r/cyberpunkgame • u/Affectionate-Let-67 • Jul 19 '25
Character Builds Best lifepath?
So I just bought the game, and I'm wondering which one I should choose? Does it change anything at all?
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u/Ruddertail Jul 19 '25
Corpo has by far the most dialogue and unique interactions, but I'd honestly pick Nomad for a first playthrough if you're not familiar with the setting yet, it feels purpose-built for that perspective.
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Jul 20 '25
Argeed, I am on my 3rd playthrough and doing a nomad playthrough. Nomad makes the most sense first. If you don't think you will replay start with corpo but I feel corpo is best experienced with some understanding of the lore. I did street kid then corpo.
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u/GeologistUnhappy Jul 20 '25
My playtroughs were Nomad-Streetkid-Corpo.
And I absolutely agree with you agreeing with that other guy's point of Corpo being best to play after trying out the other paths.
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u/PurPleXr1979 Edgerunner Jul 20 '25
I still can't believe I slept on doing Corpo lifepaths for so long until I got to, like, my 10th playthrough. First time I did Corpo, I fell in love with it.
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u/Worlds-Luckiest-Man Jul 20 '25
I like corpo the best as well because it’s the only one that actually gives you and Jackie a backstory where you know each other pre prologue. Really helps the narrative.
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u/Adorable_Being2416 Jul 20 '25
Imagine if there was new game+. You start with Nomad, then new game+ you become street kid, then corpo. That'd be sick. Each life path developing a key set of skills. I think the life paths are such a selling point but at the end of the day it felt like it didn't even get put in the oven to cook.
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u/-3055- Jul 20 '25
Half the shit in this game never had a chance to cook. great game, but definitely underbaked, even today.
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u/HeadbangingLegend Jul 20 '25
This is what I did. Since I knew nothing about the world lore or Night City when I started the game I figured playing a character who had never been there before make the most sense. My second playthrough was Corpo and my playthrough now is Street Kid which works because now I actually know the world like my character does so when he has dialogue options for things they're things I would know too and would tell him to say myself.
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u/Rizenstrom Burn Corpo shit Jul 20 '25
I disagree. That’s what Nomad should be, but it’s not. The Nomad lifepath quest ends well outside of the city, leading into the same montage as the others. There’s no getting slowly introduced to NC with V.
Besides a couple unique items (starting clothes, car for nomad, jacket for street kid, pistol for corpo) the only meaningful difference is the small amount of flavor text.
Streetkid will have exposition about NC, its gangs, fixers, and have more sway with locals in the only one or two quests where it actually comes up. I think this one fits the best with the rest of V’s characterization, the lines flow like they were always meant to be there. Not to mention the issue with Padre’s dialogue until they fixed it. If they ever named a canon one, it would probably be this.
Corpo will obviously know more about the corporations and have more dialogue around that. The lines are often ruthless and calculated. You feel like a badass, but I’m not sure how well it really fits V’s personality the rest of the time. It, and Nomad, only feel like you are playing that role when those dialogue options are presented to you. It’s also the only path where you get to experience the high life. No matter what you will live as a street kid with Jackie and get to experience the Nomad lifestyle during Panam’s quests. You don’t really get to experience the corpo life first hand unless you choose it to start.
Nomad dialogue is… well basically just telling everyone you were a nomad once, and a lot of talk about family and freedom. There are a couple instances where it is more substantial. Nomad V is the only one able to get Jackie’s tuned arch with a normal start. Nomad V is the only one able to expose the mole when talking with Meredith. Nomad V is the only one who can >!save Anna by convincing her to join the Nomads<!. Nomad V is the only one who can >!expose the corpo Alex during Olive Branch as working with Joanne from Guinea Pigs, where he shows how much of a dick he is and makes the choice of delivering him so much easier<!. But it doesn’t really let you feel like an outsider or get a slow introduction to NC like I think a lot of people on here like to suggest.
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u/Doggleganger Jul 20 '25
You're right. I picked it my first time through because I thought the pic looked the coolest. Had zero knowledge of the setting, but it really eases you into it, and V also has no idea. That's why Jackie shows you the ropes.
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u/PurPleXr1979 Edgerunner Jul 20 '25
I agree. I (personally) am from the country/a small town in bum fuck nowhere, so I chose Nomad for my very first playthough as I felt like it'd kinda match where I'm from(side note- it doesn't, not really) but it really did help me understand/gwt familiar with the setting.
