The best time to start the Phantom Liberty expansion in Cyberpunk 2077 depends on your preferred experience:
- If you want to play through the entire base game and then start Phantom Liberty, you should begin it right after completing the main story mission "Transmission," which occurs late in Act 2. After finishing "Transmission," you'll receive a call that starts the first Phantom Liberty mission "Dog Eat Dog." This gives about 20 hours of base game play before starting the expansion.
- For an immersive experience integrating both stories smoothly, the ideal time is after you reach the main quest "Nocturne Op55N1," which is the point of no return before the game's ending. Starting Phantom Liberty after this quest lets you avoid missing out on base game content due to Phantom Liberty's branching endings.
- You can also start Phantom Liberty from an old save between "Transmission" and "Nocturne Op55N1," and the expansion content will trigger as a phone call.
- Alternatively, you can skip to Phantom Liberty immediately from the main menu by choosing "New Game" and "Skip Ahead To Phantom Liberty," starting at level 15 with some preset equipment.
In summary, if you want the full base game experience first, start Phantom Liberty after the "Transmission" mission in late Act 2; but if you want to experience it with the best narrative flow and avoid missing content, start after "Nocturne Op55N1," the point of no return in the story.
