Need almost a million and a half eddies to buy everything that catches your eye in Cyberpunk? Yes, that’s a lot. Don’t panic, though: there are proven ways to make money in Cyberpunk 2077 without turning it into a boring grind. I’ve been through it and found methods that actually work, without exploits or endlessly farming the same spot.
Most players make the same mistake: they either dismantle all their loot, losing money, or overlook half the earning opportunities right under their noses. I’ll show you how to earn eddies naturally by playing the game, with a couple of smart decisions that double your income.
1. Just play the game
The most reliable income? Complete missions and gigs. Story missions, side quests and fixer gigs all pay well without relying on exploits or repetitive grinding. Make these your main source of income. The game gives you enough content to build up eddies naturally.
2. Loot everything and sell smart
I mean everything: weapons, clothes, junk. Pick it all up. Some junk sells for 750+ eddies, and weapons are worth considerably more than other items.
Drop points are your best friends: those yellow stations marked with a box icon on the map. Fast travel to one, sell your junk with a button press, collect the eddies and repeat. Quick and efficient.
One thing I learned the hard way: don’t dismantle valuable junk. That katana worth 6534 eddies? Sell it. You’ll get much more value from the money than from the crafting components it breaks down into.
3. Use optimized farming routes
How much can you earn? 50,000-100,000+ eddies per hour, depending on your efficiency and level. I usually put on some music and zone out for 30-40 minutes when I need quick cash. Works every time.
4. NCPD Scanner Hustles
Those blue NCPD events scattered everywhere? Scanner Hustles mean quick money and extra Street Cred.
Clear the enemies, collect everything and move to the next event. Each one doesn’t pay a fortune, but they’re everywhere and quick to finish.
5. Hack access points
You need at least 5 Intelligence and the Advanced Datamine perk. Hack access points as you play to earn 600+ eddies per breach with upgraded perks.
Each individual hack pays a modest amount, but it adds up when you breach every terminal you naturally encounter on missions.
6. Craft and sell quickhacks
This is a great money-making method to combine with the previous one. With the right build, you get an almost endless income source that doesn’t depend on weapon drops or luck.
What to do:
- Invest attribute points in Intelligence, reaching at least 4-5 to get started.
- Use Breach Protocol on every suitable device.
- Hack everything for components: access points, laptops, vending machines marked as red kiosks on the minimap, antennas and terminals.
- Collect quickhack crafting components from every successful breach.
- Craft only top-tier quickhacks, especially Detonate Grenade.
- Sell your crafted quickhacks to vendors.
Additional advice:
Get the perk that shortens Breach Protocol sequences. It only needs 2 perk points and at least 4 Intelligence, but saves a lot of time. Try uploading several daemons in one breach for more components and money. Once you can, craft only the highest-tier quickhacks: they’re worth several times more than ordinary ones.
Why does this farming method work so well? There is no limit on the number of objects you can hack, earnings scale with your level, and you aren’t relying on random weapon drops. It’s less entertaining than cutting down enemies, sure, but once you get the hang of it, the income is practically unlimited. You can comfortably save for whatever you want.
7. Dogtown airdrops
Aerial supply drops are a treasure trove. They regularly contain legendary items worth 15,000-17,000 eddies each, plus plenty of high-tier upgrade materials. One drop can earn you tens of thousands of eddies in a couple of minutes.
What to do:
- Stay in Dogtown and go about your business.
- Listen for a loud aircraft overhead: it signals an incoming supply drop.
- Look for smoke marking the exact landing spot.
- Get to the drop site quickly.
- Loot high-tier upgrade materials.
- Gather expensive guns.
- Check the drop for unique items.
- Sell expensive weapons at drop points and keep the materials for upgrading your own equipment.
Airdrops appear regularly. You can go about your business in Dogtown and simply react when you hear an aircraft. No special build or leveling is needed; it works at any level. Legendary gear from these drops sells for a lot, and one successful raid can make up for an hour of regular farming.
8. Should you dismantle or sell?
Are you at the start of the game? Sell everything. You need eddies more than crafting components.
In the late game and trying to upgrade iconic weapons? Dismantle Tier 5 items for components. But still don’t dismantle that junk worth 750 eddies. Always sell valuable items.
Time to earn some cash and buy what you wanted
Making money in Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t require exploits or endlessly repeating the same activities. Play missions, loot everything and sell wisely at drop points, and the eddies start adding up. Hack access points along the way and add a couple of focused farming sessions when you need quick cash. Your pockets will be full sooner than you expect.
Above all, don’t dismantle expensive junk and weapons early in the game. Selling them is far more useful than collecting crafting components you won’t need until later. Follow these simple rules, and your 1.5+ million eddies will build up naturally while you enjoy Night City.
Questions about earning eddies in Cyberpunk 2077
Is it worth investing perks in crafting to make money?
No, especially early on. Crafting takes plenty of time and resources, with little return compared with selling loot. Spend your perk points on combat or hacking instead. They bring more value and money indirectly: faster kills mean faster looting. Crafting only becomes profitable very late in the game, once you have rare crafting specs and high-level perks.
Which merchants pay the most for loot?
Honestly, the difference between vendors is tiny, and chasing the “best prices” wastes time. Drop points accept everything and are everywhere, making them the quickest option. To squeeze out a little more money, sell guns to weapon vendors and clothing to clothing shops, but the difference is literally 5-10%. You’re better off spending that time on another NCPD event.
Can I resell purchased items for profit?
No, that doesn’t work. Resale prices are always lower than purchase prices, so speculation won’t pay. The only exception is finding something dirt cheap at a ripperdoc or vendor and selling it for more, but such opportunities are extremely rare. Looting and selling what you find is the reliable approach.
Should I farm specific enemy types for better loot?
Higher-level enemies do drop more valuable weapons and armor, so farming areas with enemies 5-10 levels above you makes sense. Enemy type, whether gang members, corpos or cyberpsychos, matters less than their level. Cyberpsychos offer good one-off loot, but don’t respawn, making them unsuitable for extended farming. Level up quickly and get farming!
Should I buy cars early or save for cyberware?
Save, no question. Cars are cosmetic; their only benefit is convenience, and fast travel handles that too. Good cyberware, such as a Sandevistan or a quality operating system, can completely change your gameplay. Buy cars last, once you have more eddies than you know what to do with. 😉
