Johnny Silverhand Build - Cyberpunk 2077

Johnny Silverhand Build - Rocker Boy

With this build, I aimed to recreate Johnny Silverhand with his quirks (no operating system) and all the expertise - pistols, SMGs, and Shotguns (from his military career in Wiki). I think the setup is kind of interesting as you will have various weapon options to use in combat.

I still want to limit the build in terms of cyberware, so I will be skipping the Edgerunner​ perk. I think this would reflect perfectly, that he is not a cyberpsycho ready to fill himself with chrome. Of course, he uses his legendary metal arm - from where the nickname comes.

So if you are interested in something not hyper optimized this could be your pick. For example, role-playing that Johnny is taking V over faster than expected and you start mimicking his weapon preferences and skills.

Well, that's some food for thought, let's get into the build!

Attributes

First, let's go through attributes, they provide stat bonuses and unlock new perks. The more points you invest the better options you unlock that allow creating the Johnny build.

Starting Game

Here are the attributes you should take at the game's start. You can allocate a total of 7 points.

I recommend checking Cyberpunk 2077 beginner tips to avoid missing or misunderstanding important things early in the game.

Attribute	Allocation	Description
Cool	+3	Will allow reaching good pistol perks faster.
Reflexes	+1	Will be used for a few early perks.
Body	+3	Unlocks the first tier of perks, which will also be used for Shotgun perks

End Game Attributes

Here is how the end-game setup would look with the build once you have all the attributes sorted out:

Attribute	Allocation	Description
Reflexes	15	Unlocks mobility and SMG perks.
Body	20	The Body attribute is important for survivability perk - Adrenaline Rush​ which will make you sturdier and give some damage bonuses.
Technical Ability	15	Wanted to leave it at 15, to reflect that Johnny was not a fully chromed person.
Cool	20	As Johnny uses Malorian Arms 3516, it is only reasonable to expect him to be very efficient with pistols.
Intelligence	3	Skip this attribute as it is irrelevant to the build.

You can spend the last 5 points either on Reflexes or Body. I picked Body for Pain to Gain, but that is my preference.

Perks

Let's go through the perks of the Johnny Build. You will need about 57~ perk points for the build, and the base game awards about 80 with skills progression and perk shards. So some should be left to adjust the build to your needs.

Cool Perks

These would be the biggest priority perks in my opinion. First, there will be some good Pistol weapons early. Second, this is Johnny's main weapon that he used mostly before his death.

Level 9 Perks

Finally, you will be able to get the first mobility perk. It is useful both for exploration and combat

Perk	Description
Focus​	The perk allows for more accurate shots as they do not drain stamina. This is relevant early in the game, later on with various cyberware the negative effect is negated automatically.
Head to Head​	Reset the duration of Focus, making it easier to sustain no stamina drain period.
Deep Breath​	Slows time by 25%. This makes it easier to land precise shots. If this is not a problem, you can skip it.
Rinse and Reload​	Improved reload speed makes it easier to continue shooting after you empty the clip.
No Sweat​	Reduce the stamina cost of Focus​ after it ends. This is relevant early in the game, where stamina has a huge impact on accuracy.

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
Deadeye​	The most powerful perk for any pistol user. Gives a big headshot damage increase. This pairs well with Focus​ as the effect only applies when stamina is full.
High Noon​	Improved reload speed after you neutralize an enemy.
Long Shot​	Removes any distance penalties that pistols have.
California Reaper​	This perk will allow you to get back to 85%+ stamina so that both Deadeye​ and Focus​ can be reactivated.

Level 20 Perks

Perk	Description
Run 'N' Gun​	Optional perk, use it if you want to shoot from hip fire without any penalties.
Nerves of Tungsten-Steel​	If you will use Revolvers this perk is almost mandatory and guarantees critical hits and bonus damage.

Reflexes Perks

These perks will focus on Johnny's usage of SMGs, which he was using during the Army period. Moreover, perks like Dash​ will give a huge mobility boost.

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Slippery	Base perk, that we will need to progress to other levels
Muscle Memory​	Gives you more agility in combat as you can reload while sprinting.
Multitasker​	Although not mandatory, having the option to shoot while moving fast can be handy.

