Orion - continue V story or begin new one?

[WhiteYoghurt]

Hi!
I got an idea for a one of possible CP2's themes - that is "holding to your values in a society of many".
This could include topics like non-/consumerism, real/fake people relations (including not/sharing emotions, help/let be/leave/betray, talking, listening,...), appearance, habbits (e.g.: including smoking - similar to CP77),...

One of cyberpunk-ish ways to share emotions/inner self/whatnot would be through the technology. Imagine possibilities like this:

- there would be a software that would help users to build a virtual space and make it possible to show it to the others (like a game engine on a human level, similar to e.g.: Inception). Like a personal braindances (similar to Zen master from CP77)

- the technology would allow to connect to someone directly (e.g.: using personal link). This could "model" their feelings in real-time - perhaps including believable spaces, (moving) abstract shapes and colors (like music visualizers),...

 

[BrittanyHayes4Ever]

I love Valerie, perhaps the main character I've connected with the most in any videogame, and the Sun ending where Johnny sacrifices himself for her is my canon one. But I consider her story done, and I prefer each Cyberpunk installment focusing on a completely different character with Night City as the only constant.

 

[Szaszka]

If CDPR decides to reboot Cyberpunk and simply forget about V without finishing his story after such a huge cliffhanger, they won’t just waste enormous potential – they will also disappoint a large portion of the fanbase.

V’s story has been left wide open, with hints in every ending that he could survive — whether it’s through the Cure, a new body, or searching for a way to live longer. Ignoring this and starting a completely new character would feel like throwing away what made Cyberpunk 2077 truly engaging: the bond we built with V and the people around him.

The best path for Project Orion would be to continue V’s journey — giving us closure before moving on to a new protons.agonist in a possible Cyberpunk 3. Just like The Witcher 3 gave Geralt his ending before shifting to Ciri’s story in the next game.

Fans could even start Orion from different 2077 endings:

Nomad path → “The Star” ending, with missions for the Aldecaldos, new clans, and conflicts or alliances.

Afterlife path → ending as a Night City legend, working closely with fixers.

Corpo path → siding with Arasaka and doing corporate operations.

All of these could eventually converge on the main plot — finding the cure — but still reflect our past choices and relationships. And after the cure, give us a final choice: live in the Afterlife as a legend but leave behind personal ties, or live quietly but surrounded by friends and love.

This approach would not only make the endings of 2077 meaningful, but also create a much bigger emotional impact than starting fresh with someone new.

 

[WhiteYoghurt]

How about this? :
I would like CP2 to be more positive in general, especially in endings. There was enough negativity in CP77 and Edgerunners.
One bittersweet ending (similar to nomads in CP77), one "for now failing, but there's a goal and a path" ending, perhaps one "staying with a romance character in the city, but being happy",...something like these.

The tone that would go very well with this is the one from the 3rd Harry Potter movie.
Make it dark sometimes, but show light as well.
Like it's not the city that destroys people (all the time), (sometimes) they do it themselves.
Show that choices, personal integrity and staying above water matters
The game could focus on human values!

Oh, and there could be songs like these:

It could include some stylized emotional moments like these:

It could be nice to show stuff like personal hobbies - like someone likes to draw, sing,...
Make many (funny/awkward/...) everyday scenes like - talking (or not) with a neighbour on an elevator, buying non-alcoholic beer, bumping into someone beautiful, parrot arguing with AI, playing basketball against kids,...

 

[zeno_423]

As much as V is good a new story would be far more interesting

 

[Aleja96]

I genuinely believe there is a strong narrative foundation to build a direct sequel to Cyberpunk 2077.

There are many unresolved storylines that feel too important to abandon, such as Mr. Blue Eyes, the Peralez conspiracy, the Aldecaldos, and several other arcs that could naturally evolve into main stories in a sequel.

It would also be interesting if CD Projekt treated V as an iconic character of the saga. V has become iconic, and the voice actors delivered unforgettable performances that gave the character emotional depth and identity. Cyberpunk has enough lore, themes, and characters to explore further, and a sequel could expand on that richness instead of resetting everything.

