Key takeaways
- California & Cartwright is a junction, not a formal sub-district It is primarily a fast-travel landmark in Watson.
- The point is placed in Little China on map directories, although it sits close to the Arasaka Waterfront boundary.
- Konpeki Plaza is the major nearby landmark, but its interior belongs to the story mission The Heist, not to ordinary free-roam exploration.
- The Emperor Tarot graffiti is found near the Konpeki Plaza entrance, north of the fast-travel point. It becomes relevant after starting Fool on the Hill.
- A nearby NCPD Assault in Progress can be approached south-east of the Dataterm The activity contains a small hostile group and a case or evidence objective.
- The junction is a useful starting point for reaching the Konpeki Plaza tower area, but it is not a reliable route into the hotel after the heist.
About this guide
Scope: Cyberpunk 2077 base game, including the 2.0-era world layout where relevant. Phantom Liberty content is excluded unless it affects the interpretation of the surrounding map. Status: This is a researched guide, but California & Cartwright is a small map label rather than a fully defined administrative district. Its exact boundary is not formally stated in the game. The guide therefore distinguishes the fast-travel point itself, the immediately adjoining streets and waterfront, and nearby locations that are often mistakenly folded into it.
Overview
California & Cartwright is a fast-travel and street-junction location in Watson, Night City. It lies in the southern part of Watson near the meeting point of Little China and the Arasaka Waterfront, with Konpeki Plaza directly to the north-west. The location is most useful as a navigation point rather than as a self-contained neighbourhood with its own quest chain, vendors or named residents.
The junction is easy to overlook because the game’s map uses California & Cartwright as the name of a Dataterm, while nearby content is usually categorised under the wider Little China or Arasaka Waterfront areas. Several important activities can nevertheless be reached from here, including the The Emperor Tarot graffiti at Konpeki Plaza, a nearby NCPD scanner activity, waterfront exploration and routes towards the former Konpeki Plaza heist site.
Core location
Nearby named locations
The last group are navigation connections, not subareas within California & Cartwright.
Nearby named locations
Nearby fast-travel points
Fast-travel lists place California & Cartwright among the Little China Dataterms, while California & Pershing is listed with the Arasaka Waterfront stations.
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Nearby fast-travel points
Arriving by fast travel
The simplest route is to select California & Cartwright from the Watson fast-travel network. The Dataterm is useful for:
The station does not provide a unique service beyond normal fast travel.
Route to Konpeki Plaza
The location is also used by some exploration routes to reach the outer structure and surrounding rooftops. Certain traversal builds, particularly those using enhanced jumping, can reach places that are normally inaccessible, but these are movement exploits or free-roam edge cases rather than intended California & Cartwright services.
From the Dataterm
- 01Face towards the northern or north-western road network.
- 02Follow the road and elevated route towards the large Arasaka-controlled complex.
- 03Look for the monumental Konpeki Plaza approach.
- 04The Tarot graffiti is near the entrance area, rather than deep inside the complex.
- 05Do not expect the hotel’s normal interior doors to function in free roam.
Route to the nearby NCPD activity
A documented NCPD Assault in Progress lies south-east of the California & Cartwright fast-travel point. One guide describes a small group of enemies near a store or case, with a possible stealth route using distractions and takedowns.
The exact combat layout can vary in presentation depending on the activity and game version, so treat the enemy numbers and weapon types in guide descriptions as encounter-specific rather than a permanent district rule.
A practical approach is
- 01Fast travel to California & Cartwright.
- 02Move south-east, checking the side streets rather than staying on the main road.
- 03Use scanning to identify the NCPD activity marker.
- 04Scan enemy positions before entering the area.
- 05Deal with the group and loot the marked evidence or container.
- 06Read any recovered shard if you want the local context.
Route towards Little China
For Little China’s central facilities, travel south or south-west from the Dataterm. Useful onward destinations include:
Little China’s major shops and vendors are not located at California & Cartwright itself. Guides list shops and gigs under the wider Little China category rather than this junction.
