Cyberpunk 2077 is full of ambitious challenges, but one player, Reddit user uO___Ou, has taken it to a new level. Somehow, he managed to hit the game’s level cap before the opening credits rolled. Yes, before Act 1 even properly kicks off, their character, V, was already maxed out. It’s a bold achievement, but it gives air to an important question: why spend 40 hours grinding before the story even begins?
A Challenge Within Limits
After choosing one of the three prologue paths for V, Cyberpunk 2077 takes players into its story with a few unskippable missions. The opening credits don’t show up until after “The Information” and right before the “The Heist” mission. This means you are largely confined to Watson district for the early part of the game. Normally, the rest of Night City doesn’t open up until after completing “The Heist.”
But uO___Ou wasn’t about to let that stop them. Using an exploit, they escaped Watson early and headed straight to Pacifica—a district that’s supposed to be inaccessible this early in the game. According to their Reddit post, leaving Watson “doesn’t break the game” since most of the content outside the district remains locked until after “The Heist.” What’s unlocked, however, are fast travel points and, crucially, a farming spot at Batty’s Hotel in Pacifica.
Level 50 before the heist, that took so damn long.
byu/uO___Ou incyberpunkgame
The grind itself wasn’t quick or easy. Over 40 hours, they repeatedly farmed enemies at the hotel, using the game’s systems to rack up XP and level up.
Here’s how they described it:
- “There’s a decent farming spot in Watson, but it’s too slow, so you need to leave Watson with some exploit,” they explained.
- Once in Pacifica, they repeatedly farmed enemies at Batty’s Hotel, calling it “the best farming spot.”
- To maximize efficiency, they slept every in-game hour for the XP boost and cycled through different weapons for skill progression (and, likely, to keep from going insane).
Despite the monumental time investment, the player believes the process could be more smooth and faster. “If I did this more efficiently, it can take me less than 35 hours,” the user said, showing no signs of slowing down on their quest for bizarre in-game achievements.
Hitting the level cap this early in the game isn’t exactly practical. The time it takes you to finish the main story, you’ll usually have reached high levels without needing to grind for dozens of hours. But for some gamers, such challenges are good to test their limits—both for the game and themselves.
It’s also worth noting that grinding to the level cap at this stage probably makes the rest of the game seem unbalanced. With maxed-out stats, combat becomes so easy, and the progression that actually is the backbone of RPGs like Cyberpunk 2077 is pretty much gone.
Such tasks show the creativity and persistence of the gaming community. While most of us are content to get through the original tale while having fun in Night City, many think to try a different path (everyone has their own tastes)—sometimes a 40-hour grind-fest path.
Godspeed, uO___Ou, and good luck with your next absurd challenge.
