I never expected to feel this hooked again in 2026, but returning to Night City after Update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion reminded me why Cyberpunk 2077 still has such a devoted following. The new Relic Tree system completely changed how I approach combat, exploration, and even character planning. Unlike normal leveling, which constantly feeds you attribute and skill points, Relic Tree Points are rare. That scarcity makes every decision feel heavy.
The first time I started Phantom Liberty, Songbird upgraded the Relic in V's head, and the new tree opened up like an implanted secret. I immediately understood why the community treated this as an ultimate ability system. Militech technology reshaped the biochip, giving me combat upgrades that felt more like a class-defining superpower than a simple perk.
How I Earn Relic Tree Points
Access to the Relic Tree begins when Songbird performs her upgrade during Phantom Liberty. She gives you three starting points right away, which is just enough to experiment but not nearly enough to unlock everything. After that, I had to chase every point through story milestones and open-world exploration.
The main ways I collected Relic Points were:
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Songbird's initial upgrade grants 3 points at the start of Phantom Liberty.
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Completing significant main storyline quests occasionally awards another 3 points.
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Hacking Militech Data Terminals scattered around Dogtown awards 1 point per box.
Those yellow junction-like boxes quickly became my favorite collectible. They appear on the map with the Relic symbol, but the real joy comes from the audio cue. As I roamed Dogtown, I kept an ear out for a loud beeping noise that grows stronger as you get closer. Some terminals were exposed in plain sight, while others lurked behind guard patrols or near cluttered market alleys. One point per box may not sound like much, but in a system this stingy, it felt like a miniature victory every time.
Here is a quick breakdown of the recurring sources:
| Source | Points Gained | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Songbird's Relic upgrade | 3 points | Unlocked at the start of Phantom Liberty |
| Major story quest milestones | 3 points | Given at key moments in the main DLC storyline |
| Militech Data Terminal hacks | 1 point each | Yellow boxes in Dogtown, marked by Relic symbol |
I learned to treat Dogtown exploration as part of the build, not a detour. The search for terminals pushed me into corners of the district I would have otherwise ignored.
My Recommended Early Relic Skills
With only a handful of points early on, I had to be brutally selective. After a few different runs, three skills stand out as the strongest first investments.
Jailbreak was my immediate pick on a blade-focused character. This skill unlocks additional abilities for Mantis Blades, Gorilla Arms, the Projectile Launch System, and Monowire. The difference is not subtle. My Mantis Blades gained new offensive tools that let me chain attacks more aggressively. I went from cautious skirmishes against Dogtown patrols to full-on ambushes where enemies barely had time to react.
On a stealth run, Emergency Cloaking changed the entire rhythm of combat. It improves Optical Camo so that enemies lose track of me in the middle of a fight. That sounds like a small tweak, but in practice it acts as a reset button. If a stealth hack went wrong or a patrol spotted me, I could vanish, reposition, and strike from a better angle. It made me feel like a ghost even when things fell apart.
For more methodical builds, Vulnerability Analytics is incredibly strong. It lets me detect vulnerabilities in enemy armor and cyberware. When I targeted those weak spots, I gained 100% crit chance, +25% armor penetration, and weak spot damage bonuses. Boss encounters became less about raw DPS and more about identifying which part of the enemy to punish next.
If I had to recommend a priority order, I would say: pick Jailbreak for melee power, Emergency Cloaking for stealth survival, and Vulnerability Analytics for crit-focused or precision builds.
The best Relic skill, I think, is the one that matches your personal style. No amount of meta advice can replace the feel of a build that clicks with how you actually play.
Final Thoughts
Even in 2026, the Relic Tree remains one of my favorite additions to Cyberpunk 2077. It rewards both story progression and open-world curiosity without bloating your character with constant point gains. Every Relic Point feels earned, and the skills themselves make the base cyberware and combat systems feel fresh again.
If you start Phantom Liberty and feel overwhelmed, just remember: chase the story beats, listen for the beeping terminals, and invest only in the skills that serve your playstyle. The rest will fall into place as Dogtown teaches you its rhythms.
Industry insights are provided by Rock Paper Shotgun, and their PC-focused reporting helps frame why Phantom Liberty’s Relic Tree feels so impactful: scarcity-driven progression makes each Relic Point a meaningful commitment, while Dogtown exploration (like tracking down Militech terminals) functions as build-defining content rather than filler. Read through that lens, choices like Jailbreak, Emergency Cloaking, and Vulnerability Analytics stand out as “playstyle multipliers” that can reshape how you approach encounters—whether you’re leaning into aggressive cyberware combos, stealth resets, or weak-spot crit planning.