Route towards Little China
Route towards the Arasaka Waterfront
Travel north or north-east from the junction towards the waterfront. California & Pershing is a more appropriate fast-travel reference for the northern waterfront area. Do not treat the two Dataterms as interchangeable:
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Route towards the Arasaka Waterfront
| Location | Map association | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| California & Cartwright | Little China | Konpeki approach, local activities, southern access |
| California & Pershing | Arasaka Waterfront | Northern waterfront access |
| Metro: Med Center | Little China | Central Watson travel |
| Drake Ave | Little China | Little China road network |
| Megabuilding H10: Atrium | Little China | Apartment and central Little China access |
Konpeki Plaza
Konpeki Plaza is the defining landmark near California & Cartwright. It is the luxury hotel used during the main-story mission The Heist, where V and Jackie Welles attempt to steal the Relic.
During The Heist
Konpeki Plaza is a major mission location. V can enter the hotel, explore its public and restricted areas, reach the penthouse and participate in the mission’s escape sequence. The building contains story-critical spaces, security systems, guards and the Relic operation.
After The Heist
The interior is not a normal open-world building. The hotel’s doors and mission routes are generally unavailable during ordinary free roam. The exterior remains visible and can be approached, photographed and explored within the limits of the open-world collision and access design.
This distinction matters because some guides describe Konpeki Plaza as though it were a normal nearby building. It is not a shop, apartment, purchasable property or repeatable dungeon.
Decorative storefronts and unnamed buildings
California & Cartwright has urban façades, signs and street-level structures, but no verified collection of named, functional businesses belonging specifically to the junction. A shopfront’s appearance should not be taken as proof that V can enter it or buy from it.
No verified evidence was found for the following at California & Cartwright itself:
For these services, use the wider Little China directory rather than the California & Cartwright marker.
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Named residents
No named permanent resident or local character is verified as belonging specifically to California & Cartwright.
Characters associated with nearby content should not automatically be classified as residents of the junction:
Ordinary NPCs
These are ambient or activity-based populations. They should not be treated as a fixed named community.
Factions
The strongest faction association is Arasaka, because of Konpeki Plaza and the surrounding waterfront infrastructure. Arasaka presence is especially important during The Heist, but the mission’s combat and security layouts should not be confused with a permanent free-roam faction base.
Other groups may appear in nearby open-world activities, but no separately named faction headquarters is verified at the junction itself.
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California & Cartwright has ordinary Night City security conditions rather than a unique law-enforcement system.
The most important practical difference is between free-roam public space and mission-controlled Arasaka space. During The Heist, Konpeki Plaza uses scripted security, patrols, cameras and mission triggers. Outside the mission, the same building does not operate as a fully reusable infiltration zone.
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The Heist
The Heist is the location’s major story association. It takes V and Jackie to Konpeki Plaza to steal the Relic for Dexter DeShawn.
The California & Cartwright Dataterm is especially useful after the prologue for revisiting the hotel exterior and nearby Tarot graffiti, but it does not restore mission access.
The Emperor Tarot graffiti
The The Emperor mural is located near the entrance to Konpeki Plaza, north of the California & Cartwright fast-travel point. It is part of the Tarot graffiti collection and the side job Fool on the Hill.
How to collect it
The graffiti is an exterior collectible. It does not require re-entering the Konpeki Plaza interior.
How to collect it
- 01Begin Fool on the Hill by speaking with Misty after the relevant story progression.
- 02Tarot graffiti locations will become identifiable on the map.
- 03Fast travel to California & Cartwright.
- 04Travel north towards Konpeki Plaza.
- 05Search around the entrance approach and the wall beside the main gate.
- 06Scan the mural to register The Emperor.
NCPD Assault in Progress
A nearby NCPD activity is documented south-east of the Dataterm. The encounter can be handled through stealth or direct combat. One described route uses environmental distractions and takedowns before looting the evidence.
Because the activity is a standard NCPD scanner event, its reward is generally composed of:
Do not assume that every weapon found there is a fixed unique reward. Enemy loot can vary by level and game version.
Other Little China activities
The wider Little China area contains gigs and scanner activities, but they should not all be attributed to California & Cartwright. A Little China guide lists gigs including:
These are Little China activities, not necessarily activities located at the California & Cartwright junction.
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Other Little China activities
The Emperor
The mural is the only specifically verified named collectible directly associated with California & Cartwright in the researched material.
The Emperor
| Collectible | Location | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Emperor Tarot graffiti | Konpeki Plaza entrance area, north of California & Cartwright | Start Fool on the Hill or otherwise have the Tarot system active | Exterior mural; no hotel interior access required |
Mission loot at Konpeki Plaza
Konpeki Plaza contains story-mission loot during The Heist. This includes equipment and items that can be missed if V does not search the penthouse, escape route and surrounding rooms carefully.
