Cyberpunk 2077 Katana Build – Ninja Assassin

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Build Introduction to the Ninja Assassin

Welcome to a brand new Cyberpunk 2077 Build called the Ninja Assassin – a Katana-wielding, stealth specialist who can easily move in and out of the shadows undetected, silencing enemies via Blades, Takedown or Poison on a whim. While this build can avoid combat completely if you want, much of our Skill Trees focus on insane damage combos that can rip enemies to shreds in just a few seconds if you need to do so as well. So whether you like slicing and dicing or taking a pure stealth approach this build will guarantee a fun playthrough in Cyberpunk 2077!

In this guide we’ll cover everything you need to know to make it work including the primary attributes, best weapons, armor, cyberware, and all the best perks you’ll want to pick up, so let’s get started.

Starting Attributes

Alright, first let’s talking starting attributes. Our primary focuses on this build will of course be Katanas, and to a lesser extent, Knives. Both weapons reside in the Blades Skill Tree which increases through the Reflex Attribute. So you’ll want to put three early attribute points into Reflexes for a total of 6.

The next primary attribute we’ll want to invest in is the Cool Attribute. This powers both our Ninjutsu (formerly Stealth) Skill Tree and the Cold Blood Skill Tree making this build both elusive and destructive in combat if need be. We will want to add three more starting attributes into Cool for a total of 6 points in this attribute as well.

Your final starting attribute point is up to you but I recommend placing that point into the Body attribute. We will eventually put several more points into Body for some great perks found in Athletics.

Suggested Starting Stats.

Attribute Progression

You’ll earn 49 additional Attribute points throughout your journey to level 50 in Cyberpunk 2077. The recommended distribution for The Ninja Assassin Build is as follows:

Body: 20 (+16)
Reflexes: 20 (+14)
Tech: 8 (+5)
Int: 3
Cool: 20 (+14)

Life Path

Your Life Path choice is up to you, but for me, in my mind, the Ninja Assassin works best with a Corpo Life Path character. There’s just something about a cleanly pressed suit and a sharp blade that screams Ninja to me.

Starting as a Corpo will give you access to some unique Corporation themed dialog options. Great for those that want to roleplay a dark personality with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove.

Weapons And Gear

Let’s talk Weapons and Gear next.

In terms of weaponry, this build will focus almost entirely on mastering the art of the Katana. While there are other Bladed weapon options in the game such as Mantis Blades or Knives, the Katanas available in Cyberpunk 2077 fit the theme of this build more than anything else. Not only that, but the many Iconic Katanas available have some very powerful and unique effects!

My personal favorite Iconic Katana is the Satori. This blade is available as part The Heist main mission early on in the game. Not only can this weapon do great base damage, but the Crit Damage multiplier is off the charts! This fantastic Katana serves as the centerpiece weapon for the Ninja Assassin build.

If you missed the Satori Katana during your playthrough, don’t worry – there are plenty of great Iconic Katanas available all over Night City. Another favorite option of mine is The Scalpel. This weapon is a unique Side quest reward so it’s not tied to any main mission pathway and can be obtained on any build.

Mods

The Ninja Assassin Build doesn’t require much in the way of fancy gear to be powerful, however, this build can get quite a bit stronger with the right weapon and armor mods. My favorite armor mod by far for this build is the Fortuna, which increases your overall Crit Chance. This synergizes well with the Satori Katana’s insane Crit Damage stat and can be equipped in any clothing item’s open mod slot.

There is a wide variety of weapon mods that can be added to your Katanas as well, but again, focusing on the Crit Chance and Crit Damage stats will most likely be the strongest way to build on this Ninja-esque setup. An easy to get option for this mod slot will be the White-Knuckled mod which further increases your build’s Crit Chance.

Cyberware

Moving on to Cyberware next.

The centerpiece cyberware option for this build will be the Sandevistan. Multiple different forms and rarities of the Sandevistan exist in Cyberpunk 2077, available from different manufacturers. The exact model you pick up does not make a huge difference, though higher quality pieces will grant you better stats and more time spent in Time Dilation mode.

Speaking of Time Dilation, this effect from the Sandevistan is absolutely brutal when combined with the high Critical Damage this build can put out. Simply enter Time Dilation mode, then sprint and Slice your way through every target on the battlefield.

Some other great options for this build are the more defensive Cyberware items like Dermal Plating – this can be found in all different strengths and rarities that give you higher innate armor rating. Other forms of subdermal armor give you protection from specific status effects like the Fireproof coating which protects you from Burn. As a melee focused build, any extra innate defenses you can get will be helpful.

Within the Skeletal System, titanium bones and the Synaptic Signal Optimizer are great options for the increased Carrying Weight and Bonus Health.

 

The Sandevistan is one of the most powerful types of active cyberware in the game.

Some other great options for this build are the more defensive Cyberware items like Dermal Plating – this can be found in all different strengths and rarities that give you higher innate armor rating. Other forms of subdermal armor give you protection from specific status effects like the Fireproof coating which protects you from Burn. As a melee focused build, any extra innate defenses you can get will be helpful.

