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With the new expansion pack Phantom Liberty, Cyberpunk 2077 is gigantic, and it’s worth replaying to experience its new character creation, romance options, and, of course, multiple endings. Among the many possible outcomes in the game, there exists one that is the secret ending known as “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”
If you’re eager to unlock this mysterious ending, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will help you navigate the choices and prerequisites needed to experience this secret ending. Of course, there are a lot of spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Prerequisite to (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
Before you start the secret ending, you must first complete a series of Side Jobs that will reveal the story of Johnny Silverhand. The Side Jobs in question are “Tapeworm,” “Chippin’ In,” and “Blistering Love.” These missions will provide you with important story and character development that will trigger the secret ending, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Make sure to do a lot of saves so you don’t have to start all over again.
Completing the Side Jobs won’t be enough to trigger the secret ending. You must also be on good terms with Silverhand. This requires you to have at least earned 70% favor for this secret ending to happen. If your favor with Silverhand falls short of the requirements, don’t worry, there’s still hope. During the Side Job, “Chippin’ In,” there are dialogue choices that can significantly boost your relationship with Silverhand.
Choose the following options to gain his favor:
- “Nah, fucked that up too.”
- “What do you want from me?”
- “Ok. But as second chances go, this is your last.”
These choices may seem harmless, but this will nudge Silverhand ‘s favor up to 40%. This will be enough to convince him to take the dangerous mission later on.
Once you’ve met the prerequisites, you’re almost near to unlocking the (Don’t Fear) The Reaper ending.
You will find yourself conversing with Silverhand on the balcony. During this conversation, you should resist the temptation of selecting dialogue options. So instead, alternate between gazing at your weapon and meeting Silverhand’s gaze. This should be done on repeat, at least once a minute for five full minutes. Just patiently wait for Silverhand.
At this point, Silverhand will present you with an alternative option—a “wild suicide run” where your companions shouldn’t risk their lives for this dangerous mission.
Make sure to select the following dialogue choices:
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- “Let’s hear this plan”
- “Means goin’ out with a bang – I like it”
Unlocking the Secret Ending
Once you’ve initiated the “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” ending, there are a lot of distinct narrative choices that will be revealed once you set foot on this path of no return. Depending on your choices and actions throughout the game, you may witness either the hidden “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” ending or other variations of the “Path of Glory” or “Temperance” epilogues.
What sets this secret ending apart from the others is the absence of any of your companions or support from your friends. V and Silverhand will be on a suicide mission to attack Arasaka Tower without the assistance of Hanako, Rogue, or the Aldecados Nomads. They will be entirely by themselves during this fight.
In this part of the game, you won’t be able to save. So make sure before doing this ending that you’ve done everything beforehand.
The Ultimate Challenge: Facing the Reaper
Prepare yourself for a relentless combat challenge. It’s worth noting that this ending demands you to be on a higher level, so investing some time in leveling up is advisable before you start your suicide mission with Silverhand. Should V die at any point during the mission, you’ll promptly see the credits roll, signaling the end of your journey.
This ending isn’t called “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” for nothing. After accepting Silverhand’s offer, you can no longer save your progress, making every decision and action after this conversation all the more important and risky.
If you’re having a difficult time with the relentless challenges of this ending, you have one option—you can reload an older save file. Being a save scummer in this walkthrough is a blessing, as this will help you save a lot of time and not end the game abruptly. Reloading your older save file allows you to retry the mission until you have succeeded. It will be frustrating, but this will help you to progress until you defeat all of your enemies in the Arasaka Tower.
If you’re a daredevil and hate reloading over and over again, you can confront the challenges head-on. This is difficult to do, but if you’re skilled in playing the game and you’re already at a higher level, you will have a chance to defeat all of the enemies in the Arasaka Tower. Best of luck to you, brave soldier.
Pathways Converge: A Tale of Two Choices
If V doesn’t die during this battle, you will be presented with two choices. You will ultimately decide to choose between Silverhand or V.
Choosing Silverhand will lead you to the “Temperance Ending.” In this ending, Silverhand will enter the well and take over V’s body. Depending on your perspective, this will be a bad ending for V.
On the other hand, selecting V offers a subtle yet very different outcome from the “Temperance Ending.” In this version, Rogue remains alive and well since she did not accompany you to Arasaka Tower. As a result, you will encounter a unique twist with another ending called “Path of Glory,” where Rogue continues to stay over the Afterlife. This alternate ending provides a heartbreaking finale between V and Rogue, their last drink together before V embarks on a mission.
That’s pretty much it for Cyberpunk 2077‘s secret ending “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Unlocking it requires a combination of specific choices, completing side jobs, and, of course, playing one of the toughest challenges the game has to offer. While the ending doesn’t give any special achievements or trophies, the unique endings and the intense gameplay make it all the more compelling to finish the secret ending.
