When I started the game for the first time it was very hard for me to choose between even life paths or difficulty because I didn't know what to expect from such genre I haven't played before. One day I decided to test lots of varieties of character builds in Cyberpunk 2077.
Here we are this is my first ever Steam Guide and it's about the Bladerunner build (thought it would make sense if there are netrunners).
This is the first build I completed the game with. I want to make this as in-depth as possible without having to much unnecessary stuff to read.

Edit: Many of you suggested that I should change the name of the guide to something else. I took note of that but after all I decided not to. Yet I'm open to your ideas in the comments down below.

When it comes to Cyberpunk 2077 I really want to be a part of the community. It was the first game that I almost instantly bought when it came out. With each day I discover more of it's world and lore. But I am not here to spoil anything since it's the very early stages of the game and some people haven't even completed the prologue yet. Although there are many content about various builds I wanted to give my own advice as well.

If you have read the basic information already then you know what to expect from the guide.

Thank you very much for taking your time reading it and even trying the build in your future game.

If you like it or want to see more give me a rate.
Make it favorite for easy access and feel free to leave any questions or comments.

"Wake the f*ck up Samurai, we have a city to burn." - Johnny Silverhand

My first V with the first (old) version of this build.
My current V with the new version up to date.

Every new game obviously starts with the character creation part.

I first played with this build on very hard diffculty (only recommended if you have already completed the game or you have a lot of time doing side quests since it'll make it much easier to complete the main storyline).

My personal preference is the Nomad life path because in my opinion nomads are more likely to use blades and therefore more skilled with them.

Life path or gender only matters if you want to make up a cool background story for V. What matters more is where you invest the 7 given attribute points.

With the 2.0 update you no longer want to have Level 6 Cool as before. Now it's better go with Technical Ability and the same old Reflexes at the start (my advice here is to put the remaining 1 point into the Body attribute).

Now that you have created your character, let's move on to the next point.

A brief summary of the important changes:

• Trees now contain fewer Perks, but impact gameplay in a more meaningful way.
  
• Perks can be refunded in case if you evolved the wrong Perk.
  
• Attributes on the other hand can only be reset once so be careful not to invest in the wrong Attribute.
  
• Previous Skills got merged to five new one
  
• Skills unlock new passive buffs every 5 levels, and can be leveled up to a max of 60.
  
• Also there are Perk & Attribute Shards available in the game. You can either find them by neutralizing enemies or buying them from specific Vendors around town.

Note: It might look different for you whether you own the DLC or not
Reflexes - determine your maneuverability and ability to evade enemy attacks. Progressing the Attribute improves your proficiency with Blades. Gives +0.5% Crit Chance per Attribute Point

• Slippery - The faster you move, the more difficult for enemies to shot you. This is the base for everything that comes next.
  
• Lead and Steel - At max level you block incoming projectiles with Blades
  Note: Watch for your Stamina though since dodging drains it and as soon as you got no Stamina left you'll become vulnerable.
  You can block almost every projectile with Blades. I recommend maxing this Perk before the Dash perk. After you maxed Dash as well get Flash and Thunderclap as soon as you can.
  
• Flash and Thunderclap - You can leap towards enemies in a specific range. With this build it's very important to close the gap between you and your opponents.
  
• Next you need to finish the Perks with Only affects Blades in their description.
  
• Finisher: Bladerunner - At max level you can use a Finisher on low health enemies, killing them and restoring 25% of your health.
  Note: Avoid using the Finisher with Mantis Blades as it can cause visual bugs.
  
• SLAUGTHERHOUSE - Attacks, counterattacks and deflected bullets apply a Bleeding effect, which is not lethal in itself but makes your targets more susceptible for Finishers. Each limb removal also gives +25 Stamina.
  
• After maxing out the previously mentioned Perks you can move on to maxing out Air Dash and finally the Tailwind Perk.

Technical Ability - allows you to be compatible with high-end cyberware. Gives +2 Armor per Attribute Point.

• From this Attribute you only need to max the middle branch. Gives you some boost to Armor and Cyberware stats. EDGERUNNER will allow you to exceed your Cyberware Capacity by up to 50 points at the cost of 0.5% Max Health per point. There is a 0.1% chance for each point you're over capacity that you will enter a Fury state.
  In this state you gain:
  
  • +10% damage
    
  • +30% Crit Chance
    
  • +50% Crit Damage
  Duration: 12 sec.
  +3 sec. duration for each neutralization while Fury is active.

