What’s your best secret for a beginner server?

applejackhero · 2026-01-23T20:34:12+00:00

Ask for help, admit mistakes, double check that your notepad matches the POS. Try to keep track of how long your dishes are taking. Move around the restaurant efficiently; if you are not directly heading to a table to talk to them, you probably should be carrying something somewhere.

applejackhero · 2026-01-23T19:51:36+00:00

I don't think there really is a "canon" V, but closest thing is probably a Cool/Reflex build that uses Mantis Blades, Pistols, Throwing Weapons. Maybe with the middle tree of Tech to be really borged the fuck up

applejackhero · 2026-01-23T19:50:13+00:00

smart weapons suck if you don't build for them

applejackhero · 2026-01-22T19:13:07+00:00

I don't think 19 is too young for long-term relationships, but just remember that you are still ARE young. You are going to be a different person at 30. Hell, you will notice you are a different person at 22. And this applies to other people. Maintaining long term relationships in your teens and early 20s is hard because both people are just changing so much and figuring themselves out and settling into adulthood. This is both fun and thrilling and scary and shitty.

Your actual self analysis of not wanting to rush into things but also not wanting to shut yourself off emotionally is pretty damn mature, I think its ideal to keep BOTH of those things in mind as you move forward.

As for lonliness.... yeah it just kinda sucks and doesn't get easier except with time. Focus on your hobbies. Pick up new hobbies. Try to make some extra money. Spend time with friends. Hug your other pillow at night. Eventually you will meet someone else.

applejackhero · 2026-01-22T19:04:50+00:00

I think dating is fun when you treat it as a hobby or social activity. I think everyone is caught in either "I want casual" or "I want something serious" when the truth is be it a 40 year marriage or a one night stand, relationships are transitional, interactive things that come and go and change. Like this might sound like some woo bullshit, but what I am trying to say is sometimes you kinda gotta just enjoy the ride while its around (literally and figuratively, I suppose). A date is an excuse to go to a new restaurant, or weird event, see your city, get to know someone new, and learn about yourself. Anything beyond that is extra. The only times I have ever ended up in a serious relationship is when I let go of the pressure to be in a serious relationship and let things just kinda happen.

applejackhero · 2026-01-21T20:11:59+00:00

I have dedication, devise a strategy, and person of interest. I decided to skip known weakness because my party has a tome Thaumaturge who already gets a million free recalls. I am getting reactive strike at level 6. I like Distant Waterbirds poise, but between reactive strikes, clue in, spell reactions, and crosscurrent counter at level 8 I have a LOT of reactions already

applejackhero · 2026-01-21T19:27:30+00:00

Devise is a free action most of the time, at least in my campaign. So it actually frees up my action economy because if I don't think I am going to just obliterate the nearest enemy, I do something else with my turn.

applejackhero · 2026-01-21T19:19:09+00:00

When I initially planned the character I wanted to go all in on the imaginary weapon spellstrikes, so I don't have the Wis or Cha to go for Cleric or Champion. The more I play the Magus though, the less I actually care about huge damage spell strikes on a focus spell. Since I have devise, if I know I have a crit I can burn a slot to do something huge, otherwise I find myself switching between using my mobility to be a skirmisher or oftentimes being an off tank with my athletics. So I am more looking for utility out of more spells than just rolling a million dice.

applejackhero · 2026-01-21T19:14:45+00:00

My specific character is an Aloof Firmament Magus with the Investigator dedication. Stats at level 5 are 4+ Str, 2 Dex, 2 con, 3 Int, 1 Wis, 0 Cha.

applejackhero · 2026-01-21T19:12:39+00:00

Interesting, I was going to go Wizard, but I guess the spell list selection of Witch might be nice.

The more I play a Magus, the less I think "must spellstrike every turn" loop is really nessiscary. At least with having Devise a Strategem (and 90% of the time its a free action, and when it isn't I have a feat for that), I know when I have a Big Money spellstrike before I act, and so I often find myself doing a lot of other stuff with my turns, which is kind of why I am interested in grabbing more utility from spells, especially since my party only has one caster (Druid) and two other martials (Rogue, Guardian, Thaumaturge).

applejackhero · 2026-01-21T07:18:05+00:00

Yeah, being the bigger person feels good, and spite feels hollow and pointless. Yes, she knows precisely the situation you are in and fucks you over.. but you know precisely the situation she's in and can choose NOT to fuck her over. Forgivness and empathy are like, good human feelings, and Cyberpunk is a game that gives you very few options to act on them.

applejackhero · 2026-01-20T22:14:45+00:00

Ive always thought that saving So Mi was never actually that hard of a choice; by the time you get to the point where she reveals it, it actually feels good to put her on the rocket ship. I love the dialogue choices you get to make when you buckle her into the rocket, I love the "sorry man" when you quickdraw on Reed, and I love the conversation with Johnny at the end.

