Gorilla Arms Fist Build (Update 2.1) - Cyberpunk 2077

Gorilla Arms Build

Be prepared to embrace your inner Gorilla. Just kidding! The build is amazing and allows you to release all the rage you have pent up. Use your fists and the Berserk operating system to unleash unparalleled fury against anyone you encounter.

The build concentrates on a few things. First, we maximize the Blunt Weapon perks that also include Gorilla Arms and Unarmed attacks. These will give a cool finisher, a knockdown ability that activates when sprinting and jumping attacks that create small-scale quakes.

Second, we will maximize the mobility and survivability of the build. For this, we will go deep into the Body tree for Adrenaline Rush. Moreover, we will take Dash​ to give a huge boost in mobility to instantly lunge on the foe. As this is a melee build every second counts as enemy bullets put a lot of strain on your HP.

Last, is cyberware optimization. It is crucial to make the build work as it will allow dealing swaths of the area of effect electrical damage, provide protection, and unlock the Berserk operating system. You will be able to easily take on MaxTac:

If this has you interested, let's jump into the build! If you are looking for a Sandy Gorilla Arms build, check out David Martinez build.

Attributes

First, let's go through attributes, they will decide the direction of the build and give access to different tiers of perks. The higher tier gives better actions and passives to further support the build. Let's take a look at what we need for the Gorilla Arms Build.

Starting Game

Here are what attributes we should be taking at the start of the game.

Attribute	Allocation	Description
Body	+3	Will give us bonus HP early in the game and is the main attribute of the build
Reflexes	+3	Gives a critical chance and will be used to obtain mobility perks.
Technical Ability	+1	Unlocks the first tier of perks.

End Game Attributes

Here is the goal of Gorilla Arms Build that we should reach at level 50

Attribute	Total Allocation	Description
Reflexes	20	Maximum Reflexes will ensure a higher critical chance and good mobility perks.
Body	20	The attribute will unlock Gorilla Arms perks
Technical Ability	20	Will provide perks related to healing items and cyberware. Moreover, provides bonus armor for better protection against damage.
Cool	8	Gives a boost to critical damage, but overall we do not need it much.
Intelligence	3	We skip this attribute as we do not use anything related.

Leveling Progression

To improve the build understanding and give you some direction here is the recommended leveling progression. Use it more as a guideline to create your Gorilla Arms build. Once you start "Feeling" your playstyle you can deviate and pick your perks to better suit your style!

Level	Attribute	Perk
1	+3 Body +3 Reflexes +1 Technical Ability	-
2	+1 Body 7	Painkiller​
3	+1 Body 8	Glutton for War​
4	+1 Body 9	Slippery​

Perks

Let's go through the perks of the Gorilla Arms Build. We will go through about 60~ perk points for the build, and the game awards about 80. So you will have perk points left to adjust the build to your needs.

Body Perks

The main attribute of the Gorilla Arms build. It unlocks fist-related perks, health regeneration, and huge protection boosts against damage.

Level 4 Perks - HP regeneration

These perks will ensure that we have sufficient HP regeneration in various combat situations.

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
Comeback Kid	Higher health regen, the closer to death you are? Count me in
Army of One	As mele build you will be jumping in the target's face, the bonus HP regeneration is a good addition.
Speed Junkie	Another awesome perk is as you will be sprinting around, this will give just a little bit more boost to HP regeneration

Level 9 Perks - first Gorilla Arms perks

Perk	Description
Wrecking Ball​	The ability allows now to knock out targets while sprinting. This is great for mobility as it gives better control of the battlefield.
Breakthrough​	Increases the damage after strong attacks. I always recommend running by holding the attack button, so that the strong attack is ready the moment you need it.
Kinetic Absorption​	An optional perk, you can definitely skip it if you are not doing any defensive moves. I did not and rather concentrated on mobility and movement.
Clapback​	Again, optional perk if you are counterattacks and defensive hits.
Fly Swatter​	This plays well with Wrecking Ball​ as you get bonus protection from damage while charging in.

Level 15 Perks

The next set of Perks will give a huge survivability boost to the Gorilla Arms build. Moreover, we get weapon perks, that will allow instantly finish the enemy off.

