If you have a higher relationship then Silverhand accepts and supports your decision in a rather heartfelt goodbye that ends with Johnny using V’s full name.

A lot of Johnny’s dialogue changes DRASTICALLY if you have maxed his relationship and done all of his quests. He actually ends things… at peace. He’s okay with going in the way he does and he seems okay with it all, and doesn’t blame V whatsoever. It’s actually really sweet

So many people miss that V gives a little smirk at that last turn before he/she fades into the crowd. He/She is amused and accepting of how things have came to be in the end.

I can relate. This ending pretty much happened to me. Got sick in my late 20's. 5 surgeries over a few years. I lost everything, a whole life. Had to restart a whole new life at 30. I still struggle with that fact. I'm alive and as happy as I can be, but I still resent the life I lost, and wonder what should have been. Yeah your last paragraph basically took all the words right out of my mouth

All I can think about is the song "Never Fade Away", and how V literally fades away into the crowd of civilians. I find that poetic in a way.

the fact that most of V's friends just don't want to accept him in their life anymore is sad, if you played the game constantly trying to do good for them, this is the repayment you get from them after managing to survive the relic. sure, 2 years without any comunication is terrible and worrying but they knew that something would eventually happen to V. was it this unnatural to expect him to die or even better survive? for me the most devastating thing is that johnny (if you're friends with him) just supports you till the end. the one person who tried to kill you initially becomes the most real friend in the end while the others who meet you on better circunstances just leave you.

If there's one thing happy about this ending, its that it is undeniable proof that V *can* be saved. The Star ending left things up for interpretation, as in will V find help or not, but with The Tower you could easily say V does. If I'm gonna be real for a second though, romancing Judy and calling her 2 years later to find out she's married, damn bro I wanted to cry for V. That shit hurt.

After experiencing the ending myself, I gotta say if you did all sidequest it felt more fulfilling, V had something to fallback on. Depending on your choices, V could have at least 1 vehicle, a Delamain that's loyal only to him, eddies and connection from a world famous rockerboy, connection and experience from working with the biggest fixers, a job opening at Langley, and probably a teacher in the form of ex Arasaka head of security. V's have a lot of potential moving forward. Also I found it cute that Rogue adopted your cat and potentially bought your stuff (or at least Johnny's). But it is more infuriating if you like the Aldecaldos, they just straights up say go fuck yourself even though you're the reason they still exist

One thing comes to mind with this ending, when vic said he stopped chasing fame and had been sleeping better ever since. V basically did what he did.

Johnny was a lot more supportive of V in my playthrough, even called her Valerie when he was saying goodbye.

The dialogue of Johnny begging for his life really surprised me, because when I got this ending on my first playthrough Johnny asked me not to make the call but after that he just said goodbye and that he had no regrets. Maybe it’s because I actively worked to be tight with Johnny

I really loved how they let you actually choose between “blaze of glory or the quiet life” that dexter deshawn asked you in the beginning

I wouldn't even call this a hero's journey. This is more of a survivor's journey. No one is really a good person in this story. Reed is 100% fine with letting the government essentially manipulate someone for the rest of their life. Songbird constantly gave someone hope of being saved only to lie to them at every turn. Johnny doesn't want to be erased but V didn't ask to have Johnny with them. It's really messed up when you think about it. Everyone is in a fucked situation and only a few will come out ok. That's Night City for ya.

The dialogue between Johnny and V in the AV is completely different if you are friendly with him

The ending feels like a kick in the face. Not only do you lose everything you work so hard for during entirety of the game. But you also lose everyone that stood by you.

This is probably the most relatable and the most ending that resonated with me in any piece of fiction. I went through something similar i was very ambitious, i had strong relationship with my friends and relatives, but i left my home country for 7 years and i learned it the hard way that people just...move on even your closest friends and relatives, they will change some will not answer your call, some will be nice to you but wont spend any time rebuilding the relationship with you because "they are too busy" some will tell you straight that things have changed and dont want to rebuild the relationship with you, there are some who wont change and will rebuild the bridge but they are sadly very few. Life will always move on and so will your loved ones, you either get stuck in the past or just move on.