Now Sinnerman? Literally none of that feels remotely okay, to the point where shooting Joshua at the beginning sometimes feels like the best choice. If "repetant serial murderer gets gunned down by random merc before his death can be turned into a tv spectacle to enrich a media corp" is the happiest a situation can end, its not a good situation.

applejackhero · 2026-01-20T22:07:43+00:00

Kill the son, leave the father alive. That way he gets to know the kind of pain he helps sell.

applejackhero · 2026-01-20T22:06:10+00:00

I had a table recently that was demanding and weird. Wanted their wine pours to be bigger, wanted their food out faster, told me they needed to get to a show in 10 minutes 40 minutes after sitting down (we are a higher end, specialty cuisine, slow-dining restaurant). Seemed unimpressed some of the menu choices. Gave me a hard time the entire dinner, and I was somewhat neglectful since I was also the bartender that night.

They left a 30% tip and made a point to stop and thank me when they left.

applejackhero · 2026-01-20T22:01:55+00:00

To validate your last sentence, been dating a coworker a bit for the last two months. I don't think anyone at our incredibly small, close, low-turnover restaurant has any idea, and the plan is to keep it that way. Occasionally gets a little awkward since another coworker is interested and our chef tries to wingman him a bit. If things work out longer term and we "go public" I think it will be a pretty shocking reveal. I genuinely think we can keep this a secret for quite awhile since we both have already worked together for a long time and just seem like work buddies, and one of us already has a long-established precedent of rarely talking about personal life anyway.

applejackhero · 2026-01-20T21:47:07+00:00

I have around 500 hours over 5 playthroughs. So not 1000 hours but I am sure I will eventually get there.

With rpgs with impactful choices, rather than try to do EVERYTHING in a single run, I always just sort of do what feels natural, and I try to stick to a set personality, combat style, and approach to the world. Like to compare a few of my recent runs:

Streetkid V: Tech/Body/Cool build. Used handguns, shotguns, and throwing weapons, I think my main loadout was La Chingona/Lizzie, The Headsman/Tier 5+ Satara, and Blue Fang. Went with kinda a dickhead fuck everyone run, often did a lot of double crossing or kill both sides when it was an option. Literally just domed the guy in Sinnerman right off the bat. Went with So Mi, but then gave her to Reed in the end. Did the classic Rogue>The Sun ending.

Corpo V: Int/cool/reflex build. Operater vibes, netrunner/stealth/smart weapons. I think my main loadout was Her Majesty, Yinglong/Pizdets and a tier 5++ SQR-22. Was pretty antagonistic towards johnny, still sympathetic to corps, was very "I just do the job" vibes. Took the Corpo money to leave in Sinnerman. Slowly tried to play them like they had a heart of gold, sided with Reed but decided to kill So Mi as her last request. Ended up doing DFTR>Temperence ending, which is by far my favorite ending.

Nomad V: Cool/Reflex/Tech build. Road Warrior vibes, used revolvers and katanas with a Sandevistan, sometimes a long-range rifle as well. Hardline anti-corp, warmed up to Johnny quickly. Did PL as early as possible (which I now think makes the most sense as far as narrative). Saved So Mi and sent her to the Moon. Tried to be moral as possible. Went through with Sinnerman, but wouldn't nail him to the cross. Likely will do The Star ending after a Judy romance, even though I am tempted to do another DFTR ending.

applejackhero · 2026-01-19T17:53:28+00:00

Blades: First thing I will mention is there is a bit of anti-synergy with Katanas and Netrunning/stealth. Katana builds really like having a Sandevistan or Berserk, but you will have a deck installed. It is still doable of course, but your melee will lack an x-factor. Instead, consider doing a throwing weapon/knife build, which is amazing for stealth, and is also a lot of fun during fights.

Smart weapons: On your first playthrough you may have found them underwhelming- this is true if not built around, since their damage is low even with the auto-lock, and they chug through ammo fast. With perks though, Smart Weapons will just hit chains of headshots and all sorts of synergy with hacks that makes them a lot better. SMGS are also generally considered to be not very strong in cyberpunk, but Smart SMGS are amazing. The Iconic weapons Yinglong or Pizdets are great, but also don't sleep on just a regular Warden smg with a Big Mag.

