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Of course, not every gun in the game is massmarket and throwaway. In a futuristic game world you can expect some truly high-tech weapons, though they come at a higher cost, and in some cases require special cyberware and skills to use effectively.
“These are some examples of that [higher end] – Arasaka are extremely expensive and high-tech,” says Andrews, showing us the images below. “One of these is an Arasaka smart weapon which doesn’t fire traditional rounds, it fires mini guided explosive rockets.” Arasaka’s one of the biggest mega-corporations, so naturally high-tech corporate security will only be using the good stuff. “[It has a] targeting computer which is linked up to your optics in your cyberware, in your eyes. So, there’s this relationship between the cyberware that you have and the gun that you’re carrying,” explains Andrews. If you specialise in using these kinds of weapons and can afford the hardware and ammunition, your gunplay prowess will skyrocket. “Basically, once you’ve locked onto your target, every bullet is going to go towards [them],” says Andrews.
Like Smart Tech, Borg Weapons is another class of gun that’s affected by how you build your character. After all, Cyberpunk 2077 is an RPG, not a first-person shooter. Andrews shows us one example – a massive, chunky shotgun. “Borg weapons are another class that’s designed to highlight one of the themes that we have, which is cybernetically enhanced people,” he explains. “Why not create guns that are ultra-powerful that can only be fired by somebody that has metal arms? We have a bunch of guns in the game that if you’re underclassed or you’re not equipped for the job, these guns will actually throw you onto the floor when you fire them if you’re not levelled up enough. So not only does it support the themes in the game, but it also supports the game systems that we have, so RPG progression as well.”
“THESE GUNS WILL ACTUALLY THROW YOU ONTO THE FLOOR WHEN YOU FIRE THEM.”