The ideas presented in the 48 minute gameplay presentation showed how ambitious Cyberpunk could be. A sequel could introduce new romances while still keeping the existing ones, expanding interactions instead of replacing them. Adding new characters is important, but maintaining continuity with previous relationships would make the world feel more alive and coherent.

What makes V truly interesting is not just their story, but their perspective: how they think, how they act, how they see the world. Giving V one last chance to confront their fate would not feel wrong, Imo. The expectations surrounding the casino, the Aldecaldos, and the Queen of the Afterlife ending still resonate strongly with many players.

Eg. Mass Effect showed us that it is possible to have multiple endings and still continue a story.

If a new protagonist is introduced, I hope previous characters return. The voice actors brought incredible life to the game, and their presence is one of the strongest emotional pillars of Cyberpunk 2077.

 

[Tarille]

Eg. Mass Effect showed us that it is possible to have multiple endings and still continue a story.

Uhh... When?

Mass Effect has 1 ending for each game except the final one of the trilogy.

Outside that there's like a couple of decisions that carry over (Whether Kaiden or Ashley die and whether you save the Council or not).

But it's not like there are vastly different endings that then get continued on in the series. Literally the only title that does have vastly different endings, does not continue Shepard's story afterwards.

Which is generally how things go. Yes, you can have multiple endings that continue a story... But those endings will tend to be very similar, often including the same outcome just in a slightly altered way.

But if endings are vastly different (And mostly consist of the protagonist dying), then it becomes impossible to continue a story outside of picking one to become canon.

 

[Aleja96]

Uhh... When?

Mass Effect has 1 ending for each game except the final one of the trilogy.

Outside that there's like a couple of decisions that carry over (Whether Kaiden or Ashley die and whether you save the Council or not).

But it's not like there are vastly different endings that then get continued on in the series. Literally the only title that does have vastly different endings, does not continue Shepard's story afterwards.

Which is generally how things go. Yes, you can have multiple endings that continue a story... But those endings will tend to be very similar, often including the same outcome just in a slightly altered way.

But if endings are vastly different (And mostly consist of the protagonist dying), then it becomes impossible to continue a story outside of picking one to become canon.

I think Mass Effect proves exactly that continuity is possible despite branching choices. Decisions in ME2, like who survives the Suicide Mission or the fate of the Collector Base, significantly impacted the world and personal interactions in ME3. It wasn't 'impossible'; it was just ambitious game design.
As @Szaszka mentioned, the different endings in Cyberpunk 2077 could serve as narrative anchors for different 'Life Path' starts in the sequel. Just like the Nomad, Corpo, and Street Kid origins in the first game, your chosen ending (Aldecaldos, Sun, etc.) could determine your starting point in Orion before the paths converge into the main plot.
Choosing a 'canon' ending isn't the only way; CDPR has the talent to respect our choices without hitting the reset button. Anything else just feels like taking the easy way out, BUT that's just my opinion. I think genuinely they can make a bast world with V as main character and giving closure to the previous missions as I mentioned before, it's not just the ending is the whole world building they did; but if they are going to do a new character I am sure it would be an amazing story as well.

 

[Tarille]

I think Mass Effect proves exactly that continuity is possible despite branching choices. Decisions in ME2, like who survives the Suicide Mission or the fate of the Collector Base, significantly impacted the world and personal interactions in ME3. It wasn't 'impossible'; it was just ambitious game design.

Except... These choices aren't very different.

Like, ME3 has shoddy cameo appearances from the ME2 squad due to this too (And even then most of the situations don't care about the choice you made either... Like, even if Mordin dies you get a random nobody scientist to cure the Genophage the same way Mordin would have).

The end result is still the same. You killed Saren. You defeated the Human Reaper and stopped the Collectors.

The endings are all the same regardless of your choices.

With the only things that are accounted for are a binary choice of "Outcome A or B". Such as "Did X character live or die?" or "Were you Paragon or Renegade?"

