Cyberpunk 2077 Builds: Tech Engineer (Tech Weapons) Character Guide Weapons Perks
Dec. 14, 2020Cyberpunk 2077 Builds: Tech Engineer (Tech Weapons) Character Guide Weapons Perks
In thisCyberpunk 2077Build GuideI’ll be showing you myTech Engineer Buildwhich is a Build that usesTech Weaponsto their fullest, also allowing you to craft high quality equipment. If you like the crafting system in Cyberpunk 2077, but don’t want to gimp your damage to be able to use it, then you’ll want to check out this Build.
The Tech Engineer uses Tech Weapons to absolutely destroy enemies who hide behind cover. Many Tech Weapons in Cyberpunk 2077 shoot through cover when charged up, and this Build takes advantage of this by optimizing your damage when doing so. Additionally, there are many different weapon types that can do this, so the Tech Engineer has a variety ofWeaponsthey can use at any given time, without being un-optimized.
Tech Engineers can also craft and upgrade Weapons andArmor, which is something otherBuildswill likely not be able to do unless they also use Tech Weapons specifically.Craftingcan make your life a lot easier in Cyberpunk 2077, and there are some amazing crafted weapons as well. If you don’t want to miss out on this facet of the game, then you’ll definitely want to play this Build.
The Attributes needed for this Build areTechnical AbilityandReflexes, but extra points can be placed intoBodymore Health.
Technical Ability increases your Armor, but more importantly it allows you to gain access toCraftingandEngineering Perksthat make this Build possible.
Reflexes is needed to increase your Crit Chance, as well as grant your access toAssaultandHandguns Perksthat will provide additional bonuses to Rifles and Pistols. These are likely the Weapon types you will use for this Build, but I’ll explain more later.
Your Attribute spread should look something like this eventually:
You’re going to want to rush Technical Ability with this Build in order to unlock thePerksyou need quickly, and you will likely only place a few points into Reflexes duringCharacter Creation. At 7 points in Reflexes you will gain some great Perks, so don’t take it much higher than that until you’ve maxed Technical Ability.
In this section we’ll take a look at whatPerksyou should acquire in order to get the best performance from this Build. Technical Ability is our top priority, and since it containsCrafting and Engineering Perks, we’ll begin there. It’s important to note that in many cases higher level Perks are better than lower level ones, so if you haven’t maxed a lower level Perk out when you unlock a higher level Perk, you might want to come back to it later on.
Up To 11– This Perk allows you to charge up your Tech Weapons higher, increasing the damage they deal when charged. You’ll be charging your Weapons all the time, so you want to max this one ASAP.
Lightning Bolt– This Perk increases your Critical Chance with Tech Weapons, regardless of what type of Tech Weapon they are. This is perfect for this Build because you’ll likely be using many different types.
Tesla– This Perk increases the damage when you charge your weapon and fire. Again this applies to all Tech Weapons, regardless of what type of Tech Weapon they are, so you’ll max this one out.
Ubercharge– This Perk further increases Tech Weapon damage if it has been fully charged. Ideally every shot you fire at enemies behind cover would be fully charged, so this one would benefit all of these shots. It doesn’t always happen that way, but you’ll still get great use out of it.
Gun Whisperer– This Perk allows you to hold the charged shot of your Tech Weapons until you are ready to fire. Until you gain this you will fire instantly after you reach max charge. Take this one as soon as you can.
Fuck All Walls– This Perk reduces the charge needed to penetrate walls. Ideally you wouldn’t need this, but mistakes get made, and sometimes you fire prematurely. It happens to the best of us…
Lickety Split– This Perk reduces the time needed to charge up your Tech Weapons. The faster they charge the faster you can fire, so this one needs to be maxed as soon as you can.
Superconductor– This Perk makes it so that your Tech Weapons completely ignore Armor. That’s a huge boost to damage in many cases, and makes Tech Weapons especially deadly.
Revamp– This Perk increases all damage you deal with Tech Weapons by a significant amount, so you’ll want to take this one as soon as you can. More damage equals more win!
Mechanic– This Perk simply gives you more materials when you disassemble Armor and Weapons. Take this one right away to benefit from it from the earliest moments of the game. You’ll disassemble a ton of equipment, so get the most from it.
Field Technician– This Perk increases the damage of your Crafted Weapons by 5%. It’s not a ton, but every little bit helps, and if you’re going to craft something it might as well be the best it can be.
200% Efficiency– This Perk works similarly to Field Technician, but with Armor instead. Take this to get the best possible Armor you can have. Technical Ability provides you increased Armor, so get your Armor high in order to gain more protection.
Cost Optimization– This Perk reduces the materials needed to Craft, which can help you out a lot! Max this one out so it’s easier to craft equipment.
Cutting Edge– Another Perk that further boosts the damage of Crafted Weapons so we take it. What’s the point in spending all your materials if you don’t get the best product you can?
Edgerunner Artisan– This Perk allows you to craft Legendary quality Weapons, Armor and Mods which is the highest quality in the game. If you’re crafting at all it should only be the very highest quality equipment you can make, so take this one.
What Perks you take here are really up to you and how you play, so I won’t tell you exactly which ones to take. However, I will say that Assault benefits Tech Sniper Rifles and Tech Precision Rifles, so it’s probably a good place to begin. If you prefer the Tech Pistol, then you’ll want to begin in Handguns.