However, mission loot must be separated from the California & Cartwright open-world area:
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For a compact but useful visit, follow this route:
Mission loot at Konpeki Plaza: steps
- 01Fast travel to California & Cartwright.
- 02Scan the junction and surrounding signs to establish the road layout.
- 03Walk north towards the Konpeki Plaza approach.
- 04Collect The Emperor Tarot graffiti near the entrance.
- 05Look back towards the lower streets and identify the routes leading to the waterfront.
- 06Return towards the junction, then travel south-east to check the NCPD activity.
- 07Complete the activity quietly if you want to avoid a prolonged street fight.
- 08Use the Dataterm again to continue towards central Little China, Afterlife or Megabuilding H10.
Completion checklist
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Konpeki Plaza access misconception
The largest practical trap is assuming that the hotel can be freely entered after completing The Heist. It cannot be treated as a standard open-world interior. The exterior and surrounding roads remain available, but the mission interior is not a normal repeatable activity.
Rooftop and waterfront traversal
The area contains vertical routes, rooftops and lower-level waterfront paths. Some can be reached with advanced movement abilities or unusual jumps. These routes may expose collision gaps, inaccessible spaces or mission-adjacent geometry.
Treat such exploration as optional environmental traversal. It does not establish that a hidden shop, secret mission or permanent facility exists there.
NCPD activity danger
The nearby scanner activity is easy to underestimate because it sits close to a fast-travel point. Scan first, particularly if playing on a higher difficulty or visiting early in Act 2. The activity can usually be approached stealthily, but direct combat may draw attention from nearby streets.
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California & Cartwright illustrates the way Watson’s map is organised in Cyberpunk 2077. The game frequently places a small street marker beside a much more prominent story location. This creates a useful travel point without making every junction a complete neighbourhood.
The location also represents the sharp social contrast between Little China and the Arasaka Waterfront:
The wider setting is consistent with Night City’s position in the former California region, although the game’s city-state status and tabletop continuities should be kept separate from the real-world roads that inspired some street names.
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“California” and “Cartwright” are in-game road names. Their presence should not be taken as evidence that the location is a direct recreation of a real Californian junction.
Night City’s geography has shifted between Cyberpunk tabletop continuities. The 2077 game uses its own map and administrative labels, so older tabletop maps should not be used to expand California & Cartwright’s boundaries. The game’s own map placement takes priority for this guide.
Likewise, California & Cartwright should not be confused with similarly named places in other Cyberpunk continuities or with California & Pershing, which is a separate fast-travel location in the Arasaka Waterfront.
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Is California & Cartwright in Little China or the Arasaka Waterfront?
The Dataterm is listed under Little China. It is close to the Arasaka Waterfront, and the route towards Konpeki Plaza quickly crosses into the waterfront’s visual and corporate environment. The safest description is: a Little China fast-travel point near the Arasaka Waterfront boundary.
Can I enter Konpeki Plaza after The Heist?
Not as a normal free-roam building. The interior is primarily available during The Heist. You can revisit the exterior and nearby roads.
Where is The Emperor Tarot card?
Travel north from California & Cartwright towards Konpeki Plaza. The mural is near the hotel’s entrance approach.
Is there a shop at the fast-travel point?
No dedicated functional shop, vendor or service has been verified at California & Cartwright itself. Use the wider Little China shop directory instead.
Is California & Cartwright a district?
No. It is a named street junction and fast-travel location. The relevant hierarchy is:
Night City → Watson → Little China → California & Cartwright
with the Arasaka Waterfront immediately nearby.
Are the Satori katana and Konpeki loot located at California & Cartwright?
No. They are associated with the Konpeki Plaza mission space. California & Cartwright is useful as a nearby navigation point, but it is not the item location itself.
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Sources
- Cyberpunk 2077 All Fast Travel Dataterms Locations — powerpyx.com
- Cyberpunk 2077: How to Get All Tarot Cards - Prima Games — primagames.com
- Assault in Progress - Little China - NCPD Scanner Hustles | Cyberpunk 2077 | Gamer Guides® — gamerguides.com
- Little China Map Guide: All Shops and Fast Travel Dataterms | Cyberpunk 2077｜Game8 — game8.co
- Cyberpunk 2077 - How To Get Satori (Awesome Katana) - MGN — mgn.gg