Looking to turn your V into the ultimate street samurai, a chrome-infused blur of steel and fury? Getting your hands on a pair of Mantis Blades is a rite of passage in Night City, the definitive statement that you’ve arrived. If you’re wondering how to get Mantis Blades in Cyberpunk 2077, especially after the massive 2.0 update completely rewired the game, the process is more straightforward and rewarding than ever.
The main way to acquire these iconic arms is by purchasing them from any Ripperdoc. The quality of the blades is now directly tied to your character’s level, not your Street Cred, making your personal progression the key to unlocking their true power. So, forget the old rumors about finding a free legendary pair in a box; that method is a ghost of the past. However, for those chooms seeking a truly unique set, a special variant can be looted from a high-stakes, and very deadly, encounter with a MaxTac agent.
The Quick Slice: All You Need to Know
| Topic | The Short Answer |
|---|---|
| How to Get Them? | Buy them from any Ripperdoc in Night City. They’re in the Arms cyberware slot. |
| What Do I Need? | Your player level. The higher your level, the better the Tier of blades you can buy (Tier 5 unlocks around level 40). |
| What About Free Blades? | The free Legendary Mantis Blades in Corpo Plaza were removed with Update 2.0. The loot in that box is now random. |
| Is There a Special Pair? | Yes. You can get a unique MaxTac version by defeating Melissa Rory during a specific event at the Jinguji clothing store. |
Table of Contents
The Ripperdoc Catalog
In the post-2.0 world of Cyberpunk, Ripperdocs are your one-stop shop for chrome. Gone are the days of hunting down specific loot boxes for your dream cyberware. Now, it’s all about progression, and your journey to becoming a legend feels more earned than ever.
Any Doc Will Do
It doesn’t matter if you’re visiting your trusted friend Vik Vektor in Watson or a shady, back-alley doc in Santo Domingo. Every Ripperdoc in Night City now shares a universal inventory for cyberware. This is a huge quality-of-life improvement, meaning you no longer have to trek across the entire city hunting for a specific vendor who stocks the blades. Just walk into the nearest clinic, take a seat in the chrome-and-leather chair, and browse their selection of Arms cyberware. You’ll find the Mantis Blades waiting for you.
Level Up, Chrome Up
The biggest change to understand is that your access to high-tier cyberware is now gated by your overall player level. In the old days, you needed a high Street Cred to buy the best stuff. Now, your reputation on the street doesn’t matter for shopping, your power comes from experience, not just fame. This was a deliberate design choice by the developers to make your journey feel more earned. Instead of just grinding Street Cred, your V’s actual growth and capabilities unlock better gear.
This means you won’t be able to buy Legendary (Tier 5) Mantis Blades right at the start of the game. You’ll need to level up your character by completing gigs, missions, and exploring the city. As you hit certain level milestones (roughly every 10 levels), higher tiers of all cyberware, including the Mantis Blades, will become available for purchase at all Ripperdocs.
If you want to know everything about Builds in this game, read our Best Cyberpunk 2077 Builds
A Smart V’s Upgrade Path
Here’s a pro-tip to save some eddies and stay deadly: instead of waiting until you’re level 40 to buy a legendary pair outright, consider buying a lower-tier version early on. As soon as you can afford a Tier 2 or 3 set, grab them. You can then upgrade that same piece of cyberware at any Ripperdoc’s operating table as you level up. This requires Tier-appropriate crafting components, but it often costs far fewer resources and eurodollars in the long run than buying a brand-new, high-tier set from scratch. It’s the most efficient way to keep your blades sharp as you climb the ranks of Night City’s legends.
The Myth of the Free Blades
If you’re a returning player or you’ve been watching old YouTube guides, you’ve probably heard about the legendary free Mantis Blades hidden in a chest in Corpo Plaza. It was a classic trick to get overpowered early.
What Changed with Update 2.0?
Well, pour one out for the good old days. The 2.0 update completely overhauled the game’s loot system to create a more balanced and rewarding progression. The developers wanted to move away from players making a beeline for a specific box to get the best gear on day one. Now, the game rewards you for actually playing it.
Most world loot is randomized and scales with your level, so exploration is still valuable, but you won’t find game breaking items out of sequence. That specific chest in the Cyberpsycho gig in Corpo Plaza no longer contains guaranteed Legendary Mantis Blades. You might find some decent gear in there, but the legendary blades that short-circuited the game’s difficulty curve are gone for good.
How to Score the MaxTac Mantis Blades
While the standard freebies are gone, there is a unique, non-craftable version of the Mantis Blades you can acquire. These are the blades used by the infamous MaxTac officer, Melissa Rory.
The Jinguji Ambush
To get these, you need to trigger a specific, unmarked event. Head to the high end Jinguji clothing store in Downtown, City Center. The first time you visit, just browse the expensive threads and leave. Go do a few other missions and wait a couple of in-game days for the event to quietly activate. When you return to the store, all hell will break loose as a cyberpsycho attack kicks off. After you deal with the initial threat, the legendary MaxTac officer Melissa Rory and her squad will arrive to clean up.
This is your chance. To get the blades, you have to take her down. Be warned: it’s a brutal fight. She’s fast, hits hard, and her squad will swarm you. You’ll immediately get a 5-star wanted level. Focus your fire on her, use your best combat cyberware, and once she’s defeated, you can loot the unique Mantis Blades from her body. Don’t stick around to chat, grab the loot, and get out of there before you’re flatlined!
The Phantom Liberty Shortcut
If you own the Phantom Liberty expansion, there’s an alternative, less chaotic way to get these same blades through one of the main story paths, depending on the choices you make when working with Reed. This route lets you acquire the blades as a mission reward, avoiding a direct and very public confrontation with a MaxTac squad.
Cyberpunk 2077 Official Website
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