News video games 15 April 2021, 18:44

Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 1.2 May Have Added Story DLC Elements

A fan rummaging through the files of Cyberpunk 2077 has discovered that after patch 1.2, a number of new mentions of unavailable missions have appeared in the code. Presumably these are related to an unannounced story DLC.

IN A NUTSHELL:

A fan has found new references to unavailable adventures in the game files;
They are marked as Episode 1, which suggests that they are missions from an uannounced DLC;
Some of these references already appeared in the release version of the game, but the number of such elements increased dramatically after patch 1.2

The end of March saw the release of the massive patch 1.2 for Cyberpunk 2077, which improved many aspects of the game, but it turns out that the update may have also quietly introduced elements of the upcoming DLC.

A fan known as romulus_is_here came to this conclusion after using CP77Tools to examine the game's files, specifically the adventure data archives. He discovered that after installing patch 1.2 mentions of new missions appeared, included in the so-called Episode 1.

In an interview with Eurogamer, romulus_is_here explained that the game's quests are divided into three categories - prologue, first part and epilogue, including quests numbered from q001 to q204. However, he also managed to find, among others, quest q301. This name suggests that it exists outside the current adventure structure. On top of that, it is hidden in the locations folder and is labeled "story-ep1", which suggests the first episode of a new story DLC.

Some of these elements have been present in the game for a long time, but their number has significantly inreased after the update. In version 1.03 (the release version) of the game, a data search for "ep1" brings only five results, while with patch 1.2 there are 220. This clearly shows that CD Projekt RED is quietly laying the groundwork for something new, and Episode 1 being a DLC seems the most likely explanation.

Spoiler alert!

Below we describe the story fragments related to the adventures that may appear in the DLC. All in all, these are just scraps of information, so they're unlikely to spoil your fun, but we'd rather warn those who don't tolerate any spoilers.

When digging through these ep1 files, you'll find text references to missions that aren't currently available in the game. Many have only temporary descriptions that don't mean anything, but others have quest objectives and elements of story background. They include, for example, a conversation between two characters about a person named Wagner and a reference to a hostage-taking incident by the Kurtz Militia. There are also fragments about a bomb in a swimming pool and an order to find a netrunners' hideout.

One of the missions has a full description. In it, the player must rescue one Anthony Anderson from the hands of the Scavengers gang. During the quest, we will visit a new location known as Newcomer Haven, which is an unfinished church that was converted into a hostel. We will receive this order from the fixer known as Mr. Hands.

Romulus_is_here believes that most of the adventures in Episode 1 will take place in Pacifica, with Mr. Hands playing a key role in many of them. In addition, the files also contain elements that expand on the adventures from the main story campaign.

Eurogamer asked for a comment from CD Projekt RED, but the devs didn't want to make a statement on this matter. Therefore, all this information should be approached with caution until the official announcement of the DLC. However, considering the number of new mentions of ep1 that appeared in patch 1.2, something is definitely up.