Walk into any dark alley in Night City and you’ll eventually find Misty. She’s sitting there, surrounded by neon incense and digitized candles, ready to tell you that your life is basically a train wreck. If you've spent any time hunting down the graffiti-style murals scattered across the Watson district or the Badlands, you know the vibe. It’s gritty. It’s stylized. But finding the Cyberpunk 2077 tarot 3 of Swords hits a little differently than the rest of the deck.
Most players stumble upon this specific mural during the "Fool on the Hill" quest. It’s located in Night City's version of a medical clinic—the one run by Vic Vektor, the world's most tired ripperdoc. It makes sense, right? This is where your journey starts to fall apart. This is where the bullet in your head becomes a permanent roommate named Johnny Silverhand.
The 3 of Swords usually means heartbreak. It’s that classic image of three blades piercing a heart. In the context of Cyberpunk 2077, it represents the absolute betrayal of V's own body and the literal stabbing of their consciousness by the Relic. It’s brutal. It’s honest. Honestly, it’s one of the most thematic placements in the entire game.
What the 3 of Swords Actually Means for V
In traditional Rider-Waite tarot, the Three of Swords is rarely a card you want to see in a "future" position. It signals separation, grief, and the kind of emotional pain that leaves a scar. But CD Projekt Red didn't just copy-paste some occult meanings. They wove the card into the architecture of the world.
Think about where you find it. It’s on the wall near Vic’s clinic. Vic is the guy who tells you that you’re dying. He’s the one who has to break the news that your brain is being overwritten by a terrorist from the 2020s. That’s the "sword" right there. One sword is the death of your friend Jackie. Another is the betrayal by Dex DeShawn. The third? That’s the slow, digital erasure of who V actually is.
The art style is worth mentioning too. The mural isn't just a heart; it’s a jagged, glitchy mess that looks like it was sprayed on with radioactive paint. It reflects the "red" theme of the game's UI and the visceral nature of the city. Night City doesn't do "gentle" sadness. It does high-octane tragedy.
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The Connection Between Johnny and the Card
Johnny Silverhand is the ultimate disruptor. While some might see the Cyberpunk 2077 tarot 3 of Swords as strictly V’s tragedy, it’s also Johnny’s. He was betrayed by Saburo Arasaka, Alt Cunningham (in a way), and his own ego. The card sits at the intersection of two people who are being forced to share a single, dying vessel.
There's a subtle nuance here that a lot of people miss. The Three of Swords isn't just about the pain of the swords; it’s about the necessity of the release that follows. You can’t heal a wound until you acknowledge the blades are there. By finding this card early on, the game is basically telling you: "Look, this is going to hurt. Don't fight the pain, understand it."
Why Misty’s Interpretation Matters
If you talk to Misty about the cards, she gives you these cryptic, almost motherboard-level insights. She’s the spiritual anchor in a world that’s 90% chrome and 10% desperation. When she talks about the Three of Swords, she isn't just reading a fortune. She’s diagnosing the soul of the city.
In her view, the swords represent the fragmentation of the self. In a world where you can swap your eyes for scanners and your arms for mantis blades, what is left of the "heart"? The card suggests that the core of a person—their identity—is under constant siege. It’s a warning. If you focus too much on the "swords" (the cyberware, the power, the revenge), you’ll forget the "heart" that’s being pierced.
Finding the Mural: A Quick Guide
If you're looking for it and haven't found it yet, head to the back alley behind Vic’s ripperdoc shop in Little China. It’s not hidden behind some complex puzzle or high-level boss. It’s just... there. Waiting.
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- Location: Watson, Little China.
- Visual: Look for the red heart with three distinct metallic blades.
- Trigger: It becomes scannable once you trigger the "Fool on the Hill" side job after the prologue.
Scanning it doesn't just give you a codex entry. It adds a piece to the larger puzzle of the game's endings. While the tarot cards don't mechanically change the ending you get, they act as a narrative foreshadowing device. They prepare you for the emotional weight of choices like the "Sun" or the "Star."
The Psychological Toll of Night City
There's this theory among some fans—and it's a solid one—that the tarot cards are actually V’s hallucinations or a manifestation of the Relic’s glitching. Since nobody else seems to acknowledge these massive, glowing murals, it’s possible they are purely internal.
If that’s true, the Cyberpunk 2077 tarot 3 of Swords is V’s subconscious processing the trauma of the heist. The heist was a disaster. T-Bug is fried. Jackie is gone. V is a walking corpse. The three swords represent those three specific losses. It’s the brain’s way of visualizing a grief that is too big to put into words.
It’s actually pretty brilliant writing. Instead of just having V say "I'm sad," the game makes you hunt down icons of that sadness. It forces you to look at the grime of the city through a lens of ancient symbolism. It’s the ultimate "high tech, low life" move.
How it Ranks Against Other Cards
Compared to "The World" or "The Sun," the Three of Swords is definitely one of the darker entries. However, it’s arguably more important for the atmosphere than "The Lovers" or "The Chariot." Those cards represent potential paths. The 3 of Swords represents the current reality.
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You can’t escape the swords. In every ending of Cyberpunk 2077, someone gets hurt. Someone loses a piece of themselves. Whether you surrender to Arasaka, run away with the Nomads, or go on a suicide mission to the Crystal Palace, the "heart" of the story remains pierced. The game is fundamentally about loss. It’s about how we handle that loss when we’re running out of time.
Navigating the Grief
So, what do you do with this information? If you're playing through the game right now, don't just scan the card and move on. Stop. Look at where it is. Look at the flickering neon around it.
The real value of the tarot quest isn't the trophy or the little dreamcatcher Misty gives you at the end. It’s the realization that Night City is a place that eats people. The Three of Swords is the most honest representation of that hunger. It’s a reminder that even in a world of immortality chips and digital ghosts, pain is the only thing that remains truly human.
If you find yourself stuck on the "Fool on the Hill" quest, remember that these murals often appear in places where V experiences a major life shift. The 3 of Swords is the catalyst. It’s the moment the "Fool" (V) realizes the journey isn't a fun adventure—it’s a struggle for survival.
To make the most of this narrative beat, pay attention to the dialogue choices you have with Misty right after scanning it. Your responses don't just change the flavor of the conversation; they help define who your V is becoming. Are you someone who leans into the pain, or someone who tries to ignore the blades?
Final Takeaways for the Completionist
- Always scan the murals as soon as you see them; they provide context for the current story arc.
- Don't expect a "happy" reading from Misty if the 3 of Swords is in your spread.
- Use the murals as a way to explore the map—they are often placed in high-detail areas you might otherwise sprint past.
- Recognize that the tarot deck is a map of V's deteriorating mental state as much as it is a collection of street art.
The story of V and Johnny is a tragedy written in code and chrome. The Three of Swords is the heartbeat of that tragedy. It’s the moment the fantasy of being a legendary mercenary dies and the reality of being a dying human begins. Next time you're in Watson, stop by Vic's. Look at the wall. Take it in. Then, go out and finish the job, swords and all.