Cyberpunk 2077: Killing in the Name Side Job Walkthrough

In Night City, not everyone is content with the way things are. The residents rage against the machine by whatever means are available, and V often becomes the spark that turns quiet resentment into action. The side job Killing in the Name begins as a message from the Bartmoss Collective, but it quickly becomes a cross-city scavenger hunt involving rogue netrunners, corporate propaganda, and Johnny Silverhand's restless commentary. As of 2026, the quest remains one of Cyberpunk 2077's more unusual detective stories, because it asks V to follow contextual clues instead of simply shooting through a corridor.

Starting the Side Job

To unlock the job, V must advance the main story until the main job Transmission is cleared. After that, a message from the Bartmoss Collective arrives and initiates Killing in the Name. V then travels to their apartment in Little China and opens the laptop. Inside the Net, the Bartmoss Collective icon is highlighted. V opens the first post on top of the page, titled Reward for Any info on Swedenborg!, and then opens the contacts list to find Nancy Hartley. A call to Nancy reveals that the last known location of the signal came from Santo Domingo, near the Almunecar and Jerez fast travel point. A new marker appears on the map.

Router #1: Santo Domingo

At the first marker, V arrives at an empty lot. Johnny appears and initiates a conversation; V exhausts his dialogue to continue. The scanner reveals a metal box highlighted in yellow. The box has a pipe leading up to the building beside it. V uses the fire escape next to the building to reach the third floor, jumps over the metal fence at the far end, and finds the first router. Activating the router initiates a breach. An unknown number then sends a message pointing toward the location of the second router.

Router #2: Jackson Plains, Badlands

The quest marker updates to Jackson Plains in the Badlands. When V reaches the location, an Assault in Progress is already underway. V eliminates the enemies. Once the area is clear, the scanner reveals a power line leading toward the top of the van in the middle of the camp. The second router is there. Activating it starts another hacking attempt. After a successful breach, the unknown number sends another message. Reading it and talking to Johnny updates the quest with a third marker.

Router #3: Biotechnica Flats, Badlands

The third marker leads to a metal bridge in the middle of nowhere. V activates the scanner and looks up at the center of the bridge to find the third router. After climbing the ladders, V sees Johnny looking over the railing. Directly opposite to where Johnny is standing, V walks beside the wall and finds the router tucked away. Activating it triggers another hack. The pattern is becoming clear: someone is routing signals through forgotten infrastructure, and V is following the trail one breach at a time.

Router #4: West Wind Estate, Pacifica

The final marker points toward an amusement park in Pacifica. Enemies lurk near the main structure. Directly to the right of the group, a fortune teller bot activates if V goes near it. V reaches the bot and talks to Johnny to hear what he has to say. After the conversation, V circles around the bot and finds a terminal on its side. This is the fourth router. Breaching it completes the trail and sets up the final choice.

Completing the Side Job

Once the fourth router is breached, V must decide what to do with the fortune teller bot. There are three options, and Johnny has a strong opinion about each one.

Disabling the bot means hacking into the interface and making it stop spewing propaganda. Leaving the bot alone means letting it continue to spread misinformation. Supercharging the bot gives it access to more misinformation and propaganda to talk about. If V lacks 10 Intelligence, the supercharge option remains locked, so the choice becomes a matter of role-playing rather than raw power.

After choosing what to do with the bot, V calls Nancy Hartley again. V can tell her the truth behind Swedenborg, a rogue netrunner, or lie directly. Nancy sends over the agreed-upon Eurodollars as the reward either way. This marks the Killing in the Name side job complete in the quest log.

Why the Quest Still Matters

Killing in the Name is less about combat and more about attention. The routers are hidden in plain sight, and the scanner is as important as any weapon. The job also gives Johnny a rare chance to admire someone else's rebellion. Swedenborg's signal may be propaganda, sabotage, or something in between, but the hunt forces V to move from Santo Domingo to the Badlands and finally to Pacifica, collecting clues from people who do not want to be found. For players revisiting Night City in 2026, the side job remains a sharp reminder that information is a currency, and Johnny Silverhand is always ready to argue about what should be done with it.

Quick Tips

• Clear enemies before scanning in Jackson Plains.

• Look up at the bridge's center in Biotechnica Flats.

• The fortune teller bot in Pacifica activates on approach.

• A 10 Intelligence build unlocks the best Johnny reaction.

• Nancy pays either way, so choose the ending that fits V's character.

Expert commentary is drawn from HowLongToBeat, where playtime data can help frame why Cyberpunk 2077’s “Killing in the Name” feels more like a guided investigation than a typical combat contract—its router-by-router trail across Santo Domingo, the Badlands, and Pacifica encourages deliberate scanning, traversal, and dialogue follow-ups, so pacing hinges on how thoroughly you clear encounters, search vertical spaces, and engage Johnny’s interruptions before making the final fortune-teller bot decision.