These are very minor variations, which are easy to incorporate (It is also not very ambitious game design, it's pretty standard to reference an "A or B" choice)

As @Szaszka mentioned, the different endings in Cyberpunk 2077 could serve as narrative anchors for different 'Life Path' starts in the sequel. Just like the Nomad, Corpo, and Street Kid origins in the first game, your chosen ending (Aldecaldos, Sun, etc.) could determine your starting point in Orion before the paths converge into the main plot.

Except, only a singular ending would actually lead to V actually being able to star in a new game.

In every ending besides Devil (Taking the deal), V is incapable of returning. Either because they die (Devil - Refuse the deal, Star, Sun), are erased (Temperance) or become incapable of using cyberware (Tower).

There is no "Starting point" because there is no V.

Even in the singular ending where V "Survives"... They have to come back in a new body an indeterminate amount of time later. Which means a new voice and likely all their relationships will have dissolved (Since, if the Tower shows that 2 years is all it takes for every single relationship to disappear, the same would be true if Arasaka take 2+ years to find a body for V)

Essentially meaning that you'd effectively be playing a new protagonist anyway. The only link to V being some mannerisms (Of which there are few because of how quickly V is influenced by Johnny) and memories.

Choosing a 'canon' ending isn't the only way; CDPR has the talent to respect our choices without hitting the reset button. Anything else just feels like taking the easy way out

Except, the literal ONLY way to continue from most of the endings IS to disrespect our choices and hit the reset button.

Either by selecting a singular canon ending (Which would have to be Devil - Taking the deal) or by writing in a deus ex machina for how V managed to return from one of the other endings.

Both ways completely disrespect choices by making them obsolete. As they ignore the actual impact of the choice people made.

With deus ex machina being the easy way out because of how horribly untalented one has to be as a writer to use them.

 

[Spockprime]

In every ending besides Devil (Taking the deal), V is incapable of returning. Either because they die (Devil - Refuse the deal, Star, Sun), are erased (Temperance) or become incapable of using cyberware (Tower).

There is no "Starting point" because there is no V.

The Star is open ended enough to allow for V living on, and could possibly return to the city with some creative writing. But in the big picture, I agree with you. There's no way to have V return to a new game without disrespecting player choices. CP2077 was designed to be the end of V's story.

 

[Tarille]

The Star is open ended enough to allow for V living on, and could possibly return to the city with some creative writing.

Only if you ignore literally the entire game.

Wherein we have:

- The creator of the Relic cannot help you.
- The badass netrunner gang cannot help you
- The most powerful corporation in the world, who were the ones whom were developing the Relic, cannot help you (Unless you didn't attack them)
- The resources of the entire NUSA can only help you with a major cost (But only if you went through with helping them)

The game repeatedly shows that there is no way to survive. That unless you go through the specific methods of getting a very powerful organization to help you, then V doesn't have a chance. Especially not with the strict time limit they're on (With the game showing you how you're getting worse over the course of the story).

Which is why the "Creative Writing" you refer to would be a deus ex machina. Since it means that despite the entire game being about how there simply isn't a cure, the writers would suddenly turn around and be like "Oh but V randomly finds a cure and can live perfectly fine and dandy because reasons!"

 

[Spockprime]

Only if you ignore literally the entire game.

Wherein we have:

- The creator of the Relic cannot help you.
- The badass netrunner gang cannot help you
- The most powerful corporation in the world, who were the ones whom were developing the Relic, cannot help you (Unless you didn't attack them)
- The resources of the entire NUSA can only help you with a major cost (But only if you went through with helping them)

The game repeatedly shows that there is no way to survive. That unless you go through the specific methods of getting a very powerful organization to help you, then V doesn't have a chance. Especially not with the strict time limit they're on (With the game showing you how you're getting worse over the course of the story).

Which is why the "Creative Writing" you refer to would be a deus ex machina. Since it means that despite the entire game being about how there simply isn't a cure, the writers would suddenly turn around and be like "Oh but V randomly finds a cure and can live perfectly fine and dandy because reasons!"