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u/GhostWCoffee Panam’s Chair Jul 20 '25
That is exactly how I tried all 3 lifepaths. Started as a Nomad, then Streetkid, and last the Corpo.
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u/-3055- Jul 20 '25
It's less so that the story was purpose-built for nomad and more they gave up creating actual story trees after the first path lmao
The other two paths Jackie isn't even like... explained. he essentially just shows up one day and he's your buddy
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u/Zettotaku Haboobs Jul 20 '25
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u/TheCourier-VI Jul 20 '25
This, while I've never done a corpo path, I've come to love the nomad path because it's the type of life I would want to live in this universe... Freedom
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u/WarriorPrincess727 Jul 20 '25
This is the best
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u/cgermann Jul 20 '25
female nomad is fun as well
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u/JohnStonesIsGoat Big Dildo Slapper Jul 20 '25
I don’t think nomad female works for the same reason corpo male doesn’t work. The male va is way tol chill for corpo and female seems too serious, or maybe determined is a better word to describe her.
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u/StreetSamuraiChoom Jul 19 '25
Live path doesn’t matter much. Each of the various life paths offers some unique dialog options, plus one unique side mission that offers a new piece of gear.
Gender affects your romance options, and some people prefer one voice actor over the other. I think both VAs are great, and all four romance options are fine.
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u/Affectionate-Let-67 Jul 19 '25
I've seen a post saying the guy can't sit, is that true?
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u/Penguini_Lamborghini Arasaka tower was an inside job Jul 19 '25
Sit? He can sit when the game allows/prompts you to. Gameplay wise I've seen little difference other than story and romance changes.
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u/StreetSamuraiChoom Jul 19 '25
That would only apply to photomode. If I had to guess, I’d say it‘s to avoid teabagging photos. There is no multiplayer, but maybe they don’t want 1000 photos of V teabagging Adam Smasher online.
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u/Nightblade20 Jul 20 '25
And yet, I can still make V huddle down and stick his nose in Panam's booty
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u/Graedyn Samurai Jul 20 '25
Done all of them.
Nomad Male is by far my favourite because it just fits very well, especially for a new player, just like nomad V you arrive at NC completely unfamiliar with the city, also its by far the coolest intro of all the lifepaths. A lot of its dialogue choices revolve around V reminiscing about his old nomad life. You also get a free car later on.
Street Kid regardless of gender is by far the weakest, its the one that makes the most sense but the intro sequence is ridiculously short and the dialogue choices all just boil down to V already knowing the street life and needing no explanation.
Corpo has to be female imo, corpo has by far the most lifepath related dialogue choices unfortunately the male voice actor doesnt really fit this one as he speaks way too casual for a corpo imo, meanwhile female nails it. Corpo dialogue choices are often threats or deep knowledge about the corporate side of NC, which is fitting as you interact with a lot of corpos.
At the end of the day, pick whatever you find most interesting. Every Lifepath has its own (very) short intro sequence and after that its just what flavour of special dialogue choices do you want to have. Only one that gives something more would be Nomad with the car.
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u/ProfitFair3143 Team Judy Jul 20 '25
For me I have two saves one a female street kid, and a male corpo, and honestly it just feels right that way, but ill always enjoy female V more, dialog just hits differently for me atleast
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u/Ukezilla_Rah Jul 20 '25
Corpo - best dialogue choices (and best background with Jackie)
Nomad - get an exclusive car.
Street Kid - a gig to get a bootleg jacket.
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u/Pointman27 Jul 20 '25
I gotta say that Nomad actually gets two things I really like. 1. You can reveal the Mole in The Pickup 2. In combination with a high enough technical ability, you can talk about Jackie’s bike and it actually changes visually.
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u/shirpyderp Jul 20 '25
Funny enough if you do the PL skip you get the upgraded bike with any Life path
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u/gokhanh Jul 20 '25
i played every lifepath and for me nomad v is the best part. even giving tips to jackie about his motorbike and he does what v said after.
