You're standing in a cramped, graffiti-stained alley in Kabuki, and some guy with a robotic face is about to turn your ribs into dust. Welcome to the Beat on the Brat Cyberpunk experience. It’s arguably the most polarizing side quest in CD Projekt Red’s massive RPG because it forces you to stop being a high-tech wizard and start being a brawler.
Honestly? It's brutal. If you’ve built your V to be a stealthy netrunner or a long-range sniper, these fights feel less like a side quest and more like a recurring nightmare. You walk into the ring, thinking you've got this, and then a set of gold-plated gorilla arms sends you to the loading screen in three seconds flat. It happens to everyone.
But the thing is, "Beat on the Brat" isn't actually about being a "tough guy." It’s about understanding the game's awkward melee hitboxes and knowing which cyberware makes you an unkillable tank.
The Reality of the Beat on the Brat Cyberpunk Fights
Let’s get one thing straight: the difficulty curve in this quest is a jagged mess. You start with a pair of twins in Kabuki who share a brain, and suddenly you’re expected to take down a literal military-grade veteran with a PTSD-fueled death wish.
Most players stumble into these fights way too early. You see the yellow exclamation mark, you think "Oh, a boxing match, how hard can it be?" and then you realize your punches deal about as much damage as a wet noodle while the opponent can end your run with a single heavy attack.
The quest is gated by your Body attribute, but that’s a bit of a lie. You don’t need a 20 in Body to win, though it certainly helps with the health pool. What you actually need is a solid grasp of the parry mechanic, which, let’s be real, is kind of janky in first-person mode.
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Why Everyone Hates (and Loves) Razor Hugh
Razor is the final boss of this questline, and he is the embodiment of everything frustrating about first-person brawling. He’s huge. He’s fast. He has a heal-on-hit mechanic that feels like cheating.
A lot of players try to cheesie this fight. Back in the day, you could drop a melee weapon on the ground before the fight started and pick it up during the match. CDPR patched that out because they wanted you to suffer—or rather, they wanted you to actually engage with the mechanics.
The trick to Razor isn’t just punching him until he stops moving. It’s about his abdominals. If you listen to Viktor Vektor (your ripperdoc and arguably the only person in Night City who actually likes you), he tells you exactly how to win. Razor has a weakness in his midsection due to some cut-rate cyberware installations. If you aim your hits low when he’s winding up, you can stagger him.
The Essential Gear You’re Probably Missing
If you're trying to do Beat on the Brat Cyberpunk without Gorilla Arms, you're basically playing on "Ultra Hard" mode for no reason.
Go see a ripperdoc.
Gorilla Arms are the baseline requirement. They don't just increase your damage; they allow you to ignore the Body attribute requirement for certain interactions and, more importantly, they let you break an opponent's block. Without them, you’re just hitting a brick wall.
Here is the setup that actually works:
- Legendary Gorilla Arms: Get the ones with internal batteries that deal elemental damage.
- Micro-vibration Generator: This increases your melee damage by a significant percentage.
- Bionic Joints: Reduces the stamina cost of those heavy attacks.
- Bio-monitor: This is your "get out of jail free" card. It automatically heals you when your health drops below a certain point.
Don't forget the Sandevistan. While some fights are strictly "fists only," having a "Sandy" allows you to slow down time, get behind your opponent, and land three or four heavy hits before they even know you’ve moved. It feels a bit like cheating, but in Night City, if you aren't cheating, you aren't trying.
Fighting the Animal: Rhino
Rhino is a different beast entirely. Located in a pit in the Grand Imperial Mall (or a nearby warehouse depending on your choices), she represents the "Animals" gang—people obsessed with testosterone and chrome.
The arena is tiny. You will feel claustrophobic.
The secret here is movement. You cannot out-tank Rhino. She will crush you. Instead, you have to play it like a dance. Dodge left, jab, dodge right, jab. If you get backed into a corner, use a double-jump (Reinforced Tendons) to literally hop over her head. It breaks her AI tracking for a split second, giving you a window to reset.
Breaking Down the Rewards
Is it even worth it?
You get some street cred. You get some eddies. But the real prize for completing the Beat on the Brat Cyberpunk missions is usually the satisfaction of finally shutting up those arrogant NPCs.
- Buck: If you beat him and call him out on his cheating, you can end up with his sniper rifle, the O'Five. It’s one of the best explosive snipers in the game, though you’ll have to fight his whole gang to keep it.
- Cesar: This is the guy with the pregnant wife and the flashy car (the Alvarado "Vato"). You can choose to take his money and his car, or be a "legend" and let him keep both. Honestly, the car is pretty mid compared to a Caliburn, but it looks cool in your garage.
- The Twins: They mostly just give you an early-game ego boost and some pocket change.
Nuance: The Stealth Approach to Boxing
There is a weird quirk in the game's design. If you've invested heavily into the Cool tree and have perks that trigger on "crit hits" or "finishing moves," those often apply to your fists too.
You don't have to be a brute. You can be a fast, stinging insect.
Wait for the counter. When the enemy's health bar flashes or they pull their arm back, hit the block button. If you time it right, time slows down for a micro-second, and you can follow up with a devastating combo. This is how you win the fights when you're under-leveled.
Common Misconceptions About the Quest
A lot of guides tell you to wait until level 50. That’s boring. You can do most of these fights in your 20s if you understand the "Stamina" bar.
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In Cyberpunk 2077, stamina isn't just for running. Every punch you throw consumes it. If you zero out your stamina, your punches become sluggish and you can't block effectively. The biggest mistake players make is "button mashing." They swing wildly, run out of breath, and then get floored by a counter-punch.
Treat it like a tactical combat sim. Swing twice, back off. Let the bar refill.
Final Strategic Action Plan
If you're stuck on a specific fight right now, stop throwing yourself at the wall. You need a change of gear.
- Visit a Ripperdoc in Heywood or City Center. Look for the legendary Gorilla Arms. Even the Epic (purple) ones are a massive upgrade over your bare knuckles.
- Respec if you have to. If you're near the end of the game and have a spare Progression Reset, putting points into the "Blunt Weapons" perk tree (under Body) directly affects your fist damage.
- Eat food. It sounds stupid, but consuming a "Nourished" item gives you 5% more Max HP and 10% Stamina recovery. Every little bit counts when Razor Hugh is trying to cave your skull in.
- Use the environment. In the fight against Buck, there are pillars. In the fight against the Twins, there’s a bench. Use these to break the enemy's line of sight and force their pathfinding to get weird. It gives you a second to breathe.
The Beat on the Brat Cyberpunk questline isn't about being the strongest person in the room; it's about being the smartest. Equip the right chrome, watch the stamina bar, and aim for the stomach.
Go get your eddies.