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Cyberpunk 2077 is filled with character customization options, which can make it difficult to pick the upgrades to apply. So, among the game’s many Skills, which Athletics Perks are the best picks for every player?
While some of the Skills in Cyberpunk 2077 are more specific to a kind of weapon or playstyle, Athletics is one of the most general. As a result, many of the Athletics Perks available can be especially helpful regardless of how you choose to play the game.
Even if you’re favoring a way of playing Cyberpunk 2077 that’s heavy in Stealth and you actively try to avoid combat, there are some Athletics Perks that will still be worthwhile. There are also some that, while not ideal for everyone, can be more than worth the investment if they can benefit your playstyle.
What are Perks in Cyberpunk 2077?
In Cyberpunk 2077, your character has five core Attributes that each have either two or three Skills connected to them. There are 12 Skills in total, one of which is Athletics.
For each of the game’s Skills, there are several Perks that can be unlocked to further enhance your character and make them more effective at the Skill the Perk falls under. Most of the top Perks have an Attribute Requirement, needing a particular Attribute score to unlock them, but even the base-level ones can be important.
Some of the Skills, such as Crafting or Handguns, have very specific Perks that only apply to their specific Skill. However, Athletics has a wide array of Perks that can help every player regardless of which weapon you choose or how you decide to play.
How to unlock Athletics Perks in Cyberpunk 2077
As you level up in Cyberpunk 2077, each level will grant you an Attribute Point and a Perk Point. Attribute Points are the only way to increase your overall Attribute scores, which are important to accessing the best Perks.
Fortunately, there is another way to earn Perk Points, as you’ll want a lot more of those than Attribute Points. As you improve each Skill in Cyberpunk 2077, you will get rewards which can often include Perk Points.
Our detailed Skill Level Guide covers all 12 Skills, their rewards, and how to level them up. For Athletics, the primary ways are completing actions gated behind a particular Body Attribute score and depleting your character’s stamina.
However, it can be useful to check out other Skills and level them up as much as you can to earn their Perk Points. Even if you earn a Perk Point from a Skill like Crafting, it can be spent on Athletics Perks or any other Perks.
Best Athletics Perks in Cyberpunk 2077
As mentioned before, Athletics is one of the more versatile Skills in Cyberpunk 2077. As such, some of the best Athletics Perks are more than worth the investment for all players.
Here, they’ve been broken down into categories by Grade. There are four S-Grade Athletics Perks, which are a must-have for every player and shouldn’t be overlooked.
There are also two A-Grade Athletics Perks which have been included in this Best Athletics Perks list. While they require a high Body Attribute score, they are worth the investment and can make a big difference in combat.
Finally, there are 14 B-Grade Athletics Perks. While not covered in this list, there are shown below on the table that includes every Athletics Perk in Cyberpunk 2077.
Regeneration S-Grade Athletics Perk
With only one tier, you’ll only have to drop a single Perk Point to get the most out of Regeneration. It should be one of the very first Perks every single player unlocks, and fortunately it’s accessible to all with no Attribute Requirement.
Regeneration, as the name implies, will allow your character’s health to slowly regenerate during combat. While it’s not a huge amount early on, this can be upgraded with other Perks at a later time.
If you don’t have Regeneration, once enemies have spotted you and combat is engaged, even hiding or taking cover won’t allow your health to recover. You’ll have to use healing items, but with Regeneration you can get out of the line of fire for a minute and earn back some health.
Pack Mule S-Grade Athletics Perk
As you play Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll quickly realize that inventory management is going to be a major part of the game. Every time you enter a new area or eliminate enemies, there will be loot and items to pick up.
It can be exciting to grab every gun an enemy tries to use on you, but those quickly take up space in your inventory and weigh your character down. Fortunately, Pack Mule can instantly help that situation.
With just a single Perk Point, and no Attribute Requirement needed, Pack Mule will increase your character’s carrying capacity by 60 pounds. While you’ll need to improve your Athletics Skill Level for more carrying capacity, that 60 pound improvement makes a big difference early on.
Invincible S-Grade Athletics Perk
Even if you’re intending to avoid combat, sometimes it’s going to find you. The stealthiest players still make mistakes, and sometimes combat will engage without you ever having the opportunity to sneak and avoid it.
As such, your character’s Max Health becomes crucial. Invincible is as straightforward as Perks come, and you can invest up to three Perk Points to improve your Max Health.
