Reinstall for DLC. Old save files still around?

[patrixmc]

I played the game at launch. If I reinstall to play the DLC will my old save files still be available?

[Amanoob105]

Available? Yes.
Playable? Also yes, but depending on your luck they may be a little buggy.
Playable with the expansion? Not in the slightest.
The expansion was both made with and released after the 2.0 update went live so it has no clue how to work with any saves made before that point. If you want to play with the expansion also installed you will need to make a new V.

[Professor Gimpenstein]

My older files play just fine, as far as I can tell, but I may have lost stuff in the conversion to the newer game (I can't remember lol).

But I'd recommend making a new game anyways, cuz 2.0 makes the game so much more fun.

[Death Approaches]

welcome back, but Night City has evolved in v2 and you're not going to recognize yourself nor the perk trees... just make a new V, while you go through the states of grief for v1, because so much has changed it's almost like a different game, that just happens to look and sound exactly the same.

[Amanoob105]

Oh, I forgot. If you are going to (have to) make a new V you will likely find these useful.

This lets you find out (without doing it the hard way) how the new leveling process works as well as what all the abilities and perks within it now do.
You also get >1< respec for abilities (Tech, INT, Cool, etc), but the perks themselves can be refunded and respent pretty much at will.
https://www.cyberpunk.net/en/build-planner?a=33333&b=&r=&i=&t=&c=&e=
PL also adds an extra 10 levels to play with.

On top of that.
Cyberware has seen a fairly massive overhaul, so this would likely be useful for figuring out what any of it now does.
https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Cyberpunk_2077_Cyberware
And how a number of weapons now work is different to what it was. So this may be useful if you want to look up any old favourites to see if they're still how you remember them.
https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Cyberpunk_2077_Weapons
In both of the above cases PL again added in a load of new items.

[valium]

It is suggested that you create a new character for 2.0. If you already beat the game and want a head start, and have Phantom Liberty, you can create a new character that will have automatically completed the story up-to the point Phantom Liberty becomes available.

[patrixmc]

Ok, If I do start over can I just go directly to the DLC content? Or do I need to play thru the main story again?

[valium]

You can head straight to the DLC. I do not know what level they will put you at with the head start off-hand, but it should be more than enough to start straight away. You might want to put some thought into the build though, the beginning of the DLC hits you with some legitimately difficult fights.

[Blur]

better start new game and head straight to DLC when asked, you will be given some gear and level 10, but dont expect it to be easy tho

[Death Approaches]

I wouldn't consider directly, it'd wipe you if you try, it's meant as mid-game content, after you do your VDBs bit and exit the chapel, is usually when you get contacted by Songbird, you're gonna have a blast, literally, and by then, you'll have abilities and enough HP to have a chance to survive what's coming.

but v2 is much more frenetic, chaotic, you get in there and mix it up FAST, it's just overall a lot more fun and lots more button-pressing, but it takes some adjustment, so... every power times out faster and reset times longer, distances are shortened to you got to be up close and personal, even a netrunner has to get in there and snap a neck or choke someone out to reset traces... there's a constant ticking clock for nearly everything now.

perks and skills are cross-connected so you'll be switching weapons every few seconds, tossing quickhacks in sequences to stack effects and gain buffs, etc. as I said it's very different, but the same. starting over is best because it gives you a natural progression to learn this stuff... please READ EVERYTHING on weapons and perks and chrome and everything, cause it matters much more than it did in v1.

[Amanoob105]

Originally posted by patrixmc:

Ok, If I do start over can I just go directly to the DLC content? Or do I need to play thru the main story again?

The tradeoff of using the option to go straight to the DLC content is:
Any choices you would have been able to make for the story so far will be made for you.
You will be given preset Abilities (Tech, INT, Cool, etc), meaning if you don't like where they ended up you will be forced to use your one respec to "correct it".
You're given a bunch of fixed equipment, most of which will be low level.
You're given a bunch of fixed implants, again mostly low level.

All in all? Not a great deal. As valium said, starting the expansion area is going to shove you in the deep end pretty dam quickly and the above "starting gear" is going to leave your fairly under equipped for it with a loadout that'll most likely look like it got dressed in the dark while high on glitter.
Again, not a great deal.