Cyberpunk 2077 gets the Charisma Stat right, and other games could learn from its example. Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red is a cyberpunk-themed RPG set in the sprawling dystopia of Night City. Players take on the role of V, a mercenary searching for a special implant that just may be the key to immortality.
Charisma is an important asset in many RPGs, depending on the character build players prefer. However, it can be difficult to choose between leveling up combat abilities and adding a bit of silver to the player character's tongue. CD Projekt Red was able to get around this in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt by omitting charisma in favor of dialogue choices and using the axii sign to manipulate NPCs. However, considering The Witcher games were based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, the developers were limited by the source content.
Cyberpunk 2077 is based on a tabletop RPG which has a far more robust level-up system. Because of this, CD Projekt Red was able to utilize certain stats and mechanics that were barred to them in their previous endeavor. Instead of using the tried and true RPG charisma stat, developers opted for something a bit more original in Cyberpunk 2077.
Cyberpunk 2077's Cool Is Better Than Charisma
It's clear CD Projekt Red understands the players who find themselves drawn to dropping tons of points into charisma, and has revamped this classic stat to work better for video games. For starters, Cyberpunk 2077 takes the standard RPG charisma stat and renames it Cool, a holdover from the Cool stat in the Cyberpunk board game. Despite its name, in Cyberpunk 2077 the cool stat doesn't determine how hip V is, but rather how cool V is under pressure. Cool in Cyberpunk 2077 is tied to the player’s stealth abilities as well as their charisma. Players who want to smooth talk their way through tense situations in video games, after all, also tend to be the players invested in stealth.
Unlike many RPGs, Cyberpunk 2077 players won’t have to use points on cool, which could have otherwise been spent on combat abilities. Stealth abilities level up the more the player uses the skill, similar to how leveling works in games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. However, the players' stealth abilities can't be leveled up above their Cool level.
For instance, a player with a level 4 Cool in Cyberpunk 2077 cannot have any stealth skill above level four, no matter how many times the skills are used. The higher level of Cool a player has, the longer it will take for enemies to detect them and the steadier their aim will be. The Cool stat in Cyberpunk 2077 offers an interesting integration of charisma and stealth that seems well thought out. After all, players going for a thief build will need both charm and stealth abilities in their arsenal.