Level 9 Perks

Finally, you will be able to get the first mobility perk. It is useful both for exploration and combat

Perk	Description
Dash	Another new perk that gives a short dash to avoid or get close to the enemies.
Steady Grip​	You can shoot while in Dash. This pairs well with Kerenzikov, as it can be activated while dashing.
Can't Touch This	A 100% mitigation chance while dodging is very valuable. This will give you a higher chance of reaching an enemy if you are under heavy fire.
Ready, Rested, Reloaded​	Faster reloads make it easier to get back in combat after emptying the clip.
Mind Over Matter​	Some SMGs have high recoils and this perk will make it easier to handle them.
Tunnel Vision​	Improved accuracy and range limits while using SMGs.

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
Sharpshooter​	By itself, this perk is nothing special
Practice Makes Perfect​	Improves crit chance and crit damage by the sustained fire. This is one of the most important perks for SMGs as it is the only one that gives direct damage increase.
Shoot to Chill​	Improves armor penetration giving more damage against armored foes.

Air Dash​ is one perk that I would also recommend, to improve traversing, however, it will not be as useful for combat in my opinion with this build.

Technical Ability Perks

I will not be maximizing Technical Ability as Johnny Silverhand was not chromed as other personas like David Martinez. So it is reasonable to leave it at 15. I also want to access a few perks that greatly improve cyberware slots.

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Glutton for War	You will be taking out a lot of enemies, so why not faster healing item recharge?

Level 9 Perks

Perk	Description
Health Freak	You now have 3 health recharge items, making combat a bit easier.
Borrowed Time	Gives instant health item recharge when taking out an enemy when being close to death.
All Things Cyber	Mandatory perk as we will need as much Cyberware as we can. Reduces its costs
Renaissance Punk	With this build, we will have 4 attributes above 9, so worth taking it.
Chrome Constitution	With Samurai build we are filling all the slots with chrome, so reduced damage is nice.

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
License to Chrome	Improves Skeleton cyberware and unlocks a new slot for even more chrome
Extended Warranty	The increased duration will work on Kerenzikov and other cyberware effects, although without an operating system, it is not as impactful.
Ambidextrous​	Mainly used to unlock the full potential of the Cyborg​ perk. There are no useful hands cyberware for melee setup, so you will use anything with low capacity cost.
Cyborg​ (Optional)	This perk should be taken if you have all cyberware slots filled and want a bit of improved cyberware cooldown for Countershell and Kerenzikov. The bonus is negligible so I would say it is relevant only for the late game.
Pyromania (Optional)	If you use Shock-N-Awe cyberware this perk is mandatory together with the next upgrade you will be able to securely stack an increased mitigation chance.
Heat Shield​ (Optional)	Activating Pyromania​ will give you a decent increase in mitigation chance.

Body Perks

This tree will improve Silverhand Build's survivability. It will also improve shotgun damage to fit the theme.

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Painkiller	A very valuable perk that is recommended for any build. We also need it for the progression
Dorph-head	Blood Pump will be one of the main Cyberware that we use to drastically boost HP restoration

Level 9 Perks

Perk	Description
Die! Die! Die!​	Gain better control of shotguns when stamina is low.
Bullet Ballet​	Lower bullet spread for better accuracy when you are moving with shotguns
Don't Stop Me Now​	Additional boost for mitigation stats with low stamina.
Like a Feather​ (Optional)	This perk has very minimal improvement to overall mobility. So if you have a free point you can put it here.

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
Adrenaline Rush	This perk will make sure that we have an additional buffer of health. It will counteract the negative effects of Edgerunner.
Juggernaut	With more movement speed and damage, it gets better and better.
Unstoppable Force​	Allows you to resist various effects while Adrenaline Rush​ is active.

Perks - Relic

These perks are available with Phantom Liberty DLC. They will give further improvements to some of the game mechanics.

Priority	Perk	Description
1	Vulnerability Analytics	Shows enemy weak spots, which when hit, create an electricity explosion. It is especially useful against robots and stronger enemies which are hard to chip away with just melee  attacks
2	Machine Learning	Improves Vulnerability Analytics by making them appear faster and giving a higher critical damage boost

Now, the next investments depend on how you further want to develop Johnny Silverhand's build. You could assume that his hand is a hand cannon, so you could invest in Jailbreak​ + Launch Capacity Override. However, you could also assume it's Gorilla Arms, in which case you would go Jailbreak​ + Limiter Removal.

However, if you go for Gorilla Arms, you would then have to pick some Blunt weapon perks from Body Tree. For me, personally? I did not take anything as his arm was intended as a replacement rather than a weapon upgrade.

Equipment for Silverhand Build

This section will cover what gear I recommend using with the Silverhand build. Always try to obtain the highest tier equipment as it provides the best stats and most modification slots.