The LEAST Reed could have done was, like, call up everyone of importance on V's contacts list and say "Hey, V's gonna be gone for an unknown amount of time. Undergoing an operation to fix their mind. Don't know how long it'll take."

I just felt so pissed at V's so-called friends ditching him. Judy, Panam, River - even Kerry. Viktor had dug his own hole. Oddly, Misty actually cheered me up and for a fleeting moment I thought the two would go off into the sunset together. This ending gutted me, left me deflated and sad. I was thinking, 'Where will he live? How will he make money? Will he survive without his cyberware?' Then the video messages during the credit roll didn't help - except Rogue's, seeing her with the cat. At least the cat had a good home. To sum it up, I have to say, to those people V shed blood for, sweated for and fought for only to have them turn their back on him/her, I actually thought, "F**k you!" That's saying a lot, especially regarding Judy, as she seemed the only one who kept contact and really appreciated V as a friend. I also grieved for Silverhand - he didn't deserve that.

you completely missed the point this is the defeatist ending, where everybody lose. Phantom Liberty isnt just V's story, its also Songbird's and Reed's story In this ending, Songbird either died, or brainwashed and continue to work as Myers's puppet, poking at the Blackwall for Myers's personal gain. Reed, in his rigid but twisted way, "protected" Songbird, "saved" Songbird just to please his own idealogy, regardless of whether or not it is what she want or need. In the end, he doesnt even sure if he did the right thing, and you can physically see it eating away at him at the clinic and at the ending holo call. and V, traded both Songbird and Johnny for a chance at life, found themself in a world where life is all they have. no more implants, no relationship, no friends. but it's not just V who lose, all of their friends also lose their way. Without V, the unstopable spear that shed light into their lives, the darkness of Night City swallowed them whole. Judy decided to leave, Viktor sold his shop to Zetatech, River turn to crime to make a living, Kerry doesnt give a fuck, Misty realized the city rejected her and decided to leave too. Panam either too broken to even talk to you, or she already offed herself and Mitch just covering it up. Hanako's dead and Takemura got framed as her murder. Yorinobu got away scottfree. Adam Smasher still living. V doesnt just trade their friends for that cure tho, they also trade their promise, their dream with Jackie. no more chance at the major league, no more chance to become a NC legend. In the end, the only winner, is Night City. this is the bleakest, the doomest and gloomest ending. even more so than the suicide ending. V basically give themselves and everything they fight for the entire game up, just for a chance to live in a shitpile, probably selling XBD on the side alley of jigjig street

I love how V smiles before turning away from the camera.

This ending ruined how i see V's friends forever 💀

8:17 The fact you had a sandstorm going on while this scene played out makes it feel all the more tragic for some reason...

I think the part I liked most of this ending was that little smirk V had right after his shoulder got bumped by that random guy right before fading into the crowd. It said to me, he finally got it. For the first time, he realised just how much of a blessing he had gotten was. Sure, Judy, Panam, River, and Vic turned out worse in this ending, but seeing the messages from Rogue, Takemura, and especially how Misty turned out, feels like things aren't so bad (yes, its' bad for Takemura, but this is the only ending where he didn't crawl back to Arasaka or turned into a little ball of spite). It sucks for V that the only way to live was to burn almost all his previous bridges, but it's also the only way for him to move on from Night City, and that's the only way you can win in Night City. That's the only way anybody won against Night City in even the other endings. I've always been in the camp that the best ending prior to 2.0 was the Temperance ending. V got to live on in a roundabout way as a construct with Alt and Johnny learned that to make the world better wasn't to destroy evil, but to create good where you can. The other side of it, I don't agree that Songbird should've faced a fate worse than death as part of the price for V to get his happy ending. Death should've been high enough price for her, and should've especially been an option at the space port. Sure, she lied and betrayed everybody, and tried to have her cake and eat it by trying to fix things, but being betrayed and given death by the only person she actually trusted should be enough I think. After all, Meyers and Reed both deserved it, and taking the first chance she had to jump ship wasn't wrong at all. By being betrayed by V and being her executioner, it would've put a pretty satisfying conclusion to Songbird's arc I think, especially once it was clear that only one of them could be cured.

