Best ending - Secret Ending - Don't Fear the Reaper

[Shotgun Malise]

This has to be the best ending. As no one dies for your troubles, Johnny is happy, more importantly V is happy and is just living life the way the game portrays V. As a Mercenary going down and living the Merc Lifestyle to its max. V becomes what you have been doing throughout the entire game, side missions etc everything. A living legend.

It is to be noted, that no side quests would have been done if one has realized their life was soon to be ending. A straight path would have been towards finding the cure.

This ending has some slights, as Judy, Panam, leave you. The other love interests stay in Night City. But it just shows that Judy and Panams commitment to you is finicky. This also Highlights another ending, which Panam is used as a path way to her contacts for a cure. During this time, no contacts had been made from Panam, whom should have had ample time. Judy and Panam leaving you, during a time of crisis, does not sit well with me. V is no simp.

The best ending is Don't Fear the Reaper. As Johnny has been the only one with you through thick and thin, supporting you every way and does not get in your path or try to get you to deter your path from getting better. Johnny is your only true friend in the game. And no, Jacky is not your friend. Neither is Vic, and or Misty.

[Actalo]

It is the best ending, thematically (especially if you send Songbird to Moon), as it has V working for Mr. Blue Eyes and furthering the great AI conspiracy. V is basically and AI Engram inhabiting a human host with a six month lease.

However, like all the main campaign endings, it sucks for V. V is still Soulkilled and 'Altish' ate Johnny.

I wish we could do the Reaper ending but instead of self-sacrificing ourselves and letting Johnny be eaten and changed by the Megabitch AI Alt, we blow up Mikoshi, Alt, and Arasaka. Then go get cured by the NUSA but not before having a long, heartfelt goodbye to Johnny and letting Johnny finally die with dignity.

[r.linder]

My personal favourite ending is (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Temperance, because Johnny is more relatable and interesting of a character than V, and at least he can live in V's body without major issues or having to sell out to Mr. Blue Eyes.

[Shotgun Malise]

Originally posted by r.linder:

My personal favorite ending is (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Temperance, because Johnny is more relatable and interesting of a character than V, and at least he can live in V's body without major issues or having to sell out to Mr. Blue Eyes.

I have issues with this, as Johnny is ultimately rewarded with something he does not want. Neither does Johnny try to explain the situation to his friends. Resulting in the alienation and hurt of friends accusing him of something very devious.

Johnny gets a new lease in life, but at a cost. It is almost akin to the DLC ending. However it makes you wonder if Johnny is on the bus to find a solution, to get V back.

[Vela Darney]

From the pov of trying to find a way for V to live, the Temperance ending does make the most sense indeed. V's body is Johnny's, so he'll be able to survive in that body for a long, long time (until he does something stupid and gets himself flatlined). So, technically, if he found a way to put digital V somewhere safe on the net, where they could stay for quite a while, that would give Johnny basically all the time in the world to find a way to get a new body for V or find another solution. Kinda like the Devil ending, where V goes into Mikoshi, only with someone trying to find a solution who actually cares about V.

I honestly struggled when I had to decide who to send back to V's body. Ultimately, I decided to send back V cos I somehow grew fonder of my V than I'd thought I could and also - it was what Johnny wanted. Only thing V could give him, in the end - letting him keep the promise he'd made that he'd be the one to take the bullet.

Oh, as for Johnny not explaining to V's friends - I got a hunch that the first person he approached was Rogue. Now, with how she reacted to it, basically threatening to kill him if he ever showed his face in Night City again, I can't blame him for not trying to tell anyone else. Who knows what someone like Judy or Panam might do in the heat of the moment? Getting flatlined by a hothead like Panam after he'd just barely come back would totally defeat the purpose of V giving him their body, and make V's enormous sacrifice for nothing.

[Shotgun Malise]

Originally posted by Vela Darney:

From the pov of trying to find a way for V to live, the Temperance ending does make the most sense indeed. V's body is Johnny's, so he'll be able to survive in that body for a long, long time (until he does something stupid and gets himself flatlined). So, technically, if he found a way to put digital V somewhere safe on the net, where they could stay for quite a while, that would give Johnny basically all the time in the world to find a way to get a new body for V or find another solution. Kinda like the Devil ending, where V goes into Mikoshi, only with someone trying to find a solution who actually cares about V.

I forgot about that ending. Did you get Johnny appearing to look for V in the Devil ending? I had bits of where V saw Johnny and heard Johnny. Even some parts where it appeared Johnny was looking for V.

