Best Throwing Knife Build - Cyberpunk 2077

Throwing Knife Build

This is one of the most stylish playstyles in Cyberpunk 2077. The main idea is to engage in close to medium-range combat using Throwing Knives. Of course, this is not as safe as a true ranged weapon, however, it's not a major problem.

The playstyle relies on your landing critical hits and headshots. With these and the Juggler​ perk, you can instantly return the throwable to hand and use it again. This is what creates the satisfying gameplay loop.

With all of this in mind, you get a very thrilling playstyle, that constantly keeps you on the edge. The good thing is that with correct cyberware the build will become stronger than one would expect.

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 Throwing Knife build.

Starting Game

Here are what attributes we should be taking at the start of the game. You can allocate in total of 7 points.

Attribute	Allocation	Description
Cool	+3	Unlocks Throwing Knives-related perks and boosts critical damage.
Reflexes	+2	Increases critical chance and unlocks the first tier of perks
Body	+1	Unlocks the first-tier perks
Technical Ability	+1	Gives bonus armor and unlocks first-tier 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	Boosts critical chance and unlocks perks for better mobility - Dash​ and Air Dash.
Body	15	I think the build needs a bonus sure
Technical Ability	20	The base value gives access to some good perks for cyberware capacity and item recharge time.
Cool	20	The main attribute of Throwing Knives. Unlocks higher tier perks and increases critical damage.
Intelligence	3	We skip this attribute as we do not use anything

The big decision without Phantom Liberty Expansion is whether to go for Body 15 or 15 Reflexes. However, I recommend evaluating what you need for prioritization - higher survivability or more mobility. 15 Body gives Adrenaline Rush, which is useful for Hard and Very Hard difficulties.

However, if you feel comfortable and have mastered Sandevistan usage, Air Dash​ from level 15 Reflexes is hard to skip.

Perks

Let's go through the perks of the Throwing Knives Build. You will need about 58~ 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

Let's start with the main perks of the Best Throwing Knife build. I do not recommend heavily investing in stealth perks until you try the blades. The game is very lenient on kills outside of combat.

At higher levels, Sandevistan is a perfect substitute for stealth, as enemies will not be able to take action before a knife neutralizes them.

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Feline Footwork	Improves crouching, allowing for better sneaking
Blind Spot	This will increase the time it takes enemies to detect you. I think it may be optional on Easy difficulty but on Very Hard it is mandatory for any stealth build.
Killer Instinct	Ensures that silenced weapons deal bonus damage when shooting outside of combat (or stealth)
Gag Order	Delay detection is useful when you are playing stealth build. This will be a lifesaver if you accidentally miss your throw and the enemy will not die from a single hit.

Level 9 Perks

Perk	Description
Scorpion Sting	Additional Poison damage when you land a headshot or critical hit. We also need this to progress further in the tree.
Corrosion	Just some bonus damage against mechs and robots
Accelerated Toxin Absorption	Bonus damage when using a second thrown weapon against an already poisoned target.
Parasite	Amazing perk, that allows you to restore HP with thrown weapons. Gives some needed survivability.
Neurotoxin	An additional blind effect is a good option to make combat easier against stronger enemies.

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
Juggler	This perk is the goal of Throwing Knives. I think before it, it's not worth going only with throwing knives.
Finisher: Act of Mercy	Instantly finishes off an enemy. With Sandevistan it is the perfect option due to fast animation against normal foes.
Sleight of Hand	This encourages you to first take out weaker enemies. This way, you get more stacks of Critical Damage. Then, turn your attention to elites or bosses.
Pounce	Mandatory perk, that gives you a huge closing distance to finish an enemy off
Pay It Forward	It is good to have options when you will fight a stronger enemy and just using Throwing knives will not be enough.
Ninjutsu	I would say this is an optional perk. However, the last perk in the tree needs this for progression. I did not use much this one and mostly went with Sandevistan + Dash
Creeping Death	Pick only if you are using Optical Camo cyberware
Vanishing Act	Pick only if you are using Optical Camo cyberware

Level 20 Perks

Perk	Description
Style Over Substance	The perk encourages you to make cool moves and they are rewarded with guaranteed critical hits. However, I do not recommend sacrificing headshots for style. Still, with this perk, many Cyberware like Stabber, Kiroshi "Cockatrice" Optics, etc. become obsolete, if you can sustain it. So I will leave this for expert players to decide.

