Patch 2.3’s cyberware tuning shifted the build landscape again. Netrunning took a small hit, melee sandevistan builds got a quiet buff, and one previously joke-tier weapon category is now genuinely elite. These are the three builds dominating Night City right now.
1. Sandevistan katana (best overall)
The classic is back on top. Max Reflexes and Cool, with Technical Ability for cyberware capacity. The build lives inside slowed time: activate sandy, delete three enemies, reposition, repeat.
- Attributes: Reflexes 20, Cool 20, Technical 15+, Body 9, Intelligence 3.
- Key cyberware: any mil-spec Sandevistan, Kerenzikov, and armor-stacking skeleton chrome.
- Core perks: the full blade tree, air-dash mobility, and slow-time duration extensions.
2. Smart-weapon netrunner hybrid
Still the safest build in the game. Smart weapons remove the aim requirement entirely while quickhacks handle groups. Post-2.3 you overclock less often, so build for RAM recovery instead of raw damage.
3. The shotgun brawler (the sleeper)
The 2.3 dark horse. Pellet damage scaling plus the new adrenal chrome turns point-blank shotguns into boss shredders. Max Body, stack movement-speed cyberware, and play aggressively — this build dies if it plays scared.
Respec reminder
Attribute respecs are one-time per save, but perk respecs are free and unlimited. Experiment with perks freely; commit attributes only after you have tried a build at level 30+.
Which build should you pick?
New players: netrunner hybrid — it forgives everything. Veterans: sandevistan katana for the highest ceiling. Bored veterans: the shotgun brawler, because it plays like a different game.