Body - +2 Max Health per Attribute Point.
Note: You can only max this out by owning the DLC but it's not necessary at all.
The Perks that could come in handy from this Attribute:

• Painkiller- Unlocks slow Health Regen in combat.
  
• Comeback Kid - +1% Health Regen Rate for each percent of missing Health.
  
• Army of One - +10% Health Regen Rate for each nearby enemy.

For Skill Progression your main focus should be to max out Shinobi and Engineer as fast as you can since these 2 will give you the best benefits.

What you need to do:

Shinobi

• Neutralizing enemies with Blades.
  
• Performing certain movements (Dashing, dodging, vaulting, climbing).

Engineering

• Neutralizing enemies while cyberware and Perk abilities are active (in our case Sandevistan, Fury mode).
  
• Crafting, upgrading and disassembling items.
  
• Performing Technical Ability Attribute checks.

Bonus: If you own the DLC then you can spend your points to max the middle branch Body Attribute to get extra Health and spend the rest on the Cool Attribute.
Cool Attribute Perks will allow you to one shot low threat targets with throwable knives. You also gain +1.25% Crit Damage per Attribute Point which is a good addition to the overall power of the build.
This is how it looks for me (+ Relic branch)

There are 4 types of Blades in the game: chainswords, machetes, knives and katanas.
The main weapon is going to be a katana of any type.

There are many types of katanas in the game. Some of them are iconic and you either have to find them during missions or side quests or if you own the DLC then you can buy it from the black market guy in Dogtown for a fortune.

• There is not much to add in the Frontal Cortex area as there are mainly netrunner cyberwares available. Still there's only one option which is the Axolotl. On Tier 5++ reduces Cooldown for all cyberware by -7.5% after neutralizing an enemy.
  How to get it:
  
  • Last Call - Given to V by Regina Jones.
    
  • Can be purchased from Dogtown Ripperdocs (DLC required).
    
  • Can be looted from Airdrops (DLC required).
  This is an Iconic cyberware so until you don't have access to it you can use the Newton Module which does the same thing.
  
  
• For Operating System there are two options to consider
  
  Sandevistan

  Stats

  Militech "Apogee" Sandevistan

  When active:
  Slows time by 85% (you are not slowed)
  

  • +15-20% headshot damage
    
  • +15-20% Crit Chance
    
  • +15-20% Crit Damage

  Neutralizing an enemy when active gives:
  

  • +10% extended duration
    
  • +22% Stamina

  Max duration: 6 sec.
  Cooldown: 30-25 sec.

  Militech "Falcon" Sandevistan

  When active:
  Slows time by 70% (you are not slowed)
  

  • +5-10% headshot damage
    
  • +5-15% Crit Chance
    
  • +5-10% Crit Damage

  Neutralizing an enemy when active gives:
  

  • +5% extended duration
    
  • +10-12% Health

  Max duration: 9-10 sec.
  Cooldown: 40-30 sec.
  Both are great but my choice would always be the Apogee for 3 reasons
  
  • It slows down time a bit more
    
  • Gives more damage
    
  • More duration and gives Stamina which is more important since we always get Health because of the Perk for using Finishers.
  How to get:
  Apogee
  
  • Tier 5 can be purchased for €$118000 from any Ripperdoc after player level 40.
  Falcon
  
  • Can be purchased from any Ripperdocs after level 30. Rarity increases every 10 levels.
    
  • Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos - Given to V if they reached out to Carol Emeka to help fight MaxTac.
  Until you have no access to these, use the Dynalar Sandevistan.
  
  
• For Arms any kind of Mantis Blades will do the trick. Only difference they have is the type of damage so choose for your own taste. I like using the Electrifying Blades since they are great against non-human enemies.
  How to get:
  
  • Can be purchased from any Ripperdoc after reaching level 10. Rarity increases every 10 levels.
  
