Cyberpunk 2077's "biggest patch to date" includes first batch of post-launch DLC freebies
Plus improved minimap, perk respec, and more.
CD Projekt is readying to release Cyberpunk 2077's "biggest patch to date" - the third major update since the RPG's disastrous launch last December - and has now shared full details of what it will bring, including an improved minimap and the game's first selection of free DLC.
Prior to Cyberpunk's launch, CD Projekt whipped up player interest with the promise of free post-launch DLC. However, plans for additional content were put on hold while the developer worked to fix the game's litany of bugs and to bring Cyberpunk's widely lambasted last-gen console release up to a more acceptable standard. Now though, according to senior quest designer Patrick Mills on tonight's 1.3 update dev stream, "streaming and memory management" have reached a point "where we can start trying to deliver those things".
As such, 1.3 includes the first of Cyberpunk 2077's free DLC, mostly falling into the category of 'minor cosmetic additions'. There are two new jackets - a red and shiny number, plus a grey and yellow option with a fur collar - alongside the Quartz Bandit: an orange and black car with its innards on the outside. The jackets and car are two separate rewards unlocked by completing small objectives received on reaching certain points in the game (anyone beyond those point will get the DLC on loading a save), and CD Projekt says future DLC drops will follow the same pattern of integration, with the goal being to make the world feel a little richer.
1.3's final DLC addition is an alternative look for Johnny Silverhand - a combination of bare chest, dinner jacket, and sweeping hairdo - that can be turned on via the options menu.
Those looking for more meaningful additions and changes should cast their eyes toward CD Projekt's 1.3 patch notes. There are, as you might expect, an astronomical number of bug fixes (addressing all areas of the experience, from gameplay and UI to quests), but players will likely be most interested to hear about the key improvements, which, in this instance, take the form of an enhanced minimap - which zooms further out while driving for easier navigation - and the ability to reset and reallocate Perk points from the skill tree screen.
Elsewhere, CD Project is touting stability and performance improvements across all platforms - said to "make a bigger difference" on last-gen consoles and lower-performance machines - as well as other notable quality of life changes. These include the ability to upgrade crafting components in bulk, new Database links in Journal entries making it easier to access relevant information, increased save slots, and less frequent messages from Fixers trying to sell V a car. And for the cat lovers out there, V's apartment now sports more sleeping spots for Nibbles.
The full list of fixes and additions is big and while patch 1.3 certainly won't magically transform Cyberpunk 2077 into a radically different experience to the one that launched last year, the bug fixes alone suggest it'll be in a far healthier state when the update arrives. There's no release date for the 1.3 update yet, but CD Projekt says to expect it on all platforms "very soon".