Here's How To Get The Secret Ending In Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is all about player choice, and that's especially true for the end game. Like many games based on choice, the decisions the player makes throughout the game can determine how the story ends, and the endings are all significantly different from each other. In fact, Cyberpunk 2077 has five official endings. They all follow the same general outline, in which V infiltrates the Arasaka Corporation headquarters and confronts the game's big bad, Adam Smasher.
(Major spoilers ahead for Cyberpunk 2077.)
The different endings are mostly variations on the fates of V and Johnny Silverhand, with Johnny either taking over V's body or remaining in cyberspace. But there's also a sixth, secret ending that's easy to miss: "(Don't Fear) the Reaper."
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" involves one of the toughest gameplay challenges in the entire game, so it's really recommended for experienced players. In other words, V should bring their most powerful weapons and all the health they can carry. Here's how to get Cyberpunk 2077's secret ending.
How to trigger the "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" secret ending
Accessing the secret ending depends on the choices the player makes during the "Chippin' In" Side Job, which is only accessible after completing the "Tapeworm" Side Job. At the end of "Chippin' In," V and Johnny Silverhand have a talk in an oil field. There are four correct dialogue options that will unlock the secret ending, "(Don't Fear) the Reaper." The overall idea is to validate Johnny's past as a rebel fighting against the Arasaka Corporation, but here are the specific dialogue choices to make:
"The Guy who Saved My Life."
"What do you want from me?"
"OK. But as second chances go, this is your last."
"When you said you let down your friends..."
"Yeah, I'll call Rogue."
After that, complete the "Blistering Love" Side Job, and then progress to the "Nocturne OP55n1" endgame mission. During the rooftop conversation with Johnny Silvehand, choose the option to raid Arasaka Tower. But instead of selecting the next dialogue option, sit tight. Wait around five minutes, and "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" will unlock.
How "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" plays out
"(Don't Fear) the Reaper" is basically a replay of Johnny Silverhand's assault on Arasaka Headquarters in 2023. Back then, Arasaka had kidnapped Johnny's girlfriend Alt Cunningham and imprisoned her consciousness digitally. Johnny attempted to rescue her and nuked Arasaka Tower in the process, but ended up captured and uploaded to Arasaka's mainframe himself. Now, it's time for redemption.
Like the name suggests, "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" is pretty much a suicide mission. V and Johnny simply stroll through the Arasaka front entrance and start causing mayhem. The player will face wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies as they progress into the building's depths before finally squaring off against the final boss, Adam Smasher.
After finally accessing the Mikoshi mainframe, the game proceeds as normal. At this point, the player can choose either the "New Dawn Fades" ending, in which V enters cyberspace permanently and Johnny Silverhand takes over their body; or the "Path of Glory" ending, in which V stays in their own body and returns to Night City as a legend among mercenaries. "Path of Glory" then concludes with V traveling to outer space for one last job, robbing the Crystal Palace Casino.