Each Perk Point will add another 10% increase to your Max Health, and that eventual 30% addition will make a big difference in some of the game’s toughest fights. Fortunately, you’ll only need a Body of 5 to unlock it.
Cardio Cure S-Grade Athletics Perk
Cardio Cure is the final S-Grade Athletics Perk, but it comes with the highest Attribution Requirement yet. You’ll need a Body of 12 to get Cardio Cure, but it’s more than worth it.
This unique Perk will cause your character’s health to regenerate 25% faster when moving. If you’re in combat and get in a bind, you’re usually going to be moving to put distance between yourself and the enemy anyways.
Fortunately, Cardio Cure makes the most of that motion by improving your health regeneration while you’re retreating. Whether you head back into the fray or decide to get out of there and fight another day, you’ll be glad Cardio Cure was there to help.
Dog of War A-Grade Athletics Perk
Finally, we have the first of two A-Grade Athletics Perk in Cyberpunk 2077. While both of these are powerful and huge boons in combat, they’re also difficult to acquire with a needed 16 in Body.
As mentioned above, your Regeneration Perk can be improved, and that’s what Dog of War is there to do. You can spend two Perk Points, each of which will increase your health regeneration by 15%.
Dog of War misses S-Grade because of the Attribute Requirement, but if you’re upgrading your Body while playing Cyberpunk 2077 you don’t want to overlook this Perk.
Wolverine A-Grade Athletics Perk
Finally, we have one more A-Grade Athletics Perk with Wolverine. As the nod to Marvel’s classic character from X-Men indicates, the Wolverine Athletics Perk is going to affect your character’s health regeneration.
However, the key difference between Wolverine and the similar Dog of War is that Wolverine changes the speed at which your regeneration activates, rather than the overall health recovered. This makes a huge difference in combat.
Like Dog of War, you do need a Body of at least 16 to have access to Wolverine, but it’s definitely an investment that will pay off. Especially if you’re using short-range weapons or melee weapons, Wolverine is a Perk you need to look at.
All Athletics Perks in Cyberpunk 2077
The following table details all of the Athletics Perks in Cyberpunk 2077. Each has the Attribute Requirement to access it noted and the total Tiers available.
Tiers mean you can invest multiple Perk Points to improve a bonus, such as increasing it from 10% to 20%. Each is also labeled with one of the following Grades: S-Grade (must-have for all players), A-Grade (worth the investment), or B-Grade (only if it fits your playstyle).
| Perk Name | Grade | Description | Tiers | Attribute |
| Regeneration | S | Health slowly regenerates during combat | 1 | None |
| Pack Mule | S | Increases carrying capacity by 60 | 1 | None |
| Invincible | S | Increases max health by 10%/20%/30% | 3 | 5 Body |
| True Grit | B | Increases max stamina by 10%/20%/30% | 3 | 5 Body |
| Epimorphosis | B | Health regenerates up to 70%/80%/100% of maximum outside of combat | 3 | 7 Body |
| Steel and Chrome | B | Increases melee damage by 10%/20% | 2 | 9 Body |
| Gladiator | B | Reduces stamina cost while blocking by 20%/40% | 2 | 9 Body |
| Divided Attention | B | Enables you to reload weapons while sprinting, sliding, and vaulting | 1 | 11 Body |
| Multitasker | B | Enables you to shoot while sprinting, sliding, and vaulting | 1 | 11 Body |
| Like a Butterfly | B | Dodging does not drain stamina | 1 | 11 Body |
| Transporter | B | Enables you to shoot handguns and sprint while carrying a body | 1 | 12 Body |
| Stronger Together | B | Increases damage you deal while carrying a body | 1 | 12 Body |
| Cardio Cure | S | Health regenerates 25% faster when moving | 1 | 12 Body |
| Human Shield | B | Increases Armor by 20% when grappling an enemy | 1 | 14 Body |
| Marathoner | B | Sprinting does not drain stamina | 1 | 14 Body |
| Dog of War | A | Increases health regeneration in combat by 15%/30% | 2 | 16 Body |
| Wolverine | A | Health regeneration activates 50%/90% faster during combat | 2 | 16 Body |
| Steel Shell | B | Increases Armor by 10% | 1 | 18 Body |
| The Rock | B | Enemies cannot knock you down | 1 | 20 Body |
| Indestructible | B | Reduces all incoming damage by 10% | 1 | 20 Body |
