V (character)

V, an alias for Valerie/Vincent (gender-dependent), is the player-controlled character in. V's gender, appearance, attributes, perks, and lifepath are all customizable and have an impact on the story.

Biography
This part of is a deep character customization system. The process starts with the player either selecting a preset character or creating a custom character. When creating a custom character, the player can select a gender and customize their character; customization can include depictions of breasts, buttocks and genitalia, as well as various sizes and combinations of genitals. Options also include picking between a male or female sounding voice, while also adjusting the pitch.

Lifepath History
The player then selects V's Lifepath history, by choosing Nomad, Streetkid, or Corporate.

Each lifepath will start in a different starting location in Night City and V will be in a different place in life overall. V will have a different introductory questline, and equipment which will be connected to your specific origin story and will be introduced to the characters differently. Lifepaths will stretch the entirety of the game, and not only will it open up different dialogue options like previously stated, but you will also unlock specific side quests based off your Lifepath.


 * Nomad: "Roaming the Badlands, looting scrapyards, raiding fuel depots – life on the road wasn't easy, but growing up in a nomad clan has its perks. Honesty, integrity and a love of freedom – qualities that few in Night City possess and no amount of money can buy."
 * V grew up in the Badlands, having been part of the Bakkers nomad clan. They have left the clan after it merged with Snake Nation, leading them to search for a new life in Night City. Whilst travelling, V is forced to stop at the Southern Californian town Yucca to get their car repaired. After a local mechanic fixes it, V makes contact with Jackie Welles and agrees to help him smuggle contraband across the Californian border. Managing to cross without a hitch, they discover the border patrol awaiting on the other side, forcing them to flee through the Biotechnica Flats. After losing their tail and taking refuge in an abandoned building, V and Jackie discover that they were smuggling an iguana. Though planning to ditch them without their money, Jackie offers to help V set up in Night City and split their profit by selling to another party, which they accept.


 * Streetkid: "They say if you wanna understand the streets, you gotta live 'em. Gangs, fixers, dolls, small-time pushers – you were raised by them all. Down here the law of the jungle dictates the weak serve the strong – the only law in Night City you have yet to break."
 * V grew up in the Heywood District of Night City and was raised by the gangs. Though they initially left for Atlanta two years ago, they returned several months before the game starts. Whilst recovering from a fight in El Coyote Cojo, V agrees to help the bartender named Pepe Najarro settle a debt with Kirk Sawyer. In exchange, they are sent to steal a Rayfield Aerondight S9 from a corpo agent, receiving a lift from their old friend Padre. As they enter and start the car, V is stopped by Jackie Welles, who is also attempting to steal the vehicle. They are quickly surrounded by the NCPD, lead by officer Stints and arrested. Though ordered to be executed by the vehicle's owner, they are instead knocked unconscious and left bloodied in an alleyway. After the ordeal, V and Jackie are properly introduced, the latter revealing that Kirk's threats are actually empty. When he invites them for a meal, V hesitantly accepts, leading to their friendship.


 * Corporate: "Few leave the corporate world with their lives – fewer still with their souls intact. You've been there – you've bent the rules, exploited secrets and weaponized information. There's no such thing as fair game, only winners and losers."
 * V was raised in a corporate family in Charter Hill, Night City. Joining Arasaka, they work as a counterintelligence operative agent for Arthur Jenkins in the Arasaka Tower, Corpo Plaza. Though they are highly regarded within the organization, V is stressed about the job. When Jenkins assassinates the ESA representatives without the official approval, V tasked with assassinating his boss, Susan Abernathy, to ensure he cannot be tracked to him. While meeting with their street contact Jackie Welles at Lizzie's Bar, they are cornered by other Arasaka agents and is stripped of their corporate status. However, Jackie intervenes before they extract V. With their life effectively over, V is offered help by Jackie and allowed to stay at his until they get back on their feet.

After the intro questlines are completed, they then lead into a compilation cutscene of Jackie and V sticking together for a while doing jobs before it reaches the starting point of the game. At this point, the game follows a similar narrative path.

2077
After completing a job for Wakako Okada, V and Jackie are contacted by fixer Dexter DeShawn. They, along with netrunner T-Bug, are hired to break into Konpeki Plaza and steal a Relic from Yorinobu Arasaka for Evelyn Parker. V undertakes preparation for the heist, meeting with Parker to locate the device and retrieving a Flathead from the Maelstrom gang to assist them.

After finishing planning, V and the crew undertake the heist and successfully retrieve the Relic. However, they are forced to hide when Yorinobu meets with his father, Saburo Arasaka, in the room and murders him. With security increased in the building, V becomes the only survivor whilst the other crew members die at the hands of Arasaka's forces. The Relic's casing is also critically damaged, forcing them to slot it into their shard to preserve it. At the rendezvous point, V is betrayed and murdered by DeShawn via a gunshot to the head. Their body is then disposed at a landfill on the outskirts of Night City.

