Mantis Blades are the top pick for players who want to slice and dice their way throughCyberpunk 2077without relying on any handheld weapons. This cyberware greatly increases V’s lethality and with the right build, it’ll also turn them into an agile assassin that can close extreme distances in the blink of an eye.
Like other arm-based cyberware inCyberpunk 2077,Mantis Blades are generally good in combat scenarios but excel in one area in particular: mobility. This guide capitalizes on the game’s revamped skill trees and reworked cyberware options to create a Mantis Blades builds that can leap dozens of meters away and rip even the toughest of targets apart on Very Hard difficulty.
Cyberpunk 2077 Mantis Blades Build Skill Tree
Ideally, players will want to invest most of their attribute points intoReflexesas they’re leveling up. Get to20 Reflexesas quickly as possible to unlock all the important Blades skills and access to more cyber implants.
Using Mantis Blades is the same asusing other bladed weapons like katanas, machetes, and chainswords. They all share the same skill tree and functionally, they perform similarly to one another. Players must block bullets, dash toward enemies, and manage their stamina as they hack and slash their way through targets. The most important starting skills for this build are:
All of these provide players with the damage and survivability they need to win fights during the early parts of the game. As V’s level increases, players should get20 Body and 20 Technical Abilityto unlock the Mantis Blades' full potential.
Work toward gettingEdgerunnerandPain to Gainalong withall the minor nodesin their respective trees to gain access to massively-improved cyberware bonuses and reach semi-immortal status withAdrenaline Rushpaired with theBlood Pumpimplant.
Those with thePhantom LibertyDLCshould unlock theJailbreakskillas soon as they can. This unlocks the ability to leap toward targets up to 30 meters away after dismembering or finishing an enemy, greatly increasing the player’s mobility and making snipers less of a threat. The same can be achieved (albeit with more difficulty) without Jailbreak by bunny-hopping and air dashing.
Recommended Gear
As players level up and gain more Street Cred, they’llunlock more Mantis Blades variantsat the majority of ripperdoc clinics throughout the city. These variants feature different damage types, changing the default Physical one to either Thermal, Shock, or Chemical depending on what players choose to install.
Any of these will work fine, though Physical and Thermal Mantis Blades are arguably the better options since their overall DPS increases depending on V’s Reflexes and Body attributes respectively. The most important thing to do is to always upgrade the installed Mantis Blades so it deals the most damage possible relative to V’s level.
Players shouldn’t completely rule out the use of firearms or throwing weapons when rocking a Mantis Blades build. Assault rifles, SMGs, shotguns, and any of the tech weapons are the most ideal choices here given the attribute point distribution of the build, and it’s up to the player to decide what gun they want to use.
Cyberware
Once players start pumping points into Technical Ability andget enough Street Credfrom doing missions, they’ll be able to install the new cyber implants introduced in the 2.0 update. The Mantis Blades build isn’t strict with what cyberware players pick so long as they help keep them alive and agile. Some are absolutely mandatory on Very Hard mode though. Players who want to get the most out of the implant options available, use the following:
Restores large amounts of health instantly and over time
Restores a percentage of health after killing an enemy
Biomonitor
Circulatory
Instantly uses the equipped healing item when health falls below a certain level. Also improves healing item effectiveness
Converts a percentage of damage taken into damage-over-time
Reduces the damage received from nearby enemies
More armor
Increases melee damage in exchange for higher Stamina costs
Massively increases armor
Reduces active cyberware cooldowns after neutralizing an enemy
Increases damage dealt to robots
Negates one incoming enemy quickhack before going on cooldown
Increases critical hit chance with Blades
Increases movement speed for a short duration after entering combat
Increases critical hit chance by ~30% (Phantom LIbertyOnly)
Militech “Apogee” Sandevistan
OS
Slows time by 85% (Player is not slowed). Gain more crit chance, crit damage, and headshot/weakspot damage while the effect is active. Neutralizing enemies extends the duration and restores stamina
Reduces recoil (filler implant)
Enables Smart Weapon targeting (filler implant)
The cyberware setup above is optimized for a Level 50 character anduses 272 Cyberware Capacity in total. All implant slots have been filled to gain 15% more cooldown reduction with theCyborgperk in the Technical Ability tree, which explains the filler implants for the Hands slots.
OS choice here is very flexible. Players can pick between a Sandevistan or a Berserk implant depending on how they want to play — the former grants a lot more breathing room while the latter lets players go on a rampage without worrying about death.
Phantom Libertyowners can forego Cyborg and instead use theAxolotlNervous System implant, which reduces all active cyberware cooldowns by over 10% per enemy killed. This implant requires 55 Capacity, though, so expect to make a heavy compromise.
Cyberpunk 2077is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