Maybe. The Aldecaldos seem to think that they might have a connection that might have a solution. That's a lot of "mights". In the end it doesn't matter though, because V's story ended with CP2077. What that end was is partially a matter of player agency. There's no way that CDPR is going to retcon that variety of officially sanctioned endings into a single "canon" ending. CP2 is a new protagonist. Maybe some old characters will return, but not V. The devs might invest some small resources into a text message or maybe a short voice message that plays under some specific circumstance, but that's about the extent of it.

 

[Tarille]

The devs might invest some small resources into a text message or maybe a short voice message that plays under some specific circumstance, but that's about the extent of it.

They won't do a voice message. Since that would require them to make a gender canon for V.

Similar for them not including an engram of V and they will have to be very careful about references to V (Both references to their gender and also potential choices they might have made).

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Orion is set WAY after 2077, so that anything related to V is long in the past to ensure they won't have to reference anything V did or anyone they knew - Other than some vague references to "Some badass merc who came back from the dead"

Not only would that be the easiest way to avoid any potential issues with player choices, it's also on brand for the IP which has always used large time skips between releases (With 2077 actually being the largest jump with the prior release, Cyberpunk Red being set in 2045 meaning a 32 year jump)

 

[zboi]

a way to do it well is say that (if the events of phantom liberty are canon not the ending though) say that the NUSA located him/her or their body and made a backup engram and that's how they bring them back I'm also ok with someone new keep up the good work guys i love cp2077

 

[fazemyztik]

New character please. And more options for hair styles for the customization.

 

[HTheHydrogen]

[...] how can you not want to continue as V i can’t understand, it be such a wasted opportunity to not do that considering the lore of the game every ending can be a perfect start for the second round especially the Casino ending (Mr. Blue Eyes) and the Nomad Ending (Techromancers) both have perfect lore accurate potential to save Vs life I will be deeply disappointed if you play a new character what a gonk waste that would be…

 

[HTheHydrogen]

Then why make every Cyberpunk 2077 ending besides the suicide ending a open ending, I see your point with a new story about a new character but making all but one open endings and then not using it would be disappointing wasteful I rather see the Technomancers the most mysterious nomad pack tell V that Alt was not honest…

Especially when the Technomancers have worked with the Digital Librarians more commonly referred to simply as "the Library", using their combined resources to reclaim knowledge that was thought lost in some areas of the world. They are currently working together in Chicago, somewhere near the University, to solve the problems involved in decontaminating an entire city.

Considering this makes feel like a new character would be 100% gonk and a shameful waste…

Post automatically merged: Feb 20, 2026

None of the endings besides the Suicide ending feel final quite the opposite they all feel like open endings the best thing they could do is ask for you to load the CP2077 save which should be your start that way they can let the players decide which ending is the start of their new game so easy to do that I will just be massively disappointed if I play a new character to be honest I have no hype for the game if it’s with a new character…

 

[Tarille]

how can you not want to continue as V i can’t understand, it be such a wasted opportunity to not do that

It would be a waste of good writing to do that.

In CP2077, the endings are choices made by players. They look at the situation and follow a path, with all the results that ensue.

Undoing that devalues player choices.

every ending can be a perfect start for the second round

Apart from all of them?

- Devil (Sign the contract) has V having their mind being placed in a new body (Meaning they're no longer V - In the sense that it will be different VA because different body has a different voice)
- Devil (Don't sign the contract) has V die.
- Sun has V die.
- Temperance has V be replaced by Johnny.
- Tower has V being unable to ever use Cyberware ever again.
- Star is the only ending that doesn't explicitly end V's story (Though it's implied that V dies due to not having time left by that point in the story)

both have perfect lore accurate potential to save Vs life

They only have lore accurate potential if you disregard the majority of the game's story. Where "Cures" to save V's life are extremely rare and only in the hands of the most powerful groups in the world and even then, come with heavy caveats (Either requiring a new body or being completely inable to use Cyberware - Not to mention the breakdown of every relationship V had due to the passage of time)

Making either of these canon also disregards the aforementioned player choice. People who play CP2077 made choices about how their V ended the story. Disregarding these choices is a major disrespect to players and these choices.