If you've got relation with Johnny fully developed the ending is even better. He understands V's decision and supports her/him even if he knows he's gonna get wiped. He is happy for him.

For me, I headcanon'd that my Corpo Fem-V would go and take Reed's FIA job offer. She was booted from one "desk job" and found herself at another, in the end, but with new possibilities in her life. I'd like to think she remembered Johnny, in her own way, like picking up smoking or his other small behaviors (I ended it on good terms with him). To me, it was like the ending of Casino, with Robert de Niro's character saying: "But in the end, I wound up right back where I started... And why mess up a good thing? And that's that."

the effect also depends on your life path. I played as a corpo, meaning my V couldn't catch a break from the start, wanting a calmer quieter life and searching for a way out. She wanted a way out and this is exactly that, the slower paced life that she longed for at Arasaka and was fighting for in Act 2 and Act 3 is here.

I think the biggest thing is the ending might not feel satisfying for everyone. We dont' live the life of V, we only experience it through a screen. Leaving with Judy, Panam and the Aldecaldos is satisfying. You get to stay with the characters you love. Letting Destroying Arasaka alone is satisfying, you get to fuck them over to get to mikoshi, and you feel like a badass while doing it. But the new ending? Realistically, it's the happiest. Sure, you lose your cybernetics, and your main relationships, but you live for so much longer. You can meet new people, you have the option of working for the government and having a pretty easy job outside of the hellhole that is Night City. But for the player, you lose a large part of your character (the cyberware and immense strength, hacking ability and street cred), you lose your romance option and the closest people to your character. You see Vik lose himself, Misty move on, you probably don't get to see So Mi again. Johnny is gone permanently. It really feels like you lost everything as a player. I really love how this feels though, because it shows how opposite things can be just because it's a game. When we don't have to really live with the consequences, we can choose the worse options that feel better in the short term and still feel like we made the right choice. But when you are really confronted with death, and you have the option to live, I think most people playing would take that option

Something a lot of people miss is that V has a slight smile before he turns around. It is hard to spot but shows he / she is ok with it

Imagine just getting started on a journey with friends just to lose them, be infected with something that will ether hold you back, stop you in your tracks and say pick another one, or make that journey you wanted, a whole lot shorter. Dex was a ass, but he definitely set the tone

Considering V is aware of how rare it is to live long enough to die old in Night City through some base game dialoge, It only highlights how V didn't actually think surviving was a possibility. In a way, the new ending reminds me of what some war veterans have gone through. Now I am not a veteran myself but I have met quite a few who had seen combat and while their homecoming experience isn't quite as dramatic as V's, that sense of being out of place was something they all shared. Even one of my friends and a cousin felt that when they came home after their contract was up. They didn't see combat or anything but that same sense of alienation was there but to a lesser degree. For them, starting over was the hard part. For V at least, he has the option to go back to Langley, much like how my cousin decided to re-enlist after a year or two struggling at home.

It is a masterpiece! V becomes The Fool starting a new journey all over again. Her neural system not being able to support combat cyberware is actually a blessing in disguise. AI from beyong the Blackwall will sooner than later invade, so being 'ganic is a clear advantage! Also, the fact she can escape Militech and other corpos's radar and disappear into the crowds is a good ending, like Morgan Blackhand tier good :) Can't wait for Cyberpunk Orion!

In the ending on the plane where Jonny and v have a heart to heart, i had 85% relationship with Jonny and his dialogue is completely different, he actually comforts v the entire time it's a huge shift and aot of development. Check it out after the rogue date

I remember getting this ending and having this terrible feeling of emptiness and pain. Now though I feel a lot more at ease after listening to you explain it more. It is supposed to feel disjointing but that’s how life would be in that scenario. Honestly it made me appreciate cdpr’s writing that much more.

I actually like this ending, my relationship with Johnny was pretty good so he was pretty supportive of my decision. It's a proper send off to a character who has been through so much. Ezio got a quiet ending in revelations, MC got his in H3 and snake did so too in MGS4. These guys deserve a quiet life, deserve to live their remaining days in peace however that may be.

