In a game where everything is just too much, Cyberpunk 2077 could have really benefitted from having a traditional class system. CD Projekt Red made the skill system way too complicated in Cyberpunk 2077, and it's more than possible for players to negatively impact their own gameplay as a result.
In Cyberpunk 2077, there are five major attributes which each contain entirely separate skill trees where players can then select perks. As players level up a particular attribute in Cyberpunk, they gain access to a wider variety of perks within that skill set. It sounds like a fairly straightforward system, but the perks are presented in a way that just isn't intuitive, and it's a mess to sort through. While players can reset their perks by purchasing a ridiculous $100,000 item that's hidden away at ripperdocs, there is no way to reset the attribute points, and players are locked into their selections permanently.
Cyberpunk 2077's skill system is needlessly complicated and it could have very easily been streamlined with a standard class system. A standard mercenary built on direct combat, a netrunner who specializes in hacking and cybernetics, and an engineer whose strengths are in crafting and technology would have gone a long way in tightening up this system. A class system maintains the game's current playstyles but would have presented it in a structured and more intuitive form for players. While there are a ton of ways to play Cyberpunk 2077, the game really wants players to lean into one particular direction, as it's a really hard game to be a "jack of all trades" type character. While some players prefer this mode of play, others may not pick the right options early on, or change their mind and want to try a different build a few hours in.
Cyberpunk 2077's Skill System Needs Structure
Cyberpunk 2077 is the type of game where players can become insanely overpowered if they really invest in a certain direction. An argument can certainly be made that players need to approach it that way, because the core gunplay just isn't that good. Without a heavy investment in a certain type of weapon or ability, enemies can take a ridiculous amount of damage before finally going down and it's a real problem in the early game. This becomes significantly more manageable once players start to get access to stronger perks, but players can accidentally lock themselves out of doing so depending on how they spend skill points in Cyberpunk 2077, things which either can't be changed or become very costly mistakes.
At the very least, Cyberpunk 2077 needs a way for players to be able to reset all of their skill and attribute points as simply as possible. There's just no reason to lock players into permanent choices that could have major ramifications on gameplay, not to mention its impact on gameplay variety. But if that's how CD Projekt Red wanted to handle the attributes, then Cyberpunk 2077 would have significantly benefitted from including a class system that guided players towards properly progressing their character.