Pistols

So Johnny is famous for his Malorian Arms 3516. However, I will include some other options. The main downside is that the pistol is somewhat underwhelming in terms of damage compared to other options.

However, it has a strong unique melee attack and is very satisfying to use.

Item	Description
Malorian Arms 3516	The iconic Johnny Silverhand's pistol. It has cool reload animation and can activate special exploding melee attacks.
Pride	The strongest pistol in the game, but requires you to finish the game first. If Johnny borrowed, it wouldn't be a problem, eh?
Lexington X-Mod2	Comes with multiple modification slots and a very high headshot multiplier bonus.
Lizzie	One of the best pistols in the game, due to powerful charge shots.
Dying Night	Early game pistol, that has a fast firing rate and is excellent while you are learning the ropes of the game.
Seraph	This pistol applies Burn on the enemies and increases damage. Overall, Seraph is a good choice in mid-game, but you won't see huge damage as with other suggested weapons.

There are many more pistols to find and use in the game. These are just some that I enjoyed

Revolvers

I think revolvers also fit well into Johnny's Arsenal, especially as he is a person who would not concern himself with sneaking.

Item	Description
Archangel	Very satisfying weapon to use that was used by Kerry. It has a shock chance bonus and a decent headshot multiplier.
Bald Eagle	Has an extremely high headshot modifier and armor penetration.
Ol' Reliable	Requires you to switch to this weapon to get the full boost of headshot damage.
Mancinella	Has a silencer, but deals a lot of damage and is very satisfying to use. I would recommend taking Killer Instinct​ with this weapon.

If you find a higher-tier revolver you may be on the lookout for these modifications. However, I do not think it's worth switching them with Iconic ones.

Modification	Description
Firecracker	The weapon will now shoot explosive rounds, which will have a small area of effect.
Swiss Cheese	Improves armor penetration at the cost of increased Stamina. This is not a problem for Pistols and Revolvers as Focus​ will somewhat negate this effect.
Pinpoint	Reduces bullet spread after you land a headshot
Zenith	Improve weapon handling and crit chance, but require you to draw a weapon for this effect to initiate.
Better Half	Improves crit chance with the second half of the magazine.
Equalizer	Improved damage against elite enemies

Shotguns

I think the shotguns below, are what fit the theme. They may not be the most powerful but will get the job done satisfyingly.

Item	Description
The Headsman	As the name tells, this is the weapon that you will want to land headshots, thanks to its high accuracy and high headshot multiplier.
Pozhar x-MOD2	Use it together with the mods below, to insta-kill any enemy you see. It is also extremely satisfying to use and will give a high chance of applying the Obliterate effect.
Crusher	Use this together with the mods, below to instantly kill enemies with leg shots.
Sovereign	Very powerful shotgun, that you can use together with a Microgenerator for consistent additional damage.
Dezerter	A very satisfying shotgun to use that kills most of the foes with a single shot.

Modifications

Modification	Description
Kneel	Use this together with Firecracker to create exploding puddles that dismember targets. This is the ultimate destroyer that will make enemies die instantly.
Firecracker

Submachine Guns

For SMGs, I will be recommending those of Power type, as I think they relate the most to what Johnny would be using.

Item	Description
Problem Solver	Extremely fast submachine gun, which can be hard to control without perks and cyberware. However, it's very satisfying to use as you just melt enemies.
Guillotine x-MOD2	Besides having the highest headshot multiplier out of all SMGs it also comes with 2 mod slots.
Buzzsaw	One of a few SMGs that come with bonus armor penetration. It can also be obtained early on, making it the perfect weapon in Act 1.

Modifications

Modification	Description
Firecracker	The weapon will now shoot explosive rounds, which will have a small area of effect.
Ready Steady	Reduces recoil, making it easier to control these fast-firing weapons.
Better Half	Improves crit chance with the second half of the magazine.
Equalizer	Improved damage against elite enemies

Clothing

Now for the main aspect of Johnny Silverhand's build - the looks. Throughout the game, you can obtain various parts of his attire to customize the looks fully. Remember, the items have minimal impact on any of the stats!

Item	How to find
Replica of Johnny's Samurai jacket	Obtained in the late-game side quest - Chippin' In. This becomes available late in the main story after you have finished Search and Destroy.
Johnny's aviators	Obtained as the part of Chippin' In quest which is called A Cool Metal Fire.
Johnny's tank top	Obtained after the late-game main story quest - Search and Destroy.
Johnny's pants	You will need to do the first batch of Padre's Gigs in Heywood. After that you will be able to start the Psychofan quest:
Johnny's shoes	Obtained during Gig: Family Heirloom. This is available later in the game and is given by Rogue. To access it you first have to finish all Wakako gigs.

