I wanted to challenge myself and see if it’s possible to complete a full run of the base game as a "pure human," exactly as Garry the Prophet would want. That means no cyberware, no spent attribute points, and no skill points. I wanted to share my experience and some surprising findings from this minimalist run.
The only "exception" I made was the Tyger Claws tattoo for smart weapons. Since it costs 0 cyberware capacity, I consider it just a tattoo that links your eyes to the weapon's smart link. My entire build revolved around guns anyway, and I didn't want to lock myself out of an entire weapon class. Plus, for one of El Capitan’s vehicle contracts, smart weapons were practically mandatory because my lack of armor made car chases a death sentence.
The biggest challenge was the lack of defense. My max armor was only 91, which isn't even enough for a basic street brawl on the highest difficulty. V was essentially a "two-hit kill" – and I think the only reason I survived the first hit was because of the game’s built-in mercy mechanic. My strategy became: mark enemies and shoot them through walls, ceilings, and floors using Tech weapons. Interestingly, I felt like I leveled up faster this way. Because fights took longer and I had to cycle through many different weapons, I was likely gaining more XP per encounter than a standard "overpowered" build.
I also discovered a mechanic I never really noticed before: Recon grenades. They became my best friend because they highlight enemies through walls, making the Tech weapon strategy viable. Another lifesaver was the Fenrir SMG; its ability to disable enemy cyberware was the only way to deal with fast moving targets. Ironically, it even leveled up my Netrunning skill because the weapon applies a quickhack effect.
The biggest surprise? The "Beat on the Brat" boxing matches. I thought these would be impossible without Gorilla Arms or body stats, so I waited until Level 60. To my amazement, they are doable! The trick was circling the opponents and using heavy attacks to their back, which knocks them down and opens them up for more hits. Even the final fight with Razor Hughes followed this pattern.
Bosses were a different story. While early bosses were manageable, the later ones required specific tactics (or a bit of luck). Many bosses ended up glitching out during my repeated attempts—Sasquatch froze in place while I burned her down, and Oda got stuck behind a wall. I wasn't looking for exploits, but when you're made of paper and shooting hundreds of rounds into a boss, you take what you can get.
Adam Smasher was the ultimate wall. In a fair fight, I could only get him down to 70% before a single mistake ended the run. I ended up using a "dirty" tactic: I threw a Recon grenade near the arena entrance to highlight him before the fight officially started, then used Tech weapons to chip his health down to 7% through the wall. It wasn't the most honorable kill, but finding that solution on my own felt rewarding.
Overall, it was a brutal but refreshing way to play. If anyone is looking for a way to make Night City feel dangerous again, I highly recommend a Minimalist Run. Now, off to the DLC!