The best Mantis Blade build in Cyberpunk 2077 version 1.6

Cyberpunk 2077 is making waves in the community following the release of the 1.6 patch. It's surprising to see the game rise to popularity two years after its release, but the community is having a nice time playing the game after the massive overhaul it received. A major part of this success can be attributed to the recent Cyberpunk Edgerunners series released on Netflix a few days back.

That said, Cyberpunk 2077 is a role-playing game. Builds form the foundation of any role-playing game, allowing players to customize their character to suit their playstyle. From cleaving through enemies like a samurai to hacking everything in sight like the DedSec operatives from the Watch Dogs franchise, players in Cyberpunk 2077 can do it all.

The game features an interesting weapon known as the Mantis Blades. These blades can be retrofitted on the player’s arms, making them look like a praying mantis. This guide will examine the essential features required to perfect the Mantis Blade builds in Cyberpunk 2077 version 1.6.

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Perk setup for the Mantis Blade build in Cyberpunk 2077

Much like the Katana build in Cyberpunk 2077, the Mantis Blade build is also a melee. Though there isn't much difference in the perk selection between the two builds, the key difference is that players will use their melee more than any other weapon in the game.

Moreover, unlike the Samurai Build in the game, this build will come with at least one or two ranged weapons. Although players can lunge at their enemy, the ones far away might be difficult to reach.

Since this is a melee build, players must focus most of their attribute points on Reflexes. As they progress through the game, this stat should be maxed out. Out of the remaining attributes in the game, it would be wise to invest some points in Body and Cool, with the first two receiving the most points.

All the remaining points can be dumped into Technical. This isn't a Netrunner build, so the Intelligence stat does not require much focus. That said, here's what the initial stat build-up should look like:

• Body: 5
• Intelligence: 3
• Reflexes: 6
• Technical: 3
• Cool: 6

As mentioned, this is a melee build, so players must focus mainly on the perks found under the Blades perk tree. While that remains the main focus, the other perk trees to look at would be the Athletics, Ninjutsu, and Cold Blood perk trees in Cyberpunk 2077.

Here are the perks that are necessary for this build:

Blades perk tree

• Bloodlust: Recovers 7% / 10% health when applying the bleed debuff to an enemy or hitting an enemy with the bleed debuff.
• Flight of the Sparrow: Reduces the stamina cost for all attacks by 25% / 50%.
• Crimson Dance: Combo attacks have a 15% / 30% chance of applying the bleed debuff to an enemy. Works well when paired with Bloodlust.
• Sting Like a Bee: Increases blade attack speeds by 10% / 20% / 30%.
• Roaring Waters: Strong attacks with blades deal 10% / 20% / 30% additional damage.
• Slow and Steady: Increases armor by 15% / 30% while moving.
• Shifting Sands: Dodging while using a blade restores 15% / 20% / 25% stamina.
• Blessed Blade: Crit. Chance while using Blades is increased by 10%.
• Float Like a Butterfly: Dodging increases Blade damage by 25% / 50% for 5 seconds.
• Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Increased damage to enemies at max health by 25%/ 50% / 100% while using Blades.
• Deathbolt: Eliminating an enemy with a Blade increases movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds and recovers 40% health.
• Fiery Blast: For every 1% / 2% / 3% of health that the enemy is missing, Blade damage is increased by 1%.
• Dragon Strike: Crit Damage for Blades increased by 25%. Additional 1% damage boost every time the perk is leveled up.

Athletics perk tree

• Regeneration: Health regenerates during Combat.
• True Grit: Increases Max Stamina by 10% / 20% / 30%.
• Wolverine: Health Regeneration starts 20% / 40% / 60% faster during combat.
• Steel & Chrome: Melee damage increased by 10% / 20%.
• Like a Butterfly: Dodgind does not reduce stamina anymore.
• Dog of War: Health regeneration in combat is increased by 30% / 60%.
• Tenacious V: Getting hit does not stop health regeneration.

Cold Blood perk tree

• Cold Blood: Cold Blood activates after defeating an enemy and is available for 7 seconds. With this perk active, movement speed increases by 2%. Stacks up to 3 times. The duration reduces by 1 second for each stack.
• Blood Brawl: Increases melee damage while using melee weapons by 5% / 10% while Cold Blood is active.
• Defensive Clotting: Increases armor by 4% / 8% per stack of Cold Blood.
• Coagulant: Removes Cold Blood stacks one at a time.
• Predator: Increases attack speed by 10% / 30% for each stack of Cold Blood.

Here are all the perks that players will need to focus on while using this Mantis Blade build in Cyberpunk 2077. To get more out of this build, players can pair this up with a Sandevistan, allowing them to slow down time while attacking enemies.

Adding a mod to the Mantis Blades that deals electrical damage can also be used, making it exceptionally useful against non-human enemies like drones in Cyberpunk 2077 version 1.6.

To sum it all up, this build is really fun to play. Players can pair it up with a Shotgun or two for the ultimate hack, slash, and blast type of combat. This build isn't absolute. Players can mix and match the perks from the other lists available in Cyberpunk 2077 to see what results they come across.

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Note: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.