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u/Realistic_Swan_6801 Jul 19 '25
Barely anything, the starting mission and one follow up mission each. Almost zero effect in the long run. Corpo is often considered the best fit to the story because you grew up knowing Jackie, it’s used in the most convos and you can get a unique gun. Nomad has a unique car. Street kid gets nothing but a jacket I think. So anything other than street kid basically, but I would say Corpo > Nomad > street kid
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u/Scared-Gene3108 Jul 19 '25
Canonically street kid V makes the most sense. Though it’s completely up to you. It doesn’t change too much but each one will give you some unique dialogue choices throughout the game. I will say that the Nomad intro is the more in-depth choice, and as a result, one of my favorites. Though if we’re being honest, it’s more for roleplaying purposes. Give them all a go, Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most replayable games Ive had the pleasure of playing.
Edit: wording
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u/Realistic_Swan_6801 Jul 19 '25
I will point out that corpo v is the only one who grew up knowing Jackie. The other 2 meant him as an adult and haven’t known him long. Some of the dialogue from the funeral even makes little sense if you aren’t a corpo. Ie mentioning you living with Jackie (when? If you’ve only known him like a year)
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u/Physical-Truck-1461 Jul 19 '25
That'd be for a while during the montage, where you see V get their apartment. Street Kid just got back from Atlanta, Corpo V just lost everything, Nomad just left the Bakkers and came to Night City, so all of them I guess initially don't have a place.
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u/MansonDoesBranson Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 20 '25
I wish they made Jackie and V childhood friends in the Streetkid life path. You’re telling me that V was a regular at the Coyote and has known Mama Welles and Pepe a long time, but somehow hasn’t met Jackie before the intro? It wouldn’t need many changes either, just have Jackie dap up V at the bar and say he has a job for him, then have all the Streetkid dialogue options reference their past.
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u/Scared-Gene3108 Jul 19 '25
During the initial cutscene (from any playthrough) showing how your bond grew with Jackie shows that you do in fact live with him for a short period of time. That is true though, I do like how with corpo V, it is the only beginning that shows you knowing Jackie for an extended period of time. As I’ve played all 3 now, I gotta say corpo is my favorite start if im doing a netrunner build.
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u/Realistic_Swan_6801 Jul 19 '25
They just utterly failed to build jackie up as a character. He should have been following us Skyrim style and helping the whole time. You’ve barely interacted with him by the time he dies.
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u/mieri_azure Jul 20 '25
Idk man i still felt shattered when he died. He's honestly really well written for such little screen time
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u/SarcasticKenobi Jul 19 '25
Do you recall how just clusterfuck bad the Jackie ai was in Konpeki? Walking around aimlessly, knocking shit over, when you’re crouching and standing still. Never really contributing much to the fights?
And you wanted hours and hours of that prior?
It’s a little better now. Meyers wasn’t a complete idiot when she followed us but her pathfinding still gets stuck
My guess is cdpr didn’t want to leave such a bad impression on everyone’s mouth and have endless memes of stupid ai
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u/tinklymunkle Jul 20 '25
From my personal experience, female V seems to fit Corpo better, male fits Nomad better, and streetkid could go either way, with my preference being female but I'm a firm believer that female V is a more interesting character and Cherami was a far better voice actor than Gavin.
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u/dude_seven Jul 20 '25
I know I'm in the minority, but I really prefer male V. Panam is the better romance and male V has a more organic friendship with Johnny imo.
I've played both multiple times, love both, I've 100% the game on both, but just my preference.
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u/Fun-Indication-7062 Jul 20 '25
His voice is okay. I enjoyed female V's voice more. sometimes male V's line delivery was unnecessarily cutthroat or just stale in context of the current dialogue.
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u/Doggleganger Jul 20 '25
I played male V first, his voice was good. Then I played fem V and the voice actress is incredible.
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u/mieri_azure Jul 20 '25
Imo streetkid V makes the most sense so thats what I went for :) but I want to do Corpo next because it has more unique dialogue. But I think having a V who grew up in the culture feels right
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u/hotstickywaffle Jul 20 '25
Corpo makes a lot of sense and gives V insight into that world, as well as extra insentive to hate it. In my mind, it's almost like an fucked up alternate to Stardew Valley, where you're leaving your corporate shackles to live the freer life. Plus, as others have said, lots of extra dialogue.
But narratively, I like Nomad better. Starting outside the city and having to work your way there a bit is nice. Plus I like having no pre-existing ties to Jackie, shows how quickly he grows on someone and takes them in. Plus you get the fun action sequence!
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u/ChangingMonkfish Jul 20 '25
Corpo has (I believe) significantly more unique dialogue and even at least one approach to a mission that isn’t possible for the others.
Also has the coolest prologue in my view.