I grew to love this ending more than the Nomad ending, not only does V actually get to live without fear of death and with no guarantee a cure is found. But I do get why people are down on it, especially those who romanced Panam(me), River and especially Judy, they got it the worst. Kerry seemed to be the only one who was happy to see V and wanted to meet up with him after the tour. But V, and I think it's safe to say, V is canonically tenacious and determined. Do you really think after all V went through, he/she would just sit with arms crossed and move on from their partner just because they didn't want to see V? Maybe Judy is the outlier here. But I don't see a scenario where V won't try to track down Panam or River, V went through so much to just give up on Panam/River after they crossed the finish line. People lose contact with each other and could never talk again all the time but they could also meet again and rekindle those relationships. At least that's how I saw this ending. Looks grim and down at the start but V has his/her whole life ahead and V is not one to give up easily(except for that one ending, you know which one.)

This game completely destroys me. I care so much for every character, and trusted Reed and Songbird all the way through, until the end. I will always choose to let Songbird go to the moon, because I think Johnny deserves a better ending than this. This ending is so heartbreaking yet hopeful all in one and CDPR knocked it out the park with this whole story line. I care so deeply for everyone and I haven’t been so connected to a game like this before. It’s pretty impressive what they’ve achieved, and I’m so glad my heart hurts because of this game, it gives it so much meaning.

Imagine if V starts to hit the GYM hard, and gets himself a Cybernetic Suit, in order to become a Legend again. Simply put he becomes discount Jet-Stream Sam from MGRR. Superhéroes with crutches symbolize perseverance. 😉

My headcanon is that V may have lost their cyberware and superhuman combat abilities, but still has lots of knowledge and contacts at all levels of Night City society, and is very well positioned to become a fixer.

Not quite the same, but I can emphasize with V in this ending. I joined the military and left my home for 4 years. During that time I missed so much, birthday parties, Christmas's, life in general. My friends made new friends and my family became a little more distant. Sure I would visit and I would be welcomed, but I can tell they moved on. Life never sits still for anyone.

Super agreed honestly. Life a lot of times is all about accepting and letting go to build anew. It’s like misty says… you,l build your peace once you accept, and then when that fades, you’ll build the peace anew with whatever it is that you have

You can get a better dialogue with Johnny, where he's more supportive. Have to max out his approval.

I never got the impression this ending was meant to be depressing. You get to live and move on with your life, V gets to say goodbye to Johnny and end it on good terms (if you have a good relationship), none of your friends die trying to save your life and you are still remembered as a legend as Rouge says. Yes most of your friends have moved on but most of them (Excluding River and arguably Vick) seem to be ok. Judy gets married and leaves the city like she said she would, Panam is still with her family and getting on despite cutting u off, Kerry's career is booming. They don't have time for you but V was gone for 2 years, they have lifes of their own and its nice that the game Acknowledges that you are not the main character of everyone's story. V is young, there is time to make new friends, start a new career have a new life. That and the NUSA owes you makes the future look decent. Even V smiles before walking into the crowd and becoming just another member of society. I think the ending is kind of beautiful. You were asked "quite life or blaze of glory?" And you simply chose the former. Nothing wrong with that.

Ok THANK YOU for saying this, I really loved this ending. Of course Aldecados ending still has the most hopeful tone, but this ending is far from dismal. Yes your friends have moved on, but people grow, people move on, people come back, and most of all, people reconcile. None of those relationships have to be dead as long as you still continue living - in time they may come back around knowing that you're alive. And yeah, you might never be the V who you were before, but you get to start over and become a new V, not necessarily a worse V, but a V who can reinvent themselves into something just as good, if different. You are alive, you can make something of yourself, and if you persevere, you can live a damn good life.

"One more thing, Mr V. Quiet life, or a blaze of glory?"

The only good thing about this ending is I still got my 1.7 mill that should be enough for V to start a new life

Reed says only combat implants can't be used. During boarding the spaceship to the moon when the combat implants were disabled the cyberdeck still works. So without combat implants V can still be a legendary Net Runner.