Reflexes Perks

This ability tree is mainly taken to unlock mobility perks. They will make it easier to traverse the world, and also improve your combat capabilities. For example, you can move faster from enemy to enemy using Dash​

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Stuntjock	Cool move that can greatly open up combat options
Slippery	Base perk, that we will need to progress to other levels
Parkour!	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.
Multitasker	Want to do cool kills? Well, this is for you

Level 9 Perks

Perk	Description
Dash	Another new perk that gives a short dash to avoid or get close to the enemies.
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.
Steady Grip	Shooting while Dashing? What can be cooler?

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
Air Dash​	The perk decreases the stamina cost of dashing and allows air dashing for even cooler combat mobility.
Aerodynamic​	Mitigation strength will ensure that you take a fraction of the damage while dashing in the air.

Technical Ability Perks

This tree is responsible for higher cyberware capacity, better healing, and improvements to Sandevistan.

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Glutton for War	Faster health item restoration after each kill
First Aid	Increased recharge time for healing items
Transfusion	Even more health restoration from the last item.

Level 9 Perks

Perk	Description
Health Freak	3rd health item will give a huge survivability increase.
Borrowed Time	Easily regain health items when close to death.
All Things Cyber	Mandatory perk as we will need as much Cyberware as we can. Reduces its costs for Skeleton and Integumentary Systems
Renaissance Punk	With this build, we will have 4 attributes above 9, so worth taking it.
Chrome Constitution​	The damage reduction is a good improvement, but I would leave this perk for the late game.

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
License to Chrome	Additional cyberware slot and higher stat modifiers. We also want this for progression to get the next perks.
Extended Warranty	The increased duration is useful for Sandevistan
Ambidextrous​	The additional cyberware slot is necessary to activate the Cyborg​ perk, but most importantly, there is good cyberware specifically for throwing weapons.
Cyborg​	The reduced cooldown will work very well with Sandevistan and Kerenzikov effects.

Level 20 Perks

Perk	Description
Edgerunner	Unlocks a higher capacity for cyberware and gives a unique Fury mechanic that drastically improves critical damage and other offensive stats.

Body Perks

Body perks are relevant for health regeneration and overall survivability. They will be extremely useful during combat.

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Painkiller	With the recent 2.0 patch, I think this perk is mandatory for any build. Especially early game healing is sparse, so to be able to regenerate in combat is a good quality of life improvement
Comeback Kid	It seems an obvious choice, who does not want higher health regen closer to death?
Dorph-head	Blood Pump is one of the mandatory cyberware for the build, and getting a 100% mitigation chance is great

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
Adrenaline Rush	Drastically increases your survivability, by giving a second layer of HP. This will activate any time we use a healing item. For this reason, I recommend having Blood Pump, especially in the late game.
Calm Mind	Optional perk. Because you will be under constant fire, the three seconds may never come. Pick this perk once you have everything else covered
Juggernaut	20% movement speed and 10% damage while Adrenaline Rush is active? Let's go
Unstoppable Force	Being squishy and getting knocked down is the worst thing that can happen.

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 vulnerabilities, that allow for huge damage boosts. Very effective against stronger enemies like mechs, elites, or drones.
2	Machine Learning	Increases the frequency of vulnerabilities.

There are still multiple relic points that you can spend. One option is taking Emergency Cloaking​ if you plan on using Optical Cloak. Can be helpful to take better control of the encounters.

If you plan on using Arms Cyberware like Projectile Launch System, don't forget to take Jailbreak​ and Launch Capacity Override. Otherwise, I don't think other options are worth it.

Equipment

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

For weapons, I recommend having one weapon for stealth kills that use a suppressor. Then, a second one will be used in most of the encounters.

Best Throwing Knives

Here is what I recommend to use for maximum knife build effectiveness. The good thing is that you can melee attack with them. You can check my Throwing Knife tier list for all options.

