Cyberpunk 2077 is a game full of danger, from psychotic cyborgs to cutthroat corporations. Many well-meaning and likable characters are destined to die throughout the course of its story, including the main character right at the start. Depending on the player's choices, many fan-favorites may or may not make it out alive.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077.

While most of these choices are made rather obvious during the game's quests, others are a little more hidden or difficult to figure out. It's easy for players to accidentally miss an opportunity to save an ally if they aren't careful. These six characters aren't easy to save, but it can be done if players perform certain actions to keep them alive.

6 Claire Can Be Convinced To Spare Sampson

Keeping This Racer Alive Without Getting On Claire's Bad Side

"The Beast In Me" is a quest line that follows Claire, a bartender from the Afterlife, as she and V compete in street racing competitions around Night City . While racing with Claire, V will eventually learn that her husband, Dale, died during one of these races the year prior, apparently intentionally by a rival named Sampson. Claire wants revenge, and will ask V to help her kill Sampson during the final race. V can agree or refuse, but either way, the chance will present itself during the race to leave the course and pursue Sampson to take his life.

The moral quandary here is that, as it turns out, Sampson didn't intentionally kill Dale; rather, Dale died trying to Sampson, a tragic but common occurrence during these races. Claire even its to having killed people during the competitions herself. As such, some players may choose not to help Claire at all, instead continuing on with the race even after Sampson's car is run off the road. Doing so spares the racer's life, but will cause Claire to become hostile towards V, and will berate them whenever they enter the Afterlife.

The conclusion of this quest will not only determine who lives and dies, but also which cars V is rewarded with: Claire will give V her truck, Beast, if she is happy with the merc after the race, while Sampson will give them his Quadra Type-66 "Cthulhu" if Claire spares him.

But it's possible to get her to spare Sampson of her own free will. Doing so requires that players choose two specific dialogue options when speaking to Claire after the third race: "are you sure it was murder" and "my priority is winning." After that, she will text V, and again, V must pick the non-hostile option and tell her to " what you promised." Do these things, and after following Sampson during the final race, a new dialogue option will present itself that will persuade Claire to let Sampson live.

5 Brick Can Be Rescued From Beneath All-Foods

Saving The Ex-Leader Of The Maelstrom Gang

Maelstrom is one of the more violent and sadistic gangs in Night City, but between the two options they have for leadership, Brick is definitely the lesser of two evils. He was usurped by Royce, an unpredictable psychopath, prior to the game's events and is assumed dead. Though as players can discover during "The Pickup" gig, Brick is very much still alive. He's being held hostage below All Foods in a locked room with a proximity mine in front of him, waiting to blow him up if he moves.

It's easy to rush past Brick's cell and never even realize he's there, especially if players are mid-firefight with Maelstrom or Militech. But stopping to save Brick by disabling the mine and unlocking the door to his cell will eventually lead to the chromer taking back his old position. This is good for V later on, as a subsequent quest involving Maelstrom will go more peacefully without Royce in the picture. Saving Brick is the best option for Night City in the long run, though it will keep players from rescuing the next character on this list.

4 Dum Dum Doesn't Need To Die In All Foods

A Crazy But Likable Maestromer Players Can Help Out

Much like Brick, Dum Dum is a member of Maelstrom, and an especially unhinged one at that. He manages negotiations during "The Pickup" before Royce intervenes, and while he's certainly a lot, Dum Dum seems much more jovial than the cold-hearted killers he works with. He offers V drugs, connects with them over an interest in tech, and is generally less confrontational than his friends. It's a shame, then, that he so often dies in All Foods, either gunned down by the player or by Militech.

But this need not be the case. Players who cooperate with Royce, paying him fairly and avoiding confrontation, will not need to shoot Dum Dum during their initial meeting. He'll lead V and Jackie through All-Foods during Militech's attack, but may die during the final boss fight if players can't take down Militech's forces fast enough. However, acting quickly and defeating all the enemies can help Dum Dum survive, and he'll even show up later in the game at the club Totentanz. Though at that high, the likelihood of his further survival is quite low.

3 Anthony Gilcrist May Not Deserve Salvation, But He Can Receive It

Saving This Militech Mole Isn't Exactly Easy

A third character from "The Pickup" can also be saved, showing just how much versatility exists in this early quest. That character is Anthony Gilcrist, a Militech lackey and the scapegoat of Meredith Stout. He starts the game in a rather precarious position: inside Meredith's trunk, battered and bruised, since she suspects him leaking information on the convoy she lost. He'll yell that V should trust Meredith, an ironic sentiment given the betrayals he is suspected of.

Evidence that Anthony actually was the mole can be found inside All-Foods, showing that Meredith was right about him.

Anthony will die in most cases, since players tend to side with Meredith and use her money to sabotage the Maelstrom hideout. Doing so will result in her coming out on top and executing Anthony off-screen, since he was, in fact, the mole. However, players that refuse Militech's deal or wipe Meredith's virus off her credit chip will see that he survives, having taken over Meredith's operation and killed her in turn. In the end, players can benefit from either Militech agent surviving, albeit in different ways.

2 Bill Jablonsky Can Be Spared, But He Won't Be Grateful For It

Using Failure To Save Lives In Cyberpunk 2077

Even players that have gone through his quest may not Bill Jablonsky, as his time as a living person in Cyberpunk's story is quite short. But Bill is actually the inciting character for one of the game's most interesting quests: Sinnerman, which follows a convicted felon that wants to crucify himself on a braindance and show it to the world. The gig itself is great, but Bill's part in it is limited to the very beginning.

Bill's wife was killed by this man, Johsua Stevenson, and he hires V to execute him en route with his media team. If V agrees and follows the job to a tee, Bill will jump the gun and charge ahead to kill his target himself, only to be shot by his security. This event is what starts the Sinnerman quest proper, but doing so will always result in Bill's death. Which is unfortunate; as much as the quest around Joshua Stevenson's search for forgiveness is fascinating, Bill is a grieving man consumed by revenge, and doesn't deserve to die.

The good news is that players have a way to save him: fail the quest intentionally. Simply fail to follow Joshua's car closely enough, and Bill will declare the job unsuccessful and leave without paying. This is obviously not great for V's wallet, but does ensure that Bill's hatred doesn't get him killed. Still, since it causes players to miss out on this bit of story, most will probably choose to get Bill killed anyways.

1 Don't Abandon Takemura In His Time Of Need

Jumping Back Into The Fray To Help A Friend

Goro Takemura is a surprisingly likable character in Cyberpunk 2077, a corporate lackey devoted to a brutal empire, who nevertheless acts selflessly and according to a strong moral code. His interactions with V and, by extension, Johnny, provoke some of the best character moments in the game. So it's heartbreaking when, during his plan to help V by kidnapping Hanako Arasaka to tell her the truth, he is seemingly caught and killed by the team sent to extract her. Johnny says as much, encouraging V to flee the scene.

Takemura's text messages are another highlight of his character, often brief moments of levity during this intense game.

But perceptive players will notice the hole in the ceiling above them, through which gunfire and shouts can be heard. Jumping up will reveal that Takemura is still alive, fighting for his life, and V can him to ensure their survival together. Doing so will keep him alive for later parts of the game, since Hanako will help him to hide out in a safe house, and he will even be a crucial and loyal ally during "The Devil" ending of Cyberpunk 2077.

Source: Cyberpunk 2077/YouTube