I was really hoping they’d do a symbiosis ending where if your synergy with Johnny was high enough the two minds could merge

In this ending V is saved, but we all know they want be happy like this... Lets be real with each other. If V would've known it would've become like this, would they have really chosen that path? It was never about the quiet life.

What this ending reminds me of most is the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life, where James Stewart is shown by his guardian angel Clarence Odbody what the world would be like if he had never existed. We get to see the impact of what V ghosting and giving up on his dream has on the people in his life. Framing it as a positive ending because V survives is missing a great deal of context. For one, V's objective the whole game is not to survive, but to be the best. Needing to survive the biochip rises out of this need, but it does not replace it. V's conversation with the Doll at Clouds makes it clear that V's greatest fear is to be forgotten, to have their identity erased. Details like Victor giving into Zetatech, Misty's shop closing down and River turning to a life of crime are not just there to make the ending melancholy, they are direct reactions to V disappearing. V is a singular entity whose incredible ability to do the impossible inspires characters like Victor and River to keep fighting for what they believe in even when it seems hopeless. Comparing this ending to the hero's journey because V's life has to change is also off the mark. This cannot be the conclusion to the hero's journey because in this timeline V isn't a hero. V wanted to be the best, to prove to Night City that they mattered. In this ending Night City literally swallows V up. In order for someone to be considered a hero, they by definition cannot fail at what they set out to do. They can die, but they can't fail.

I always liked Johnny so I chose the nice options with him and when you do he gives a really heartfelt speech to V. And I think that’s what actually made it sad in a sense. I agree that V being able to live a full life now is amazing but saying goodbye to silverhand and then him using Vs full name in the end when he says goodbye just made it hard to say bye to him in the end

I think what made this ending so sad for me is that its the death of V's character, goals, dreams and ambitions. Even with the quest for survival taking precedent when they get the relic, V always stated that they wanted to be sombody, make it big, be a big shot solo. The fact that V and every other character close to her have all just degraded and accepted a less happy existence is so very sad. I genuinely feel that with V's character at the end of the game, if we came back to V 10 years later they would still regret having the surgery instead of blazing their own trail. Its just a shame is all

I feel the exact opposite regarding this ending. It goes against all V and Johnny worked towards to, all his principle and all his beliefs. This ending is supposed to show you, there is no escape from fate and if you try to, your existence will be left in shambles, fading away as a nobody who did forsake everything for nothing in the end. You can't set the world on fire and then just leave through the backdoor.

So to summerise: giving a life of power with death on the clock for a fresh start were V gets to live and can be something else, interesting, and fiting

ah yes. absolutely, took the words right out of my mouth, this ending was so brilliantly done. as always, with each detail paid attention to to present the character with how things are now.

Honestly they will be studying this story for years. It so good. This game is a masterpiece and I try to move past it and play other games but the stories get boring pretty quickly.

I think it's based on very specific dialogue choices, but when you speak to Johnny at 9:00 I've seen people say that he was actually much more supportive of the decision with a kind of touching dialogue. I got the negative one like you did though :(

The problem why it's depressing is that it's too life like. It's realistic. I know that I just said real life is depressing. Loosing friends, not to death necessarily, is real. I bet many reading this comment have faced that. Also now that V is "normal." He can be whatever he wants. Just like anyone today. Earlier the option was violent death or Johnny taking over his life. Edit: How come all those gang members still be in gangs even though many of then still seem like nobodies?

was waiting for someone to make this video cause I feel the same way

I still think it's a pretty miserable ending. Not for V maybe but for everyone else. The real problem with other endings is that they aren't really endings but more like cliffhangers and it's easy to assume the worst because more isn't probably coming for this character. Like for example, I would have loved the Devil ending if it had had more, like V waking up 2 years later in a cloned body, forced to sign a 20 year contract with Arasaka and shown him/her working under a new boss, just like at the start, only this time with Goro as their friend instead of Jackie. Same with the other ones.. did the Crystal Palace heist succeed? Did we find a cure.. did V find a cure in the badlands or slowly died among the nomads? If all of those had had conclusions or answers to them, they could be so much better but instead we just get a fade to black and never know.

