemies detect you equally in pitch darkness and bright sunlight. The game doesn’t calculate realistic light-based detection. You’re just as visible in shadows as in spotlights.

• Time of day makes no difference. Nighttime provides no stealth advantage over daytime. Enemy detection speed, field of view, and alertness remain constant regardless of time. The day/night cycle is purely aesthetic for stealth purposes.
• Weather effects are negligible. Rain reduces general visibility slightly but doesn’t affect enemy detection of the player. Some players report rainy weather makes stealth “easier” but this is likely psychological rather than mechanical.
• Fog and pollution drastically reduce visual range for the player but don’t impair enemy detection capabilities. Dense fog prevents you from seeing enemies until very close while they detect you at normal ranges – actually a stealth disadvantage.
• Sandstorms (Badlands primarily) have no impact on stealth detection. They’re cosmetic weather effects without gameplay consequences.

Tactical Implications

Since environmental factors don’t affect detection, focus entirely on mechanical stealth tools – crouch movement and positioning, Optical Camo and cyberware, reduced visibility stats from upgrades, Ping and enemy tracking, strategic use of cover and elevation. Don’t expect darkness or rain to provide natural concealment because the game doesn’t support it.

This disappointed me initially because I love stealth games like Thief or even Skyrim, where light and shadow matter. But after accepting Cyberpunk’s limitations, I adapted my playstyle to focus purely on mechanics rather than environmental advantages.

Environmental Hacking for Stealth Advantage

Camera Exploitation

Security cameras represent both threat and opportunity. Camera Control quickhack lets you hijack the entire network – pivot cameras to scout areas and identify all enemy positions, scan and mark enemies through camera view, switch between connected cameras, apply offensive quickhacks through the camera.

Advanced players can clear entire buildings using only cameras and lethal quickhacks without ever physically entering. Contagion spreading through enemy groups becomes especially powerful when uploaded from camera safety. I’ve cleared entire Arasaka facilities this way, sitting safely outside while watching enemies drop from Contagion and Overheat.

Camera Neutralization Methods:

• Turn Off quickhack (disables camera remotely)
• Shoot out camera with silenced weapons (permanent destruction)
• Manual disable (approach and physically unplug from below)
• Breach Protocol + Big Sleep daemon (disables all cameras for 6 minutes)

Some players report cameras reactivating after using Camera Control even when previously disabled. Destruction remains the only guaranteed permanent solution.

Turret Weaponization

Take Control lets you remotely operate turrets, manually firing at enemies. Use this to thin enemy numbers before physical infiltration. Friendly Mode rewrites turret targeting to treat you as ally and enemies as threats – friendly-mode turrets automatically engage hostiles in both combat and stealth.

Breach Protocol + Turret Tamer daemon sets all turrets in network to Friendly status for 3 minutes. Combine with Big Sleep (camera disable) for complete security system takeover.

I always start infiltrations by taking control of security systems. Why fight enemies when you can make their own defenses kill them?

Distraction Hacking

Distract Enemies quickhack causes devices to malfunction erratically, attracting nearby guards. Usable devices include vending machines, lights, speakers, computers, vehicles, televisions, forklifts, generators, radios, screens, fog machines, reflectors, fuse boxes. Low RAM cost makes it accessible early-game.

Tactical application: lure guards away from groups, creating isolated takedown opportunities. Position yourself near a container for body concealment, distract a nearby enemy to that location, perform takedown, hide body, repeat.

Optimal Stealth Hacking Sequence

1. Locate access point or camera outside enemy awareness range
2. Breach Protocol – Upload ICEpick, Big Sleep/Camera Shutdown, Mass Vulnerability
3. Ping – Reveal all networked enemies
4. Camera Control – Scout via camera network, mark all enemies
5. Friendly Mode on turrets (if present)
6. Optional quickhack elimination – Contagion/Overheat through cameras for pre-infiltration kills
7. Physical infiltration – Enter with full situational awareness, disabled security, friendly turrets

This methodology transforms stealth from reactive (hiding from detection) to proactive (controlling the battlefield before entering). Once you master this sequence, most infiltrations become trivial because you’ve already won before stepping inside.

Now You Are Night City’s Invisible Predator

Stealth in Cyberpunk 2077 rewards patience, planning, and understanding how systems interact. The post-2.0 overhaul fixed most of the janky detection issues from launch, added meaningful recovery mechanics when stealth breaks, and streamlined perk choices so you’re not wasting points on marginal bonuses. Update 2.0 also introduced the ability to return to stealth after being detected, which fundamentally changed how aggressive you can be with stealth approaches.

Stealth builds also scale incredibly well into late-game content. While combat builds eventually hit damage caps and defensive plateaus, stealth builds continue improving through cyberware optimization, weapon mod refinement, and perk synergies. 

The satisfaction of perfect stealth runs never gets old. Clearing an entire Arasaka black site without triggering a single alert, leaving nothing but unconscious bodies in containers and confused guards wondering where everyone went – that’s the kind of power fantasy Cyberpunk delivers when you fully commit to stealth gameplay. Night City’s most dangerous threats aren’t always the ones making the most noise. Sometimes they’re the ones you never see coming…

If You Still Got Questions…