Cyberware

Cyberware is a unique mechanic that allows us to fill the build with implants. Early games can be quite difficult as you will have limited capacity. However, as you progress and drop more Capacity Shards, you can equip more.

I will be covering here what is your goal for the end game, to make the build as powerful as possible

First Priority Cyberware

This is what is essential to make the build work. I would even recommend dropping everything else to equip these if cyberware capacity doesn't allow it. These cyberware selections make the core of the build.

Slot	Cyberware	Description
Frontal Cortex 1	Kerenzikov Boost System	Together with Kerenzikov it will remove stamina cost from shooting and slow down time more for you compared to enemies.
Skeleton 1	Spring Joints	Improves mitigation strength, complementing other cyberware like Countershell, Defenzikov, and Neofiber.
Skeleton 2	Epimorphic Skeleton	A big boost to HP and armor greatly improves survivability.
Nervous System 1	Neofiber	Thanks to Defenzikov, the bonus mitigation strength will prove effective in ensuring you receive as little damage as possible.
Nervous System 2	Kerenzikov	This will allow for better weapon control when shooting as you can slow down time. It will also activate additional effects from Defenzikov.
Integumentary System 1	Countershell	One of my favorite cyberware. With this, in case you are under heavy fire it will activate to give a huge boost to mitigation chance. Thanks to other cyberware you will have 70-90% damage reduction for 4 seconds.
Hands 1	Microgenerator	Excellent choice if you plan on using Shotguns more, their small clips will make this effect activate more often.
	Shock Absorber	Reduces recoil and gives a headshot damage bonus from Cool attunement.
Circulatory System 1	Biomonitor	Automatically heals, makes the combat somewhat easier, as you do not have to worry how long it takes to use a healing item.
Circulatory System 2	Blood Pump	The most powerful healing item in the game, it heals during a few-second span.
	Heal-On-Kill	I would say this is the safest option, it gives an additional layer of HP restoration.
Legs	Reinforced Tendons	My personal favorite makes traversing much easier.
	Fortified Ankles	Gives the highest jumps and high boost to armor compared to cyberware capacity cost. But you need to hold the jump button.

Second Priority Cyberware

This is what you should be getting once you have the core cyberware, or you have free capacity.

Slot	Cyberware	Description
Skeleton 3	Kinetic Frame	It should be easy to maintain high stamina with Pistols especially when using Focus.
	Bionic Joints	A cheap cyberware to get bonus armor
Integumentary System 3	Shock-N-Awe	If you use Shotguns and engage in somewhat close combat with Johnny's build, the area of effect damage will also stack Pyromania.
	Painducer	For medium or long-ranged combat this is my recommended pick.
	Subdermal Armor	A simple cyberware that has a high armor-to-cyberware capacity cost ratio.
Operating System 1	Chrome Compressor	From all encounters with Johnny, it doesn't look like he used any kind of cyberware.
	Militech "Falcon" Sandevistan	The game might be too difficult with Chrome Compressor so if you want an operating system that can help with with ranged weapons, here are some options.
	Dynalar Sandevistan
Face 1	Kiroshi "Cockatrice" Optics	The best eye cyberware for the maximum crit chance with the build. However, the cost is very steep, so I would leave this for the end game.
	Kiroshi "Doomsayer" Optics	A lightly improved version that also gives bonus critical chance based on the Reflexes attribute.
	Basic Kiroshi Optics	Simple eye cyberware, that I think does the job for this build as you get bonus headshot damage.
Hands 2	Immovable Force	Gives a good recoil and spread reduction making it easier to make perfect shots.

Final Cyberware setup

The Arms cyberware is optional, my preferred choice is Projectile Launch System as it fits into the build seamlessly.