Perk	Description
Adrenaline Rush	Awesome perk gives a second layer of HP when using healing items. This will give so-needed survivability if you plan on using Edgerunner and also play on Very Hard
Calm Mind	Delay before Adrenaline starts decaying, prolonging the second layer of HP.
Juggernaut	Encourages you to have Adrenaline activated most of the time, to get these sweet combat bonuses.
Unstoppable Force	Makes you immune to some knockout effects.
Quake​	A violent hit that knocks down everyone around the area. It can be initiated from the air. It gets even better with some additional perks.
Epicenter​	Now quake will do even more damage the higher you jump from. So be sure to do a double jump before initiating it.
Aftershock​	Now, stamina is also restored for every foe hit.
Ripple Effect​	Hitting multiple enemies with Quake will instantly restore a huge amount of health.

Level 20 Perks

Perk	Description
Pain to Gain	Together with Glutton for War and Health Freak these perks will make it easy to have health restoration on hand.
Finisher: Savage Sling​	Very cool finisher that can either restore health or allow you to throw enemies at the next target. This deals decent damage but most importantly it is fun

Reflexes Perks

These perks will give a huge edge to Gorilla Arms in combat. From attribute level 9 onward, you can instantly reach any target and punch a hole in their chest.

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Stuntjock​	Jumping out of the car and using takedown on the enemy is a perfect entry for the mayhem that is about to start.
Slippery	Base perk, that we will need to progress to other levels. Moreover, it gives some survivability and encourages constant movement.
Parkour!	For a melee-focused build, vaulting faster through obstacles can result in the enemy dead a second earlier. Moreover, it will be a lifesaver when you are running with low health.

Level 9 Perks

Finally, we 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.
Mad Dash	Doubles the distance if dashing directly to an enemy
Can't Touch This	A 100% mitigation chance while Dashing is very valuable. This will give you a higher chance of survival under heavy fire. Moreover, we will be improving Mitigation Strength to take the full effect of it.

Level 15 Perks

Further improvements to Dashing

Perk	Description
Air Dash	Extremely cool and effective move that allows dashing in air.
Aerodynamic	Gives bonus mitigation strength when jumping. I think it is useful in encounters where you are moving a lot, as then you will use Air Dash.
Aerial Acrobat	Gives more control and precision while Air Dashing. For this build, this is useful when you plan on using Quake.

Level 20 Perks

And finally Legend tier perks

Perk	Description
Tailwind	Stamina restoration while Air Dashing.

Technical Ability Perks

The perks in this tree play an important role in general survivability, item usage, and cyberware. Overall, you will want to heavily invest in this tree throughout the mid and late game.

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Glutton for War	You will be taking out a lot of enemies, so why not faster healing item recharge?
First Aid	Faster healing item recharge speed.
Transfusion	If you use the last charge, you are close to being overwhelmed or dead. So a 30% boost is awesome.

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	Gives some additional cyberware capacity. Feel free to switch it to Driver Update or Chrome Constitution once you have enough cyberware.
Chrome Constitution​	Gives a 5% damage decrease once we fill appropriate cyberware slots.
Driver Update​	Some additional stat boosts from cyberware

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 is useful for Revulsor, Berserk, and some other cyberware.
Ambidextrous	Gives an additional slot for hands cyberware, that you can use to increase accuracy or get unique effects.
Cyborg​	I think this perk is extremely important when using Berserk. The problem is that it starts its cooldown reset once you finish its activation, making it take a long time till you can reuse it. This perk is one of the ways to minimize that period.
Pyromania	We will be able to fully utilize this perk with Shock-n-Awe cyberware because shockwaves count as explosions.
Friendlier Fire​	As you will constantly release electroshocks, this will give some defenses against it.
Heat Shield​	With constant shock explosions, each Pyromania​ stack will give some additional mitigation chance, greatly improving survivability.

Level 20 Perks

Perk	Description
Edgerunner	I think this perk could be optional. It is amazing as it gives 50 Cyberware capacity allowing to put in at least one additional iconic cyberware. Moreover, you have a chance to enter Fury State for a huge damage boost. However, this reduces your health, increasing your chances of dying.
Ticking Time Bomb	Aamzin perk, that not only releases EMP but also gives a brief period of damage reduction.