As for Rogue threatening Johnny. It may have been some ploy so any Eyes on Johnny would deem him as left for good and or to be ambushed outside the city. It does not sit well that Johnny would not be watched after such a large attack. EG Panam's ending, where they fled the city.

Johnny was always good at conspiracies.

[Vela Darney]

Never played the Devil ending myself. Only watched it on Youtube and found it too depressing. V's pretty much in the same ♥♥♥♥♥♥ situation as before, only now they also gotta live with having "killed" Johnny - or at the very least, having handed him over back to Arasaka and to who knows what kind of stuff they might do with Johnny's engram now. Might not matter if you play V as hating Johnny, but if you're like me and consider Johnny a friend by the end of the game - you don't do that kind of thing to a friend.

I think Rogue was being serious with her threats. She's been kinda suspicious of Johnny throughout the entire game, probably saw more of his bad than his good sides back in the day. And from the Sun ending, we can safely assume that Rogue does like V enough to hand the Afterlife over to them, which is no small deal at all.

As for people - Arasaka - coming after Johnny or V after they attacked the Tower, I'd say it depends. In those endings where they do attack the Tower, it's Yorinobu who's left in charge and CEO of Arasaka. Now, Yorinobu's not exactly Arasaka's biggest fan, either. In fact, he's doing his best, after gaining power, to dismantle the corporation from the inside. So I guess it wouldn't be too far-fetched to consider that he might not be looking too hard after the people/person who basically gave him a hand and helped secure his position as head of Arasaka. You know, kind of an unspoken"thanks". But of course that's just speculation.

[EricHVela]

Judy and Panam keep an offer open to come find them. The Aldecaldos keep the offer open to ride with them.

Also, Path of Glory (the Sun) is the only ending that recaps V's life during the events of CP'77.

• Waking up in the penthouse always seen from V's H10 apartment (even in bad weather).
  
• Seeing all the knicknacks collected over the course of the game (including the iguana if collected and hatched).
  
• Seeing V's H10 apartment from a swanky flying Delemain.
  
• Being a legend of Afterlife just like Jackie wanted.
  
• Seeing everyone who was alive before (Don't Fear) The Reaper is still alive (including Nibbles who is not seen in any other ending).
  
• Getting a chance for a cure for completing an exciting and dangerous mission.

...and in the credits...

• All love interests are still interested.
  
• Aldecaldos are still willing to ride (meaning a second option at a cure if PoG doesn't work out).
  
• Everyone's proud and hopeful for V... though as per all not-bad endings, Mama Welles wants V to visit more.

It checks all the boxes.

...which more than likely means V's taking a final breath while having the ultimate fever dream before death.

That would fit the tone of CP'77 rather than all the warm fuzzies. I'll take it all the same. For a breath I tarry...

[Death Approaches]

"Best" is subjective to your mood. I love each and every one of them.

The "secret" one of course being the most Cyberpunk one, is probably my favourite.

I especially like the despair of the Arasaka ending, it was almost tangible... I hurt from it, and felt claustrophobic while doing it. I went "damn" out loug when it ended and got up and went for a walk. Not kidding. Out the door, and left. That's likely the ending most of us will have, someone will come in a room and give you the choice of two total scop options.

Although leaving NC as female V who romanced Judy, with Panam and the Aldecaldos was sweet, if depressing. But killing all those Militech dudes was fun, and you get to use the tank again.

The whole damn game is epic.

[Shotgun Malise]

Originally posted by Death Approaches:

"Best" is subjective to your mood. I love each and every one of them.

The "secret" one of course being the most Cyberpunk one, is probably my favourite.

I especially like the despair of the Arasaka ending, it was almost tangible... I hurt from it, and felt claustrophobic while doing it. I went "damn" out loug when it ended and got up and went for a walk. Not kidding. Out the door, and left. :arasaka: That's likely the ending most of us will have, someone will come in a room and give you the choice of two total scop options.

Although leaving NC as female V who romanced Judy, with Panam and the Aldecaldos was sweet, if depressing. But killing all those Militech dudes was fun, and you get to use the tank again.

The whole damn game is epic.

Secret ending is the best beneficial one, as no one else gets hurts for V's troubles and V can be seen as what I see V as. A person whom helps everyone but themselves last. The secret ending is Johnny's request ending. Probably one of the few things Johnny asks for in game.