You’re sitting on that balcony above Night City. Johnny Silverhand is leaning against the railing, looking at you, waiting for a choice that defines your entire legacy. Most players just pick a side. They go with Hanako, they call Panam, or they let Rogue take the wheel. But you’re here because you want the "suicide run." You want to walk through the front door of Arasaka Tower alone.
Honestly, knowing how to get secret ending cyberpunk—officially titled "Don't Fear the Reaper"—is less about your combat level and more about how you treated Johnny during a very specific conversation in a literal oil field.
If you mess up three lines of dialogue, you’re locked out. Period. No matter how much you leveled up your "Relationship" percentage in the pause menu. That 70% friendship rule everyone used to talk about back in 2020? Total myth. It doesn’t matter.
The Chippin' In conversation: Where it all goes wrong
Let’s be real: Night City doesn’t care about your feelings, but Johnny Silverhand does. To unlock the secret ending, you have to complete the side quest "Chippin' In." This happens late in Act 3. You’ll find yourself at the oil fields where Johnny’s body was dumped.
This is the make-or-break moment.
When you’re standing over that pathetic excuse for a grave, Johnny starts getting sentimental. He asks you what you’d write on his headstone. A lot of players try to be too nice here. They want to be Johnny's best friend. They pick the "Legend" or "The Guy who Saved My Life" options. Big mistake.
To trigger the secret ending, you have to call him out on his crap. You have to be the friend who tells him he failed. Pick these exact options:
- "The Guy who Saved My Life." (Wait—I know I said don't be too nice, but this is the opener.)
- "No, already fucked that up."
- "What do you want from me?"
- "OK. But as second chances go, this is your last."
After that, you need to be supportive during the rest of the conversation. Ask him about Rogue. Help him set up the date. If you don't call him a "fucked up legend" or something similar in that specific sequence, the flag for the secret ending simply won't trigger.
It’s weirdly specific. It’s also the only way the game knows you’ve reached a level of mutual respect that allows for a solo assault on the biggest corporation in the world.
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How to get secret ending cyberpunk at the Point of No Return
Once you’ve cleared "Chippin' In" and the follow-up quest "Blistering Love," you’re ready. Play through the main story until you hit "Nocturne Op55N1." This is the balcony scene with Misty.
Here is where the patience comes in.
When Johnny asks who you want to take with you, don't answer immediately. This is the part that feels broken if you don't know the trick.
Choose the option to go with Rogue (or Panam, it doesn't really matter which one you hover over). But do not confirm it. Just sit there. Literally. Don't touch your controller or mouse. You need to wait for about four to five minutes of real-world time.
V will sit in silence. Johnny will look at the gun, then back at you. Eventually, he’ll get tired of the tension. He’ll suggest a "wilder" idea. He’ll offer to go in solo. That’s your cue.
Why this ending is actually difficult
This isn't just a different cutscene. It’s a gauntlet.
If you die during the secret ending, the credits roll immediately. No checkpoints. No reloading to the start of the fight. You die, the game ends, and you’re sent back to the main menu. It’s the ultimate "high stakes" version of the Arasaka raid.
Also, your maximum health actually ticks down throughout the mission. Because the Relic is killing V, your HP bar gets smaller and smaller as you fight your way through the lobby. You can't just tank damage. You need a build that's optimized for high DPS (Damage Per Second) and mobility.
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Preparing for the Arasaka Lobby
If you're going in at Level 20, you're going to get shredded. Don't even try it.
Most veteran players recommend being at least Level 45, though Level 50 (or 60 if you have the Phantom Liberty DLC) is much safer. The enemies in the lobby are Level 50+ elites. They will one-shot you if your armor stats aren't maxed out or if you haven't invested in the right Perks.
Think about your Cyberware carefully.
- Sandevistan is almost mandatory for melee or pistol builds.
- Second Heart can save a run if you make a stupid mistake.
- Bio-Monitor helps with the constant health drain.
Specifically, the "Apogee" Sandevistan (available if you're playing the 2.0 or 2.1 updates) turns this mission from a nightmare into a stylish action movie. You can dodge bullets, line up headshots, and clear the first room before the guards even raise their rifles.
The Myth of the 70% Friendship
You might see old Reddit threads or wikis saying you need 70% friendship with Johnny. This was a massive point of confusion back in 2021.
Basically, the 70% was just a side effect of picking the right dialogue in the oil fields. If you picked the right lines, your percentage went up. If you didn't, it stayed lower. But the number isn't the trigger. The dialogue is.
I’ve seen players with 60% friendship unlock the secret ending because they hit the right conversation flags but skipped some of Johnny's optional side content like "A Cool Metal Fire."
The Phantom Liberty Effect
If you have the expansion, the "secret ending" conversation remains the same, but your power level is significantly higher.
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The Relic perk tree adds another layer of survivability. If you’re using the "Emergency Cloaking" perk, you can actually lose enemy aggro in the middle of the Arasaka lobby, which is a lifesaver when your health is ticking down and three Smasher-level drones are pinning you behind a pillar.
Also, some players ask if the new expansion endings override this one. They don't. The "Don't Fear the Reaper" path is still the only way to get the "Sun" ending (becoming a legend of the Afterlife) without sacrificing Rogue or any of the Aldecaldos.
It is, in my opinion, the most "canon" feeling ending for a high-street-cred V. You don't ask anyone else to die for you. You just take your best friend (who happens to be a dead rockstar) and burn it all down.
Summary of the Path
To keep it simple, if you’re staring at the save screen right now, here is exactly what you need to do:
- Complete Chippin' In.
- Tell Johnny he fucked up his second chance at the oil fields.
- Be nice to him afterward and finish the Rogue date.
- At the balcony, choose an option but don't click confirm.
- Wait 5 minutes.
- Accept the suicide run.
One final tip: save your game before you enter Embers to meet Hanako. The game creates a "Point of No Return" save, but it's always better to have a manual backup in case you realize your build isn't strong enough for the lobby.
What to do next
Once you've unlocked the dialogue, go to a Ripperdoc. You need to verify that your Cyberware capacity is maxed out. If you're running a Netrunner build, ensure you have the "System Collapse" or "Synapse Burnout" quickhacks ready, as the Arasaka mechs are vulnerable to high-tier memory wipes. If you’re a solo, grab a Guts or a Malorian Arms 3516.
Check your health items. Since your max HP drops during the mission, "Bounce Back" Mk.5 inhalers are better than the standard ones because they provide percentage-based regeneration over time.
Now, go to Embers. Sit down. Talk to Hanako. And when you get to that balcony, just wait. Silence is the loudest thing in Night City.