Within the Skeletal System, titanium bones and the Synaptic Signal Optimizer are great options for the increased Carrying Weight and Bonus Health.

Under Optics, the Keroshi implant can be further modded for Crit Chance using the Weakspot Detection mod.

Your Keroshi Optics can be modded for higher Crit Chance by using Weakspot Detection.

Skills And Perks

Moving on to Skills and Perks next, we have quite a bit to cover in this section involving Athletics, Blades, Stealth, and Cold Blood. I’m going to go through what I think are the most important Perks to pick up so you can plan ahead. Keep in mind that this is just what I recommend and you can obviously mix and match the Perks you prefer to suit your playstyle.

Recommended Blades Perks

The Blades Skill Tree includes all of our combat related Perks for using Katanas as well as a few movement and defensive oriented Perks which will be equally as useful.

For the complete list of updated Blades Perks be sure to check out our Blades Perk Guide.

LEVEL 1
NAME EFFECT
Roaring Waters Strong Attacks with Blades deal (10% | 20% | 30%) more damage. (3 Ranks)
Sting Like A Bee Increases attack speed with Blades by (10% | 20% | 30%). (3 Ranks)
LEVEL 4
NAME EFFECT
Crimson Dance Combos with Blades have a (15% | 30%) chance to apply Bleeding. (2 Ranks)
Slow And Steady Armor is increased by (15% | 30%) while moving. (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 6
NAME EFFECT
Flight Of The Sparrow Reduces the Stamina cost of all attacks with Blades by (30% | 50%). (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 8
NAME EFFECT
Stuck Pig Increases Bleeding duration by (3 | 6 | 10) seconds. (3 Ranks)
LEVEL 10
NAME EFFECT
Blessed Blade Increases Crit Chance with Blades by 10%.
Unbroken Spirit Successful Counterattacks with Blades restore 25% Health and Stamina.
LEVEL 12
NAME EFFECT
Float Like A Butterfly Dodging increases damage with Blades by (25% | 50%) for 5 seconds. (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 15
NAME EFFECT
Judge, Jury And Executioner Increases damage with Blades by (50% | 75% | 100%) against enemies with max Health. (3 Ranks)
LEVEL 18
NAME EFFECT
Deathbolt While wielding a Blade, defeating an enemy restores 20% Health and increases movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds.
Crimson Tide Bleeding applied with Blades can stack 3 times.
LEVEL 20
NAME EFFECT
Dragon Strike

Increases Crit Damage with Blades by 40%.

+1% per Perk level.

 

Recommended Athletics Perks

The Athletics Skill Tree is focused on physical tasks primarily such as running, jumping, shooting and reloading. Many Perks in this Skill Tree will improve your overall combat experience in Cyberpunk 2077.

For the complete list of updated Athletics Perks be sure to check out our Athletics Perk Guide.

LEVEL 1
NAME EFFECT
Pack Mule Increases Carrying Capacity by 60.
Regeneration Health slowly regenerates during combat.
LEVEL 5
NAME EFFECT
Invincible Increases max Health by (10% | 20% | 30%). (3 Ranks)
True Grit Increases max Stamina by (10% | 20% | 30%). (3 Ranks)
LEVEL 7
NAME EFFECT
Soft On Your Feet Reduces fall damage by (5% | 10% | 20%). (3 Ranks)
Epimorhosis Health regenerates up to (70% | 80% | 100%) of max Health outside of combat. (3 Ranks)
LEVEL 9
NAME EFFECT
Steel And Chrome Increases Melee Damage by (10% | 20%). (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 11
NAME EFFECT
Like A Butterfly Dodging does not drain Stamina.
LEVEL 12
NAME EFFECT
Cardio Cure Health regenerates 25% faster as you move.
LEVEL 14
NAME EFFECT
Marathoner Sprinting does not drain Stamina.
LEVEL 16
NAME EFFECT
Dog Of War Increases Health regeneration in combat by (15% | 30%). (2 Ranks)
Wolverine Health regeneration activates (50% | 90%) faster during combat. (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 18
NAME EFFECT
Steel Shell Increases Armor by 10%
LEVEL 20
NAME EFFECT
The Rock Enemies cannot knock you down.
Indestructible Reduces all incoming damage by 10%.

 

Recommended Ninjutsu Perks

The Ninjutsu (formerly Stealth) Skill Tree allows the Ninja Assassin build to move between encounters completely undetected if you wish. Sneak attacks and poisons also supplement our already deadly damage output.

For the complete list of updated Ninjutus Perks be sure to check out our Ninjutsu Perk Guide.