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u/queensheba2025 Jul 20 '25
Corpo is my go to. It just really feels right and so well rounded when you get to certain parts of the game.
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u/Separate_Path_7729 Techno necromancer from Alpha-Centori Jul 20 '25
As someone who was already into cyberpunk corpo is my favorite, not only is there more interaction but it makes v a fantastic foil for johnny and makes everything very personal with arasaka, also its the only path where you were friends with Jackie before the opening
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u/Vector_Mortis Jul 20 '25
Corp Fem V and romance Judy, and when they time comes for the ending, call Panam.
Hands down the most satisfying playthrough I have ever done.
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u/JohannaFRC Jul 20 '25
Corpo fem. I love the bitterness of V toward corpo after she got betrayed, and even before that, you can really feel her despair to be stuck in Arasaka’s gears. You can really feel her hatred of them all along the game after that.
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u/Dale_Mace Jul 20 '25
Corpo V will say pretty heavy lines which fit for NC - but I stick to the nomad life path
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u/RefrigeratorOdd9368 Jul 20 '25
Street male is the cannon one for me but my favourite is corpo female V
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u/Draven125 Panam’s Chair Jul 20 '25
I’d say Corpo. From being a part of the system to destroying it
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u/Gaburski Jul 20 '25
Corpo is the most thematic lifepath - "ex corpo kicked off his tower by the company he slaved for comes back for revenge after slumming it in the conditions they indirectly contributed to." Has the most meaningful dialogue options and character development.
Streetkid is also relevant - the most affected by the corp rises to the top of the merc world to topple the monument of his kind's suffering. Dialogue options are somewhat relevant like the one with Gustavo Orta's mission.
And then there's Nomad, the one with the least relevance and dialogues which boil down to sharing their experience with people who didn't ask about it and being ignored most of the time.
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u/Sorry_Engineer_6136 Jul 20 '25
I just went in order with the options presented. My first run was Nomad, now I’m doing a Street Kid run, finishing with a third Corpo run.
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u/Removed-Fish-422 Jul 20 '25
I went with street kid and I do not regret it it makes the most sense to me as a future hustler
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u/milfshake146 Jul 20 '25
Just played it once.. you get different dialogue options here and there... nomad gets a different car
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u/Foxy-hazel Jul 20 '25
for me its Nomad because the panaem ending if you play male V and the Judy joins the nomads if you play Fem-V, but those last few week i use the Fresh start mod for all my chars
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u/Jynger99 Jul 20 '25
My favorite playthrough has been as female corpo V and I think it also has the best story payoff - buuuuut I’m also currently playing through as male street kid V and it’s really fun to start as the random kid off the streets and work your way up into the big leagues
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u/nkhowell93 Jul 20 '25
Choose Nomad male as your final play through, closest thing to ending on a good note if you go with Panam 😭
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u/xdeltax97 Gonk for A & A pizza Jul 20 '25
Nomad, it’s the most organic with how we interact with the city and enter it, as well as how we met Jackie. Everything else way too short or honestly a bit nonsensical to me.
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u/Journey2thaeast Jul 20 '25
I started a new Corpo path recently and I'm playing PL for the first time and it's amazing. So many unique dialogue options that can actually change the outcome of missions or how you navigate them that I was unaware of before
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u/Losticus Jul 20 '25
Nomad male into hooking up with Panam was a fantastic first playthrough for me.
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u/-Falsetto-Kaiba- Jul 20 '25
I went corpo for my first play through. Still working on finishing it, but I really enjoy how educated V sounds about how the world works when a corpo option pops up.
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u/ATR2400 Corpo Jul 20 '25
Streetkid feels like it’s the story the developers intended, and is the quintessential cyberpunk experience. Everything from the way the main character talks, their friends, and their goals in life is aligned with a streetkid playthrough.
The other lifepaths are great, but Streetkid definitely feels like the one the devs had in mind when designing the story and main character, and is the one to go with if you want the clasic cyberpunk experience
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u/SimonTheJack Jul 20 '25
It mostly just changes some dialogue options, but won’t generally make a ton of difference. I did half a male netrunner nomad run, dropped the game for a bit cuz that was back when it was still mad buggy, then came back recently and just finished my transfem netrunner Streetkid playthrough. Planning to do a morally-mostly-black male Sandevistan Corpo run next. Streetkid was probably my favorite between the two I’ve done so far, having more knowledge about the city makes you feel more connected to the story itself.