Item	Description
Knife	The simple knife is one of the best weapons due to its 200% Headshot damage multiplier. You just need to obtain high-tier ones.
Headhunter	I think this is the best option for Throwing Knives. In case the first headshot does not kill, the second gets a 200% damage bonus.
Blue Fang	This knife has the unique effect of stunning an enemy. However, there is a slight delay, so that could be problematic. Use this on Elite enemies, to better crowd control them.
Stinger	Although not as strong as the others, it can apply bleeding which is additional damage over time effect.

Some weapons, especially not the iconic ones, can be modified. Try to get the highest-tier upgrades. Sadly, none of them are truly game-changing:

Modification	Description
Zero-G	Throwing weapons flight straight, making it easier to hit.
Slice 'Em Up	Increases the chance of activating the finisher, but this requires you to neutralize an enemy first.
Bleedout	Bleeds have a 100% crit chance.

There are other modifications, but those only work when hitting with melee, not throwing:

Modification	Description
Silencio	This gives a huge boost to critical damage and guarantees a critical hit. However, this only works for melee attacks, not throwing.
Severance	The unique modification gives a chance to dismember enemies when attacking with melee hits.

Throwing Axe

Although, technically it is not a throwing knife, it can be still thrown. One weapon that I urge you to get:

Item	Description
Agaou	Okay, this is an amazing weapon, although not stealthy. Critical hits release a shockwave and by itself, it has a 30% shock chance. So not only you will most likely kill the single target, but damage everyone around it.

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 will be able to 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	Axolotl	This cyberware will take the build to the ultimate level. It has a very steep cyberware capacity cost. But it gives cooldown reductions for almost everything.
	Newton Module	Gives a cyberware cooldown reduction after taking out an enemy. It is not much, however, with multiple kills, the effect adds up.
Skeleton 1	Dense Marrow	The bonus damage also works with Throwing Weapons.
Nervous System 1	Kerenzikov	While aiming with Throwing Knife this allows stopping down time. With Defenzikov you will also gain a huge survivability, so benefits are two-fold.
Integumentary System 1	Painducer	This is recommended if you can afford the cyberware cost. This is a huge lifesaver that greatly reduces big damage and spreads it over a while.
	Carapace	Improves armor effectiveness while attacked from flanks. Generally more armor with higher cyberware cost.
	Subdermal Armor	A simple cyberware that has a high armor-to-cyberware capacity cost ratio.
Operating System 1	Militech "Apogee" Sandevistan	This version of Sandevistan provides a bit higher damage bonuses but comes with a shorter duration and increased cyberware capacity cost.
	Militech "Falcon" Sandevistan	A bit weaker version, but enough for the the end game. Has 10 10-second duration and adequate combat bonuses.
	Dynalar Sandevistan	This is the base version that I recommend using from early levels.
Face 1	Kiroshi "Cockatrice" Optics	The best eye cyberware for the throwing build. However, the cost is very steep, so I would leave this for the end game.
	Kiroshi "Clairvoyant" Optics	Similar to the Basic version in terms of bonuses. However, the main aspect is that it highlights enemies when scanning, but comes with a steeper cyberware capacity.
	Basic Kiroshi Optics	Simple eye cyberware, that I think does the job for this build as you get bonus headshot damage.
Hands 1	Handle Wrap	It's the only true hands cyberware that gives a direct boost for throwing axes and knives.
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 will ensure that you don't die while using Overclock​
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
Frontal Cortex 2	Kerenzikov Boost System	Very cheap cost and can be used to gain an advantage with targeting while Kerenzikov is active.
Skeleton 1	Spring Joints	Improves mitigation strength, complementing Defenzikov, Countershell, and Neofiber.
Nervous System 2	Neofiber	Thanks to Defenzikov, the bonus mitigation strength will prove effective in ensuring you receive as little damage as possible.
Nervous System 3	Stabber	Increases crit chance for throwing weapons.
Integumentary System 2	Defenzikov	Enables a 90% mitigation chance after Kerenzikov ends. Greatly improving the survivability of the build.

Final Cyberware setup

The last tier of cyberware options. Here is how the build should look in the end. The goal is to fill all the slots to activate the Cyborg​ perk.

One thing that I would like to point out is that Quantum Tuner and Kerenzikov might have some problems. The former is drained for any kind of cyberware, so if you constantly activate Kerenzikov, you will be left with no capacity for your Sandevistan.

