Search and Destroy

Key takeaways

The mission is mechanically straightforward, but one route decision has lasting narrative importance.

• Prepare for a close-quarters assault The hideout becomes a combat zone soon after the meeting begins. Bring a weapon setup that works indoors and keep healing resources available before entering the building.
• Do not rush to the exit The escape route is designed to pull V forward while Takemura remains in the damaged hideout. Pause when the building is breached and look for a way back toward the room where the attack began.
• Takemura's survival is not automatic If preserving Takemura matters to your playthrough, return for him before following the escape route to its conclusion. Leaving the area without checking for him can permanently change his later role.
• The mission advances the endgame setup Once the hideout sequence is complete, V's personal crisis and the conflict with Arasaka move into a more urgent phase. Make a manual save before the meeting if you want to revisit the rescue decision.

Search and Destroy overview

Search and Destroy is a major story mission in Cyberpunk 2077 that turns V's fragile cooperation with Takemura into an emergency evacuation. The mission is short on exploration but important for its combat pressure, route choice and consequences for Takemura's fate.

V and Takemura arrange a meeting with Hanako Arasaka at a temporary hideout. Before the discussion can resolve the conflict surrounding Saburo Arasaka's death and the accusations against V, Arasaka forces attack the building. The encounter shifts quickly from a tense conversation to a defensive fight and then to a desperate escape through the damaged structure.

The mission's most important optional action happens after the hideout is hit. V is given a route toward safety, but the obvious path forward does not automatically lead back to Takemura. Returning through the ruined building and searching for him can save him; continuing onward without checking the upper area can leave him behind. This choice has consequences for later story scenes and endings.

After the escape, V and Johnny Silverhand regroup while the Relic's deterioration remains an immediate threat. Search and Destroy therefore serves as both a plot transition and a test of whether V will risk time and safety to protect an ally. Players who want Takemura available later should treat the rescue as the mission's defining objective rather than as optional scenery.

Where this sits

Requirements

Complete the preceding main-story progression and arrive at the meeting location with Takemura.

• RequiredComplete Play It SafeSearch and Destroy becomes available as part of the main story after the preceding Arasaka-related mission.
• RecommendedBring a suitable combat loadoutThe mission turns into an indoor firefight with little time to reorganize equipment. A reliable close- or medium-range weapon is useful, but no specific build is required.
• RecommendedCreate a manual save before the meetingThe mission contains a consequential rescue opportunity. A manual save makes it easier to review the route without replaying earlier story content.
• OptionalDecide whether Takemura's survival matters to your storyThe rescue can affect later character appearances and ending-related material, so players pursuing a particular narrative outcome should prioritize finding him.

Objectives

1. Go to the hideoutReach the temporary meeting location where Takemura is preparing to meet Hanako.
2. Meet with HanakoEnter the safehouse and take part in the conversation before the situation changes.
3. Survive the Arasaka attackFight through the assault and keep moving as the building becomes unsafe.
4. Escape the buildingFollow the route out while watching for the opportunity to turn back.
5. Find TakemuraReturn toward the attacked meeting room and search for Takemura before leaving the area.Optional
6. Leave the hideoutComplete the escape sequence and reach the point where V can regroup with Johnny.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Go to the hideout

   Reach the hideout

   Travel to the marked meeting location and enter the building with Takemura. Check your weapons, healing items and cyberware before crossing the threshold, because the next sequence moves quickly from dialogue into combat.

   Location: Hideout

   TipMake a manual save before entering if you want to preserve the later rescue choice.

2. 02

   Meet with Hanako

   Join the meeting with Hanako

   Follow Takemura into the meeting area and wait for the conversation to play out. Do not wander away expecting a separate preparation phase; the meeting is interrupted by the attack and the room soon becomes unsafe.

   Location: Meeting room

   Watch outThe mission's major route decision occurs after the assault begins, not during the initial conversation.

3. 03

   Survive the Arasaka attack

   Survive the first assault

   Use the meeting-room cover and nearby interior spaces to deal with the attacking Arasaka forces. Avoid standing in open doorways, and let enemies enter your line of fire rather than pushing blindly through the building while the attack is still active.

   Location: Hideout interior

   TipIndoor cover is more valuable than long sightlines here; clear the immediate room before moving through the next doorway.

4. 04

   Escape the building

   Move through the damaged building

   When the route forward opens, follow the escape path through the damaged interior and keep track of the rooms you pass. The building's destruction can make the route feel like a one-way evacuation, but the path is not the only detail that matters.

   Location: Ruined hideout

   Checkpoint
5. 05

   Find Takemura

   Stop before committing to the exit

   As the escape route leads V away from the meeting area, pause and look for the route back into the building rather than immediately continuing outside. The rescue is easy to miss because the mission's momentum and objective markers encourage forward movement.

   Location: Upper interior of the hideout

   Watch outContinuing away from the hideout without returning can leave Takemura behind and permanently alter his later appearances.

   Missable
6. 06

   Find Takemura

   Return for Takemura

   Turn back through the damaged structure and search for the room where the meeting took place. Reach Takemura and help him out before resuming the escape; if the route is blocked or unclear, inspect nearby openings and alternate interior paths instead of repeatedly pushing toward the original exit.

