Life During Wartime

Life During Wartime is a Main Job in Cyberpunk 2077. It automatically starts after completing Lightning Breaks.

Walkthrough

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After taking out the Satwave Power Plant, Panam Palmer and V chase after the crashing Kang Tao AV deep into the Jackson Plains of the southern Badlands. While chasing the AV, communications on the radio frequency have Mitch and Scorpion approach the AV first. Panam attempts to warn Mitch and Scorpion, but the EMP interferes, and she is unable to do so.

Panam and V are attacked by three Kang Tao Griffin drones which have to be taken down. V does so by jacking into Panam's truck and taking control of its machine gun. However, while V takes down the drones, the gun malfunctions, forcing Panam to put the truck on autodrive and fix the machine gun. She does so after several seconds, but a bullet ricochets into her back. Regardless, she goes back to driving, and V takes down the drones.

Panam and V arrive at the site of the AV crash. Panam takes an expired injector to deal with her wound. V agrees to go to the AV, while Panam stays to cover V with Mitch's gun.

If V abandons Panam and heads straight for the gas station (does NOT unlock I'll Fly Away):

V leaves Panam and single-handedly retrieves Hellman from a nearby gas station that he and his bodyguards sought refuge in. Panam then shows up with Aldecaldos reinforcements, saying that she managed to rescue Mitch herself and that unlike V, she does not bail. Her subsequent text messages will be very frustrated about her life outside the clan and include a remark about Mitch, who gave Scorpion an Aldecaldos-style funeral by himself.

If V assists Panam in clearing the wreckage (unlocks I'll Fly Away):

Nearing the AV's crash site, Panam instructs V to use a surveillance drone to identify any remaining Aldecaldo survivors and scan for enemies in the area, and the AV. After scanning the AV and Mitch, V can exit the drone. Panam provides overwatch while V takes out the hostile forces. As a last stand, the remaining Kang Tao operative takes Mitch captive and locks them both inside the AV. When opened by V, the operative can be intimidated (dialogue options "only looking for Hellman" and "Aldecaldos reinforcements on their way"), causing him to reveal Hellman's whereabouts. This allows Panam and V to immediately head for the gas station to the west that Hellman and his guards took refuge in.

Alternatively, V or Panam (if one waits too long) can shoot the soldier holding Mitch, the latter will tell the pair that Scorpion died during the assault, and that Kang Tao escaped using Aldecaldo vehicles. The group then has to follow the tire tracks around the wreckage to pursue find Hellman. Scanning the tire tracks allows V to see a simulation of where Kang Tao went. However, this delay will result in additional Kang Tao reinforcements present at the gas station.

V and Panam will subsequently head to the gas station via motorcycle. In the end, Aldecaldos reinforcements will arrive and Panam and V part ways after a short talk.

Regardless, once in the gas station, V searches for Hellman.

If V finds the gas station owner:

V finds the gas station owner locked in a room behind the counter. He tells V that he is unarmed, and can tell V that Hellman is on the second floor.

V finds Hellman being attended to by a Kang Tao medic. Hellman panics about Arasaka being sent after him, but V knocks him out. They call Goro Takemura, telling him to meet them at the Sunset Motel. They then carry Hellman outside, where they meet with the Aldecaldos. After V and Panam talk, she allows V to take Scorpion's Apollo, and V takes Hellman to the motel.

V wakes Hellman up once there in a motel room. V tries to get Hellman to help them with their biochip, doing so by explaining the biochip, how they have it, and what they've tried to do about it so far. He tells V that the biochip was experimental, and that the biochip was in its trial phase. After some conversation about the biochip, Hellman jacks into V to examine the biochip. He then tells V that they cannot function independently of the biochip, as their neural network has deteriorated too much for that to be possible. He also says that all he can do is to send V to a clinic in Sweden, and help V minimize their pain. He can then ask V about how they deal Johnny Silverhand's engram, although V can choose to not to talk about it. V threatens Hellman, and he offers to help them if they come with him to Kang Tao, which V refuses.

Takemura walks into the motel room, interrupting the conversation. Hellman gives V a chip containing a blueprint to V's brain and the biochip. V exits the motel room, leaving Hellman with Takemura. As V leaves, however, their relic malfunctions, and V talks with Silverhand's engram. Once V is finished talking to Silverhand, the mission will end.

Journal Entry

An AV full of corpo-rats drowned in the dust and sand - a beautiful sight. Sucks for the nomads though, especially Panam. Looks like our dame keeps losing everything she loves. Correction - almost everything. In other news, Hellman's surely shitting his pants knowing that the game's up. He's all yours. Just be careful - those Kang Tao pissheads won't be going down without a fight.

Finally doing things my way: we grab that 'Saka son-of-a-bitch by his corposuit collar, leave a bloody trail of destruction in our wake. Toss in a swipe at Kang Tao, too. Look at you, V. Just might make something of you yet. Anyway, one thing's for sure - we're close. Sure hope Hellman spills what he's got. And that what he's got is answers.

Objectives

• Chase the AV.
• Take out the drones.
• Reach the AV.
• Wait for Panam to tend to her wound.
• Check out the crash site.
• Scan the crashed AV.
  • Scan the area for Mitch.
  • Scan the area for signs of the Aldecaldos. [Optional]
  • Scan the Kang Tao operatives. [Optional]
  • Scan the combat drones. [Optional]
• Disconnect from the drone.
• Check out the crash site.
  • Take out the turret.
  • Defeat the Kang Tao operatives.
• Wait for Panam.
• Get in the AV.
• Talk to the pilot.
• Talk to Mitch.
• Talk to Panam.
• Scan the tracks.
• Get on the Motorcycle. [Optional]
• Follow Kang Tao.
• Follow the Kang Tao's tracks.
  • Defeat the Kang Tao Operatives on the Airstrip. [Optional]
• Follow the next set of Kang Tao tracks.
• Go to Gas Station with Panam.
• Get inside the Gas Station.
• Find Hellman at the gas station.
• Get to the upper floor of the gas station to find Hellman.
• Confront Hellman.
• Knock Hellman out.
• Call Takemura.
• Pick Hellman up.
• Take Anders outside.
• Put Hellman down.
• Talk to Panam.
• Talk to Hellman.

Notes

• If you have completed the Phantom Liberty expansion before doing this mission, a new dialogue option with Hellman will be available.

Trivia

The job is named after the Talking Heads song "Life During Wartime" from the 1979 album "Fear of Music."