Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty endings explained
Plus a handy flowchart for how to reach every ending in Phantom Liberty
Looking for a walkthrough of all the different Phantom Liberty endings and how they differ from one another? Cyberpunk 2077 already had a selection of different endings to choose from when it launched back in 2020, but part of the incredible scope of the new Phantom Liberty expansion is that it adds even more endings to both the DLC storyline and the base game.
There's a wealth of different choices to make in Phantom Liberty, but only a couple of key choices matter when it comes to deciding which of the four (technically five) endings you'll receive. In this guide we'll walk you through each of the Phantom Liberty endings in great detail, including how to reach each ending, and the consequences of your choices for each of the characters involved.
All Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty endings
The story of Phantom Liberty can end in five different ways (including an unnamed early ending), depending on the choices you make regarding the two main characters of the DLC: Solomon Reed, and Song So Mi (Songbird).
To help you visualise the path and choices you have to take to reach each ending, we've put together a handy flowchart of all the different Phantom Liberty endings:
The five possible Phantom Liberty endings are:
- King Of Wands: Side with Songbird and kill Reed.
- King Of Swords: Help Songbird escape but then hand her to Reed.
- King Of Pentacles: Help Reed capture Songbird, and refuse to help her die.
- King Of Cups: Help Reed capture Songbird, then help her die.
- Unnamed fifth ending: Same as King Of Swords, but refuse Reed's help afterwards.
Below we'll go over each of these endings in more detail, explaining exactly how to reach each ending and what the endings mean for the various characters involved in both Phantom Liberty's story and the wider world of Cyberpunk 2077.
How to get the King Of Wands ending
To get the King Of Wands ending, follow these steps:
- During Firestarter, choose "I'm with you." (Help Songbird escape).
- During Killing Moon, choose "Time to go, So Mi." (Pick up Songbird).
- When Reed confronts you, choose "Reed, dammit!" or Draw Weapon.
King Of Wands ending explained
The King Of Wands ending is not exactly positive in outlook, but it's perhaps more positive than any of the other endings in Phantom Liberty. In this ending, you side fully with So Mi and help her to both escape Reed's clutches and begin a new life free from control and persecution.
The downside is of course that you are forced to kill Reed during your standoff at the end of the mission Killing Moon. But honestly, he didn't give you much of a choice. Neither he nor V were gonna back down. On the bright side, you get Reed's iconic tech pistol, the Pariah.
After killing Reed you'll carry So Mi into the shuttle and prep her for a Luna-bound takeoff. Then you'll watch the rocket disappear, chatting to Johnny about the choices you all made that led to this point. Following this are two short missions: Unfinished Sympathy, where you talk to Alex and she reveals that her last job was to kill V, but she won't bother because she knows V will die within half a year anyway; and From Her To Eternity, where So Mi gets in contact and leads you to a Metal Pin from Tycho on Luna, confirming that So Mi is alive and well. You also can pick up So Mi's iconic Quantum Tuner.
The other price to pay for So Mi's happy ending is that, as Johnny mentions, you can kiss goodbye any chance of a cure from the Phantom Liberty storyline. This is one of the two full endings which don't offer you the alternative Tower ending path for the entire base game (the other ending being the King Of Cups). This means after you finish Killing Moon and the next two missions (Unfinished Sympathy and From Her To Eternity), the Phantom Liberty story will end and you can continue to play the base game of Cyberpunk 2077.
How to get the King Of Swords ending
To get the King Of Swords ending, here's what to do:
- During Firestarter, choose "I'm with you." (Help Songbird escape).
- During Killing Moon, choose "Reed'll take care of you." (Call Reed).
Alternatively:
- During Firestarter, choose "I'm with you." (Help Songbird escape).
- During Killing Moon, choose "Time to go, So Mi." (Pick up Songbird).
- When Reed confronts you, choose "All yours, but you'll help me live on." (Holster weapon).
King Of Swords ending explained
The King Of Swords ending is the one that takes place when you help So Mi escape during the Firestarter mission, but then hand her over to Reed during Killing Moon. You'll watch Reed carry So Mi over to the NUSA shuttle and disappear.
A few days later, V will receive a call from Reed asking to meet face-to-face. He'll say that he's leaving Night City but wanted to first ask why Songbird contacted V rather than him at the beginning. V's choice of response doesn't change anything except how that conversation pans out. Reed will then leave with a promise that the surgery to cure your Johhnification Syndrome will happen soon.
With this done, you'll receive the King Of Swords achievement and officially end the Phantom Liberty expansion. However, that's not all there is to the story, because your actions in this path have unlocked an optional alternative ending to the base Cyberpunk 2077 game, called The Tower.
How to get the King Of Pentacles ending
To get the King Of Pentacles ending, here are the steps to follow:
- During Firestarter, choose "One more second..." (Help Reed capture Songbird).
