Badlands

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Sparsely populated by Nomads, the Badlands are the vast plains outside of the city proper. Unchecked resource extraction, burning oil fields, rampant pollution; this district makes Night City feel like a rich oasis. But it holds golden opportunities for those in the know.

Cyberpunk 2077

The Badlands is a vast and sparsely populated desert located in the Califorian coast. Mostly surrounding Night City, it extends across the states of Northern and Southern California.^[1]

The Badlands have been around Night City since at least before 2020.^[2]

Overview

Beyond Night City and its surrounding suburbs, there is a wide-open space of endless dry Californian scrub, punctuated by the occasional abandoned town or dry lake bed. The Badlands is a region that few Night Citizens willingly venture out into, save for the hardy nomads, who crossed the desert in their huge and well-protected caravans.^[2] These vast plains outside of Night City make the metropolis look more glamorous in comparison. However, there's still life and golden opportunities out there.^[3]

Nomads aren't the only ones who call the Badlands their home. A a gang made up mostly of exiles from local tribes and families known as the Wraiths reside here. These are the guys responsible for the corporate transport disappearances. Crossing into their territory without armed transport is suicide.

Unchecked resource extraction and derelict oil fields dominate in the north. Wastelands full of chemicals and landfills reign supreme in the east. Acid rains are a result from the massive pollution, this guarantees nothing will ever grow there anytime soon, perhaps ever, while the winds carry the unbearable stench that makes sure Night City doesn't forget this place exists. The south side is comprised of desert. Due to Biotechnica's many protein farms, as well as the Jackson Plains power plant, this part of the Badlands is less apocalyptic than the rest. Some even think it's safe around here, but let your guard down for a second and it'll eat you up alive.^[3]

Database Entry

If you think Night City is dangerous, just wait 'till you get to the Badlands.

The areas bordering the city to the east and south are actually eight different zones that vary in character and landscape. There's the trailer park of Red Peaks, the plains of Rocky Ridge, and the desert of Sierra Sonora stretching out to the east, whose landfill emits a stench that's often blown all the way into the city. Saturated with chemicals and acid rain, nothing will ever grow again in this region of the Badlands. Anyone who has to cross this area does it quickly, and if they're smart, with an armed escort in case they run into Wraiths - a gang made up of exiled nomads. You could compare them to vultures, though at least vultures have the decency to wait until their prey is dead.

The south paints a much less apocalyptic picture with Biotechnica's protein farms and the Jackson Plains power plant. A trip to the neighboring lake of Laguna Bend at sunset is the most picturesque view the Badlands has to offer (just make sure you don't touch the water).

There's a saying that everyone should visit the Badlands at least once in their lives. Sounds like something the Wraiths would say.^[1]

Locations

North California

South California

Note: Locations in the Southern Californian section of the Badlands are only accessible during The Nomad, the introductory quest for characters with the Nomad lifepath.

Los Padres County

Behind the scenes

Spend enough time in Night City and you start to wonder why anyone would want to live here. Beyond the city limits, you stop wondering real quick: things are a hell of a lot worse outside. Unchecked resource extraction, rampant pollution and a climate in crisis do not make for a happy weekend getaway. For all its flaws, at least Night City gives you moments of reprieve, in its flashing casinos and slick cocktail bars where you can forget your miserable life for an hour and pretend that everything is going to be fine and dandy. In the wasted badlands and burning oil fields outside the city, the smell of dystopia (or is it just the sulfur?) never leaves your nostrils. Beyond the city's borders we find Entropism at its ugliest, but also at its grandest in terms of scale. Looking down from an AV or an airplane approaching the city, you see endless rows of solar panels and windmills, acres and acres of greenhouses, huge open-pit oil fields... you can't help but be impressed. You see just what it cost to keep a resource-intensive economy going for another century. The natural world—California's great legacy—is dead. Or shall we say undead.^[4]

The Official Digital Artbook of Cyberpunk 2077