Dont fear the reaper, guys...

Lots of good points. I just didn't think Panam was consistently written. In the text messages she says if she has to pick between the clan or V, it's V...but that runs contrary to the other endings where she actually does the very opposite. And being mad at V would certainly be in character, but not taking the opportunity to tell him off (and ultimately reconcile in some way, even if that is by moving on) seemed like a missed opportunity.

That moment where V turns towards the player and gives a slight smile is V feeling hope for the very first time in forever, V now has a chance to live his life free from restrains; plus even if V can't use cyberware, they can still get enhancements in other ways if they need...

I love how in this ending for the first time my street kid dialogue didn’t work. They stripped me of even that

To call the only ending where V actually gets o live as "Sad" - mkay, my bloodthirsty dudes.

After seeing this other ending I'm so glad I helped Song. Literally zero regrets. "Could've told me," V said to So Mi, "would've helped you anyway."

I’d disagree that this is the happiest ending V could hope for. While I appreciate your perspective, to me this ending highlighted what does it truly mean to live. This life isn’t worth living having sacrificed everyone that gave your life meaning. To me the Aldecaldos ending is the best especially for the Nomad life path. Sacrifices are made, but by making this choice V realizes that the people and relationships in your life that make it worth living. You still live life on your own terms, and even though the plot says you have 6 months to live; that’s 6 months if you do nothing. Like Johnny’s parting words say in this ending you never stop fighting and given the lore and the nature of the relic, there is actually a good chance that V and Panam find a solution. Also the tarot reading Misty gives in the Star ending is by far the most promising. Just my take

"Of course he was welcome, they told him, welcome to the money. And he was going to need it. Because -- still smiling -- they were going to make sure he never worked again."

I really like how theres no genuine happy ending in cyberpunk theres always a loss a choice between something and someone i'm so excited for the future of this franchise

The Tower ending is my favorite. V is still good with guns. V still has his reputation at the Afterlife. V still has all his money. V still has very high HP. V still has all of his organic perks and skills, V still has the possibilities to reconnect with Kerry, Judy, Viktor, and Misty. Give V more time to recover from his atrophied and he can go back to kicking Night City's ass in no time, or he can just live a peaceful life, leave the city, become a fixer, etc. Instead of dying in six months V can now do whatever he wants (given enough time and without implants.)

Reed telling me that I can't manage in Night City without chrome inspired me to do a run on max difficulty without any chrome. Can't wait to see the completely unchanged look on his face when I wake up from a coma to tell him that surviving without chrome is my bread and butter.

My boy, this peace is what all true warriors strive for.

In the cyberpunk sourcebooks firestorm we find that jonny silverhands body is in position of someone called angel who looks almost exactly like alt cunningham and is likely trying to revive Jonny. The problem is that you can revive his body but his memories are different story however it just so happens that someone actually shared a memories body and brain with jonny so in exchange for V providing the memories for jonny he could get his body back to peak condition

IMO the biggest disappointment of this ending is that you dont get to call Panam and tell her "Hey going in for surgery that might cure me. I might be out of it for a while, I'll call you when I get out" That would have been the best ending. Basically the aldecado ending but with a V that gets to keep living. Its my head canon ending. Just V and his gf living as nomads with a whole clan by their side.

Ending is 100% the best written one, hit me in the feels, had similar feeling when completing SOMA, completely different plot, but sense of loneliness and despair after all the sacrifices which finishes with a bit of happyness seeing u get to live on even if your old life is over, shit is left open as V does have a lot of options for happyness. Also I didn't call Songbird my friend tbh, mid story I kinda got tired of her obvious manipulations, Reed on the other hand is what I ended up relating with. By the time Reed asked me to capture Songbird I was like fyeah, she is lying 100% and not even sure how much blackwall stuff fried her brain anyway.

