10 best Intelligence perks to get first in Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty (2.0)

Intelligence perks, like the rest of the stat-based skills, received an incredible overhaul in Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.0 update. Instead of boring upgrades that mean very little, each one of these new perks does something wildly useful. Of course, this depends on how you want to play the game. Many of the Intelligence perks are based on using your quickhacks in a more efficient manner. As with all of the new perks, there are tiers based on what your current stat max is.

We went through the Cyberpunk 2077 Intelligence perks in the 2.0 update, and picked out some that are perhaps worth focusing on more than others. If these aren’t going to work for your gameplay style, then browse the rest of them by all means. These are just our picks for fun powers to focus on.

Note: This article contains no spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty. All content contained herein is only focused on the 2.0 update.

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10 Intelligence perks to focus on in Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty (2.0)

10) Carhacker

Carhacker perk (Image via CDPR)

Vehicle quickhacks are such a novel concept in Cyberpunk 2077. This Intelligence perk unlocks that for you, so that you can take control of cars remotely, set off alarms to cause a ruckus, or simply detonate them. Of course, this also depends on how good your Cyberdeck is. Tthe better it is, the more valuable this skill is going to be.

There will almost always be times when making a car explode, and causing chaos will be good for your mission, whether in vehicular combat or a stealth mission.

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9) Eye in the Sky

Eye in the Sky perk (Image via CDPR)

Eye in the Sky might be a Rookie-level Intelligence perk, but don’t underestimate it in Cyberpunk 2077. It will highlight nearby access points and cameras automatically, making them much easier to spot.

You also have a -1 RAM cost and +50% duration to Control, Covert, and Distract quickhacks, when done through a camera. After all, sometimes you need a bit of a hand when sneaking around, and that’s where this comes into play.

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8) Forcekill Cypher

Forcekill Cypher perk (Image via CDPR)

Forcekill Cypher isn’t a game-changer, but it sure makes life a lot easier. It reduces the sequence length for hacking Access Points by 1. It cannot go below 2 characters, which would be far too broken. However, this Intelligence perk makes hacking into Cyberpunk 2077’s many Access Points far easier - whether you’re after money or something more.

In my personal experience through the 2.0 update, this was a godsend. Suddenly it was a breeze to skip through Access Points and move on with missions.

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7) Hack Queue

Hack Queue perk (Image via CDPR)

• Level 1: +1 Max RMA
• Level 2: Unlocks quickhack queues

I’m a big fan of Hack Queue, and it’s one of the first Intelligence Perks I picked up in Cyberpunk 2077. The +1 max RAM is nice, but the second part is much better. Quickhack queues let you deploy two quickhacks on a single enemy.

You also gain +30% speed on the second hack in a queue, so it will deploy much faster. While I don’t do as much enemy quickhacking as I should, I appreciate how valuable this skill will be in hectic fights.

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6) Optimization

Optimization perk (Image via CDPR)

This one’s short, sweet, and to the point. Optimization is a quickhacker’s dream, no matter if it’s people, vehicles, or cameras. It’s a flat +35% RAM recovery rate bonus, so you regenerate that important resource much faster.

As one of the tier-one Intelligence Perks, it’s worth getting even if, like me, you don’t dive into this stat deeply in Cyberpunk 2077.

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5) Encryption

Encryption perk (Image via CDPR)

Another very simple ability, this Intelligence perk in Cyberpunk 2077 lowers traceability for all quickhacks by 30%. While it’s not a huge change to your gameplay, it makes triggering a variety of quickhacks much safer.

You have a lesser chance of being found out, so your stealth gameplay, or even theft, will be safer. No matter the purpose, odds are you never want to be found out. It’s one of my favorite new perks in Cyberpunk 2077.

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4) Target Lock Transfer

Target Lock Transfer perk (Image via CDPR)

• Level 1: 10% larger target reticle for Smart weapons.
• Level 2: Switching from aiming to hip-fire doe snot disengage target-lock on headshots, weakspots, and Vulnerabilities.
• Level 3: Switching from one Smart weapon to another no longer interrupts target-lock.

I’m a pretty big fan of Smart weapons in Cyberpunk 2077, but they have their own drawbacks. Target Lock Transfer takes care of most of that, as you go through the tiers of this Intelligence perk.

A better reticle, and not losing your headshot/weakness targets is incredible. It also allows you to cycle weapons or change how you fire safely.

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3) No Escape

No Escape perk (Image via CDPR)

Another fun Smart weapon Intelligence perk, this one’s all about keeping target lock as much as possible. In Cyberpunk 2077, you don’t keep target lock forever, unfortunately. With this perk, however, you can! When using a Smart weapon, if the target lock is about to end, shooting the enemy will reset it. They cannot escape from the hail of gunfire you bring upon them.

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2) Copy-Paste

Copy-Paste perk (Image via CDPR)

Copy-Paste might be one of the most important Intelligence perk in all of Cyberpunk 2077. When you’re the target of an enemy netrunner, if you quickhack them, it will also spread to their allies.

In the 2.0 update, enemies are smarter, and they’re very quick to try and quickhack you. This is going to be invaluable to stop, slow down, or otherwise defeat enemies safer.

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1) Recirculation

Recirculation perk (Image via CDPR)

Quickhacks and Smart weapons make an incredible pairing. Recirculation is another Smart weapon-only Intelligence perk in Cyberpunk 2077, and it makes quickhacking way better. You gain +2 RAM after neutralizing an enemy with a Smart weapon, which is already handy.

Then, if they’re affected by quickhacks, it restores additional RAM equal to 50% of their total RAM cost. This is an easy way to keep quickhacks up on a wide assortment of foes at all times.

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This is only a selection of the perks you can use in Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.0 update. It’s a massive update to the game, and you can learn more about it here. The Phantom Liberty expansion will drop on September 26, 2023.