Perks - Relic

With the introduction of Phantom Liberty, you will be able to obtain new perks that give unique capabilities. Here is what I recommend for the Gorilla Arms Build:

Priority	Perk	Description
1	Jailbreak​	Unlocks unique effects for Arms cyberware. Gorilla Arms unlocks a powerful hit that activates after killing an enemy. Use a strong attack after that to activate it.
2	Limiter Removal​	The charged attack now knocks back nearby enemies.
3	Vulnerability Analytics	Shows enemy weak spots, which when hit, create an electricity explosion. It is especially useful against robots and stronger enemies.
4	Machine Learning	Improves Vulnerability Analytics by making them appear faster and giving a higher critical damage boost

Combat and Tips

Here I would like to share some suggestions on how to utilize the Gorilla Arms build to the maximum.

Dash with Strong Attack

This is my favorite combo. It's not something that is very powerful but gives a huge closing distance and you land a very powerful hit. More or less you hold down the attack button anytime you are moving. This way when you reach the target with a dash you can instantly release the hit, for higher damage. Moreover, some passive perks will also be activated.

Once you get Jailbreak​ this is even better as now you will release a very powerful attack. This will also knock out any enemies around the target, making them easy pickings.

Microgenerator utility

Microgenerator is an amazing cyberware that will do half of your job with this build. Once enemies start firing at you, you will see constant releases of electric shocks. Each of them will deal a decent amount of damage in AOE.

Due to this, I recommend getting this cyberware as soon as possible as it is one of the cornerstones of the build. The unfortunate thing is that some of the damage is still dealt to you. We try to mitigate this with some perks, so be mindful.

Use Grenades

Grenades are amazing no matter the enemy. Their main role is to stagger enemies. This will give you a brief period of time to take charge with less resistance. Moreover, we take some perks that greatly reduce their cooldowns making them a good option to create different attack combos.

Quake to the Rescue

This ability is one of three actions, together with Wrecking Ball and Finisher that can deal substantial damage and give full control of the battlefield. What makes Quake special is that with upgrades it restores stamina, gives HP, deals good damage, and most importantly knocks back enemies.

So do not forget to use it in combat, as it can make many of the encounters trivial, making groups of enemies unable to stand up.

Equipment

For this build, you will care about other weapons until level 10. That is when the first Gorilla Arms will appear in the ripperdocs. You could use shotguns and get the first few perks, but later remove those and put them back to the Gorilla Arms perks.

You can also take any blunt weapon that you find and use it instead, which is my recommended option. However, in the early game there are no really good options, just take whatever you get from enemies.

Pistols

Here are some pistols that are really effective even if you don't take related perks.

Item	Description
Scorch	Iconic pistol that can be charged up to release three burning shots.
Dying Light	The first iconic ranged weapon that you will obtain. For maximum effectiveness hold the trigger as it has a fast fire rate and deals decent damage with headshots.

Cyberware

Cyberware is a unique mechanic that allows us to fill the build with implants. Our main goal is first to get offensive ones. Early games can be quite difficult as you will have limited capacity. However, as you progress and drop more Capacity Shards, you will be able to equip even multiple iconic ones.

To activate Cyborg​ our goal is to fill all the cyberware slots. So once you have Ambidextrous​ and License to Chrome​ you can start by taking the cheapest ones. Why do we want to do this? Our goal is to have the shortest possible cooldown for Berserk. The problem with it is that its cooldown does not reset until it finishes (compared to how sandevistan works).

Cyberware - Frontal Cortex

Only one cyberware really matters here and it is Axolotl. The others are just fillers to fill all the slots.

Slot	Item	Description
1	Axolotl	This is crazy powerful cyberware for the build and is mandatory. Each kill reduces cooldown by at least 10%. However, it takes a lot of cyberware capacity, so you can switch it with Newton Module as a cheaper alternative.
1	Newton Module	Gives a cyberware cooldown reduction after taking out an enemy. It is not much, however, with multiple kills, the effect adds up.
2	Mechatronic Core	Increases damage against drones, mechs, and robots. Taking it to fill the slot.
3	Self-ICE	Only taking it to fill the slot. Of course, it gives some defensive bonuses against quickhacks.

Arms

Gorilla Arms are obtainable only starting at level 10 from Ripperdocs. Before that check the equipment section for weapon recommendations or use any blunt weapon.

Slot	Item	Description
1	Gorilla Arms	The main cyberware to enable this build. You can pick any element you want, but I prefer the simple ones as they give the highest damage.