The overall theme is that V's story ends with CP2077's ending. Players can choose how their V goes out, but the end is still the end.

 

[HTheHydrogen]

It would be a waste of good writing to do that.

In CP2077, the endings are choices made by players. They look at the situation and follow a path, with all the results that ensue.

Undoing that devalues player choices.

Apart from all of them?

- Devil (Sign the contract) has V having their mind being placed in a new body (Meaning they're no longer V - In the sense that it will be different VA because different body has a different voice)
- Devil (Don't sign the contract) has V die.
- Sun has V die.
- Temperance has V be replaced by Johnny.
- Tower has V being unable to ever use Cyberware ever again.
- Star is the only ending that doesn't explicitly end V's story (Though it's implied that V dies due to not having time left by that point in the story)

They only have lore accurate potential if you disregard the majority of the game's story. Where "Cures" to save V's life are extremely rare and only in the hands of the most powerful groups in the world and even then, come with heavy caveats (Either requiring a new body or being completely inable to use Cyberware - Not to mention the breakdown of every relationship V had due to the passage of time)

Making either of these canon also disregards the aforementioned player choice. People who play CP2077 made choices about how their V ended the story. Disregarding these choices is a major disrespect to players and these choices.

The overall theme is that V's story ends with CP2077's ending. Players can choose how their V goes out, but the end is still the end.

I see your point but if you let the players choose their ending as their new beginning all players would be happy and only gonks did the suicide ending anyway considering that majority of players don’t even visit Embers xD

They say a cure is rare but rare means there is a possibility and with mysterious organizations like the Technomancers or Mr. Blue Eyes rare becomes extremely possible…

Post automatically merged: Feb 20, 2026

Here to clarify my entire point and hope although I know this will never happen because it’s to crazy of an idea so don’t hate me for being fucked in the head as Johnny would say!!!



If the Developers would be extremely creative and accommodating to their players and not making dozen of cliffhangers just to let us hang they would make it a win win this is how:

At the Start of the next game it will ask you to choose your Start each one will have a downgrade as consequence for the cure (which is rare I know but so are Chooms like V!!!) making it possible to progress and level up while experiencing another story arc…
(creativity and Cyberpunks enormous lore makes this easily possible)

>The Star beginning…(cure downgrade)
>The Sun beginning…(cure downgrade)
>The Devil beginning…(cure/new body downgrade)
>Temperance beginning…(johnny downgrade)
>Don't Fear the Reaper beginning…(cure downgrade)
>The Tower beginning…(V already downgraded)
> Path of Least Resistance… (make a new character/amateur merc downgrade)

Michael Alyn Pondsmith said he has ways to bring Johnny back so V and Johnny reuniting throughout the story would be cool same as connecting him with the new character if players so choose, or when choosing Temperance bring back V fror Johnny if you are creative and willing you could make a masterpiece and please your entire community and before saying this would be way to much dialogue remember…
There are RPGs like Star Wars: The Old Republic that has over 200,000 lines of dialogue, which translates to a significant amount of spoken content, making it one of the most voice-acted games in history.

Well there is someone who could get knocked off the No.1 spot as well another Win that would be…

But in the end my Choom I’ll be disappointed anyway as always in my life so what are we even talking about xD

But seriously much love my fellow Cyberpunk Fan Choombas!!!

 

[Dominaimperia]

I'm pretty sure I read that in Orion they're using a new character along with new factions and it won't even be in NC.
I loved V in both the male and female sexes. Both voice actors did a SUPERB job but I'm happy to move on. The reason being is when I describe the game to someone who hasn't played it I tell them you literally care about every character. I did not say so many die but that's my point. In such an environment such as NC an early death is almost inevitable and in that it creates a much stronger attachment to the character and the agency of their trials.

I think it would be better to perhaps have some reference to V and his or her escapades in the next expansion : ]