Cyberpunk 2077 Netrunner Quickhack Guide: Best Programs to Dominate Night City
So, you've decided to trade in your heavy artillery for a sleek cyberdeck and the silent, deadly power of the net. Welcome to the elite ranks of the Netrunner, choom. In the neon-drenched, corporate-ruled hellscape of Night City, the most powerful weapon isn't always a smart gun; it's a well-executed Quickhack. This playstyle is about being a digital ghost, taking down entire squads of gangoons without ever stepping out of the shadows.
But with dozens of Quickhacks available, from Common to Legendary, how do you know which ones are worth your precious RAM? This guide is your ultimate deep dive into the best Netrunner programs. We'll break down the essential Quickhacks for every situation, how to build your cyberdeck for maximum effect, and the key perks that turn you from a script kiddie into a digital deity.
Understanding the Core Mechanics: RAM, Upload Time, and Cyberdecks
Before we get to the killer code, let's cover the basics. Your effectiveness as a Netrunner hinges on three things:
- RAM: Think of this as your mana pool. Every Quickhack has a RAM cost. The bigger your pool and the lower your costs, the more you can cast before needing a cooldown.
- Upload Time: This is the casting time. A lower upload time means your hack lands faster, which is crucial when an enemy is about to spot you.
- Cyberdeck: Your cyberdeck is your instrument. It determines your total RAM, your buffer size (how many hacks you can queue), and comes with passive bonuses that can reduce RAM costs or upload times for specific hack types. For a pure Netrunner, you'll want a cyberdeck that maximizes your RAM and buffer.
The Ultimate Quickhack Tier List: Your Digital Arsenal
Not all Quickhacks are created equal. Here’s a breakdown of the absolute best programs, categorized by their role in your digital toolkit.
The Starter Pack: Essential Early-Game Hacks
- Reboot Optics (Common/Uncommon): Your bread and butter for stealth. Temporarily blinding a single enemy is perfect for slipping past patrols or setting up a silent takedown. It's cheap on RAM and a lifesaver in tight situations.
- Whistle (Common): The ultimate tool for crowd control and isolation. Lure an enemy away from their pack into a dark corner. It’s a simple hack that never gets old for methodical players.
- Short Circuit (Uncommon/Rare): This is your primary damage-dealer against organic foes, especially in the early game. It deals a solid chunk of direct Electric damage and is incredibly cost-effective. As you upgrade it, it becomes a monster.
The Mid-Game Power Spike: Building Your Combos
- Contagion (Rare/Epic): This is where the fun begins. Contagion is an area-of-effect (AoE) hack that spreads from one enemy to nearby others, dealing Poison damage over time. Why is it S-tier? Because it sets up everything. A spread-out Contagion can hit 3-4 enemies, making them vulnerable to your other hacks.
- Overheat (Rare/Epic): Your classic fireball. It deals immediate Burn damage. Its real power, however, comes from synergy. An enemy already affected by a Ultimate Quickhack (like Cyberpsychosis) or a Combat Hack (like Short Circuit) will take bonus damage from Overheat. It’s a fantastic finisher.
- Weapon Glitch (Rare): Don't underestimate this one. Jamming the weapon of a heavy-hitting enemy like a mech or a cyberpsycho can save your life. It gives you precious seconds to reposition or queue up a more deadly hack.
The Endgame Dominators: Legendary Game-Changers
This is where your Netrunner becomes a force of nature. Legendary Quickhacks come with incredible passive bonuses that fundamentally change the game.
- Short Circuit (Legendary): Yes, it's here twice. The Legendary version of Short Circuit adds a devastating passive effect: Your critical hits with Smart Weapons have a chance to trigger Short Circuit on the target. This opens up a powerful hybrid build where you can shoot and hack with incredible synergy.
- Contagion (Legendary): The Legendary upgrade for Contagion is pure chaos. It allows the hack to spread even further. But the real prize? Enemies affected by Contagion have a chance to spread it when they die. This can create a chain reaction that clears an entire building while you sip a coffee across the street.
- Cyberpsychosis (Legendary): The ultimate crowd control. Turn the biggest, baddest enemy against their own allies. While they are distracted, you can pick off the others or just watch the show. The Legendary passive is the cherry on top: When Cyberpsychosis ends, the target suffers a massive Optical Reset, stunning them for an extended period. It's a win-win.
- System Reset (Legendary): The non-lethal "off" switch for any human enemy. It has a high RAM cost and a long upload time, but it instantly incapacitates the target. The Legendary version reduces its cost and cooldown, making it a spammable "I win" button against single tough targets.
- Suicide (Legendary): As brutal as it sounds. You force an enemy to pull out their own grenade and end themselves. It's expensive and has a long cooldown, but it's an instant kill on most human enemies and deals explosive AoE damage to those nearby. The sheer psychological impact is worth the RAM.
Crafting the Perfect Sequence: Netrunner Combat Loop
Knowing the hacks is one thing; using them in concert is another. Here is a typical combat loop for a max-level Netrunner:
- Recon: Scan the area from a safe distance. Identify enemies, their positions, and any cameras or turrets you can take over.
- The Primer: Start with Contagion on an isolated enemy. Watch it spread to 2-3 others. They are now poisoned and primed for your combos.
- The Chain Reaction: This is where perks from the Quickhacking tree shine. With the "Plague" perk, your Quickhacks can spread to any enemy suffering from a Quickhack. So, you queue up:
- Short Circuit on one poisoned enemy. It jumps to another.
- Overheat on another. It jumps as well.
- Synapse Burnout (a powerful, high-damage combat hack) to finish off the stragglers.
- Clean Up: Within seconds, your entire queue of hacks has ricocheted through the group. The entire squad is dead or dying from a cascade of digital ailments, and you never even entered combat. This is the pinnacle of the Netrunner Quickhack build.
Must-Have Perks and Cyberware
Your power isn't just from hacks; it's from your entire build.
- Key Perks (Quickhacking Tree):
- Bloodware: Increases Quickhack damage by 25% for each enemy affected by your hacks. Absolutely essential.
- Plague: Allows Quickhacks to spread to another enemy already affected by a Quickhack. The core of our combo.
- Forget-Me-Not: Killing an enemy with a Quickhack reduces the RAM cost of your next Quickhack by 1. Amazing for sustainability.
- Bartmoss' Legacy: Ultimate Quickhacks can now spread once. Yes, this means you can make Cyberpsychosis or Suicide spread. It's as terrifying as it sounds.
- Essential Cyberware:
- Cyberdeck: The NetWatch Netdriver MK.5 is the gold standard for offensive runners, greatly increasing hack upload speed and spread chance. The Tetratronic Rippler MK.4 is also top-tier, as it reduces the cooldown of Ultimate Quickhacks and allows them to spread.
- Frontal Cortex: The Memory Boost and Visual Cortex Support implants are crucial for increasing your max RAM and reducing upload times.
- Circulatory System: Bioconductor is a game-changer, significantly reducing all your Quickhack cooldowns.
Embrace the silence, choom. While the Solos are out there eating lead, you’re conducting a symphony of silent, digital destruction. With this guide, the right programs on your cyberdeck, and a bit of practice, you'll own Night City's data streams and leave a trail of glitching corpses in your wake. Now get out there and breach something.
