Choose Songbird or Reed? – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Guide

Cyberpunk 2077 is filled with choices that make or break the story and its expansion Phantom Liberty is no different. But the most important choice you have to make in the expansion’s end phase is to choose between Songbird and Reed.

You’ll get two different endings depending on who you choose, but only one choice will give you the new base game ending. The final missions of the expansion also change depending on who you choose to help.

Players should choose Reed’s side every time they’re presented with a choice between him and Songbird in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty as it’ll allow them to get the game’s new base ending.

It ultimately boils down to how you want your playthrough to end and how much you care about the new base game ending. Throughout your journey, you’ll understand both of these characters and how circumstances have pitted them against each other.

It might seem a bit confusing at first, but we’ll give a rundown of everything you need to know about these characters, how they’re presented in the story and how your choice affects them, the following missions and of course, the ending itself.

1. Who are Reed and Songbird?

Solomon Reed, played by Idris Elba, is a NUSA Federal Intelligence Agency Agent and Songbird is an intelligence analyst working for the NUSA. The reason they’re at odds with each other is because Songbird betrayed Reed seven years before the expansion.

Songbird crashed into Dogtown with NUSA president Rosalind Myers and she contacts you to help her to get Myers out. But you soon find out that she orchestrated the crash in order to avoid serving under the President.

She was infected after being exposed to an AI from beyond the Blackwall and she’s looking for a neural matrix that’ll cure not only hers, but V’s condition too. This is where Songbird’s conflict with Reed comes in as NUSA isn’t really excited about her trying to find a neural matrix.

Reed on the other hand is a NUSA federal agent who originally hired and trained Songbird but after things went South, he became a sleeper agent tasked with tracking and taking down Songbird. He also needs V’s help which is what brings V into the core conflict between him and Songbird.

Choosing Songbird during the ‘Firestarter’ main mission unlocks ‘The Killing Moon’ main mission and choosing to help Reed during the mission unlocks the missions ‘Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos’, ‘Somewhat Damaged’, and ‘Leave in Silence’ instead.

2. What happens if you help Songbird?

If you help Songbird during the ‘Firestarter’ main mission, here’s what happens:

• Alex lives.
• ‘The Killing Moon’ becomes your final mission.
• Songbird reveals that there was only one cure for her and not V.

If you still help Songbird at the end of ‘The Killing Moon’ main mission, here’s what happens:

• You have to eliminate Reed.
• You don’t get access to the new base game ending.

I’m sure from the above pointers, you can deduce that helping Songbird will ultimately benefit her and her only as you’ll not only have to kill Reed, but V’s condition will also not be cured. Now, let’s look at the consequences if you help Idris Elba.

3. What happens if you help Reed?

If you help Reed during the ‘Firestarter’ main mission, here’s what happens:

• Alex dies.
• ‘Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos’, ‘Somewhat Damaged’ and ‘Leave in Silence’ will become your final missions.
• You get to see past events of Songbird’s life where it’s revealed that she has been lying about the cure to V.

If you kill Songbird during ‘Somewhat Damaged’:

• Reed is unhappy.
• You don’t get access to the new base game ending.

If you don’t kill Songbird during the mission:

• Songbird tells V that being held by the FIA is a fate far worse than death.
• Reed is satisfied and isn’t unhappy.
• You get access to the new base game ending.

None of the endings are truly happy ones which is why it can be difficult for you to make a choice, but a choice has to be made. At the end of the day, it’s your choice so even if you end up choosing Songbird, there’s no problem in that as long as you’re enjoying your playthrough.

4. About Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is a 2020 action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt, based on video game designer Mike Pondsmith’s game series.

Set in a dystopian cyberpunk universe, the player assumes the role of “V,” a mercenary in the fictional Californian city known as “Night City,” where they deal with the fallout from a heist gone wrong that results in an experimental cybernetic “bio-chip” containing an engram of the legendary rock star and terrorist Johnny Silverhand (played by Keanu Reeves) threatening to slowly overwrite V’s mind; as the story progresses V and Johnny must work together to find a way to be separated and save V’s life.