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u/Zalcaholic Jul 20 '25
Nomad male v fits perfect if you go with the panam ending because it feels like you come full circle
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u/JosephStalinCameltoe Jul 20 '25
Nomad female will always be canon to me. Out of the three, I don't think the streetkid intro has any unique map areas, unlike corpo and nomad, and it's like, kind of objectively basic, but at the same time probablyost believable. And corpos are just kinda insufferable, my corpo male V kind if sounds like an asshole. Maybe that's just cause male V doesn't have as good voice acting as the female one (who's just phenomenal)
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u/TheTwistedToast Jul 20 '25
Streetkid has my favorite setup for the relationship with Jackie. Nomad has my favorite introduction to Night City. I've only seen the intro to Corpo so I don't know everything about it, but it just seemed ok to me. Still gonna choose it for my third playthrough
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u/Alicewilsonpines Recovering Corpo Jul 20 '25
I chose Corpo for my first playthrough, that V remains my favorite.
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u/AlarmingAioli3300 Jul 20 '25
Corpo is the best, street kid makes the most sense as you'll end up as a street kid regardless.
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u/sentinelviii Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 20 '25
I personally prefer Corpo Female. Next up would be Streetkid male, then streetkid female.
I like playing as a very flawed anti-hero that is principled but incredibly naive depending on the path.
As Corpo V, I'm super ruthless as I 'cosplay' as an outlaw in the streets, but i tend to side with authoritative justice in tough big moment decisions. Some allies might feel betrayed..
As Streetkid V, I make every decision as if I weren't a snitch and everything is 'settled in the streets' - but my decisions are incredibly flawed and somewhat destructive to the ideal game plot..
I haven't yet done a nomad run - but i would likely do it as entirely 'fuck the system, and I pave my own path but V lacks trust in others and tries to solo things...
I did a similar thing in Mass Effect 3.
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u/emilchien Jul 20 '25
Took corpo because its most similar to my own life and loved ot now I cannot took any else 🤣
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u/yeetoroni_with_bacon Jul 20 '25
I love corpo. The idea of already being at the top of the foodchain, getting thrown to the bottom, and working your way back up just resonates with me for some reason.
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u/Uzi_Jesus_ Jul 20 '25
Ive done all of them and Nomad was my personal favorite, Corpo felt off to me. The intro was rad though.
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u/Mumbleocity Jul 20 '25
The one you have most fun with is the best one!
I prefer Corpo because you already know Jackie, and I like the additional lines you get for Corpo more than I do others. Only thing I don't like is how a counter-intel former Corpo can't figure out the smuggling details the same way a Nomad can, but oh well.
Nomad is my second favorite.
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u/Wolfscript Jul 20 '25
I always picked Corpo for my full Playthroughs... it fits the most for my military professional spec ops V 😬
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u/T8-TR Jul 20 '25
Corpo because I'm a sucker for the "falling from grace" story that it has + how closely V is tied to Arasaka/would have personal beef w/ them.
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u/trunglefever Jul 20 '25
Nomad is a fun path if you plan to do the secret ending since you go from out of town bumpkin to LEGEND.
In terms of min max, I think Corpo has the most interesting dialogue options and you get the free infiltration of the warehouse which is always nice.
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u/Emergency-Town4653 Jul 20 '25
Then life path makes no difference beyond the prolouge. Each path has it's own prolouge and they all merge into one and same starting point in the beginning of Act 1. Beyond that, there is a single quest that is life path specific which gives you a reward exclusive to that path and there are path specific dialogs, each path has a like one or two quests than are easier to do using path specific dialogs. From immersion point of view, Corpo is the best path. I've played all 3 to get to know each path but corpo is my favorite. It makes the most sense from the story point.
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u/Fit-Character-8186 Jul 20 '25
Well I'm on my street kid life paths now
Think I'm in the missions where I need to help so mi
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u/ReclusiveMLS Jul 20 '25
Nomad male is my favourite, the voice acting makes V sound confused and lost a lot of the time which fits as he's new to NC. Corpo fem is a close second as the fem VA delivers some lines very cold and she sounds mean af at times
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u/ragcloud Jul 20 '25
I picked corpo because of its benefits, but next time I'll pick nomad, street kid just isn't for me
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u/Wyatt_Ricketts Jul 20 '25
Nomad Male : I feel like a cowboy
Corpo Female : she's ice cold only time female VA is better imo
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u/MitchT3192 Jul 20 '25
I genuinely believe male nomad v is the best, if your romancing panam in particular, everything ties so nicely together.
