Cyberpunk 2077 Includes Three Origin Stories And Starting Locations

In Cyberpunk 2077, you will have three origin stories to choose from at character creation, each featuring a different starting location. 

Lead quest designer Paweł Sasko detailed the system in a recent chat with VG247. These options, which CD Projekt Red calls "lifepaths," provide players with three unique prologue experiences. For those familiar with Dragon Age: Origins, lifepaths sound similar to the six origins players could select at the start of the game. This choice included a playable prologue that laid the foundation for your character and had a far-reaching impact on dialogue and plot progression.

"The player in Cyberpunk 2077 can create a custom character that has one of three origin stories, that we call lifepaths: you can be Nomad, Corpo or Street Kid," said Sasko. "Each of that Lifepaths has a different starting location and story background that are strongly connected with the origin story."

Based on Sasko's previous discussion with VG247 at E3, the Nomad character will hail from the Badlands, the wasted expanse surrounding Night City. "You can be one of the nomads as a player and you can start there, being part of a family of the Nomads," Sasko revealed. "You could call them a tribe that is living in cars and they're just driving over Badlands. They're doing various jobs for fixers, and for people in the city, and doing various deals." 

Though CD Projekt Red has not provided information on the other starting locations, the Corpo path may feature a backstory tied to one of the setting's megacorporations. Street Kid, as the name suggests, likely hails from the slums. The Cyberpunk 2077 team also hopes to include transgender and non-binary options as part of their character creator, though the details remain vague. According to quest director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, their goal is to give players as many customization options as possible through body types, facial features, and voice selection.

Cyberpunk 2077 releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on April 16, 2020.