CD Projekt Red just sorted out a huge vibe check situation on Cyberpunk players with the Dogtown tweet, and I am not even pulling their leg on this; the whole thing-aged reaction has been wild. The official Cyberpunk Game account described Dogtown as “the deadliest district of Night City,” in so much danger that even Trauma Team does not step in-which also makes it highly alluring for gamers to have delved into the Phantom Liberty expansion.
So what is this Dogtown really? According to CDPR, it’s a chaotic area where outcasts and desperate souls live, where danger sits around every corner. Yet, rather than scare players off, Dogtown has turned into a massive attraction that everyone just can’t stay away from. The tweet essentially challenged the players to unlock its “dark secrets” and “twisted charm.” And judging by the replies, well, the mission has successfully been accomplished.
The players are obsessed fiercely. Someone with a user account @HumbleEmpath stated, “The first time I walked into Dogtown, I just walked around for over an hour looking at every corner and exploring for hours before I did a single mission.” Now that is hardcore immersion! Another player, @aquelagibbles, said they love running around Dogtown on foot because the place allows “heavy parkour,” and the game rewards exploration-and honestly, that does sound like more fun than just going wherever the waypoints tell you to.
Love for Phantom Liberty is flowing everywhere. @ThoughtsIdea has called it “quite possibly, the greatest story expansion I’ve ever played,” and saying that is something with just how many DLCs are getting thrown out nowadays. @hexoarc felt right out and said that, “Dogtown feels like peak Night City,” and after listening to all these takes, it’s hard to say otherwise.
But interestingly, not everyone is having the same experience: a certain treat of argumentation erupted in reply to a party complaining about performance while a number of owners of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X were sitting there saying it runs “super smooth” on their systems. @evilblueluffy then replied to the complainer that they “must not take care of your consoles,” ouch. That feeling I suppose is the early days of console wars.
What’s really telling though is how many people are clamoring out for more content. @nathanielsquire says “can really do with another expansion to tie us over before Cyberpunk 2 (Orion) comes out,” while @Brianharld hopes for patch work centered on “Character Customization and NG+”-new game plus being absolutely a fairly usual suggestion nowadays among gamers.
There is also some running joke regarding which district is really the deadliest. @Phaskistaken argued that “the deadliest district of Night City is whatever one I’m currently at,” listing all the gangs they’ve come across; meanwhile, @71Duster360 argues they’ve “never once got run over by passing cars in Dogtown,” which, if you’ve ever played Cyberpunk, is an extraordinary achievement. The traffic in Night City is one of a kind, choom.
Meanwhile, the modding community is also making some noise, with @coranub proudly proclaiming to be “Running 1700 mods and loving the game!” which is equally very awesome and terrifying- that’s a lot of mods to keep track of.
What really stands out is how completely CDPR has managed to turn around Cyberpunk 2077’s reputation. Remember the rocky launch? And now you have players describing it as “great,” effectively thanking the developers “for giving a good lesson to other third games developers,” according to @NafroBoy. That is a hell of an about-turn for a game that had such a very problematic start.
Therefore, the Phantom Liberty expansion really fulfilled the desires Cyberpunk players had; more of that grimy, dangerous Night City atmosphere but with stakes raised high and better storytelling. Dogtown is not just another location; it now functions as a character in an own right, and players are actually forming genuine bonds with it. Which, whether it is those fun vertical gameplay options or the grounding tense atmosphere, or just plain evil, CDPR has managed to find something deep within the hearts of its player base.
With all the clamor already around the potential Cyberpunk 2, the franchise has cemented itself firmly in the hearts of gamers. The dark, twisted charm of Dogtown was precisely what was needed to keep these players hooked and with an insatiable hunger for more Bucket-night City adventures. Who would have ever thought that the deadliest district would become the most beloved? Probably, only in Cyberpunk.
