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Cyberpunk 2077 Lifepaths | Should you pick Corpo, Nomad, or Streetkid?

Choose your path, Samurai

James Billcliffe avatar
Guide by James Billcliffe Guides Editor
Updated on

In the course of creating your mercenary, V, you must choose between Cyberpunk 2077’s lifepaths to flesh out your backstory. There are three to pick from, each with their own unique effect on your continued existence in Night City, as well as how you start your journey.

While your lifepath is a tough choice to start Cyberpunk 2077 off with, keep in mind that there’s no “best” lifepath - each one has their plus points, and you won’t be barred from much based on this decision.

In its simplest form, you’re choosing to play one unique mission right at the start of the game, then one in-game faction for your V to have prior knowledge of, which they can then bring up in optional dialogue later in the game.

Either way, we’ll run through everything that’s different based on your Lifepath in Cyberpunk 2077, but if you’re particularly drawn to any in particular, that’s the one you should pick.

Cyberpunk 2077 lifepaths - Should you pick Corpo, Nomad, or Streetkid?

There are three Lifepaths to choose from in Cyberpunk 2077:

  • Corpo - Members of the Night City corporate elite, concerned with money, power, and climbing the upper echelons of society
  • Streetkid - Night City natives involved in petty crime like car jacking and other illicit activities
  • Nomad - Outsiders who form clans in the desert badlands surrounding Night City

All three of the Lifepaths do a similar job of introducing you to the world of Night City, and acquainting you with the different characters and factions co-existing throughout V’s environment.

Whichever Lifepath you choose, there are a few things that are the same. By the end of the prologue with each path you will have:

  • Met your best friend and partner in Night City - Jackie Welles - by some means;
  • Completed exactly the same prologue rescue mission after your initial Lifepath mission;
  • Been given exactly the same starting apartment; and
  • Been given exactly the same starting vehicle.

Differences between the Corpo, Streetkid, and Nomad lifepaths

While the vast majority of Cyberpunk 2077 will play out the same no matter which lifepath you choose, the choice does make a few differences to the how the game plays out. Most of these are very minor, but they are worth considering as you decide how to build the character of V in your game.

The differences between the Lifepaths boil down to:

Prologue mission and starting area

Depending on which lifepath you choose, your starting mission will play out quite differently — though it always ends with you and your best pal Jackie in the same place after a convenient six-month time skip.

As part of the varying prologue missions, you'll be starting the game in a different area of Night City (City Center for Corpos, Heywood for Street Kids, or The Badlands for Nomads). All three paths meet up by the end of the prologue, but you get to sightsee one of three very different areas early on based on your choice.

If you’re looking for a more detailed rundown of what happens in each Lifepath mission before you make your choice, we’ll go over that in the next section.

Being dressed in a different default outfit

Until you buy V some clothes, they'll be wearing a default outfit that's suited to their lifepath.

Access to one exclusive Lifepath side job

Each lifepath unlocks one exclusive side job somewhere in the later stages of the game:

  • "War Pigs" for Corpos
  • "Small Man, Big Mouth" for Streekids
  • "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for Nomads

These side jobs all come with unique rewards. Nomads and Corpos each have the chance to receive an exclusive item (a car and a gun, respectively) for completing their quest, while Streekids receive a sizeable boost to EXP and Street Cred.

Optional dialogue choices based around your Lifepath

These dialogue choices appear throughout the game. They rarely advance the conversations they appear in, but are meant to reflect V's differing knowledge about the various movers and shakers in Night City.

If you're a Corpo for example, you have a better understanding of the insidious megacompanies that run the show.

Whereas a Streetkid is already acquainted with the roster of fixers and mercs who run illicit jobs on the ground.

Finally, a Nomad is removed from both of those worlds, so their optional dialogues will allude to this, but they will be more at home in the missions throughout the game which take place outside of Night City.

Cyberpunk 2077 Corpo Lifepath Mission

Corpos are the monied elite of Night City, ruthlessly playing with the lives of those less fortunate than them for the profit and prosperity of their company above all else.

In the Corpo Lifepath, you’re a middle manager in the counterintelligence arm of the Arasaka Corporation. Arasaka plays a big role in the wider story of Cyberpunk 2077, and as such you’ll have a better understanding of the sub-factions within the company and how they operate.

The Lifepath mission sees you receive a difficult task from your boss that needs your discretion, before you get to briefly explore the inside of the Arasaka office.

This is one of the shorter prologues, but does feature a fun Witcher 3 easter egg if you check the drawer of your desk.

Cyberpunk 2077 Streetkid Lifepath Mission

Pick the Streetkid Lifepath and you’ll be Night City born and bred. After a couple of years away, you return home to start afresh, only to pick up where you left off with a bar-fight black eye and empty pockets.

In this Lifepath mission, you reacquaint yourself with some of the fixers and hustlers in your home borough of Westbrook, near central Night City.

You're then tasked with running a carjacking job to clear a friends' debt.

Throughout the game, your optional dialogues will include knowledge of Night City districts, drugs, and other petty crime activities.

Cyberpunk 2077 Nomad Lifepath Mission

Nomad clans live in the desert surrounding Night City, relying on their cars, their wits, and each other to get by.

In this Lifepath mission, you head towards the bright lights of the city after falling out with the rest of your clan - fixing up your car on the way.

To set up your new beginning, you need to run a smuggling job across the city line, and this is the only Lifepath where you start the game doing your own driving.

If you want control of your own path straight away, then this might be the path for you.

Once you reach your new home, your additional dialogue choices will mainly revolve around your status as an outsider to Night City, and unaccustomed to its ways.

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