V was saying he wanted to survive no matter what, he just wanted another tomorrow in the entire game when we are after some solution for relic, with this ending, we lost friends but its not the end of life, there is a tomorrow waiting now, new friends and family are just waiting, no more violence and killing for V, he can leave the town to anywhere as long as he is alive there is hope, this is the best ending in my opinion

I think it helps to consider what "The Tower" in tarot symbolizes in general, since it's the Major Arcana that represents the ending. Destruction, chaos, sudden upheaval, trauma, unexpected change, revelations. Though one positive aspect is that the destruction is usually something that was based on false beliefs, wasn't good for you, was built on bad foundations, things like that. The sudden upheaval and destruction can lead to renewal. I think this Handsome Jack from Tales from the Borderlands quote sums it up well: "You gotta break it all down to build it back up. This was your first step in that. It's the only way, you'll see. And there's so much to break down before you can build again." Also, even though I know that we realistically can't keep Johnny (even if just because it may/would defeat the purpose of the story), letting go of Johnny for good is a gut punch - especially with a good relationship. My attachment issues and abandonment issues hate that we can't keep Johnny around in some way in any of the endings, but I don't think any of the endings are bad because of that specifically (Arasaka ending is bad, but it's intended to be a bad ending for V - the wrong choice to make, which I appreciate). But you know, if you romance Kerry, it's a big positive to know that even after two years he's happy to hear your voice and know you're still around. Even if he's on tour and can't stop what he's doing to just visit you out of the blue (which is perfectly understandable), it's nice to know that at least one romance in the story has hope in this ending (though I suppose you could list a million different possibilities for the other romances, like hey, maybe Panam will decide to call V back, etc). I think in this ending, V found out who his real friends were from his Tower moment. Misty and Vik are still there for V (even if Misty is leaving Night City, that doesn't mean they can't keep in touch).

I didn’t find it as sad as everyone else found it. V has lost everytging from their life but there are so many opportunities. Even opportunities to help his old friends maybe at some point like River or visiting Judy possibly. They can build a new life. Maybe by a tiny chance V could be cured by a miracle. Although losing Johnny and everyone was very sad I think.

Thank you for this video.

This ending is a blessing in disguise when you realize V is unplugging from a cruel city that would chew him up and spit him out if given the chance, and by extension, avoiding the same fate as others who couldn’t let go, like Johnny Silverhand or Adam Smasher. I imagine V would eventually take that offer to get a real job and a real life after having time to let everything sink in.

I see it like this: basically V becomes one with the player. He/she transforms from a superhero into a completely normal person, a face in the crowd, and thus enters the world of the player, so to speak, and becomes one of us (or we become him/her). Maybe that's what makes many players so "moody" (including me). And as in real life, there's no way back. This brings us to the topic of "change", which is addressed in the video. Many players certainly associate this with own bittersweet memories, old friends, past youth - I think this ending touches on such emotions. It feels more personal than other endings. Especially because V is now like us.

My V was a strange bird, did everything she could to stay alive but both time she had a choice to save herself or to sacrifice someone else she took the higher road. I sent Songbird to the moon and gave my body to Jonhy, in a way I think this is the most positive of all endings. She still lives in cyberspace, songbird is free and Jonhy isn't spoiling his second chance.

All I can say is I am glad I was chooms with Johnny. Thats such a cruel conversation to end his life on. That and that this is an amazing video and Phantom Liberty is a WORK OF ART!!!!

Dont fear the reaper sun ending will always be the one for me, never fade away

Reed was offering him a job working for the government of a dictatorship as the NUSA is a dictatorship run under an on going state of emergency due to the split of the free states. V isnt just refusing a job, he's refusing to become an employee of a hostile foreign government. Wasn't as good a choice as brett is making it out to be.

Yeah found it odd that people thought the new ending as the worst, I see it as the MOST hopeful. Seeing my V have that hopeful smile is so heartfelt after going through all the endings

I do agree that this is a great ending, if not the best! However, because of a glitch that would make V bald, I was not able to take the cutscene seriously.

Great analysis! This is my favorite ending, it’s just so fitting for the world of cyberpunk.

