You've just survived the Arasaka Tower heist. Your heart is pounding. The neon rain of Night City is blurring against the glass of the Delamain cab, and then it happens. Jackie Welles—the big-hearted solo who was supposed to make it to the "Major Leagues" with you—stops breathing. It’s one of the gut-punch moments of Cyberpunk 2077 that actually feels heavy. But before you can even process the grief, Delamain, that polite AI chauffeur, asks a question that feels impossible: "Where should I take the remains?"
Honestly, it feels like a throwaway choice. You’re stressed, your head is ringing with Johnny Silverhand’s static, and you just want to get to the next safe house. But the truth is, where to take Jackie's remains is one of the most consequential decisions in the entire game. It’s the difference between a beautiful, closure-filled memorial service and a horrifying, corporate-horror nightmare that haunts the end of your playthrough.
The "Right" Choice: Sending Jackie to His Family
If you want the "good" ending for Jackie—or at least the most human one—tell Delamain to take him home to his family. Specifically, you’re sending him to Mama Welles in Heywood.
Choosing this path unlocks the side quest "Heroes." It’s a slow-burn mission. You don't just get a text and a reward; you actually have to show up. Mama Welles will call you eventually, inviting you to an ofrenda at El Coyote Cojo. It’s a wake. It’s raw. You’ll sit in Jackie’s garage with Misty, breathe in the stale air and the smell of grease, and pick out a memento to honor him.
What happens at the Ofrenda?
You get to pick an item to place on the altar. Most people go for the book, For Whom the Bell Tolls, because Jackie used to read it before big jobs. Others pick the tequila or the basketball. It doesn't really matter for the "stats," but for the roleplay? It’s huge. You give a speech. You drink a shot of Centzon. You see Viktor, the Padre, and the Valentinos paying their respects.
The rewards for this choice are substantial:
- Jackie’s Arch: You get the keys to his bike during the quest.
- La Chingona Dorada: These are Jackie’s iconic gold-plated pistols. You can pick them up from the altar after waiting 24 hours (game time) once the ceremony ends.
- Emotional Closure: You get a peaceful resolution with Misty and Mama Welles, which feels rare in a city that usually eats people alive.
The Mistake: Taking Him to Viktor Vektor’s Clinic
A lot of players—myself included on the first run—choose to send Jackie to Vik’s. The logic is sound: Vik is our friend. He’s a doctor. Maybe he can fix him? Or at least, maybe he can "clean him up" so Mama Welles doesn't have to see her son covered in Arasaka-inflicted bullet holes.
Don't do it. If you send Jackie to Viktor, the Arasaka Corporation catches wind of it. They descend on the clinic like vultures. They seize the body. They don't want his remains for a burial; they want his mind. They use Soulkiller on Jackie’s corpse.
Because Jackie was already dead when they used it, the "engram" they create is a fractured, stuttering ghost. It’s not really Jackie. It’s a broken data file. If you choose certain endings later in the game (like the Arasaka ending), you can actually interact with this version of Jackie in Mikoshi. It is genuinely disturbing. He repeats lines of dialogue about his mom and his bike in a loop. It’s a "fate worse than death" scenario that effectively turns your best friend into corporate property.
The Third Option: "Wait for me here"
If you tell Delamain to just wait, or if you hesitate too long, the outcome is basically the same as sending him to his family. Delamain eventually gets tired of waiting for you to get your life together and delivers the body to Mama Welles anyway.
You’ll still get the "Heroes" quest. You’ll still get the bike. It’s the "safe" default, but it lacks the intentionality of choosing to honor his family from the jump.
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Why Your Choice Matters for the Late Game
Night City is built on the idea that your legacy is all you have. If you send Jackie to his family, his legacy is preserved in the hearts of the people who loved him. He gets a funeral. He gets a drink named after him at the Afterlife.
If you send him to Vik, his legacy is a line of code in an Arasaka server.
A Note on the Guns (La Chingona Dorada)
A common misconception is that you can only get Jackie's pistols if you send him to his family. While it is much more straightforward to get them at the ofrenda, players have reported being able to find them at the bar later even if they sent him to Vik, but it's buggy. Sending him to Mama Welles is the only guaranteed way to ensure the "Heroes" quest triggers properly so you can loot those beautiful 11mm pistols.
How to Handle the "Heroes" Quest Correctly
If you've made the right choice and sent him to Heywood, here’s how to maximize the experience:
- Wait for the Call: Mama Welles won't call you the second you leave the No-Tell Motel. Do a few side gigs. Explore Watson. She’ll reach out after a day or two.
- Talk to Misty: When you go to the garage, don't just grab an item and leave. Talk to her. There is a ton of lore about Jackie’s childhood and his relationship with the Valentinos hidden in the dialogue there.
- Check the Garage for Loot: Besides the quest items, there are some decent crafting components and shards in there that fill in the gaps of Jackie's life.
- The Speech: You can choose to be stoic or emotional. The game doesn't punish you either way, but the reactions from the NPCs change. It’s one of the few times Cyberpunk 2077 feels like a true RPG rather than just an action game.
Summary of Outcomes
| Destination | Major Reward | Story Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Mama Welles | Jackie's Arch & Pistols | Full funeral scene, closure with Misty. |
| Viktor Vektor | Jackie's Arch (via text) | Body stolen by Arasaka; horrific "Ghost Jackie" in Mikoshi. |
| "Wait Here" | Jackie's Arch & Pistols | Defaults to Mama Welles delivery. |
Basically, unless you are doing a "tragedy" run where you want V to suffer as much as possible, always send Jackie to his family. Night City has already taken enough from him; don't let Arasaka take his rest, too.
To make sure you don't miss the pistols after the funeral, make sure you wait a full 24 hours and then fast travel back to El Coyote Cojo. They should be sitting right there on the table where you left your offering.
Check your quest log for "Heroes" once you finish the "Playing for Time" mission with Takemura. If it isn't there, try skipping time by 24 hours in the menu to trigger Mama Welles' text. Once you have the keys to the Arch, you can summon Jackie's bike anytime by holding the vehicle call button.