You’re sitting in the back of a luxury aerodyne, watching the neon-soaked skyline of Night City blur into a smoggy haze. Across from you sits Solomon Reed, a man who looks like he’s carried the weight of the New USA on his shoulders for seven years too many. This isn't just another gig. It's the moment the expansion shifts from a simple rescue mission into a full-blown Cold War thriller.
Spider and the Fly Cyberpunk 2077 enthusiasts often point to this specific quest as the turning point for Phantom Liberty. It’s where the stakes get personal. It’s where the claustrophobia of Dogtown starts to feel real.
Honestly, the mission name itself—a reference to Mary Howitt’s 1829 poem—is a bit of a "blink and you'll miss it" warning. "Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly. In this case, Dogtown is the parlour, and V is very much the fly, despite having Mantis Blades and a Sandevistan tucked under their skin.
Navigating the Black Market Chaos
After the high-octane crash of Space Force One, the pacing changes. You’ve spent the last twenty minutes dodging orbital defense lasers and fighting through Burning Chrome scavengers. Now, you have to escort President Rosalind Myers through an abandoned apartment block. It’s quiet. Too quiet.
Most players struggle with the initial stealth section here. You're trying to keep a world leader alive while Barghest patrols are crawling all over the place like roaches. If you’re playing on Very Hard, one wrong step means a reload. The level design here is vertical, messy, and oppressive. It’s classic CD Projekt Red.
👉 See also: Little Big Planet Still Feels Like a Fever Dream 18 Years Later
The chemistry between V and Myers is weirdly grounded. She’s not just a damsel; she’s a former Marine who knows how to handle a constitutional-grade assault rifle. But the tension isn't just about the bullets. It's about the realization that everyone is lying to you.
The Chimera Boss Fight: A Lesson in Panic
Then comes the centerpiece. The Chimera.
This massive, multi-legged tank is the "Spider" in the mission title. It’s a terrifying piece of Militech hardware that shouldn't be active, yet here it is, trying to turn you into a red smear on the floor of an old museum.
I’ve seen people complain that the Chimera is a bullet sponge. They're wrong. It’s a mechanics check. If you aren't targeting the glowing weak points—those circular vents on the joints—you’re going to run out of ammo before the boss hits 50% health.
✨ Don't miss: Why the 20 Questions Card Game Still Wins in a World of Screens
- Phase One: Stay behind the pillars. Use your scanner. The vents turn red when they’re vulnerable.
- The Floor is Lava: When it starts electrified the ground, get to the catwalks immediately. Don't linger.
- The Core: Once it hits low health, you have to rip the core out manually. It’s a brutal, cinematic finish that feels earned.
The sound design in this fight is incredible. The mechanical screeching of the Chimera is meant to unsettle you. It’s loud. It’s chaotic. It’s everything cyberpunk should be.
Why the Atmosphere Works So Well
Cyberpunk 2077 has always been about the "high tech, low life" aesthetic, but Spider and the Fly leans into the "noir" side of things. The lighting in the abandoned hotel is moody. Shadowy. You feel the history of the Unification War in the peeling wallpaper and the rusted machinery.
Songbird’s voice in your head is the only thing guiding you, but even that feels unstable. She’s flickering. Her signal is weak. It adds this layer of digital ghostliness to the physical danger.
The writing doesn't hold your hand. It assumes you know that being a spy is a dirty business. When you finally meet Solomon Reed (played by Idris Elba with a weary, magnetic gravitas), the mission concludes, but the weight of your choices is just beginning to settle.
🔗 Read more: FC 26 Web App: How to Master the Market Before the Game Even Launches
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
A lot of people miss the loot in this mission because they're rushing. Don't. There are shards scattered around the apartment building that flesh out the lore of Dogtown's fall.
- Don't ignore the Chimera Core: After the fight, pick up the active core. You can use it later to craft one of several unique, powerful weapon mods. Most people walk right past it in the excitement of the cutscene.
- Check your quickhacks: If you’re a Netrunner, "Short Circuit" and "Cyberware Malfunction" are your best friends here. You can’t "hack" a giant tank into submission, but you can certainly make its life difficult.
- Stealth vs. Combat: While you can blast your way through the initial building, the dialogue you get from Myers for staying quiet is much more interesting. She actually respects your professionalism.
The Cultural Impact of the Quest
When Phantom Liberty launched, this mission was the one that convinced skeptics that the game had truly evolved. It wasn't just about the fix. It was about the vision. The way the environment tells a story of failed capitalism and abandoned soldiers is peak genre-fiction.
Some critics argued the boss fight was too "traditional" for an RPG. I disagree. It provides a necessary climax to a sequence that is otherwise very dialogue-heavy. It’s the "action" in the "action-RPG."
The mission also sets up the central theme of the DLC: loyalty. Who are you actually working for? The President? Songbird? Yourself? By the time you're done with the Chimera, you realize that in the world of spider and the fly cyberpunk 2077, the fly usually ends up wrapped in silk regardless of how hard it fights.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Playthrough:
- Loot the Chimera Core: Immediately after the boss falls, grab the item. Take it to a ripperdoc or your crafting bench to create the "Firecracker" or "Wallpuncher" mods. These are game-changers for late-game builds.
- Invest in Technical Ability: There are several doors in the apartment block that require a decent Tech stat. Opening them reveals shortcuts and extra loot that make the escort portion much smoother.
- Listen to the Optional Dialogue: When resting with Myers in the safehouse, don't just skip to the "Wait until morning" prompt. Engaging in her optional dialogue trees provides significant insight into the NUSA's political landscape, which makes later decisions in the DLC feel much more impactful.
- Prepare for Close Quarters: The Chimera fight happens in a relatively tight space. If you're a sniper build, bring a reliable SMG or Shotgun as a backup. You won't have the distance you're used to having in the Badlands.
The beauty of this mission lies in its transition from a horror-esque escape into a high-stakes meeting of shadows. It sets the tone for everything that follows in Dogtown. If you haven't played it recently, go back with a different build. A melee-only run against the Chimera is a completely different, terrifying experience that everyone should try at least once.