Cyberware - Skeleton

Slot	Item	Description
1	Epimorphic Skeleton	This cyberware greatly boosts overall health. This will be very useful to provide some bonus survivability.
2	Dense Marrow	Gives a huge boost to melee damage at the cost of stamina. The good thing is that stamina is unlimited while in Berserk.
2	Rara Avis	Gives a huge boost to armor, but comes with a steep cyberware capacity cost. If cannot equip, take the below one.
3	Para Bellum	Gives 12% armor for better protection.
3	Spring Joints	Increases Migitagion Strength. We have many sources to activate mitigation like Pyromania

Cyberware - Nervous System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Neofiber	Gives higher mitigation chance and strength and scales with Reflexes for bonus critical chance.
2	Revulsor	Iconic version of Reflex Tuner. Movement speed for you is not slowed which makes it very powerful, for this type of build, scales with Cool.
2	Synaptic Accelerator	Has only 5 cyberware capacity costs, so good filler, before you can get Revulsor.
3	Adreno-Trigger	Iconic cyberware that boosts movement speed for a whole 50 seconds.
3	Adrenaline Converter	Gives a decent movement speed increase when entering combat. Moreover, has low cyberware costs, before you can afford the above one.

Cyberware - Integumentary System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Shock-n-Awe	Mandatory cyberware for this build. As we will constantly be under fire and close to enemies, the electric explosions will do half of your work. Moreover, they work with Pyromania​
2	Chitin	Has a high cyberware capacity cost, but provides a huge armor bonus and health regeneration.
2	Subdermal Armor	Provides flat armor increase. Has a low cyberware capacity cost.
3	Nano-Plating	A lower cyberware capacity cyberware that negates projectile damage after using Dash.
3	Pain Editor	As the build will rely on close combat, having higher damage reduction is good.

Cyberware - Operating System

For the endgame, my recommendations would be these two operating systems. Both of them make you invulnerable and provide unlimited stamina with increased attack speed.

Item	Description
Biodyne Berserk	My preferred option for Berserk. Although it has a longer cooldown, the damage boost is very high needing only a few hits to take out an enemy - a total MaxTac killer.
Militech Berserk	The iconic Berserk operating system. Try to activate it with the lowest HP possible, this way you will get the highest boost to damage. This is the problem for me as it is a risky approach.

Cyberware - Ocular System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Kiroshi "Cockatrice" Optics	The recommended option, however, has a very high cyberware cost. Boosts critical hit chance considerably.
1	Kiroshi "Doomsayer" Optics	We are mainly interested in critical chance boost based on the Reflexes attributes

Cyberware - Hands

The second slot is accessible once you obtain the Ambidextrous perk. Just take the cheapest ones possible, as we will not use any weapons that utilize the effects.

Slot	Item	Description
1	Tyger Claws Dermal Imprint	Costs 0 Cyberware Capacity - the lowest possible value
2	Ballistic Coprocessor	Costs only 2 Cyberware Capacities in case you do not have any other tattoos.

Cyberware - Circulatory System

The first two options are standard for my builds. However, the third slot has multiple variations.

Slot	Item	Description
1	Biomonitor	Automatically restores health by using healing items. I started loving this one, as you do not need to waste time and concentrate just on the combat.
2	Blood Pump	The best health regeneration item and cyberware. It will also activate Adrenaline Rush for us.
3	Isometric Stabilizer	Greatly reduces stamina costs for all attacks, allowing the build to sustain full-powered hits for longer. Unfortunately, comes with a steep cost.
3	Adrenaline Booster	Each enemy taken out with a melee weapon (including Gorilla Arms) restores stamina
3	Heal-On-Kill	Costs 10 Cyberware Capacity and restores health on each kill. Why it's comparatively low? Because you need high Intelligence to fully utilize it.

Cyberware - Legs

Slot	Item	Description
1	Reinforced Tendons	My personal favorite makes traversing much easier.
1	Leeroy Ligament System	Iconic leg cyberware, providing faster movement speed, however, does not give any jumping benefits
1	Fortified Ankles	Gives the highest jumps and high boost to armor compared to cyberware capacity cost. But you need to hold the jump button.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this post on the best Gorilla Arms build in Cyberpunk 2077. The build is really powerful once you obtain the highest tier Berserker as then you are invincible for 11 seconds. Moreover, Shock-n-Awe makes combat a breeze as you constantly release electro-shocks while being highly resistant to general damage.

Feel free to leave a comment below!