However, due to the Relic's presence in their body, V is revived by the device some time later. Located by Saburo's bodyguard Goro Takemura, they are brought back to Night City and to Viktor Vector's clinic. Whilst recovering there, V learns that the Relic is overriding their consciousness with an engram of Johnny Silverhand and that they have only a short time left to live. Meeting with Goro, V is asked to help testify to Saburo's heir, Hanako, and expose Yorinobu's crime. At the same time, they decide to investigate various leads into removing the Relic, including Evelyn and its creator Anders Hellman. V can also undertake various side jobs and gigs around the area during this time.

With help from Moxes member Judy Alvarez, V locates Evelyn and learn that she was initially hired by the Voodoo Boys to steal the Relic, though only for Silverhand's engram. Meeting with Placide, they arrange to help them bypass the Blackwall and contact Alt Cunningham, a legendary netrunner and Johnny's former girlfriend. Through Alt, V learns that they can extract the engram through Soulkiller and rewrite it with their consciousness, though only within Arasaka's Mikoshi system. After contacting Rogue Amendiares, V learns that Hellman is attempting to defect to Arasaka rival Kang Tao. Working with Panam Palmer and the Aldecaldos, they can ambush his convoy and retrieve him. Whilst interrogating Hellman, V learns that the Relic is permanently connected to their neural system, making the process impossible to undo.

V and Goro gradually decide to contact Hanako during Yorinobu's memorial parade and prepared to do so. After dealing with security forces and her personal bodyguard Sandayu Oda, Goro is forced to kidnap Hanako. V meets with her and tells her what he witnessed. However, they are attacked by Arasaka forces, led by Adam Smasher, who rescued Hanako. Able to escape the ambush, V is contacted by Hanako shortly afterwards and arranges a meeting, due which they learn that Mikoshi is located under Arasaka Tower and is offered access if they help kill Yorinobu.

During the meeting, the Relic begins to malfunction, forcing V to leave it. With Silverhand taking control, they are taken to Victor's surgery and learns that the Relic's process is almost complete. Given final moments to make their choice, V can make their last calls and decide what they will do.

Dependent

 * The Devil: If V decides to accept Hanako's offer, they are picked up either by Goro or Helman, depending on whether they saved Goro from Arasaka, and rescue her from Yorinobu's estate. Travelling to Arasaka Tower, they learn that Sobinoru created an engram of his consciousness before his death, who confirms their presence. Whilst they present their testimonies, V is forced to fend off attackers sent by Yorinobu to assassinate Hanako and the board. Ordered to capture him alive, they fight their way through his loyalists, including Smasher. After confronting Yorinobu, V is taken to Mikoshi, where the Relic and Johnny's engram is removed. Waking up on a satellite research station months later, they are subjected to a series of tests over an unspecified timeframe. Eventually, V learns that their DNA has been altered by the Relic and that they only have six months to live. When Arasaka offer to upload their engram to Mikoshi, V can chose to either do so or return to Earth to live out the rest of their life.


 * The Star: If V completed all side-jobs related to Panam, they can call them to request help. After completing plans for the assault and contacting Alt, they are initiated into the clan. Along with Panam and Saul Bright, V breaks into Arasaka Tower by tunneling with a drill. After granting Alt access to the network, they battle Adam Smasher and enter Mikoshi. Whilst inside, V learns that the Relic has rewritten their DNA to Johnny's and that returning to it would only grant them a shortened life span. From here, V has the choice of either returning to their body or joining Alt on the other side of the Blackwall as an engram. If the former is chosen, they leave Night City with the Aldecados.


 * The Sun: If V completed all of Rogue's side-jobs, they can chose to allow Johnny control of their body. They mainly remain inactive as Johnny storms Arasaka Tower with Rogue and many hired mercenaries. Whilst in Makoshi, V and Johnny learn that the Relic has altered their DNA to Silverhands and returning to it could result in their death after six months. Depending on whether Johnny choses, V will be forced to either return to their body or cross the Blackwall with Alt, presumably being merged with her. If the former occurs, they become a legend at the Afterlife for Johnny's actions and is hired by a client for a job at Crystal Palace.


 * Suicide: If V has second thoughts on a decision, they can consider suicide rather than chose one option. If they choose to do so, they throw the pills away and talk Johnny into the plan. After taking one last look at Night City, V goes through with their choice.


 * Secret: If V has chosen certain dialogue choices at Johnny's burial site and takes too long to make the choice, Johnny will instead suggest that they run the building themselves rather than let others die for them. If they agree to the plan, they will raid Arasaka single handedly and take on the company's entire security force. If V dies at any point, they will be considered a suicide run. If V is able to get pass all the forces, including Smasher, they will learn about the Relic's altering of their DNA and be given the choice to either return to their body or cross the Blackwall with Alt. If the former is chosen, V becomes a legend at the Afterlife and is hired by a client for a job at Crystal Palace.

Development
The character of V was unveiled at the E3 2018 show, where CD Projekt Red revealed the game for the first time since 2013. Players are going to find themselves in the role of V, an up and coming cyberpunk in Night City. Rather than having a pre-defined character, similar to Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher franchise, CDPR elected to allow players to define their own character.

Trivia

 * Male V went through multiple redesigns over the course of development. By looking at the various trailers and gameplay footage, you can see each new design CDPR went with for that time.
 * CDPR designed the game so that the game's content and gameplay experience would be identical for both genders. However, V's dialogue, mannerisms and how others treat them may vary depending on which one you pick.