   Location: Meeting area and adjoining upper rooms

   TipThe safest approach is to orient yourself by the room where the ambush began, then retrace the interior route rather than searching the exterior.

   Missable
7. 07

   Leave the hideout

   Complete the escape

   Once Takemura is safe, or once you have decided not to return for him, continue through the escape route until V leaves the hostile area. The mission advances after the evacuation sequence and does not require clearing every distant enemy in the building.

   Location: Outside the hideout

   Checkpoint
8. 08

   Continue after the attack

   Regroup with Johnny

   Follow the post-escape sequence and let V and Johnny assess what happened. This section is primarily narrative, so remain attentive to dialogue and avoid treating the transition as free exploration.

   Location: Post-escape area

Mission mechanics

The mission's combat is built around compressed indoor spaces. Doorways, stair access and damaged rooms restrict movement, so enemies can appear at short range and punish players who advance without checking corners. A controlled pace, frequent use of cover and deliberate reload timing are more useful than trying to sprint through every encounter.

The building's layout is also part of the narrative design. During the escape, the forward route communicates urgency, while the return route represents V choosing to spend time and risk exposure for Takemura. The game does not present the rescue as a conventional reward objective; it is an environmental and route-reading challenge embedded in the evacuation.

There is no need to defeat every enemy encountered outside the immediate path if the objective has advanced. Focus on reaching the next safe transition, but do not confuse that advice with ignoring the rescue opportunity. The key distinction is between enemies that block the escape and the damaged meeting area that must be revisited if Takemura is to survive.

What works and what does not

Phases

1. 1

   Meeting setup

   Starts: Entering the hideout and reaching the meeting area

   The opening phase is a controlled approach and conversation rather than a combat encounter.

   • Use this quiet moment to verify your equipment and make a save.
   • Remember the meeting-room layout because it is the landmark for the later rescue route.
2. 2

   Arasaka assault

   Starts: The meeting is interrupted by hostile forces

   Arasaka soldiers attack the hideout and force V to fight through confined rooms.

   • Close-range firearm pressureTell Enemies push through interior doorways and engage at short distance.Answer Use cover, avoid standing in doorways and clear the nearest threat before crossing the room.
   • Crossfire through interior openingsTell Hostiles can attack while V moves between rooms and damaged sections.Answer Move from cover to cover and check the next room before committing to a sprint.
   • Do not spend all healing resources at the first wave if you can safely hold cover.
   • Reload before moving into a new room whenever the immediate area is clear.
3. 3

   Evacuation and backtrack

   Starts: The escape route opens after the initial fighting

   V must navigate the damaged hideout and decide whether to turn back for Takemura.

   • The forward route is not the only route that matters.
   • If saving Takemura, return toward the original meeting room before completing the evacuation.

Choices and consequencesEnding spoilers

• Continue along the escape route and do not return for Takemura

  Takemura is left behind during the attack. His later presence and related story material are unavailable, changing the character context of subsequent scenes.

  Spoiler
• Turn back through the damaged hideout and rescue Takemura

  Takemura survives the mission and can appear in later story content. This preserves additional character interactions and can matter to some ending-related outcomes.

  Spoiler

Checklist

• Complete Play It SafeRequired main-story progression before Search and Destroy.
• Make a manual save before entering the hideoutUseful if you want to revisit the rescue decision.
• Check weapons and healing items before the meetingThe conversation changes into an indoor firefight.
• Remember the meeting room's positionIt is the main landmark for finding Takemura later.
• Survive the initial Arasaka assaultUse cover and clear rooms methodically.
• Pause when the escape route opensDo not assume the first route forward is the only important objective.
• Return toward the meeting area if you want to save TakemuraThis is the mission's easily missed action.Optional
• Complete the evacuationLeave the hostile area and finish the post-attack transition.

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• V dies during the hideout assaultThe mission fails if V is killed by the attacking forces. Reload the latest checkpoint or manual save and use the building's cover more carefully.
• V leaves the area without rescuing TakemuraThis is not necessarily a standard game-over state, but it is the mission's consequential failure condition for players who want Takemura to survive. Once the escape is completed without returning, the opportunity is lost.
• V advances too quickly through the evacuationFollowing the objective marker without checking the damaged meeting area can bypass the rescue. Slow down at the point where the route pulls V away from the hideout interior.

RewardsSpoilers

• Main-story progression
  Completing the mission advances V's conflict with Arasaka and the wider endgame setup.
• Takemura's continued story role
  Available when V returns through the hideout and rescues him during the assault.
• Post-mission narrative sequence
  The mission leads into further scenes involving V, Johnny Silverhand and the consequences of the failed meeting.

Characters in this missionSpoilers

• VPlayer character who attends the meeting and leads the escape.
• Hanako ArasakaThe intended meeting partner at the hideout.
• Johnny SilverhandV's engram and companion in the mission's aftermath.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• The mission's title echoes the broader conflict between V's search for a way to survive and the effort to destroy the forces controlling the Relic's fate.
• The Takemura rescue is easy to miss because it is handled through movement and environmental navigation instead of a prominently highlighted branching dialogue choice.
• The hideout attack gives the mission a sharp tonal change: a formal meeting becomes a survival sequence without a separate transition into a conventional combat arena.

Relationships