River Ward is a weird guy. Honestly, in a city as neon-soaked and nihilistic as Night City, he’s almost too normal, which makes him stand out like a sore thumb. If you’ve spent any real time in Cyberpunk 2077, you know the mission Follow the River. It’s the culmination of River’s personal arc, a slow-burn narrative that starts with high-stakes detective work and ends with... jambalaya? It’s a polarizing moment for players. Some find it a touching breather from the constant gunfire, while others find the domesticity deeply uncomfortable.
Most people play through it once, grab the iconic revolver, and never think about it again. But there is a lot of nuance tucked into this mission that tells us a massive amount about the state of family and hope in the dark future.
Why Follow the River Cyberpunk is More Than Just a Date
You’ve survived "The Hunt." You saw the horrifying barn, the braindances, and the sheer trauma River’s nephew Randy went through. After all that darkness, River invites you over to his sister Joss’s place in the trailers out in the Badlands. It’s a jarring shift. One minute you're hunting a serial killer, and the next, you're stirring a pot of rice while kids run around screaming about "The Huntress" and "The Wolf."
This quest is the final step in River Ward’s romance path—if you’re playing as a female-bodied V—but even for male V, it’s a rare look at the civilian struggle.
The mechanics are intentionally low-stakes. You’re tasked with helping River cook. You’re tasked with playing a simplified AR game with the kids. It feels clunky. It feels domestic. That’s the point. CD Projekt Red designed this to feel alien to the player because, by this point in the game, V is more machine and mercenary than human. Sitting at a dinner table feels more "dangerous" to V’s identity than taking on a MaxTac squad.
The Problem With the Jambalaya
Let’s talk about the cooking. You have to stand there and interact with the pot. It’s a slow animation. For a game that emphasizes "Style over Substance," this mission flips the script. It’s all substance. It’s about the fact that River, a disgraced cop who lost his job because he actually gave a damn, has nowhere else to go but this dusty trailer.
The dialogue options here are surprisingly heavy. You can be supportive, or you can be a total jerk. If you’re aiming for the romance, you have to play along with the family vibe. But even if you aren't, the conversation with Joss on the porch reveals the crushing weight of poverty in the Cyberpunk world. She isn't impressed by your chrome or your street cred. She’s worried about her kids growing up in a world that wants to eat them alive.
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The AR Game and the Illusion of Safety
During Follow the River, the kids, Monique and Dorian, ask you to play a game with them using AR goggles. You basically run around shooting virtual targets.
Here is a detail most people miss: if you let the kids win, their dialogue changes significantly. It’s a small ego hit for the legendary V, but it matters for the "vibe" of the evening. River will give you a little nod of appreciation. If you absolutely smoke the kids and set a high score they can never beat, you just look like a try-hard merc who can’t turn it off.
It’s a microcosm of the whole game. Do you choose to be the legend, or do you choose to be a person?
The Tower and the Choice
After dinner, River takes you up to an old water tower. This is where the "Cyberpunk" aesthetic really hits home. You’re looking out over the flickering lights of Night City from the safety of the dark desert.
If you are a female V, this is the make-or-break moment for the romance. River is vulnerable. He talks about his past, his parents, and his hopes. It’s one of the few moments in the game where a character isn't asking you for a favor or a hit job. He’s just asking for company.
If you reject him? It’s awkward. Incredibly awkward. The game doesn't let you off the hook with a "we're still friends" hand-wave. You have to sit in that silence. It’s one of the most "human" interactions in the entire RPG.
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The Gear: Crash and the Reward
Of course, we can't talk about this mission without talking about the loot.
At the end of the night, River gives you his pistol, Crash. It’s a Power Revolver, an iconic version of the Overture. For players who love a high-damage, single-shot playstyle, Crash is a beast.
- The Special Ability: Holding the trigger while aiming down sights allows for fully automatic fire.
- The Stats: It has massive headshot multipliers.
- The Sentiment: It’s his old service weapon. Giving it to you symbolizes him leaving his life as a lawman behind for good.
If you’re building a "Cool" or "Reflexes" heavy V, Crash stays relevant well into the endgame. It’s easily one of the top five pistols in the game, especially if you upgrade it to Legendary/Iconic Tier 5++ in the Phantom Liberty expansion era.
The Darker Undertone
There’s a segment of the fanbase that finds River Ward "creepy." Why? Because he moves fast. He invites you to a family dinner immediately after one big case.
But look at the context. In Night City, the average lifespan is abysmal. People die every day. Trauma bonding is the standard way of forming relationships. River isn't "creepy"—he’s desperate. He’s a man who has lost his career, nearly lost his nephew, and is staring at a lonely future. Follow the River isn't just a romance quest; it’s a plea for connection in a city that sells sex and violence on every billboard but offers zero intimacy.
Technical Glitches and "The Family"
We have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. This mission was notoriously buggy at launch. You’d have kids T-posing in the corner or River driving his truck through a solid wall on the way home. While most of this is fixed in Version 2.1, the "uncanny valley" of the family dinner persists.
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The way the NPCs sit and eat looks a bit stiff. It’s ironic—the most human mission in the game often feels the most "robotic" due to the limitations of NPC AI in a crowded trailer.
How to Get the Best Outcome
If you want the "perfect" run of this mission, you need to pay attention to the details.
- Be a Team Player: Help Joss with the chores. Don't just stand there checking your inventory.
- Let the Kids Win: It sounds dumb, but it builds the rapport. Just shoot a few targets and let them take the glory.
- The Tower Conversation: If you want the romance, be honest. If you don't, be firm but kind. Leading him on makes the subsequent texts much more painful.
- Check the Phone: After the mission, River will send you several texts. These aren't just fluff. They provide closure to the Randy storyline and show how the family is recovering.
The Legacy of River Ward
Is River Ward the most popular romance? No. That usually goes to Panam or Judy. But Follow the River remains a vital piece of the Cyberpunk 2077 puzzle. It represents the "Path of Temperance." It’s the idea that maybe, just maybe, you could walk away from the corporate wars and the chrome and just be a guy on a porch.
V knows that’s not possible. The Relic in their head is a ticking time bomb. That’s what makes the ending of the mission so bittersweet. You’re playing house while your brain is melting.
Actionable Steps for Players
- Timing is Everything: Don't rush this mission. Complete it only after you’ve finished "The Hunt" and "I Fought The Law." It feels more earned that way.
- Weapon Maintenance: Once you get Crash, head to a ripperdoc. If you have the Phantom Liberty DLC, ensure you have the "Bolt" perk in the Technical Ability tree. It makes the automatic fire on the revolver significantly more stable.
- Don't Skip Dialogue: This is one of the few missions where the "yellow" dialogue choices aren't the only ones that matter. The blue optional questions reveal the real lore about River’s childhood.
- Save Before the Tower: If you’re unsure about the romance, save at the bottom of the ladder. The branching paths happen fast, and there’s no way to undo the choice once the sun starts coming up.
The mission is a reminder that in the year 2077, the most "punk" thing you can do isn't blowing up a building—it's actually caring about someone without a paycheck involved. It's clunky, it's awkward, and it's deeply human. Exactly what Cyberpunk should be.