For those who have completed more than one playthrough: Which of V’s three lifepaths — NOMAD, STREETKID, or CORPO — do you feel offers the most narrative weight and meaningful character development throughout the main story?
I’m curious how each lifepath influenced your experience with V’s story, choices, and relationships. Feel free to expand your thoughts in the comments!
34 Comments
I did Corpo but never felt like my choice mattered. I pretty much always chose the corpo dialogue option but im not sure it changed anything. V just gave insight to how Arasaka operated. I think i missed out on an achievement because of it tho.
Street kid or nomad, probably nomad
But they’re all pretty similar in weight, it’s not a noticeable difference
The only correct way to play this game is street kid > corpo > nomad > repeat
I’m probably biased, but Corpo path holds the biggest development and probably the best Cyberpunk redemption too. From deposed corpo slave to eventually sticking it to them and dying on your own terms (this of course depends on which ending you pick)
I went into the game blind (didnt know much of anything about the universe other than corpos were the bad guy) and picked the corpo path because it seemed the most intriguing. The intro drew me in, with its political string pulling and inner corporation politics. The AV ride to Lizzie’s to meet Jackie was peak Cyberpunk aesthetic. I think the intro did the best in drawing you into the world. It was fast and hit its beats the best imo.
It also has the best V/Jackie relationship. Like 2 childhood friends that stuck together despite their lives going in different directions. >!Jackie’s death in the corpo path is the most impactful imo!<
I really feel like the choices are kinda irrelevant and don’t offer anything uniquely significant. However, for role play purposes I like the corpo path the best, you essentially just start out a street kid no matter what you choose.
I wish they put these type of opening with the Witcher 4
woulda been cool to start in dogtown in one of them
Corpo, b/c that’s the anti-Johnny path offering reciprocal story arcs.
In terms of dialogue it is all flavour, only difference is that streetkid gets extra quest for ugly jacket, corpo gets extra quest for a pistol and nomad gets extra quest to get the best car (Rattler is the best car fite me). I like all three of those paths for different reason, and I feel like corpo has the most unique lines.
after 11 playthroughs my opinion is corpo and streetkid with streetkid taking the top spot by a tiny bit just in my book
All three are good. 🤷♂️
Like, they really are all good. They don’t effect a LOT in the game overall, just mostly dialogue, so it just depends on what your character head canon is really.
Personally, I like Nomad the best but feel Streetkid is probably the closest to the “canonical” life path.
I think each can have their own impactful through line, depending on what ending you do, and how you get there.
Nomad is my favourite start, and I see V’s time in Night City as a kind of Purgatory after the spiritual death of their clan. Then finding a new family with Panam and the Aldecaldos. And doing their ending V escapes Purgatory and is reborn having gone full circle starting a Nomad, finding their true self in Night City, and ending a Nomad.
For Corpo, I see it more as someone who was forced into destructive self reliance, learning there is good in the world, and good people in it, and how to trust those people. Learning to trust Johnny, and the connections he’s made, trusting him to take the wheel of your body and assault the tower with Rogue.
Street kid is the one I’ve thought about the least, but I think don’t fear the reaper fits the narrative well. They say Night City will chew you up, and spit you out. The street kid is a story of persisting through The Horrors of whatever the beast that is Night City can throw at you, standing in the face of that and coming out on top.
What’s that 4th pic to the right?? Was there supposed to be a 4th one?
All of them
IMO it depends on your role playing and ending. I do think Corpo and Street Kid are the most thematic though. My fav is a street kid.
Playing as a nomad with the nomad ending is a rejection of Night City. That can work for you or not. If you consider the city another character, Sex and the City style, that ending feels off to me, like if Carrie had stayed in Paris. But I guess I’m an NC choom.
I’m a fan of the nomad path: it shows life outside the city, introduces the player to dealing with corpos and how intertwined they are with the city’s bureaucracy, and allows the player to roleplay as someone new to the city, which they are.
I like starting Corpo and ending Nomad. It feels like you go through an entire arc.