As long as you are alive, you can continue to make choices. As long as you have the power to choose, you can write your own destiny. And thats why I think V will ultimately be okay. They will make new friends, forge new paths. This ending is the manifestation of "In Cyberpunk, it isnt about saving humanity. It's about saving yourself."

An excellent analysis and it made me connected something that I didn't expect to connect. Depending on how they choose to handle the sequel, the new ending both presents an interesting situation on in universe political level with Yorinobu purging his surviving family and fully controlling Arasaka and its aftereffects but also puts V on a similar position with Neuromancer's protagonist, Case. His system is burned and can't live the life he led which makes him considerably "moody" but then a mysterious benefactor presents a way to return to the life he knew and enjoy for a job.

The best ending if you have good relations with Johnny and Panam is to give over songbird at the spaceport, say that you don’t want a cure in return and then go with the Aldecaldos. V and Johnny gets to stick it to Arasaka one last time and they both get to go with their loved ones. Either that or become a legend/give Johnny your body. Also I can’t accept any ending where Smasher doesn’t die.

Just got this ending just messing around with phantom liberty, it was very depressing indeed. Only because it felt so real and the phone call from Mitch was a gut wrencher

Thanks for this video. Its refreshing, for me, to find someone properly explaining and presenting the points on how this ending, while sad, and tragic, is also the best ending for V. yes, he losses his old friends, and losses that old feeling of power. yet it hit me, V is young, mid 20s by this time, and with already an offer for work and pay , its a damn good 2nd chance at life.

Everyone wanted that ending where v gets to live, no one realized that would be the most bitter sweet ending of all

I agree with the Hope for V to have a better life but i still view it as a sad ending. V's body is damaged and has the hope to now live a long life, but to refer again to the Dexter DeShawn conversation. when V replies "Night City doesnt let nobodies survive" its the same for V too. in this new ending we even see two low level gangoons beat up V with no issue and in my view its foretelling of this new ending. An ending even sadder then some of the base ones hes lost everything and the city has changed, V is now a nobody and Night city doesnt let Mr. nobody walk away not here. P.S very good video

the thing of it is - sometimes you have to recognize when to let your dreams go so you can make space for new, exciting unknowns.

I just got this ending recently, and is probably my favorite. The heartfelt talk with Johnny if you have a good relationship with him hit me like a freight train. Plus when I got this ending, I immediately thought about that conversation with DeShawn

My first main valerie was a nomad v with minimal cybernetics installed having to use an old style hand held radio for communications and with the new ending allpw fpr even greater role play where valery was a very deep cover nusa fia agent placed in the baker gang which was force to reak up and amgumate into snake nation. At that point v could also be role played as having orders to go even more deeply under cover to go into night city to distablized arasoka. Could also explaimed why som mi had v personal phone number. The new ending could also work for street kid v because the spend 2 years away from night city sound like which sounds about right time for some college amd to recuited as a sleeper agent for nusa?

To me, the thing that was saddest about this ending was the same as the legend ending, and that is that while you have a lot of potential and arguably that shred of hope l, so many more seem to fall by the wayside. In the legend ending you have what you wanted more or less but it's so clear that the cost has been extreme. Your romantic partner isn't happy, you're still pushing for 'one more job', and it really is a gilded cage you built. In the new ending many of the people you contact have fallen into very unhappy places and while it may suck to be told they are busy- for a lot of them it didn't strike me as 'aw man fuck that guy' as much as 'damn this city ate them alive.' Nothing really drive that home harder than Vic. He'd just lost too much, seen too much. Going from the guy who stayed to his own course and provided a lot of help and sage advice to people (I've never confirmed it but when several NPCs talk about seeking advice from a ripper, particularly in one badlands cyber psycho scenario, it really sounds like it's Vic's advice) to a guy who got so tired of losing people, and so burnt out by that loss that he gave up. Most of the ones who seem to have done well in any ending are the ones who got out, got away. The hardest lesson to learn is how deeply that siren song affected so many people.

This Video is a masterpiece, cant wait for your analysis of songbird and any other you'd make.

This guy gets it, this new ending was mind blowing... i'll be obsessing over this ending for years. I was completely taken by suprise with what unfolded in the end.