Summary
Cyberpunk 2077can be a challenging game, especially on the highest difficulty setting. However, for those who have mastered it, this may no longer be enough. This is where mods come in. Over the years,Cyberpunk 2077hasbuilt a thriving modding community, offering thousands of mods on PC, including ones that make the game a harder, more unforgiving experience.
With combat playing a major role, manyCyberpunk 2077mods focus on increasing difficulty and flexibility by tweaking enemy and boss stats, adjusting their behavior, or enhancing their combat capabilities. Below, we’ll exploresome of the bestCyberpunk 2077mods(available via the Nexus website) for those seeking a greater challenge in Night City. These mods do not always revolve solely around combat, as some also modify other aspects of the game, such as mini-games or gameplay mechanics, for an even tougher overall experience.
For relevance, all listed mods are updated and compatible with the latest post-2.0 updates and thePhantom Libertyexpansion. In some cases, additional tweaks may be required and will be specified accordingly.
1Damage Scaling And Balance (Level Scaling)
Simple Adjustments To Damage Dealt By Player And Enemies
One of the most straightforward mods for increasing the challenge inCyberpunk 2077while preserving the existing game design is theDamage Scaling and Balancemod (formerly known asLevel Scaling). This mod introduces various multipliers for both player and enemy damage, along with other difficulty adjustments that can be customized to suit individual preferences.
With these tools, players can create their customized difficulty level that surpasses the challenge of the vanilla game’s Very Hard setting. Beyond direct damage values for V and enemies, the mod allows scaling of other stats,such as headshot damage, quickhack and grenade effectiveness, and stamina costs for different actions. While not a groundbreaking overhaul, it offers a solid way to make combat encounters more lethal, resulting in a more realistic and grounded gameplay experience.
2Enemies Of Night City
Extreme Overhaul To Almost Every Boss And Regular Enemy With Unique Additions
TheEnemies of Night Citymod offers a much deeper and more engaging approach to increasingCyberpunk 2077’s difficulty. Instead of simply tweaking enemy damage values, this mod completely overhauls all enemies in the game, including bosses, by rebalancing their stats and introducing new movesets, attacks, and animations. The result is a moreunpredictable and challenging combat experience.
The mod treats in-game factions differently while staying lore-friendly, taking into account enemy archetypes and their roles in Night City. This ensures that each faction has unique abilities and diverse movesets, along with distinct weaknesses for players to discover and exploit. As a result, players must adapt their playstyle, as a straightforward run-and-gun approach may not be effective against certain foes. Scanning is highly encouraged to better understand enemy and boss resistances and weaknesses.
Overall, this is easily one of the best mods available forCyberpunk 2077— not just for those seeking an extra challenge but also for those who want more varied and dynamic combat in general.
3Night City Alive
More Reactive And Aggressive Gang Members And Civilians In Night City
TheNight City Alivemod, as its name suggests, aims to make the city feel more dynamic by overhauling enemy and civilian behavior. Staying true to the game’s original vision, thecity now truly feels like the worst place to livein America in 2077. One of the biggest changes is that gang members actively drive around the city, leading to dynamic encounters where different gangs attack each other based on their rivalries,sometimes drawing in the NCPD.
Beyond gang activity, both cops and random NPCs are now more aware, reactive, and aggressive toward the player’s actions, creating unexpected challenges in mundane situations. The mod offers three different presets, including a lore-accurate high-crime version of Night City, where surviving a single day without being caught in a random gunfight is nearly impossible.
4Revengers
Replay The Boss Battles Against Stronger And Deadlier Opponents
TheRevengersmod forCyberpunk 2077enhances replayability and challenge by introducing repeatable boss-focused encounters. With numerous unique and dangerous bosses and cyber psychos throughout Night City, players may want to revisit certain fights using updated or reworked combat builds. For those seeking an extra challenge, returning Nemeses are even stronger and more aggressive than before — perfect forhigh-intensity endgame one-on-one battles.
To replay boss fights, players can access special new arenas, with over 50 new points of interest scattered across the map. Only bosses that have already been defeated in the playthrough will be available, including both main encounters (such as Royce, Sasquatch, Akira, and Placide) and optional ones. The mod even features a trial mode, where bosses level up and return stronger each time they are defeated.
5Challenging Breach Mini-Game
Increase The Difficulty Of The Hacking Mini-Game
With certain mods,Cyberpunk 2077’s challenge extends beyond combat. For instance, the small but effectiveChallenging Breach Mini-Gamemod makes the hacking mini-game more difficult and less forgiving. Players not only have less time to complete a Breach, but the timer now starts immediately upon activating a hack, removing the free moment previously available to plan the optimal hacking route.
By default, the mod only allows players to shorten the timer rather than make the mini-game easier, but various parameters can still be adjusted, including the option to disable the automatic timer start if it proves too punishing. However, for true Netrunners of Night City, this mod offers a chance toput their skills to the testafter countless hours of mastering the Breach protocol in the vanilla game.
6Amateur Hackers (Average Hackers Rebuild)
Netrunners Hack The Player More Often And More Lethally
Given the prevalence of hackers in the world ofCyberpunk 2077, it’s onlynatural for V to face more frequent and varied cyberattacksthan in the vanilla game. TheAmateur Hackersmod delivers just that, allowing every enemy with a Netrunner archetype to use not only Overheat, as in the base game, but also Overload, Weapon Malfunction, Locomotion Malfunction, and Blind quickhacks against the player.
While the original mod was never updated forCyberpunk 2077’s 2.0 version and DLC, another modder, DankMagicianGirl, created an updated version known asAverage Hackers Lazy Rebuild. This version retains the core elements of Amateur Hackers but introduces additional challenges, including advanced Netrunners who can deploy the Death hack (imminent system failure) against players on higher difficulties.
7Disable Highlighting Through Walls
Solid Way To Balance The OP Tech Weapons
Another small but popular addition for players seeking extra challenge, theDisable Highlighting Through Wallsmod makes it harder to eliminate enemies behind cover. It serves as an effective way to balance the game’s overpowered tech weapons, giving enemies a better chance to survive and attack the player unpredictably.
While the original creator has not updated the mod for post-2.0 versions ofCyberpunk 2077, there is a simple workaround. User enowai provided a fix by editing a few lines of the mod’s code, allowing it to function properly with the latest version. Players can finddetailed instructionsin the Posts section on the mod’s Nexus page and manually apply the necessary changes to the original file.
