You’re standing on the maglev platform. Your heart is literally failing. Beside you, So Mi is a shell of a person, barely holding onto her consciousness as the Blackwall eats her from the inside out. This is The Killing Moon cyberpunk 2077 finale for the Phantom Liberty expansion, and honestly, it’s one of the most stressful things CD Projekt Red has ever made us sit through. It’s not just a mission. It’s a test of whether you actually care about the people you meet or if you’re just in it for the loot and the "good" ending.
Most players get to the end of the DLC and feel like they have to choose between two bureaucrats. But the reality is that the moon mission—The Killing Moon—is where the real soul of the game lives. It’s messy. It’s loud. It involves shooting down an orbital shuttle with a railgun.
The Killing Moon Cyberpunk Path: How We Actually Got Here
If you ended up on the train to Tycho, you made a specific choice back at the Firestarter mission. You helped Songbird escape Kurt Hansen’s stadium. You didn't side with Reed. You chose the chaos.
Entering the Night City spaceport—NCX—feels different than the rest of the game. It’s clean. It’s corporate. It’s the kind of place where people with real money go to leave the "trash" of Earth behind. But as soon as you step in with So Mi, everything starts falling apart. The NUSA doesn't just want her back; they are willing to turn a civilian transport hub into a literal warzone to get her.
People often complain that Cyberpunk 2077 can feel like a power fantasy where you’re an unstoppable god. Not here. In The Killing Moon cyberpunk questline, you feel small. You’re sneaking through maintenance tunnels, hiding from orbital security, and watching your only ally slowly turn into a digital ghost. It’s a reminder that no matter how many chrome upgrades you have, the corporations and the government still own the sky.
The Desperation of Song So Mi
So Mi is a liar. Let's just put that out there. She’s been lying to you since the moment she contacted you in the Dogtown garage. She tells you there’s a cure for both of you on the moon. She says she has a plan.
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But as you navigate the spaceport, the truth starts to leak. She’s dying faster than you are. The Blackwall—that terrifying AI-infested void—is using her body as a bridge. If you pay attention to the environmental storytelling, the data shards scattered around the terminal, and the way her voice glitches, you realize she’s desperate. She’s not a villain. She’s a cornered animal.
Reed, on the other hand, represents the "right" way. He’s the law. He’s the veteran. But siding with him means sending So Mi back to a life of being a living weapon for President Myers. The Killing Moon forces you to decide: do you save a person who lied to you, or do you hand them over to a government that will torture them?
Surviving the NCX Bloodbath
The combat in this mission is relentless. If you aren't prepared for the NUSA Black Ops teams, you’re going to have a bad time. They don't fight like the Maelstrom or the Valentinos. They use tactics. They use smoke. They have snipers that will one-tap you if you're playing on Very Hard.
- The Sniper Nest: At one point, you have to cross a large open area while being suppressed. Use your dash. If you’ve invested in the Reflexes tree, this is your time to shine.
- The Helicopter Boss: This isn't just a bullet sponge. You need to use the environment. Hide behind the pillars, wait for the reload window, and then hit the weak points.
- The Blackwall Hacks: Eventually, So Mi starts using the Blackwall to help you. It’s terrifying. You see enemies just... pop. Their brains fry instantly. It’s a glimpse of the power the NUSA is so afraid of losing.
Honestly, the sheer scale of the NCX terminal is impressive. It’s a massive vertical level design that rewards players who actually explore the rafters instead of just running through the front door.
The Train Ride and the Ultimate Betrayal
This is the part that breaks people.
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You’re on the maglev. The moon is visible. You’re almost there. And then So Mi admits it. There is only one cure. Only one person can be saved by the lunar facility. She knew this the whole time. She used you to get to the shuttle, knowing that once she left, you’d still be dying from the Relic.
A lot of players reload their save here. They feel cheated. But that’s the point of The Killing Moon cyberpunk experience. Night City doesn't have happy endings. It has compromises.
Siding with Reed at the Last Second
Solomon Reed shows up on the launchpad. He’s standing there in the rain (or the sterile light of the terminal, depending on your timing), and he gives you a choice. Hand her over, and the NUSA will save you. Or, put her on the shuttle, and you die alone.
If you hand her over, the mission ends with a sense of defeat. Sure, you might live, but you’ve sold out the only person who actually understood what it was like to have their mind erased. If you tell Reed to step aside, you have to kill him. There is no talking your way out of it. It’s a duel. One shot.
Killing Reed feels wrong. He’s a good man in a bad system. But letting the NUSA take So Mi feels worse. Most experts in the Cyberpunk lore community, like those over at the Neon Smoke forums or the dedicated lore subreddits, agree that sending So Mi to the moon is the "true" cyberpunk ending. It’s the ultimate middle finger to the powers that be.
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Why the Rewards Matter (Or Don't)
From a gameplay perspective, finishing The Killing Moon cyberpunk quest gives you access to some of the most unique gear in the game. If you follow this path, you eventually get the Pariah tech pistol or the Canto MK.6 cyberdeck, depending on your choices in earlier missions and how you handle the fallout.
The Pariah is particularly nasty. It’s a silenced tech pistol. Think about that for a second. You can shoot through walls without making a sound. It’s a game-changer for stealth builds that want to keep a high DPS.
But the real reward isn't the gun. It’s the closure. When you watch that shuttle launch, knowing you’re probably going to die but you gave someone else a chance to be free, it hits different. It makes the ending of the base game feel more earned.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re planning to tackle this mission soon, don't just rush in. You need a build that can handle high-pressure combat and quick hacking.
- Level Up Your Tech: You’ll need high Technical Ability to open specific doors in the NCX terminal that bypass the hardest combat encounters.
- Stock Up on MaxDOC: The final stretch has very few healing pickups. You’ll be burning through your inhalers.
- Read the Emails: Don't skip the computers in the terminal. They explain exactly how the NUSA smuggled an entire army into a "neutral" spaceport. It adds so much flavor to the betrayal.
- Listen to the Music: The track "Contra la Luna" by P.T. Adamczyk plays during the final confrontation. It’s arguably the best piece of music in the entire game. Turn your volume up.
The Killing Moon isn't just a quest. It’s the culmination of everything Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty tried to say about loyalty and survival. You can't save everyone. Sometimes, you can't even save yourself. But you can choose who you're willing to die for.
Finish the mission by heading back to the city. Check your messages. The aftermath of your choice will ripple through your inbox for the next few days. It's not over just because the credits haven't rolled yet. Keep an eye out for a message from an "anonymous" sender a few days later if you sent So Mi away—it’s the only real closure you get.