It's not a major problem, but if you find that irritating remove Kerenzikov + Defenzikov. This will of course greatly reduce your survivability, so check the next section for some tips

Slot	Cyberware	Description
Frontal Cortex 3	Quantum Tuner	If you can obtain this one, it is one of the best cyberware to have for cooldown heavy build. Just remember that it will be used up fast due to Kerenzikov, Sandevistan, and other cyberware with cooldowns.
	Mechatronic Core	Just an alternative cyberware to fill the slot. It is also okay, for some bonus damage against mechs.
Arms	Projectile Launch System	To be honest, any cyberware works here, so pick the one that you prefer.
Skeleton 3	Universal Booster	Provides good bonuses for stamina costs and increases armor. However, the cyberware cost is steep.
	Kinetic Frame	Bonus mitigation chance while stamina is high
	Bionic Joints	Gives bonus armor for higher survivability. Overall, just filling this slot with something cheap
Integumentary System 3	Rangeguard	This is another good cyberware that increases headshot damage and provides a little armor from enemies in longer ranges.
	Optical Camo	For pure stealth players, I recommend the Optical Camo.
Hands 1	Shock Absorber	Although this does not give a direct increase, it provides a 4% bonus headshot damage.
	Any Tatoo	If you need low-cost alternatives just pick any tattoo.
Circulatory System 3	Black Mamba	Bonus damage against poisoned enemies.
	Heal-On-Kill	I would say this is the safest option, it gives an additional layer of HP restoration.
	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.

Sandevistan

In my opinion for this build, Sandevistan is the lifesaver. It allows you to concentrate and land the perfect shot, which is essential for a fast-moving build like this. Moreover, in the early game, you may need to wait for Sandevistan cooldowns a lot, but this becomes better once you reach level 30 and get access to Militech ones.

Sandevistan + Kerenzikov

Okay here is the tricky part of the build which I think you should learn to get the most out of it and feel like an ultimate Blade Juggler. So Kerenzikov and Sandevistan don't work together, and if they work, it becomes a bugged mess.

However, Kerenzikov is extremely important for this build as using it together with Defenzikov, makes you extremely resilient to damage for 4 seconds. So my recommendation would be:

1. When initiating combat, start aiming with a Knife in hand and use a Dash.
2. This is when Kerenzikov will activate and you can easily remove an enemy with time slowed down.
3. Once Kerenziko ends, Defenzikov will activate
4. Now you can activate Sandevistan, which will not interfere with Kerenzikov effects.

Early Game Combat

Okay, let's go through some early-game combat approaches.

Early game - no knives

Unfortunately, an early game is not good for knives. The build only starts to shine once you get Juggler maximized and can capitalize enemy kills via headshot, Crit Hit, or Poison. For this reason, I recommend using Ranged Weapons. The perfect alternative? Sniper or Revolver will require you to practice precise shots to land the headshot.

You use all knives, now what?

Unfortunately, this will happen, especially when fighting stronger enemies like elites or bosses. What can you do then?

• Wait
• Run and pick it up
• Equip a ranged weapon.

The first two options can be fatal especially if Sandevistan is on cooldown. So definitely have a ranged weapon in inventory if this situation happens.

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.

Late Game Combat

So late game is when the builds take off and become the ultimate Throwing Knife master. You will have accumulated more experience and more importantly, there will be plenty of weapons and cyberware to use.

Here are the main points:

• Overall you will want to start the combat from stealth. It's just a great way to remove a few targets before you engage in pure offensive combat
• Learn to enable/disable the high-tier Sandevistans, to save up the duration. This is possible with both - Militech "Falcon" and "Apogee"
• Landing headshots is the bread and butter of this build, so practice to land them, both for increased damage and activation of Juggler.
• Use Kerenzikov to enable Defenzikov for a 90% mitigation chance for 4 seconds. This is what will give you a huge survivability boost.
• Dashing around is a great way to ensure survivability from bonuses to mitigation, reach enemies faster, and activate Kerenzikov.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this post on the Best Throwing Knives build in Cyberpunk 2077. The build offers a perfect balance between style and combat capabilities. You can easily go in loud with the support of Sandevistan or take a stealthy approach and let enemies wonder where are all their comrades gone.

Feel free to leave a comment below!