  
• Face - any kind of Optics will be fine but the best ones here are the Kiroshi "Cockatrice" Optics as it Increases Crit Chance by 35% at Tier 5 ++ plus it comes with a 10x optical zoom.
  How to get it:
  
  • Can be purchased from Ripperdocs in Dogtown at Level 35 or above.
    
  • Can be looted from Airdrops.
  
  
• For our Skeleton I found these 3 things that can perform very well
  
  • Dense Marrow - For bonus melee damage (up to +27%)
    
  • Para Bellum - For Armor (+13% at Tier 5++)
    
  • Spring Joints - For Mitigation Strength (+19% at Tier 5++)
  Note: Don't use Rara Avis, it's a waste of eddies since it doesn't give as much Armor as Para Bellum. Also avoid Epimorphic Skeleton because it needs high capacity and also doesn't affect your Health that much as it seems like.
  In the early stages use Bionic Joints, gives armor - simple but effective.
  How to get it:
  
  • All can be purchased from any Ripperdoc, starting at level 10.
  
  
• Hands - Player's choice
  
  
• For the Nervous System we also going to fill up all 3 spots.
  
  • Adrenaline Converter - Gives movement (+40% for 9 seconds on max level) speed upon entering combat. You can also use the Adreno-trigger which is the Iconic version but you need to have the DLC.
    
  • NeoFiber - For Mitigation Chance & Strength (+11%/11% at max level)
    
  • Stabber - Essential. Gives +20% Crit Chance at Tier 5++ with Blades and throwable weapons.
  How to get it:
  
  • All can be purchased from any Ripperdoc. Rarity increases every 10 levels.
  
  
• All 3 spots in the Circulatory System will be used up
  
  • Microrotors - +25% melee attack speed on Tier 5++. Love it.
    
  • Adrenaline Booster - +25% Stamina on max level after each kill. The killing never stops.
    
  • Heal-On-Kill - +7.5% Health @ max whenever you zero someone.
  How to get it:
  
  • All can be purchased from any Ripperdoc. Rarity increases every 10 levels.
  
  
• Integumentary System got 3 & more if you want to switch things up.
  
  • Countershell - +50% Mitigation Chance on max level whenever you get a big hit. Can be purchased from Ripperdocs at level 10. Rarity increases every 10 levels. Could change this to Chitin if you want a big chunk of Armor & additional Health Regen instead (DLC required).
    
  • Nano-plating - +7% @ max chance to block an incoming projectile. +100% bonus after dodge or Dash for 1.7 sec., but you can't block more than 3 in a 5 sec. span. Here you can exchange for an Optical Camo if you want to play hide 'n' seek. Both can be purchased from Ripperdocs at level 10. Rarity increases every 10 levels.
    
  • Pain Editor - -7% for all incoming damage @ max. Can be purchased from Ripperdocs at level 30. Rarity increases every 10 levels.
  
  
• And finally for Legs I foundthe Reinforced Tendonds to be the best for my taste. I love the double jump.
  How to get it:
  
  • Can be purchased from any Ripperdoc, after level 10.
  

Every build in Cyberpunk 2077 requires a different approach. (You can skip this part if you play on normal difficulty or below) The Bladerunner build is a bit of a struggle in the early stages of the game (just like most builds).

The strongest reason is that you have to approach your enemies face to face to acquire experience in the skill tree. But in most cases getting close can be very hard since the vast majority of the enemies are armed with guns.
Don't worry because as time passes 99% of your enemies will be dead way before they can even detect you.

The early stages of the game requires patience and clear thinking. That's why I reckon playing side missions, to get ahead of the challenges you will be facing as you progress.

You can also use Assault Rifles, SMGs & Tech weapons to progress easier with the Skills.
Also disassembling unnecessary items and upgrading the stuff you need will make a huge difference later.

The first major power spike comes when you get a Sandevistan and a better katana. From that moment you will have a much easier time.

Personally I did every single side quest before heading onto the main storyline. Slowly but surely after some time I got unstoppable. It was ridiculous because all I had to do is activate my Sandevistan and everyone was dead before the slow ended.

Note: If you use a Finisher while Sandevistan is active, you can stack the Finisher effect, killing everyone instantly with strong attacks until the slow ends.

If you like carnage and heads rolling non-stop then you will definitely have a good time with this build.

And if you've reached this point then thank you very much for reading!