The Complete Guide to Cyberpunk 2077's Street Cred: Unlocking Night City's Underbelly, Level by Level
Welcome to the mercenary's life, choom. You've got the chrome, the iron, and the drive to make a name for yourself in the neon-drenched, rain-slicked streets of Night City. But raw talent and a big gun can only get you so far. In this city, reputation is currency, and that currency is called Street Cred.
While your main character level dictates your raw power and survivability, your Street Cred level in Cyberpunk 2077 is your golden ticket to the city's thriving, dangerous underground economy. It's the measure of your reputation among fixers, ripperdocs, and black-market vendors. The higher it climbs, the more Night City's secret doors swing open for you.
This guide is your one-stop resource, breaking down everything that unlocks at every Street Cred tier in Cyberpunk 2077. We'll cover the essential gear, the critical cyberware upgrades, the exclusive vehicle deals, and the very flow of missions that become available as you cement your legendary status. Let's dive into the hierarchy of the underworld.
The Foundation: How to Grind for Street Cred
Before we get to the unlocks, let's quickly cover how you earn this precious resource. Street Cred is gained independently from Experience Points (XP), though they often come from the same activities. The most efficient ways to boost your rep are:
- Completing Gigs and NCPD Scanner Hustles: These are the bread and butter of your reputation grind. Fixers pay you for gigs, and the world rewards you for cleaning up street crime.
- Side Jobs: Major side quests often provide a significant chunk of Street Cred upon completion.
- Taking Down Enemy Strongholds: Clearing out gang hideouts is a surefire way to get noticed.
- Random Encounters: Helping (or hindering) citizens in dynamic world events can give small boosts.
Now, onto the main event: the unlocks.
Street Cred Levels 1-10: Making a Name for Yourself
You're a fresh-faced merc, new to the scene. The initial climb is about proving you're not just another gonk who'll flatline on their first job.
- Level 5: This is where it truly begins. You'll unlock your first batch of new gigs from Night City fixers. These early jobs are your audition, and completing them opens up more opportunities. Vendors also start to stock Uncommon (Green) quality clothing and weapons more consistently.
- Level 10: A minor but crucial milestone. You now have access to basic cyberware modifications at ripperdocs beyond the absolute essentials. Think things like a Kerenzikov (slow-time during dodging) or a basic Reinforced Tendons (double-jump leg cyberware). This is a game-changer for mobility and combat flow.
Street Cred Levels 11-20: Gaining Traction
Your name is starting to get whispered in the right (or wrong) circles. Fixers are trusting you with more delicate work, and the city's premier gear dealers are starting to learn your face.
- Level 15: A significant power spike. Ripperdocs now offer Rare (Blue) quality cyberware. This includes more powerful versions of operating systems, nervous system mods, and optics. The quality of weapons and clothing available at vendors also jumps to Rare.
- Level 20: This is a major threshold for any aspiring road warrior. Several new vehicle offers will pop up on your phone from various fixers. You'll also gain access to Epic (Purple) quality clothing and weapons at vendors, giving you a substantial stat boost.
Street Cred Levels 21-30: Becoming a Night City Contender
You're no longer an upstart; you're a legitimate force. The elite tools of the trade are now within your reach, and your custom-built loadout is what legends are made of.
- Level 25: Welcome to the big leagues. Ripperdocs will now offer you Epic (Purple) tier cyberware. We're talking about the serious upgrades: advanced Sandevistan units for superhuman speed, potent Berserk implants, and cyberdecks that can cripple entire squads of enemies with a single quickhack.
- Level 30: Your reputation now precedes you everywhere. This unlock is all about variety and specialization. You will find Legendary (Orange) quality clothing and weapons appearing in vendor inventories. Furthermore, the availability of iconic gear from specific vendors often becomes accessible around this level, allowing you to hunt down the unique, named weapons favored by the city's most notorious figures.
Street Cred Levels 31-40: The A-List Mercenary
At this point, you're a nightmare for corpos and gang lords alike. Fixers save their most sensitive and rewarding contracts for you, knowing you have the skills and the gear to see them through.
- Level 35: This is a cyberware revolution. Ripperdocs unveil their Legendary (Orange) cyberware catalog. This includes the absolute best-in-slot implants for every build. The legendary Sandevistan that slows time to a crawl, the Maneuvering System for epic air-dashes, and the iconic Projectile Launch System arms are all now available to you.
- Level 40: Another wave of high-end vehicle offers will flood your inbox. These are often the sleekest, fastest, or most armored cars and motorcycles in the game, perfect for a merc of your stature. Vendor stocks also become fully matured, with a regular, though expensive, rotation of Legendary items.
Street Cred Levels 41-50: Achieving Legend Status
You've reached the pinnacle. Your name is synonymous with power and reliability in the underworld. There is no door closed to you, no piece of tech you cannot acquire. You are a Night City Legend.
- Level 45: The final tier of cyberware unlocks. While most Legendary cyberware is available by 35, a few of the most exclusive, build-defining iconic cyberware implants are gated behind this final push. This ensures that only the most dedicated and reputable mercs can achieve the ultimate power fantasy.
- Level 50 (Max): Congratulations, choom. You've maxed out your Street Cred. The primary benefit here is that the entire world of commerce is open to you. All vendors will consistently stock their best possible inventory for you. More importantly, the most dangerous and rewarding gigs from every fixer in every district are now exclusively offered to you. These missions often have the best stories, the toughest challenges, and the most legendary rewards.
Strategic Tips for Maximizing Your Street Cred Progression
- Don't Ignore the Blue Dots: The NCPD Scanner Hustles (marked by blue crime-in-progress icons on your map) are an incredibly efficient way to gain Street Cred. They are quick, plentiful, and often lead you to discover new areas and lore.
- Diversify Your Work: Don't just stick to one fixer. Travel between districts and complete gigs for all of them. Watson, Westbrook, Santo Domingo – they all have work that needs doing, and each completed job boosts your rep across the entire city.
- The Ripple Effect of Street Cred: Remember that unlocking new gear through Street Cred is not just about stats. It's about enabling new playstyles. That double-jump at Level 10 completely changes how you navigate the city. The legendary quickhacks at higher levels turn you into a digital god. View your Street Cred progress as the key to customizing your entire experience in Night City.
So, there you have it. From a nobody to a Night City legend, your Street Cred progression is the spine of your journey. It's the system that rewards your hustle and directly translates your in-game actions into tangible power and opportunity. Now get out there, hit the streets, and show them what you're made of. The city is waiting for its next legend.