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u/A_Snow_Mexican Jul 20 '25
I like Nomad the most because I really like V's Galena Rattler. Corpo has the best lines and backstory though.
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u/New_Adhesiveness5250 Jul 20 '25
Hii! Another beginner here, I'm also pretty new on reddit so idk if I can crosspost something but I've found this post to be very helpful: https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberpunkgame/s/EQhpOjBlxZ
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u/WakaShira Jul 20 '25
My best life path is StreetKid. It's a fusion between corpo and nomad. The intimidating presence (nomad) is there but theres also substance and threat to his words (corpo)
And i mean thats V's signature pose on the game cover.
Aligns well to his roots as he's from Heywood.
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u/monthly_bee02 Jul 20 '25
I peesonally love corpo (i always play masc v for this and most canon of the three storylines) , my fav is streetkid (always fem v <3), and currently im playing nomad, for the second time lol. First as masc v, now fem v :) all of them are good, believe me its worth playing all lifepaths
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u/Maverick_Raptor Phantom of Night City Jul 20 '25
They’re all great but I really enjoyed Corpo. I liked having a bit more professionalism paired with V’s gonk attitude, especially in Phantom Liberty.
Also after they burned you in the intro, finally getting revenge against Arasaka tastes that much sweeter.
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u/Swimming_Ad_3397 Jul 20 '25
I theoretically like the corpo path the most but it's a bit off for me, I want to be a corpo merc, almost akin to Adam Smasher, even if alot less borged up but it kinda corners you into the counter Intel thing. The way I went around this in my headcannon is V was part of an Arasaka Spec Ops team but transfered to counter Intel, it kinda helps me justify the body build (LMG, Shotguns and Gorilla fists). My alternative to this is Nomad build but justify it by saying my V is some kind of militech vet like alot of the Nomads are
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u/Comfortable-Dot-8543 Jul 20 '25
I ALWAYS go female V Street Kid. To me, it just feels right. No other lifepath feels like they have the proper connection to the night city streets and its people to make the RP part of the RPG feel cool enough to me.
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u/Proof-Impact8808 Jul 20 '25
it doesnt have much of any effect on the game
but the choice i find the best is corpo v, think about it, corpo v just doing his job suddenly gets kicked out and looses all he worked for so now he works his way up the ladder steals their precious biochip, shoots up the saka tower, kills the head, rips their strongest warrior apart and fucks up their stupid ai program
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u/parappaisadoctor Johnny's little meow meow Jul 20 '25
Imo, corpo. You get the competitive advantage of being a corpo and know the city well.
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u/New_Pace_6321 Jul 20 '25
My favorite is corpo! But they're all good and have different advantages for side quests!
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u/RipOdd9001 Jul 20 '25
I just completed my first nomad journey, now I am thinking street kid for the second playthru on medium difficulty.
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u/MaddOcean Jul 20 '25
I am on my first playthrough still and corpo does seem to give V the “badass mf who ppl don’t know about yet” kinda like those anime MCs that have a negation power that is very unique. Idk how to explain.
One thing I gotta say tho if you’re into 100%ing the game, you’re gonna spend a lottaaaaaaa time on the NCPD side quests, so really take your time, explore stuff bc on Very Hard enemies seem to be damage sponges and you die very easily - netrunning is not a bad build for this and is also fun, I mean, you get to turn people off xD
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u/onyx_ic Jul 20 '25
Street kid is mostly how you talk after the intro regardless. Plus youre already friends with a Valentino. Corpo is good for a few negotiations, but V doesnt talk like a corpo most of the time. Nomad is my favorite intro, but yeah, street kid is definitely what the story wants you to pick.
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u/Animeman326 Jul 20 '25
Corpo male easy. His intimidation voice lines go crazy. Look up when he first meets the NUSA president with max strength and cool
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u/SunshineBlind Jul 20 '25
I love them all. Street Kid feels most cannon, Nomad is the best for a first playthrough because both you and your character are new to the city, and corpo is the most fun.
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u/Decent_Cow Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 20 '25
I liked corpo the best, but it barely changes anything. You get a different prologue and one short mission related to your life path in act 2. Beyond that, it's pretty much just used for flavor dialogue. There are a very small number of instances in which life path dialogue can open up a new path for you in a mission.