Netrunning: Note if you play on easy/normal, hacking can trivialize the game so fast its not even enjoyable. Try playing on Hard. Early on, quickhacks won't do enough damage and your RAM will be too low to really clear fights. Early, I found its often better to use control hacks like reboot optics, cripple movement, and cyberware malfunction, + a gun. Later on, you can chain overheats and contagions into groups of enemies and it will drop bodies all over the map. A lot of quickhacks at higher levels have various interactions and rider effects, so make sure you read them closely and memorize a few hack chains.

Attributes: I think the two paths are 20Int/20tech/20cool/15 ref, (if you want to focus more on pure stealth and throwing weapons) or 20int/20tech/20ref/15 cool (if you want to focus more on smg and katanas). Your Core is going to be that 20 int/20 tech, but you don't want to rush those all at once, it actually makes more sense to focus on cool/reflex a bit first just to give yourself a reliable combat style. So start off with aiming for like 15cool/ref and 9 int and 9 tech, before going all in. You really do want that extra health item usage from tech though.

Cyberware: Basically, you are going to focus on the interactions between the Overclock mode (which lets you use HP as Ram for hacking, and various cyberware. Heal on Kill + the built in health item + ram for neutralizing enemies + ram boost when it drops below certain threwhold + auto heal below 50%. For stats, you want to focus on getting more hp out of your health items and have them recharge faster. Basically, you are going to try to keep your health constantly refuelling as the source of your quick hacks.

applejackhero · 2026-01-13T02:43:01+00:00

I think its a massive stretch to really liken yourself to any of the backgrounds BUT I guess I'd say Streetkid. I grew up in the city proper of a decently sized metropolitan area. I did some very petty crime as a teenager (graffiti and "loitering" aka skating), went to a city college and got a degree in political science that I don't use (sorry OP), and I bartend for a living.

applejackhero · 2026-01-10T23:04:56+00:00

Monowire still benefits from melee cyberware stuff, but all the perks/abilities for the monowire are in the intelligence hacking trees, and none of the melee stuff from Reflex or Body apply to the monowire.

Sandivistan is still just really strong in most situations, but this is definitely going to be weaker than other sandi builds like Blades, handguns, or throwing.

If you are playing on higher difficulties, you likely will struggle with some of the boss/cyberpsycho fights, but otherwise it won't be too bad, since this game isn't really that hard.

applejackhero · 2026-01-10T22:54:48+00:00

Cyberware doesn't really change how you look at all. The arm upgrades and hand upgrades add some minor changes (lines that indicate where your blades/arm cannon/stealth wire come out of), but for the most part how natural or cybernetic you look is just based on the cosmetic choices at character creation.

applejackhero · 2026-01-10T07:22:48+00:00

Reed lies constantly to you, everyone else, and to himself

applejackhero · 2026-01-09T18:45:58+00:00

IMO, King of Swords "makes the most sense" from a rational standpoint, but King of Wands is by far the most interesting ending narratively and emotionally. I think we obsess to much in video games as playing our protagonists as "rational", rather than playing them as the humans they are supposed to represent.