LEVEL 1
NAME EFFECT
Crouching Tiger Increases movement speed while sneaking by (20% | 40%). (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 5
Hidden Dragon Allows you to perform non-lethal aerial takedowns on unaware targets.
Dagger Dealer Allows you to throw knives.
LEVEL 7
NAME EFFECT
Strike From The Shadows Increases your Crit Chance by 15% while sneaking.
Assassin Deal 15% more damage to human enemies.
LEVEL 9
NAME EFFECT
Cutthroat Thrown knives deal (30% | 60%) more damage. (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 11
NAME EFFECT
Agressive Antitoxins Grants immunity to Poison.
LEVEL 12
NAME EFFECT
From The Shadows Upon entering combat, Crit Chance increases by (25% | 50%) for 7 seconds. (2 Ranks)
Ghost Detection time is increased by (20% | 40%). (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 14
NAME EFFECT
Venomous Fangs All knives apply Poison.
Rattlesnake Enemies affected by Poison are slowed.
LEVEL 16
NAME EFFECT
Restorative Shadows While in Stealth, increases Health regeneration by 25%.
Silent Finisher Enemies with less than 15% Health are defeated instantly when attacked with a Knife. Does not work on enemies with a Very High threat level.
LEVEL 18
NAME EFFECT
Corrosive Poison Poison now also affects drones, mechs and robots but with reduced effectiveness. Deal 20% more damage to poisoned enemies.
Cheat Death When your Health drops below 50%, reduce all incoming damage by 50% for 10 seconds. Cannot occur more than once per minute.
LEVEL 20
NAME EFFECT
Ninjutsu Crouch Attacks from stealth with melee weapons deal 100% more damage and guarantee a Crit Hit.

 

Recommended Cold Blood Perks

The Cold Blood Skill Tree will add to the overall speed, durability and damage of this build. With Cold Blood, the more kills you rack up in combat, the stronger you get!

For the complete list of updated Cold Blood Perks be sure to check out our Cold Blood Perks Guide.

LEVEL 1
NAME EFFECT
Cold Blood After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 7 seconds and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to (1 | 2 | 3) time(s). The duration of each additional stack is 1 second shorter. (3 Ranks)
LEVEL 5
NAME EFFECT
Will To Survive Increases all Resistances by (3% | 6%) per stack of Cold Blood. (2 Ranks)
Blood Brawl While Cold Blood is active, increases damage with melee weapons (5% | 10%). (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 9
NAME EFFECT
Defensive Clotting Increases Armor by (4% | 8%) per stack of Cold Blood. (2 Ranks)
Rapid Bloodflow Increase Health regeneration inside and outside of combat by (5% | 10%) per stack of Cold Blood. (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 11
NAME EFFECT
Coagulant Stacks of Cold Blood are removed one by one, not all at once.
LEVEL 12
NAME EFFECT
Predator Increases attack speed by (10% | 30%) per stack of Cold Blood. (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 14
NAME EFFECT
Cold And Calculating Landing a Crit Hit has a 50% chance of applying a stack of Cold Blood.
Pain Is An Illusion While Cold Blood is active, reduces damage taken by 5%.
LEVEL 16
NAME EFFECT
Coldest Blood Increases max stack for Cold Blood by (1 | 2).  (2 Ranks)
Critical Condition Increases duration of Cold Blood by (25% | 50%). (2 Ranks)
LEVEL 18
NAME EFFECT
Immunity Grants immunity to Bleeding, Poison, Burn and Shock when at least 4 stacks of Cold Blood are active.
LEVEL 20
NAME EFFECT
Bloodswell Upon receiving lethal damage while Cold Blood is active, prevents death, consumes all stacks of Cold Blood, restoring 10% Health per stack and grants Damage Immunity for 5 seconds. Player cannot gain Cold Blood while perk is active. Cooldown 15 seconds.
Merciless

While Cold Blood is active, increases Crit Chance by 5% and Crit Damage by 25%.

+1% Crit Chance and +3% Crit Damage per Perk level.

Pros And Cons

Let’s discuss what works well on this build as well as the potential challenges you will face.

Pros

This build does great initial damage, especially against a single target. If targets are spread out far enough you can even quickly stealth from one target to the next and remove each enemy while remaining undetected. The added stealth skills on this build give you greater options for completing content without killing enemies if you want.

Cons

In terms of disadvantages keep in mind that you don’t have much if any range damage on this build. You will need to sneak around or avoid high level snipers if possible.

Combat Tips

Finally, a few additional combat tips before you head out.

1) Attack from stealth around the edges of the battlefield at the start of an encounter to remove as many potential enemies as possible.

2) While in combat, remember to always be moving as your movement applies increased armor through the Slow and Steady Perk.

3) When facing off against multiple enemies, try using the Sandevistan to slow down time. Sprint between targets and finish off as many as possible before Time Dilation runs out!

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Hack The Minotaur (HTM) is a professional Gaming Blogger and Youtube Creator with decades of experience in Gaming. Hack is the owner of HackTheMinotaur.com – an Elder Scrolls focused site for character builds and guides, and now Cyberpunkcentral.com – your source for unique Cyberpunk 2077 guides, builds and more!

Hack loves gaming content, particularly Traditional RPG’s, Action RPG’s and MMO’s. Go check out his YouTube Channel for even more builds and guides on popular series like the Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Cyberpunk and make sure to check out his social media for updates on what content is coming next!

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