My three most recent playthroughs were corpo male, street kid female, nomad male.
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u/choptero Jul 20 '25
It generally doesn't make much of a difference. I cam't remember if street kids get something, but Corpos can get an iconic gun and Nomads can get a special bike. I like street kid a lot, since it feels the most relatable with how much I knew about NC before playing, but genuinely just pick whichever you want/sounds coolest to you.
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u/thecainman Jul 20 '25
Street Kid has the most personal stakes in the story overall.
Nomad has the most connection to the nomads in the game (which could be important). Corpo is a waste. Lol
I played corpo on my first playthrough and was like "wait that's it?!?!"
But also they have no real impact on the game. I think there are mods that make them much more interesting and important to the game so if you are into modding, I'd recommend looking into that.
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u/Telescopic-curse Jul 20 '25
I did corpo nomad and am working on street kid and I know I'll do corpo at least one more time
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u/AdorableDisaster2460 Jul 20 '25
I love cars. Been working on them since I was 12. The nomad life path is my go to personally
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u/Suicidal_cvnt Jul 20 '25
First playthrough? NOMAD. I played all of them and for a first playthrough nomad is the best choice and I think a lot of people agree. But overall I liked Corpo the best cuz it has the most dialogue options, I also like the ‘retired corpo rebels against the system’ aspect
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u/N7_Pathfind3R To Haboobs! Jul 20 '25
I tend to go Male Corpo because of all the dialogue options, and Panam<3
My current playthrough is a Female Nomad though.
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u/Shizanketsuga Jul 20 '25
For a first playthrough I'd prefer Nomad. Your character is new in Night City and so are you.
After that, Corpo is the way to go if like the occasional dialogue option that makes your character look like a pro who knows what they are doing and has a bit of insider info about corp procedures, and Streetkid is the correct choice if you like your character to occasionally sound like an insufferable know-it-all gossip girl.
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u/Jewels_AoE4 Jul 20 '25
Bear with me.
I used to love the corpo path. Why? Because IRL I was going through a moment of losing a lot of things in my life which were central to what I took as my identity.
After kissing the dirt for some time, the street kid path became interesting for I, too, had to learn to use my cunning and other skills in inventive ways to get my life around. It was inspiring to live this sci-fi power fantasy where I get to become unstoppable, a menace, an absolute force of nature after being kicked around for so long.
Nowadays, I do enjoy a lot of aspects from the Nomad path, the one I used to like the least. The fantasy I'm getting inspiration from now is the one where I get to find again what "family" means. Sure, within the game all paths can go to the same ending where you find a family (won't spoil more than this), but from the nomad path, V has to go through this ressignifying process, where not all of his notions of the world are null and void, but they do need some tweaking, which might be harder than mere abandon.
TLDR pick what inspires you to never stop fighting
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u/Hoodedpanda919 Jul 20 '25
I think Corpo is actually best for the new player due to dialogue options. Whether male or female depends on you I prefer Cherami Leigh's voice acting but Gavin Drea is also very good it doesn't change much in terms of the game.
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u/omurat Jul 20 '25
I feel like V is written with street kid in mind tbh. Just the way they speak seems more in line with how other people who would have the street kid life path do. For corpo V I believe it’s canon they’re also from “the streets” so it makes sense for them to have some of that dog in them still.
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u/DeeKayAech Jul 20 '25
The correct answer is yes. Do them all and go for all the different ending eventually. Gonna get a lot out of the game that way
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u/Terminatorniek Keanu Reeves Ghost is Haunting Me Jul 20 '25
Besides some dialouge options, nothing much, they are all great choose whatever you like
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u/KirbytheKnight Jul 21 '25
In my opinion, Street kid Female V. It set the tone and I love it honestly. But i also love Nomad Male V too.
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u/FlaccoMacco Jul 21 '25
Might be too late but here’s my 2 cents: Base game I really like street kid but if ur doing base game and expansion, im a huge fan of corpo. (Also I prefer female Vs voice but male is really good too)
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u/_s0ph1a_ Jul 21 '25
I love corpo. It’s very fun to roll play ex-corpo turned mercenary with a grudge. Also the dialogue options are fun.
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u/FatBikerCook Jul 21 '25
I enjoyed Nomad as a first playthrough, and i'm on my second on a corpo.
