Night City doesn't care if you're ready. That’s the first thing you learn. Honestly, when people talk about Cyberpunk 2077 Act 1, they usually focus on the big heist or the Keanu Reeves of it all, but they're missing the point of how CD Projekt Red actually builds a world. It’s claustrophobic. It’s loud. By the time you’re sitting in that car with Jackie Welles, watching the neon blur past while scavengers try to blow your head off, you realize this isn't a "start" in the traditional sense. It’s a trial by fire.
Most games hold your hand. This one shoves you into a dumpster and tells you to find a way out.
The Watson Lockdown and the Illusion of Freedom
You start in Watson. It’s a mess of concrete, steam, and broken dreams. Because of the lockdown—story-wise, it's due to Arasaka tension—you can't leave the district. Some players hate this. They want the whole map immediately. But staying stuck in Watson during Cyberpunk 2077 Act 1 is a stroke of genius because it forces you to actually look at the trash. You learn the vendors. You figure out which back alleys have the best loot. You start to feel the weight of the city before it even lets you see the sky in Westbrook or City Center.
It’s about the vibe.
If you rush the main story, you're doing it wrong. You’ve gotta do the side gigs for Regina Jones. You’ve gotta see how the NCPD is basically just a privatized gang with better badges. The game uses this first act to establish that V is a nobody. Just a merc with a gun and a very ambitious best friend.
Why Jackie Welles Matters More Than the Relic
Let's talk about Jackie. He’s the heart of the first ten hours. Without Jackie, the stakes in the "The Heist" mission wouldn't hit the way they do. He’s your tether to humanity in a world that’s mostly chrome and silicon. When you’re prepping for the Konpeki Plaza job, the game spends a lot of time on the relationship between V and Jackie. It’s not just about the money. It’s about "making it." That classic, doomed American Dream trope, but filtered through a dystopian lens where the dream is just a nightmare with better lighting.
The pacing is weird. It’s slow, then it’s frantic.
You spend hours talking to Dex DeShawn in the back of a limo—smelling the expensive cigar smoke through the screen—and then suddenly you’re crawling through vents in a multi-billion dollar hotel. The shift in scale is staggering. One minute you’re worried about paying back Viktor Vektor for your new eyes, the next you’re witnessing the murder of the most powerful man on the planet, Saburo Arasaka.
The Technical Reality of the Konpeki Plaza Mission
If you’re playing on a high-end PC or a PS5/Xbox Series X, Konpeki Plaza is a technical showcase. The ray-tracing on those gold floors? Unreal. But it’s also a masterclass in tension. The "The Heist" mission is the peak of Cyberpunk 2077 Act 1, and it’s arguably one of the best-scripted sequences in modern RPG history.
- You have the "Flathead" drone sequence, which feels like a mini-stealth game.
- The dialogue choices with T-Bug and Jackie that feel urgent, even if some are scripted.
- The sheer terror of hiding behind a pillar while Yorinobu Arasaka commits patricide right in front of you.
It’s easy to forget that this is all still the "prologue." The game doesn't even show you the title card until you’ve put in nearly six to ten hours of gameplay. That’s a bold move. Most games have finished their first three acts by the time Cyberpunk finally says, "Okay, now the game actually starts."
Breaking Down the Maelstrom Encounter
One of the most complex parts of Cyberpunk 2077 Act 1 is "The Pickup." This is the mission where you have to get the Flathead from Maelstrom. This is where the game’s RPG DNA really shows. You can:
- Pay for the bot with your own eddies (if you’re rich, which you probably aren't yet).
- Side with Militech and Meredith Stout, using their corrupted chip to fry the Maelstromers.
- Hack the chip yourself to keep the money and still get the bot.
- Just walk in and start blasting.
Each choice has a ripple effect. Side with Meredith? You might see her again for a... specific encounter later. Kill Royce? You don't have to fight him as a boss later, but you miss out on certain gear. It’s these layers that make the first act feel dense. It’s not just a linear path to the "Point of No Return."
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The Emotional Gut Punch
We have to mention the ending of the act. The escape from Konpeki is a disaster. There’s no other way to put it. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. T-Bug gets fried. Jackie... well, we know what happens to Jackie. The scene in the Delamain cab is genuinely heartbreaking.
"See you in the major leagues, Jack."
That line hurts every single time. It marks the transition from a scrappy underdog story to a high-stakes psychological thriller. When V gets shot in the head by Dex and the screen goes black, it’s a total reset. Everything you thought the game was about—fame, money, being a legend—is stripped away. You’re left with a ghost in your head and a ticking clock in your DNA.
Actionable Insights for Your First Playthrough
If you’re starting a new save or jumping in for the first time after the 2.1 update, here is how you should actually handle the first act:
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Don't ignore the side content. I know the main quest feels urgent, but Night City is better when you breathe it in. Do the "Cyberpsycho Sightings." They give you the best early-game combat practice and decent rewards.
Invest in Technical Ability or Body early. Being able to force open doors or hack into terminals in Konpeki Plaza opens up different escape routes and hidden loot that you’ll miss if you’re just a glass cannon.
Talk to everyone. Specifically, spend time in Vik’s clinic and Misty’s shop. The lore bits you pick up there make the later revelations about Johnny Silverhand and the Soulkiller program feel much more grounded.
Keep the Militech chip. If you go the Meredith Stout route, don't just hand it over. If you have the hacking skills, you can scrub the virus, keep the 10,000 eddies, and still finish the mission. In the early game, 10k is a fortune.
Check your junk. Seriously. Some items look like trash but are worth a lot of crafting components. In the early stages of Act 1, you need every scrap you can get to upgrade your first "iconic" weapons.
Cyberpunk 2077 Act 1 isn't just a hurdle to get over so you can meet Johnny Silverhand. It’s the foundation of everything that follows. It establishes the themes of corporate greed, the cost of ambition, and the fragility of life in a city that eats people for breakfast. By the time you wake up in the junkyard, you aren't just playing a character anymore. You’re V. And you’ve got a lot of people to pay back.