You start off corporate and cutthroat only to be disposed off, then Jackie takes you in and you live your street kid life. That ends when you lose your only friend, which leaves V adrift and seeing how hollow that life truly is. Trying to survive leads you to meeting the Aldocaldos and seeing how they’re a family. The game ends by finally finding a home with Panam and leaving Night City behind.
I actually haven’t played corpo lifepath yet because I’ve done literally everything else in the game and can’t decide if I wanna do male v corpo life path or female v corpo path
Substance over Style
For me it’s 3 different stories, from less to more V’s development:
Streetkid V always wanted to be a legend. He’s a samurai fan as well. So he becomes besties with Johnny. Then they raid saka tower on their own and becomes a fookin legend. Accomplishes his/her dream
Nomad V goes to night city looking for opportunities, fucks up, and leaves NC with the Aldecaldos. Alternatively, realises (s)he’s fucked and gives Johnny the opportunity he earned.
Corpo V, can go thru all imo, contains the most narrative and choices in RP terms:
Can be a loyal dog like takemura and it’s alright (no development at all, devil ending)
Realises that NC’s shit, learns about having a real Home/family and tries something entirely new, going with the caldos
Turns the table and raids saka on their own
Knowing how the corpos move, can start from scratch and have a peaceful life after getting cured with reed
In fact, reed’s ending can be a kinda happy and hopeful ending for V, if Corpo.
I like going corpo and then ditching Night City with the Aldecaldos. It feels like you go through all 3 life paths.
none. life paths do not and never will matter in this game. such a stupid question
I personally liked the nomad. Street kid didn’t really resonate with me.. but I would bet that cdpr thought of the corpo one as the best. You can just tell by that opening sequence where it ride the train and take a scenic tour of Night City.. I still thought snuggling with Jackie was the funnest
Corpo. That starting point is a more dimensional turn for V’s character, compared to Nomad and Streetkid. In Corpo, you start out with Arasaka and being used to luxury just to land flat on your ass. The other two life paths are used the dirty work already and aren’t falling from a high place. I thought I’d despise Corpo because I’m against that coldness in real life – but I can really empathize with trying to keep up with appearances and working my way up just to be fucked over and have my whole worldview shift – so I actually really enjoy that path. However, I wish the Corpo dialogue wasn’t so brutal at times like if you use it during check in for the Heist. The choice seemed neutral but then V goes totally bitchy 🫠😭
Corpo always seems best story wise imo. Disgruntled ex employee who already has a personal motivation to fuck over arasaka
Corpo always seemed the best fit narratively for me….
I have 2 V’s very dear to me. One of them is Corpo + The Star ending which I think is a super interesting combo (abandoning everything from their past life and leaving with Panam) and the other is Street Kid + DFTR (No romance, wanting to be a legend in NC). I think the genius in CD Projekt writing of the life paths is that there is really no obvious choice, it’s really dependent on how you are role playing your character that even gives the life path its meaning.
Depends, I think it’s either nomad or corpo, with nomad (if you choose it on your 1st playthrough) both you and V are on even grounds, you are both entering night city for the first time, ready to make your own place on the city of dreams, also Nomad has some really cool dialogues >! Like in phantom liberty, if you betray reed when you ship sobgbird to space there’s a nomad dialogue option that says something amongst the lines of “now you are going to be truly free” !<
But for me in particular corpo is the best lifepath, you start as a slave to none other but arasaka, which allows you to get some insight on how corporations work from the inside (nothing you couldnt learn from johnny but it’s cool seeing it firsthand) also if you choose corpo and choose the ending you join the aldecaldos you basically get the “full cyberpunk experience” you start as a corpo, live as a streetkid thanks to jackie, and die a nomad surrounded by a clan that welcomed you (also corpo V is a fucking menace, i love how you can just be an asshole)
Corpo
Streetkid to night city legend is kinda overdone. Corpo slave who gets burned and thrown out like trash only to end up clawing their way back to the top is a hell of a story.
And I like the nomad path just because I like nomads and their cultures.
I mean I’m pretty sure narratively V is a street kid
Corpo so you can tell a group of people to fuck off in Phantom Liberty
I think Corpo was the devs favorite child and they neglected nomad a bit much. Really hope they weigh it out better next time
imma go with corpo
What’s the fourth one?