You're driving through the neon-soaked rain of Night City, and Wakako Okada pings you with a job. Simple hit, she says. Bill Jablonsky wants a guy dead—a guy who murdered his wife. You show up, expect a quick shootout, and maybe a payout.
Then everything goes sideways.
The target, Joshua Stephenson, doesn't try to kill you. He asks you to get in the car. Most people just pull the trigger and walk away with a handful of eddies, thinking they finished the gig. Honestly? They missed the most haunting storyline in the entire game. The cyberpunk joshua stephenson choices aren't just about finishing a quest; they’re about how much of your own humanity you're willing to sell to a corporation for a "hollow" kind of redemption.
The Choice No One Expects: Do You Kill Him or Listen?
When Jablonsky gets flatlined by the NCPD, you have a split second to decide. You can blast Joshua right there. If you do, the quest "Sinnerman" ends. Wakako pays you. Job done.
But if you wait? Joshua invites you along.
He’s a convicted murderer who found God in a prison cell. Or so he says. He’s out on a "work release" program because Fourth Wall Studios—a massive media corp—wants to record his execution. Not just any execution, though. A literal crucifixion turned into a Braindance (BD).
Understanding the "Success" of the Braindance
A lot of players get confused about what "winning" this quest looks like. There isn't a "happy" ending where Joshua goes free and opens a community center. He’s going to die. The real outcome depends on whether the BD he records is a "masterpiece" or a total flop.
If you want the "successful" BD ending (which Rachel, the corpo producer, wants because it makes her filthy rich), you have to encourage Joshua. You have to feed into his martyr complex.
How to make the BD a hit:
- When he asks if you believe, say you do (even if you’re lying).
- In the car and at the house, pick the "True Believers" or "I'm all ears" options.
- Don't challenge his ego.
- Basically, be his hype man for his own death.
If you do this, Rachel will eventually call you, thrilled. She’ll send you a massive bonus because the BD "moved" people. You’re rich, but you basically helped a corporation monetize a man's mental breakdown and death. Gross, right?
The Bribe: Taking the Easy Way Out
In the middle of the questline, during "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out," Rachel will pull you aside at a diner. She’s annoyed. You’re "contaminating" her star. She offers you a fat stack of eddies to just walk away.
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If you’re playing a Corpo Lifepath, you can actually haggle. You can demand more.
Taking the money ends the quest immediately. You get paid, you keep your hands clean of the actual blood, but Johnny Silverhand will absolutely hate you for it. He calls you a sellout. And he’s kinda right. You took the corpo payoff to stop caring.
Can You Actually Save Joshua?
Sorta. But not really.
You can't stop the execution. No matter what you say, Joshua Stephenson is going to that studio and he is getting nailed to that cross. However, you can ruin the BD.
If you spend the quest being skeptical, mocking his faith, or telling him he’s just a tool for the studio, he starts to lose it. He gets "cold feet." By the time you reach the final quest, "They Won't Go When I Go," he’s a nervous wreck. He’s doubting everything.
What happens when you ruin it:
- Joshua dies in fear and doubt instead of "peace."
- The BD recorded is garbage because his emotions weren't "pure."
- Rachel calls you later, screaming her head off.
- Your payout is significantly lower.
It’s a weird moral spot. Do you let him die happy in a delusion so a corporation can profit? Or do you force him to face the reality of his crimes, ruining the corp’s profit but making his final moments a living nightmare?
The Heavy Choice: Nailing the Nails
The climax is one of the most controversial scenes in gaming history. Joshua asks you to be the one to nail him to the cross.
You can say no. You can sit in the corner and watch. You can even walk out of the building entirely.
But if you do it? You have to manually click to hammer each nail. There’s no skip button. The game forces you to sit with the sound and the screams. It’s arguably the most "Cyberpunk" moment in the game because it shows exactly how far the world has fallen—where a mercenary is hired to perform a religious execution for a streaming service.
Actionable Insights for Your Playthrough
If you’re standing in that studio right now wondering what to do, here is how the rewards shake out:
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- For the most Eddies: Stay the course, encourage Joshua's "vision," and don't take the bribe. The bonus Rachel sends after the mission is much higher than the bribe.
- For the "Moral" route: There isn't one. That's the point. But ruining the BD by sowing doubt is the only way to "stick it to the man" (Rachel and the studio).
- To see everything: Agree to participate in the crucifixion. It unlocks unique dialogue with Johnny and a very different atmosphere in the room.
The quest is a gut-punch. It’s supposed to be. Whether you think Joshua is a repentant soul or a narcissistic killer, the cyberpunk joshua stephenson choices leave a mark on your V that most other side gigs can't touch.
Next time you’re in Japantown, check your messages. If Rachel hasn't called you yet, wait a few in-game days. The fallout of your choices usually takes a little while to process through the Night City media machine.
To get the most out of this quest, try playing it twice—once as a believer and once as a total cynic—just to see how much the dialogue changes based on your "vibe" alone.