2097 Cyberware / Implants

The Customized Self

The question is no longer if you are chromed, but how and why. Cyberware has completed its journey from medical necessity to universal lifestyle accessory. It is the ultimate expression of identity, profession, and status in a world where the body is the final frontier of customization.

The Cultural Landscape: Style Over Substance, Until Substance Matters

Cyberware exists on a spectrum from pure aesthetics to brutal functionality, and everyone exists somewhere on it.

  • Fashionware: The Universal Language. This is the entry-level chrome. Light tattoos, Shift-tacts, Techhair, and ChemSkins are as common as the clothes on your back. They are the domain of body salons and mall kiosks, not ripperdocs. For the majority of the population, this is how they participate in cyber-culture—expressing mood, allegiance to a brand or gang, or simply following trends without significant biological cost.

  • Professional Grade: The Toolbelt. The working class and corporat middle-managerie use cyberware as essential career equipment. A datajack is as standard as a smartphone once was. Cyberoptics with recording functions and HUDs are for recording meetings and navigating complex data. Cyberaudio filters out city noise and amplifies whispers. This chrome is a necessary investment, often financed through corporate credit, making the user a loyal consumer.

  • High-Performance: The Edge. For solos, netrunners, and street-level operatives, cyberware is survival. This is where aesthetics and function merge into a deadly art form. A Sandevistan isn't just fast; its chrome housing is custom-engraved. A Mantis Blade is both a statement and a tool. This grade is installed by skilled ripperdocs and carries real risk, both physically and to one's Humanity.

  • Bespoke Luxury: The Invisible Hand. The elite no longer wear their wealth; they are curated. They use internal, high-end Bioware for health and cognitive enhancement, and flawless Gemini-class cyberware that is indistinguishable from organic tissue. Their status is demonstrated by the absence of visible chrome, proving they exist in a world so safe and controlled they have no need for crude physical armaments.

Key Differentiators: Cyberware vs. Bioware

The distinction is critical in 2097's society:

  • Cyberware: Artificial technology interfacing with the nervous system. It is hardware. It's durable, upgradeable, and often visible. It speaks to a philosophy of the self as a machine to be improved.

    • Examples: Cyberlimbs, Datajacks, Subdermal Armor, Reflex Tuners.

  • Bioware: Genetically engineered or vat-grown biological enhancements. It is software. It is organic, seamless, and heals naturally. It represents a philosophy of "perfecting" nature from within.

    • Examples: Grafted Muscle, Enhanced Antibodies, Toxin Binders, Tailored Pheromones.

The choice between them is a philosophical statement: are you building a better machine, or growing a better organism?

The Market & Accessibility

  • The Low End: Fashionware and basic cyberlimbs are accessible to most. They are major purchases, like a car, but attainable. This market is flooded with cheap Kang Tao knockoffs and refurbished hardware, often with questionable safety records.

  • The Middle Ground: Reliable, brand-name cyberware from manufacturers like Kiroshi (optics) or Zetatech (neuralware) is the standard for professionals. It represents a significant financial commitment but is seen as a wise investment.

  • The High End: The products of Raven Microcyb (stealth tech), Arasaka (security systems), and Militech (combat ware) are for those with corporate backing or immense wealth. This is where you find the specialized, high-impact ware that defines top-tier edgerunners and executives.

  • The Experimental: Biotechnica's latest gene therapies or Lazarus Group's resurrection-tech are available only to a select few, often at a cost that goes beyond money and into the realm of soul-crushing contracts.

The Social Fabric

In 2097, your chrome is your business card.

  • A Mox dancer might have Techhair that pulses with the music and Synthskin that displays animated art, turning their body into a living light show.

  • A Corpo exec has a hidden Biomonitor feeding vitals to their superiors and internal Agent software for constant market analysis.

  • A Solo's entire body is a customized weapon platform, each piece of chrome telling a story of a battle won or a rival outdrawn.

  • A Netrunner is defined by the quality of their neural interface and the heat-dissipation systems that keep their brain from frying during a deep dive.

In essence, to be un-augmented in Night City is to be disconnected, vulnerable, and irrelevant. The city doesn't just expect you to chrome up—it demands it. Uniqueness is currency, and in the relentless marketplace of 2097, your body is the most valuable asset you own.

@Apogee Sandevistan (Implant) @Fortified Ankles (Implant) @Gorilla Arms (Implant)

@Jenkins' Tendons (Implant) @Kerenzikov (Implant) @Daemon Mantis Blades

@Mantis Blades @Reboot Mantis Blades @Shock Mantis Blades @Thermal Mantis Blades

@Kiroshi Eye (Implant) @Raven Microcyb Eye Implant @Blessed "Webstalker" Optics

@Moon Dollchip Neural Implant . @Blessed "Doll" Cyberdeck OS