Navigating the Shot by Both Sides Quest in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
The Shot by Both Sides quest in Dogtown immerses V in cyberpunk espionage, challenging players with tense choices and layered intrigue.
In the murky underworld of Dogtown, fixer Mr. Hands throws yet another delicate job at V—this time involving a journalist named Bree who has gone deep into hiding. Her story is layered with half-truths and corporate shadows, and V is tasked with reaching her before Militech closes in. The quest "Shot by Both Sides" blends classic cyberpunk espionage with tense exploration and a moral fork at its climax.
🪴 The Search for the Access Card
The first objective is to locate Bree's apartment in Heywood's Wellsprings sub-district, well outside the fortified walls of Dogtown. After taking the elevator up, V must navigate the hallway and enter the apartment—either by forcing the door with raw strength or bypassing the lock with technical expertise. Inside, the bedroom holds the key to progress: a decorative bamboo plant tucked beside a computer terminal.
Scanning the plant reveals a hidden compartment containing an access card crucial for reaching Bree's hideout. After pocketing the card, V should message Mr. Hands to confirm progress. On the way out, Bree's neighbor intercepts V with uneasy questions—dialogue choices here are inconsequential, but the encounter plants a seed of doubt about Bree's credibility.
🚇 Into the Maintenance Tunnels
Armed with the card, V returns to Dogtown and heads toward the elevator beside the apartment building. This descent leads to the same maintenance tunnels V once traversed with President Myers—a damp, sprawling underbelly of forgotten infrastructure. The path is linear but atmospheric: follow the tracks, crawl through rubble, and squeeze through a narrow gap until Bree's makeshift shelter comes into view.
Bree appears jumpy but grateful as V hands over the access card. She offers little explanation, instead urging V to escort her through an adjacent facility rigged with automated defenses. Trust is a rare currency in Night City, and Bree's reluctance to share details should already raise a veteran's eyebrows.
🛡️ Disabling Automated Defenses
The facility escort sequence is a test of both observation and hacking proficiency. V moves in three distinct phases:
- First hallway: Both ceiling turrets are inactive, but scanning them is mandatory before Bree proceeds.
- Second hallway: Cameras and lasers remain active. Turrets have not yet deployed. V can disable threats silently with quickhacks—distract enemies or short-circuit optics—or simply blast them with gunfire. One camera hides around the left corner, easily missed in a rush.
- Large control room: The final chamber bristles with cameras, lasers, and turrets ready to drop. To the left, a small control room offers a master terminal. Accessing it requires a Body or Technical Ability of at least 10. If V lacks these attributes, manual disabling via quickhacks or precision shooting becomes necessary. Patience pays off—rushing triggers a cascade of turrets that can chew through armor quickly.
Once every threat is neutralized, Bree unlocks the final door. The next area's security is already powered down; only scanning is required. While Bree works at a console, V gets a chance to view some revealing video logs, adding context to the chaos.
⚖️ The Decisive Moment
The neighbor reappears—now introducing himself as Dante, a Militech Special Agent. Words fly between Bree and Dante, accusations and justifications colliding. Then the game presents a binary choice, and the consequences ripple through the rest of V's relationship with Mr. Hands.
| Choice | Actions & Immediate Consequences | Long-term Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Help Bree | Pick "Sure do." Eliminate Dante—he's an ordinary human with little fight. Speak with Bree afterwards. | Mr. Hands warns V about being hunted. Bree's true nature turns out to be more manipulative than heroic. |
| Let Bree die | Do nothing as Dante shoots her. Conversation with Dante reveals a shard exposing Bree's lies. Alternatively, kill Dante afterwards, loot Bree's body, and sell the data to Mr. Hands via a dead drop. | Mr. Hands is furious if the client dies without compensation. Selling the data can appease him. |
There is no morally clean path. Helping Bree feels loyal but rewards naivety; allowing her death seems cold, yet the uncovered evidence suggests she was manipulating V from the start. Players who value Mr. Hands' favor can still salvage the situation by looting Bree's body and completing the dead drop—turning a botched job into a profitable one.
🕵️ Final Observations
"Shot by Both Sides" exemplifies Phantom Liberty's capacity for twisting familiar espionage tropes into personal gut-checks. The apartment infiltration is gentle world-building; the tunnel trek builds atmospheric dread; the defense gauntlet tests technical skill; and the ending demands the player to weigh loyalty against pragmatism without fully understanding either side.
For completionists, it's worth noting that neither choice locks out future Mr. Hands gigs, but they do alter his dialogue tone and V's standing. The quest also rewards those who invest in Body or Technical Ability, providing an easier time in the control room. Regardless of path, the job is a tight, memorable slice of spy fiction set against a neon-drenched dystopia.