You won’t have a ton of Perk Points to spend here early on, but I highly suggest you take Perks that directly increase damage likeBullseyeorRio Bravo. As you progress the game and reach higher levels, you can come back and get more quality of life Perks likeEagle EyeandGunslinger.
In this section we’ll take a look at what equipment is needed to play the Tech Engineer Build. We’ll begin withWeaponsfirst since they are very important to this Build.
Unlike most Builds that focus on one weapon type, Tech Engineers can use several, because most Tech Weapons gain the benefit of the Perks in the Engineering section regardless of what type they are. This means that what weapons you use is really up to you, but you will likely use a combination of Rifles and Pistols, or just Rifles.
Both Tech Sniper Rifles and Tech Precision Rifles gain the bonuses under Assault Perks if they apply to Rifles, so this is a natural choice, as you’re buffing multiple weapons at the same time. However, you can take Handguns Perks as well in order to use Tech Pistols and Tech Revolvers, though you will be a bit more spread out. You won’t lose out on a ton of damage this way, and because you don’t really need Body Perks, you’ll have the Perk Points to do it.
Any time you get a new Tech Weapon I suggest trying it out and seeing how you like it because some perform differently than others. You likely won’t dump points into Assault and Handguns until much later in the game, so you can use Tech Shotguns even if you like. Also, don’t be afraid to purchase crafting schematics for Tech Weapons, since you will be able to make them as well.
Armor-wise, you want to look for bonuses to Crit Chance or Crit Damage ideally. Having more Armor is of course better, but you will have decent survive ability regardless. If you’re playing on Very Hard though, you might want to prioritize more Armor. Since these bonuses are randomized as well, you’ll just have to keep an eye out.
Additionally, you can mod some Armors for added effects, so it’s not a bad idea to craft or find these as well. Use the Wiki for their locations.
I really like using theThreat Detector Ocular System Cyberwaremod for this Build because it allows you to see enemies that are aware of your presence. This gives you a huge advantage because you can shoot through walls and cover with Tech Weapons, and knowing where to shoot can make all the difference. Grab this when you can and never unslot it if you don’t have to.
Neofiberis an excellent Cyberware for this Build because it just gives you a boost to Evasion, making you passively harder to hit. It’s nothing special, but it will help keep you alive so you might as well have one slotted.
One of the best Cyberwares you can get as an Engineer isMechatronic Core, which increases your damage against Drones, Mechs and Robots. You can increase your damage by a staggering 50% at max, and that is not small amount. You should definitely have this one if you’re playing a Tech Specialist.
The last Cyberware you’ll absolutely want for this Build isSubdermal Armor, since Technical Ability increases Armor by a percentage. This will boost this Cyberware’s Armor bonus to 400, which is a significant amount of Armor!
One of the strange things about this Build is that you will spend most of your Attribute Points into Technical Ability early on, but your Perk Points will mostly go into Assault because there are no really good Engineering Perks early on. Don’t waste Perk Points! Take Assault Perks until you unlock the better Engineering and Crafting ones.
Learn when to charge your weapon and when not to. This can take some time to do, but it’s really important because when you first begin playing with Tech Weapons your natural instinct is to charge with every shot so that you do max damage, and a lot of times it’s overkill. Get in the habit of charging your weapon when approaching an enemy in cover, and not charging it until you know where your target is. Standing there moving slowly while holding charge can get you killed, if you don’t know where to shoot, and early on you won’t be able to hold your charge indefinitely anyway.
Not all Tech Weapons handle the same way, so you’ll want to learn how to best use the Tech Weapons you have. For instance, the Pistol can shoot through cover at much shorter range, so it doesn’t work well at medium ranges. However, it’s absolutely devastating close up and fires wickedly fast. Swap weapons depending on what is happening on the battlefield and don’t always just use one Weapon if you can help it. Besides, it’s much more fun to mix it up.
Don’t forget to modify your Weapons so that they deal more damage, or have increased Critical Chance etc. You will be able to craft mods much more easily than other Builds because of your investment into Tech Ability and Crafting Perks, so take advantage of it. Always be on the look out for new mod schematics, so that you can make the Mods you need.
Lastly, this Build will not only require materials from deconstructing Weapons and Armor, but it will require money to buy them and schematics as well, so make sure you loot, sell and disassemble everything you find. Increase your Carrying Capacity as well if you need to with thePack Mule Perk, since you’ll be hauling a lot of stuff!
Stay tuned for more ofCyberpunk 2077 Build Guides, and be sure to drop by theCyberpunk 2077 wikifor all your Night City needs. Or you can drop by ourTwitch Channeland say hi as we stream the game over the next couple of weeks! And make sure to check out ourEarly ImpressionsandCharacter Creation!
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
Yeah, some weapons max upgrade is epic, not legendary, such as lizzy tech pistol. Lots of iconic weapons are blue when found. I don’t know if you can upgrade them to EPIC without the perk.Also the best way to farm components and money early on is to craft epic grenades and dissemble them. You can craft legendary ozzo grenade latter but you need to complete half of the main story story first.
Is there any point putting perk points into being able to craft gear that is not legendary?