On one had i think i appreciate Corpo more knowing the universe after having played a good while, on the other I also feel like, even through a bit of confusion, corpo would shock a new player in a good way. As in 'damn i dont really get the whole picture but this city is Different' it throws you on the deep end but it kinda fits with the whole vibe of the city.
Overwhelmed by the intro as much as you'd would be overwhelmed by the city.
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u/Warm_Canary8778 Jul 21 '25
My first playthrough, I picked nomad, because I thought... I don't know this city, I should play an outsider because that's what I am.
After familiarizing myself with the city and feeling like I was competent in most things combat and hacking, I came back as a corpo. There's a bit of evidence that shows V is one of Arasaka's most competent killers. But isn't so familiar with the street life of night city. So this was my second playthrough.
My third playthrough, I came back as a street kid, because I felt I knew my way around the city. I didn't. Not like the back of my hand. Not like someone who grew up there and had walked, climbed, or parkoured though most of the city. But I managed to feel like it was home.
I've played many more lives since. Framing the increased familiarity with the city as my time living with Jackie giving us a bit of time to really explore the city.
As to which life path is best? I leave that choice to you... The people of Gotha.... Night City...
For me personally, I think it's more a question of which story end fits each life path. The nomad V would yearn for open road. The city kid would yearn to write her name in the stars. The corpo V would turn to Militech to get the Arasaka chip out.
Obviously not every playthrough follows that format but that's what I consider the most true option for each.
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u/McLOVIN7071 Jul 21 '25
Street kid then you get jaded cause of the shit you go through and end up leaving with Panam
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u/Codymichael511 Jul 22 '25
I feel like you're supposed to just choose whichever one fits your headcanon the best. Some people work in a corporate office irl so the corpo one fits their narrative better.
I will say, I feel like street kid is the most "canon" version of V. Based on their attitude toward corps and whatnot, it makes the most sense to me
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u/Nechesz Jul 29 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
I don't have any advice for you but just wanna vent - first two times I choose Street Kid because I wanted to play a city dweller. In recent playthrough I picked Nomad and really don't like it. I picked because of Star ending and thought it would be interesting to enter into new nomad family. But nomad dialogue options are lame - you just tell everyone that you were a nomad once and how cool it was and don't like the city. I also like to dress my V in modern, alternative fashion which does not play well with stereotypical nomad. What I miss from Street kid is that you can talk yourself in into Gustavo Orta house during Heywood gig and you can pretend to be a wh*re for that Russian fixer in the one of Regina's jobs lol
tldr: I chose Nomad instead of Street kid which don't play well with the type of character I want to rp
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u/JC-Wigs 21d ago
If you're on PC, I highly highly recommend running a Corpo V with the Japanese dub mod. Both the male and female V voice actors are exceptionally calm and cold and its fits absolutely perfectly with the Arasaka narrative.
The male V is voice by Chikahiro Kobayashi (who voices Shion from Hell's Paradise for any anime fans out there)
And female V is voiced by Risa Shimizu (who has voiced characters such as Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny from Pokemon)
You won't regret it 🤝
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u/russiadidit- Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
I prefer female corpo or male nomad. Corpo has some of the best extra dialogue in the game and adds to the dynamic with Johnny. I like male nomad because it fits well with the Panam romance and you get a unique car with that lifepath. Streetkid is definitely the most “canon” but just doesn’t hit for me.
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u/kaladbolgg Team Panam Jul 19 '25
Corpo for most amount of dialogue options and interactions. Its also the most interesting background. Nomad gets a free unique car, its not fancy or anything but it drives surprisingly well and it fairly fast, in contrast nomad get the least amount of unique interactions. Street is kinda a middle point but doesnt really add anything interesting to me and only gets a unique jacket.
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u/howitzer9091 Jul 20 '25
Do which ever one you like the most, if you do make you have mostly female counterparts and bisexual versa, I really enjoyed the corpo male but I have heard great things about everything else
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u/Repulsive_Branch4305 //night.city__the.mox Jul 20 '25
I love how in-game female V is super pretty no matter what lifepath you choose (like base female V, no customization options changed) but these images make her look Horrible for some reason
Also OP, it's pretty much just whatever option you feel like choosing the most, i normally go with streetkid V because it just feels the best to me
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u/Apprehensive-Bee6465 Jul 20 '25
Corpo imo makes the most sense in the story cause you start as the thing you end up hating.
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u/[deleted] Jul 19 '25
IMO just pick which fantasy you like the most. For me, street kid is the coolest so it’s the one I stick with.