Best Throwing Knife Build (Update 2.0) - Cyberpunk 2077

Throwing Knife Build - Update 2.0

A unique playstyle where you can throw knives. This is a variation of melee weapons, however, they do not have any defensive capabilities. Why would you go with these weapons? They do not have any ammo, and with the right perks, each kill returns them.

Moreover, they are perfect for unexpected stealth kills. This is their strongest point as they drastically fall off against very tough enemies like MaxTac. However, these weapons are amazing for most game encounters and world exploration.

Another downside is that Throwing Knives by themselves takes some leveling before they are worthwhile. The culprit is the Juggler perk. Without it, it takes time for the weapon to go back to the hand, making it almost unusable if going only with Knives. For this reason, early games should be accompanied either by a ranged or melee weapon.

Attributes Starting Game

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

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

First, let's start with what I think are base attributes for the Throwing Knives build. This covers all the corners we need before we would jump into specializing.

Attribute	Allocation	Description
Reflexes	13	Boosts critical chance and unlocks perks for better mobility. I think the build can stay with only Dash, and Air Dash is not as necessary as higher survivability.
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

I think a big decision is whether to go for Body 15 or 15 Reflexes. With Phantom Liberty, you will be able to reach it. However, for prioritization I recommend evaluating, what you need - higher survivability or more mobility. 15 Body gives Adrenaline Rush which is very useful on Hard and Very Hard.

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

Leveling Progression Summary

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

Level	Attribute	Perk
1	+3 Cool +1 Body +1 Technical Ability +2 Reflexes	-
2	+1 Cool 7	Killer Instinct
3	+1 Cool 8	Gag Order
4	+1 Cool 9	Feline Footwork

Perks

Let's go through the perks of the Throwing Knives Build. We will go through about 55~ perk points for the build, and the base game awards about 65. 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 them. The game is very lenient on kills outside of combat and at higher levels Sandevistan is a perfect substitute for that.

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

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	I think 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, because we want to unlock the last one in the tree, we need it for progression. I did not use much this one and mostly went with Sandevistan + Dash
Creeping Death	Optional one if you are using Optical Camo cyberware
Vanishing Act	Optional one 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.

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?

Technical Ability Perks

This tree is responsible for higher cyberware capacity, better healing, and improvements to Sandevistan. Also, I will cover some variations of the build with the perk selection.

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.

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
Built Different	This is an optional perk. However, Cellular Adapter cyberware looks to be very strong and gives a huge boost to Armor

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

We are interested in Body for its access to health regeneration perks. They will be extremely useful during combat. Moreover, the early game of Cyberpunk 2077 can be difficult with limited healing options.

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.

General Tips

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

Early game - no knives

Unfortunately, an early game is not good for knives. The build only starts to shine once we 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.

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.

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.

Gear Recommendations

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.

Throwing Knives

Item	Description
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.

Axe

Although, technically it is not a throwing knife, it can be still thrown. One option that I recommend getting:

Item	Description
Agaou	Okay, this is an amazing weapon, although not stealthy. Use this one if you fight mechs and robots. Critical hits release a shockwave. Moreover, by default, the weapon has a 30% shock chance. It is also perfect after you use up all the knives and they are on cooldown.

Cyberware

With the cyberware capacity system and quite high costs of it, you should evaluate which ones you will take first. Overall, the iconic versions are expensive, but they can make the build even more overpowered.

Frontal Cortex

Slot	Item	Description
1	Axolotl	This is crazy powerful cyberware for Sandevistan. I would make this a top priority. 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. Optional cyberware
3	Self-Ice	Not a priority but a decent protection against enemy quickhacks

Arms

Slot	Item	Description
1	Projectile Launch System	A good option instead of grenades. It has decent damage, with Phantom Liberty getting special relic perks and you can perfectly control where projectiles hit.

Skeleton

Here, there are multiple options that you can go for. Generally, this is mostly armor, health, and mitigation buffs. On higher difficulties without these enemies may easily one-shot you.

Slot	Item	Description
1	Universal Booster	Gives bonus buffs after the healing item is activated and a large chunk of armor
2	Epimorphic Skeleton	This cyberware greatly boosts overall health. This will be very useful to provide some bonus survivability.
3	Rara Avis	Ultimate cyberware for protection. However, has steep cyberware costs. Only take this once you have everything else covered, especially damage.
3	Para Bellum	A normal version of Rara Avis provides less armor and has lower cyberware capacity costs.
3	Spring Joints	Gives higher mitigation strength, allowing the build to absorb higher amounts of damage. However, this is not a substitute for armor, and rather a progression to Para Bellum.
3	Bionic Joints	Gives bonus armor and has low cyberware cost

Nervous System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Stabber	Mandatory cyberware that ensures a higher crit chance with throwable weapons
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	Neofiber	Gives higher mitigation chance and strength and scales with Reflexes for bonus critical chance.
3	Tyrosine Injector	If you like to play with Takedowns, this would give a huge boost to headshots and movement damage after you do one.
3	Adreno Trigger	A superior version of Adrenaline Converter, giving a better bonus to movement speed. Of course, this comes as a higher cost of Cyberware Capacity
3	Adrenaline Converter	Gives a movement speed boost at the start of combat. Pair this with sandevistan and you run like a wind

Integumentary System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Subdermal Armor	Provides flat armor increase. Has a low cyberware capacity cost.
2	Optical Camo	Makes it harder to be detected outside of combat. During combat reduces the chances of being hit
3	Nano-Plating	A perfect option if you are constantly dashing, negates projectile damage.

Operating System

For the endgame, my recommendations would be these two operating systems. Unfortunately, other ones fall off in comparison

Item	Description
Militech "Apogee" Sandevistan	The most powerful Sandevistan. Each kill increases the duration by 20% and Stamina. Moreover, it gives a decent boost to critical chance and damage.
Militech "Falcon" Sandevistan	A junior version of Apogee. Has a smaller Cyberware capacity, but unfortunately, the bonuses are a bit smaller also.
Dynalar Sandevistan	The cheapest option. Generally, it has lower cyberware capacity and gives good critical damage and chance bonuses. If you pair it with Axolotl, this can be a solution for limited-capacity

Ocular System

Slot	Item	Description
1	Kiroshi "Doomsayer" Optics	We are mainly interested in critical chance boost based on the Reflexes attributes

Hands

Slot	Item	Description
1	Handle Wrap	This is the perfect cyberware for Throwing Knives. Upon equipping it (and this will happen often), you will get a huge boost to Critical Chance.
2	Tattoo: Tyger Claws Dermal Imprint	An option if you have taken Ambidextrous and want to activate the Cyborg perk.

Circulatory System

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.
1	Adrenaline Booster	Another option, that restores stamina after each kill
2	Blood Pump	The most powerful healing item in the game
3	Isometric Stabilizer	Similar to the normal version provides -18% stamina costs, but also scales with reflexes for even lower stamina cost of attacks. I would only recommend this one if you are min-maxing and have everything else covered, especially damage-related cyberware.
3	Clutch Padding	The legendary version reduces stamina costs by 18% for all attacks.

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.
1	Lynx Paws	Take these for the ultimate stealth experience and approaches. Also gives bonus headshot damage. Comes with low cyberware cost.
1	Fortified Ankles	Gives the highest jumps and high boost to armor compared to cyberware capacity cost. Moreover scales with Body for bonus HP.

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 s tleathy approach and let enemies wonder where are all their comrades gone.

Feel free to leave a comment below!