You’re driving through Northside, Watson. The air smells like salt from the docks and burnt plastic from the nearby industrial stacks. Then your phone buzzes. It’s Regina Jones. She’s got a job that sounds like every other job in Night City, but if you've played through Dirty Biz, you know it’s the one that actually makes you want to put a bullet through the monitor.
Cyberpunk 2077 is full of "gray" morality. This isn't one of those times.
The Dirty Biz gig is basically the litmus test for how much of a "professional" merc you actually are. Most players walk into that basement expecting a standard retrieval mission. They walk out feeling like they need a digital shower. It revolves around a father-son duo, Gottfried and Fredrik, who spend their days editing "XBDs"—the kind of brain-dances that involve the most horrific, snuff-level content imaginable. Specifically, they’re working on the murder of a child, the son of a man named Bryce Stone.
It’s dark. It’s gritty. It’s exactly why people love—and hate—the world CD Projekt Red built.
Why Everyone Remembers the Dirty Biz Gig
The setup is simple. You need to get a specific BD (Braindance) recording from a pair of tuners. They’re holed up in a heavily guarded warehouse in the industrial sector of Watson. You can sneak in through the roof, or you can go in guns blazing, turning the Maelstrom guards into scrap metal. Honestly, by the time you reach the back room, you’re usually already annoyed by the Maelstrom goons, but then you meet the "talent."
Gottfried and Fredrik aren't combatants. They’re just two guys sitting at computers.
What makes this encounter so jarring compared to other side hustles is the dialogue. They aren't scared of you because they think they’re "essential workers" in the underground economy. They argue about the technical quality of the snuff film they’re editing. They talk about "artistic integrity" while looking at footage of a dead kid. It’s a sickening peek into the desensitization that defines Night City. You’re standing there with a Mantis Blade or a high-caliber pistol, and they’re complaining about "unprocessed raw files."
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The Interaction That Tests Your Resolve
When you confront them, you have a choice. You need that raw data for Bryce Stone. You can play it cool, take the drive, and walk out. Or, you can listen to them justify their "craft."
Fredrik, the son, is the more panicked one. Gottfried, the father, is colder. He’s the one who tries to bargain with professional logic. It’s a moment where the game stops being about stats and gear and starts being about who your version of V really is. Do you kill them both? Do you kill the son in front of the father to see if he actually feels anything? Or do you just take the data and realize that in a city this broken, these two are just a drop in a very poisoned ocean?
Most players end up pulling the trigger. The game doesn't give you a trophy for it. There’s no extra eddies. It’s just a personal choice.
The Technical Reality of XBDs in Night City
To understand why Dirty Biz hits so hard, you have to look at the lore of Braindances. In the tabletop RPG and the 2077 video game, BDs are the ultimate drug. They allow a user to feel the emotions, physical sensations, and thoughts of the recorder.
Most legal BDs are movies or sports. But "X" (Extreme) BDs are the black market.
The tuners like Gottfried and Fredrik are the gatekeepers of this trauma. They take "raw" recordings—which are often messy, overwhelming, and psychologically damaging—and "clean" them so a viewer can consume the horror without their brain short-circuiting. It’s a high-skill job. That’s why they’re protected by Maelstrom. Maelstrom doesn't care about the morality; they care about the revenue stream and the fact that these two can process the "scrolls" that no one else can touch.
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Maelstrom's Role in the Business
The warehouse is a fortress for a reason. Maelstrom gang members are already halfway to being machines, so they have zero empathy for the victims in these recordings. They see the Dirty Biz operation as a steady paycheck. If you're playing on a higher difficulty like Very Hard, this gig is actually a decent challenge. You’ve got snipers on the roof and a lot of tight corridors where a shotgun-wielding Maelstromer can end your run in half a second.
Pro tip for the gameplay side: Use the "Contagion" quickhack if you're a netrunner. The warehouse is packed with enemies in close proximity. You can clear the whole floor without ever stepping into the basement where the "editing suite" is located.
How Dirty Biz Reflects the Cyberpunk Genre
Cyberpunk isn't just about cool neon lights and chrome arms. It’s about the commodification of everything. In this gig, human life isn't just cheap; it’s literally data to be edited.
The title "Dirty Biz" is almost a joke. It’s not just dirty; it’s the bottom of the barrel. Writers like William Gibson or Mike Pondsmith (the creator of the Cyberpunk RPG) always emphasized that technology doesn't change human nature; it just gives us more ways to be terrible to each other. Gottfried and Fredrik are the ultimate examples of this. They aren't "evil" in the way a corporate overlord like Saburo Arasaka is evil. They're just banal. They’re boring, everyday people who decided that editing murder was a viable career path.
The Aftermath and Bryce Stone
Once you hand the recording back to Bryce Stone, the gig ends. It feels hollow.
Bryce is broken. He wanted the recording to find out who killed his son, but seeing it—or even knowing it exists—doesn't bring any peace. This is a common theme in Night City. There are no "good" endings, only endings that are slightly less worse than others. Regina Jones, your fixer, usually has a pretty cynical take on it too. She’s seen it all. She knows that even if you zero those two tuners, another pair will be set up in a different basement by next week.
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Strategy for Completing the Gig Efficiently
If you’re looking to maximize your rewards and handle the Dirty Biz gig properly, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- The Stealth Approach: There is a side entrance and a skylight. If you have high enough Technical Ability, you can bypass the front gate entirely. This lets you reach the basement with minimal fuss.
- The Loot: Don't just rush the basement. The warehouse contains a decent amount of crafting components and often some high-tier loot in the crates near the back loading dock.
- The Confrontation: If you want to see the unique dialogue, don't shoot on sight. Talk to them. Listen to how they talk about their "work." It adds a layer to the world-building that you miss if you just throw a grenade in the room.
Interestingly, many players report that this is the one gig where they don't care about the "Non-Lethal" bonus Regina sometimes prefers. Some things are just too much.
Hidden Details You Might Have Missed
Check the computers in the basement. The emails between the father and son and their "clients" reveal a lot about the scale of the XBD market in Night City. It’s not just Maelstrom. There are hints of high-level buyers who want specific "themes." It’s a reminder that the "dirty biz" goes all the way to the top of the corporate towers.
Also, look at the room. It’s messy, lived-in, and pathetic. It’s not a high-tech lab. It’s a basement with some high-end servers and a lot of trash. It highlights the "low life, high tech" mantra perfectly.
Actionable Next Steps for Players:
- Check Your Map: The gig is located in the northern part of Watson, Northside. It triggers once your Street Cred is high enough (usually around level 5-10).
- Decide Your Path: If you’re a completionist, try to find the hidden "Pre-order" shards in the office area above the main floor.
- Gear Up: Bring a weapon with high dismemberment chance if you’re planning on taking "revenge" for Bryce Stone—the game’s gore system emphasizes the brutality of the scene.
- Reflect on the Choice: After the gig, read the shard "The World of XBDs" to get a better grasp of why this trade is so hard to stop in the Cyberpunk universe.
The Dirty Biz gig stays with you. It’s not the longest mission, and it’s not the hardest, but it’s the one that defines the soul—or lack thereof—of Night City. Go in prepared, not just with ammo, but for the narrative gut-punch.