Slot	Cyberware	Description
Frontal Cortex 2	Mechatronic Core	Just an alternative cyberware to fill the slot. It is also okay, for some bonus damage against mechs.
Frontal Cortex 3	Self-ICE	Just to fill the slot, especially if you need to activate the Cyborg​ perk.
Arms	Projectile Launch System	To be honest, any cyberware works here, so pick the one that you prefer. The Projectile Launch System is great as it allows activating Pyromania​ for additional mitigation chances.
Nervous System 2	Deep-Field Visual Interface	If you want to maximize damage at the cost of survivability using this cyberware will give 20% critical damage with 20 cool.
	Revulsor	Improved version of Reflex Tuner, which works similarly to Sandevistan and does not slow you down.
	Reflex Tuner	Excellent cyberware that kicks in when your health drops below 25%. This has a good synergy with Borrowed Time, which gives a chance to gain a health item when on Low HP.
Circulatory System 3	Second Heart	Gives a revival in case you go under and get flatlined.
	Isometric Stabilizer	Gives a substantial stamina decrease for when you are not able to activate Focus.
	Clutch Padding	This cyberware is good enough to limit stamina drain with your ranged weapons.
	Threatevac	Low-cost alternative to fill the slot

How to Use the Build

Here I would like to share some general tips that I would like to recommend for the best approach with this build.

Core Mechanics

Let's go through what I think are the core mechanics of the build to maximize its effectiveness.

Stamina Management

This is an important mechanic for almost any build in Cyberpunk 2077 that uses weapons. The good thing is that Pistols get access to Focus​ perk making it easy to sustain it. With some further perk upgrades and cyberware you can easily maintain 80-100%.

However, I would still recommend always being aware of your stamina as in early to mid-game, having it low will reduce your accuracy. In the late game, you will have some amazing cyberware that can compensate for this.

Using Kerenzikov

I like this cyberware. It brings a few benefits that I would like to go through:

1. It slows down time making it easier for you to prepare that perfect shot.
2. As the time slows you can evaluate your next steps and what you will do when the combat goes back to normal speed.
3. The last - with Defenzikov you can reach a very high mitigation chance that will give a huge survivability boost. I will briefly cover it in the section

So this is what makes Kerenzikov attractive, especially as the build doesn't use Sandevistan

Maintaining high Mitigation Chance

This is an important aspect of the build, that will allow it to survive against multiple enemies at the same time. Mitigation Chance is like a second layer of armor, that works with a specific chance. Mitigation Strength is what goes together to ensure how "Strong" the mitigation effect will be.

Thanks to the game mechanics and various choices the build makes, you can pump this for almost 100%, reducing damage to negligible numbers. Here are all the ways that we will pump up the Mitigation stats:

1. Dorph-head​ - 100% mitigation chance
2. Can't Touch This​ - 100% mitigation chance
3. Countershell + Neofiber + Spring Joints + Kinetic Frame - 78% mitigation chance and 80% mitigation strength.
4. Kerenzikov + Defenzikov - 90% mitigation chance.
5. Pyromania​ + Heat Shield​ - up to 50% mitigation chance

So for most of the combat, you will be able to soak up a lot of damage. Of course, there will be a second or two intervals, where none of these effects will apply as they will be on cooldown. So that's when you will be the weakest.

Early Game Combat

Okay, let's go through some early-game combat approaches. I recommend checking Cyberpunk 2077 beginner tips for additional information on the early game combat.

Use anything on hand

The early game for melee builds is very punishing, especially on harder difficulties. So just use anything you have on hand - pistols, assault rifles, etc. With some practice and more knowledge of the game encounters it will become fairly easy to survive difficult encounters with only melee.

Use Grenades

Consumables like grenades are another great choice to give some crowd control for free. Just throw them on the enemy that you want to stagger. This is perfect when you are waiting for the throwing item to return.

Operating System

Playing without Operating System can be very challenging, For this reason, I do recommend using Sandevistan, at least until level 30, until you fully understand game mechanics and can enforce yourself with other cyberware choices.

However, if you are an experienced player, going without Sandevistan or Cyberdeck is a welcome challenge, where your main strength is knowledge of the game combat!

Late Game Combat

For Johnny Silverhand's build, the late game is pretty simple as with most builds that use Chrome Compressor, you mostly rely on your gun skills and combat knowledge:

• Use Kerenzikov to maintain a high mitigation chance and land perfect shots.
• Aim for Headshots, especially with pistols as these weapons deal huge damage on weak spots.
• If using shotguns I recommend equipping Shock-N-Awe + Pyromania​ + Heat Shield, for bonus damage and improved survivability.

Otherwise, everything depends on your weapon usage skills and accuracy!

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this post on the Johnny Silverhand build in Cyberpunk 2077. I hope you enjoyed it and I try to recreate how Johny did. I have limited some picks to better roleplay, what he would use and reflect his personality.

Feel free to leave a comment below!