- During Somewhat Damaged, choose "That's not a solution!".
- Then choose "Won't do it." (Spare So Mi).
King Of Pentacles ending explained
The King Of Pentacles ending is a very... heavy ending. In this story path, V helps Reed to capture So Mi during Firestarter, and then refuses to help So Mi die when they find her as essentially an enslaved piece of Blackwall machinery.
After this, you'll talk to Reed in the mission Four Score And Seven, where Reed will question everything that has happened and what it says about himself. He'll ask V whether they think Reed should return to DC.
Either way, V can choose whether to progress with the Cyberpunk 2077 base story as normal, or to complete the optional missions progress to the missions Who Wants To Live Forever and Things Done Changed in order to unlock the secret Tower ending to Cyberpunk 2077.
How to get the King Of Cups ending
To get the King Of Cups ending, here's what you must do:
- During Firestarter, choose "One more second..." (Help Reed capture Songbird).
- During Somewhat Damaged, choose "OK. I'll do it." (Kill So Mi).
Alternatively:
- During Firestarter, choose "One more second..." (Help Reed capture Songbird).
- During Somewhat Damaged, choose "That's not a solution!".
- Then choose "Fine." (Kill So Mi).
King Of Cups ending explained
The King Of Cups ending is what you get if you help Reed capture Songbird during Firestarter, but then end So Mi's suffering by killing her in Somewhat Damaged. This is one of the two main endings to Phantom Liberty which doesn't involve you getting cured, and doesn't unlock the optional Tower ending to the base Cyberpunk 2077 story.
The last Phantom Liberty mission you receive after killing So Mi in Somewhat Damaged is Leave In Silence. During this mission, V drives with Reed to a meet with Myers, where V is awarded a NUSA badge of honor for their work capturing Songbird, And a scant 5,000 credits, indicating just how disappointed Myers is with V's actions helping So Mi die.
After that, V has one last conversation with Reed before the end credits for Phantom Liberty roll. But don't worry - you'll be plopped back in Night City afterwards, free to continue the base Cyberpunk 2077 storyline.
How to get the fifth "ending"
To get the unnamed fifth ending in Phantom Liberty, here's what to do:
- During Firestarter, choose "I'm with you." (Help Songbird escape).
- During Killing Moon, choose "Time to go, So Mi." (Pick up Songbird).
- When Reed confronts you, choose "Take her. Don't want nothin' in return." (Holster weapon).
Fifth "ending" explained
This fifth ending is not really a proper ending to Phantom Liberty. It occurs if you help Songbird escape in Firestarter, then pick up Songbird during Killing Moon, but specifically choose the option "Take her. Don't want nothin' in return." when confronted by Reed at the shuttle.
All this means is that Reed won't contact you after he disappears with So Mi. So you won't get access to the next mission in Phantom Liberty, effectively ending the DLC early. Not exactly a satisfying ending, and one that you'll probably want to avoid if you want to experience everything that Phantom Liberty has to offer.
Cyberpunk 2077 Tower ending
If you opt for either the King Of Swords or the King Of Pentacles ending to Phantom Liberty, then after the credits roll for the DLC you'll be able to access an optional extra ending to the entire Cyberpunk 2077 story, replacing the traditional ending which begins with the mission Nocturne OP55N1. This is known as the "Tower ending", and includes two optional Phantom Liberty missions:
- Who Wants To Live Forever
- Things Done Changed
Over the course of these two missions, V leaves Night City for the surgery to cure them of their terminal Johnny-virus. When they awake, Reed explains to them that two years have passed, and that the surgery was a success, but they have lost all their cyberware, ending their career as a mercenary.
V is given the chance to contact various old friends, including the four Cyberpunk 2077 romance options: Judy, Panam, River, and Kerry. They've all moved on in different ways over the past two years, leaving V behind:
- Judy has married a girl called Bianca, and they live together in Pittsburgh.
- Panam left Night City and doesn't answer her phone.
- River sold police intel to Trauma Team for money for Randy's rehab, and refuses to see V.
- Kerry's fame has grown, and he's too busy to see V.
Only Viktor agrees to see V at his clinic, where he catches V up a bit more about the state of the world since two years ago, and confirms that nothing can be done about V's inability to use cyberware going forward.
After leaving Viktor's clinic, V is jumped by two thugs, and without cyberware cannot defend themself against the attack. V is later helped out by Misty, who leaves V with a vaguely positive note - that she's confident V can figure out their life no matter what, even if they're just "a face in the crowd".
That's all four (or five) of the unique Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty endings explained, along with the exact choices you need to make to reach each one. If you want to start a new game, check out our guide on how to start Phantom Liberty. Or for more information on Cyberpunk in general, consult our Cyberpunk 2077 walkthrough.