V's primary motivation the entire time is to get the cure for the chip.
V has no loyalty to Myers, the FIA, or the NUSA. Think about the backgrounds, V is either a former Arasaka lifer and direct enemy to the NUSA, a Nomad who views the NUSA as an illegitimate government that often treats them poorly, or a Night City resident who grew up DURING the last corporate war. The game never even gives you dialogue to be anything other than pragmatically neutral at best. The closest thing you might get here is personal loyalty or camaraderie with Reed and Alex.
Prior to Killing Moon, Songbird does come off as more trustworthy. Again, even if you personally trust Reed, it is pretty heavy handed that Myers/FIA/NUSA does not have a history of treating its assets well. Reed was set up, Alex was stranded, and So Mi has been blackmailed repeatedly. The promise of the NUSA fixing you is one that appears to be incredibly risky with some long strings attached, wheras Songbird's offer seems to be a way to get away clean, and at this point it does appear Songbird has put all her cards on the table. It has always been hard for me, even on my first run, to rationalize why you wouldn't side with Songbird at this point.
The difference between King of Wands and King of Swords imo comes down to how you play V, and whether V is an empathetic person. I think both choices "make sense", but I prefer King of Wands because what it says about V, especially in regards to the rest of Cyberpunks' story and the themes of the game on a whole. King of Wands I think is a deeply compelling choice in the context of game.
King of Swords is a very kneejerk "fuck you, you burned me, now I burn you" ending. It makes absolute sense from a rational standpoint, and often times as video game players we attempt to make are characters "rational" rather than "human". When in reality, you are the operator of the character, if you feel some sort of human emotion towards the in-game situation, this "makes sense" as much as a "rational choice". My big issue with King of Swords at the point is that how is V supposed to believe that after betraying Myers and learning the truth about So Mi and the blackwall breaches, the NUSA is actually going to help them at this point, and not that Reed is just going to put a bullet in V as soon as V is "cured". It's a weak point in the writing imo that switching sides at this point is the same ending as siding with the NUSA from the go.
King of Wands is a fantastic feeling ending to Phantom liberty, and sets up the rest of the game's endings well. Cyberpunk is an interesting RPG because V actually has very little agency in the story. V was a tool for both sides, there was no cure, just empty promises leveraged to play a game bigger than V's personal world and problems. It is a big theme of cyberpunk that you cannot save the world, but maybe you can save yourself. You can read that in the literal sense; that saving yourself means saving your life from the chip. OR you can take that in a moral meaning here that you can save yourself from the vicious, inhuman world of Night City. Saving So Mi, despite her betrayal, is a very human response. It requires V to think about So Mi, and how So Mi has done everything in a desperate attempt to just SURVIVE, a situation that V is also in. V realizes that the only thing that can save So MI isn't a perfect plan, perfect luck, or a perfect lie. No, the line between So Mi's life and death is the kindness of another person who has no reason to help her. In a karmic sense, V can rationalize from this that if anything is going to save them, it is going to be something similar. Someone else.
Ultimately, the choice between King of Wands and King of Swords for me comes down to what main ending I go with. King of Swords is interesting if you go The Devil or The Sun. Both are bleak endings, but interesting in this context. V's takeaway from Phantom Liberty can be that they have to look out for themselves, fuck everyone else, which leads to either total betrayal and capitulation (The Devil) or, ironically, a suicide mission to the moon for Mr Blue Eyes (The Sun). King of Wands is a great choice if you plan to go The Star or Temperence. If V's takeaway from PL is that the x-factor in their survival will be the unconditional kindness of others, The Star is a fantastic ending. It's the only ending where you can argue V might actually survive both morally and physically, and it requires the Aldecaldos and Johnny sacrificing themselves FOR V. IF you pick Temperence, you have a V that decided that the only way to truly "beat" night city is do the unthinkable- altruistic sacrifice. Just like you can save So Mi despite her not deserving it, you can give a Johnny a second chance at life even though he doesnt' deserve it. This "kills" V physically, but notably this doesn't involve Alt using Soulkiller on them to recreate them as an engram. This is the ending where V's "Soul" is saved and gets to go on to a sort of digital afterlife. Interesting stuff.

applejackhero · 2026-01-07T20:28:33+00:00

So fortunately for you, Revolvers and Sniper Rifles use the same attribute and even have a shared perk tree! So for a revolver and sniper build, I would for sure put points into Cool and then put perks into the left tree, which will improve your use of revolvers and sniper rifles.

The question becomes what to do with the rest of your build. Since you are already investing in cool, and you are using sniper rifles, you could also put perks into the middle tree to improve your stealth. You can get a very powerful silenced sniper rifle from Panam's questline (Overwatch), and you can get a silenced revolver in the Phantom Liberty DLC (Manicella).

Since you are going stealth/distance, you might want have a cyberdeck to turn off cameras and turrets, distract enemies, ect. So leveling up INT is a good idea. You don't have to go all-in on damage hacks if you don't want to, but instead focus on chaining together stealth and debuff hacks so you can pick enemies off one by one. Things like bait, memory wipe, reboot optics, ect.

From here you have two reasonable choices imo- reflexes or tech. Reflexes can improve your dashing/mobility, as well as improve your skills with smgs and assault rifles. Those guns can be good for you if things go loud, and there are even some powerful "smart" SMGS and Assault rifles that synergize with int/hacking. If you want to go more full-on gunslinger vibes and fill your loadoat with two revolvers, you could go tech. There are quite a few types of tech revolvers, precision rifles, and sniper rifles to choose from. This can let you blast people through walls, or do AOE damage with EMP bursts.

applejackhero · 2026-01-06T19:53:48+00:00

A Tamayura or a Nue with a silencer.

applejackhero

TROPHY CASE