Cyberpunk 2077 Netrunner Build Guide — Quickhacks That Kill

A netrunner build lives and dies by RAM, so the core of the build is Intelligence pushed high for the quickhacking perks that reduce RAM cost and increase upload speed, combined with cyberware that raises maximum RAM. The operating system slot is the centrepiece — choose a cyberdeck that matches your approach, favouring faster uploads and cheaper combat quickhacks over utility, and slot in RAM-boosting modules wherever the ripperdoc offers them.

Your bread-and-butter hacks divide into two jobs. For groups, spread damage over time: Contagion jumps between clustered enemies and cleans up entire patrols if you start it on the right target. For single dangerous targets, hit them with a burst of direct damage such as Short Circuit or Synapse Burnout. Support hacks matter just as much — Cripple Movement stops a charging cyberpsycho, and Ping reveals every enemy in the network, which is the difference between a clean infiltration and a firefight. Scan first, mark everything, then pick your opener.

The Overclock mechanic is what turns the build from strong into absurd: it lets you spend health instead of RAM, so a netrunner with good healing can chain heavy quickhacks far past their normal limits. Stack that with perks that restore RAM on kill and you rarely need to wait for regeneration. Craft and upgrade your quickhacks rather than buying them — access points around the map hand out the components, and higher rarities are dramatically stronger. Keep a silenced pistol or monowire as a fallback for when someone closes the distance, but with proper scouting you should rarely need it.