Tapeworm

Key takeaways

Tapeworm is best understood as a story-heavy mission that connects major stages of the main plot.

• There is no conventional combat section The mission is driven by conversations and travel between story beats rather than enemy encounters. Preparation for firefights is less important than keeping track of the current journal objective.
• Johnny is the focus The mission develops Johnny Silverhand as a character and examines the changing relationship between Johnny and V.
• The Relic crisis advances Tapeworm supplies additional explanation and emotional context for the damage caused by the Relic and the urgency facing V.
• The mission is spread across the story Its stages are separated by other main missions, so a completed conversation does not necessarily mean the entire Tapeworm objective chain has ended.

Tapeworm overview

Tapeworm is an unusual Cyberpunk 2077 main mission because it is not structured around a conventional combat operation. Instead, it returns to V and Johnny Silverhand at several points in the story, using private conversations to advance the Relic storyline and deepen their increasingly complicated relationship.

Tapeworm is assembled from a sequence of story encounters rather than one continuous trip through a hostile location. The mission becomes available as V advances through the main story, and its scenes are associated with major developments involving the Relic and Johnny Silverhand. Because there is no standard combat route to master, the important task is to follow the objective marker and allow each conversation to progress before leaving the area.

The mission gives Johnny more space to speak about his past, his attitude toward V, and the consequences of the Relic overwriting V’s body. These exchanges are important context for later main-story decisions, but Tapeworm itself is primarily a narrative bridge. It does not function like a conventional gig with a target, infiltration route, or boss arena.

Players should treat each appearance of Johnny as part of the same mission thread. The conversations can take place after other main jobs and may feel separated by ordinary gameplay, but the journal presents them as connected stages of Tapeworm. Listen to the full exchanges, inspect the objective after each scene, and avoid assuming that the mission is finished simply because one conversation has ended.

Where this sits

Requirements

Tapeworm is unlocked through main-story progress. It does not require a particular combat build, weapon, cyberware setup, or inventory item.

• RequiredMain-story progressContinue through the central Relic storyline until the game adds Tapeworm to the journal.
• RequiredAccess to the current objective areaWhen a conversation stage appears, travel to the marked location and follow the prompt to meet Johnny.
• OptionalNo special equipmentThe mission’s core scenes are conversational, so a particular weapon, vehicle, or cyberware configuration is not required.

Objectives

1. Meet Johnny Silverhand when the Tapeworm objective appears.Follow the active journal marker and initiate the conversation rather than leaving the area immediately.
2. Listen to Johnny’s account of the situation.The dialogue explains more about the Relic and the consequences of its interaction with V.
3. Continue the main story until the next Tapeworm stage becomes available.The mission can pause while other main objectives are completed, so check the journal after advancing the story.
4. Complete the remaining Tapeworm conversations.Treat each new objective as part of the same mission chain and allow the scene to finish before moving on.

Walkthrough

1. 01

   Track Tapeworm

   Open the journal when Tapeworm appears

   Select Tapeworm as the active mission as soon as it enters the journal. Its stages are connected to the main story, so the next objective may direct you to a conversation instead of a combat zone.

   TipIf the mission appears to stop after a conversation, check the main-story objectives before assuming it is complete.

2. 02

   Meet Johnny Silverhand

   Travel to Johnny’s marked meeting point

   Use the quest marker to reach the location shown by the current objective. There is no special infiltration route to discover; the important interaction is the marked meeting with Johnny Silverhand.

   Location: The location shown by the active Tapeworm objective

   Watch outLeaving before activating the conversation can make the objective appear incomplete, although the mission itself is not normally failed.

3. 03

   Talk to Johnny Silverhand

   Start the conversation with Johnny

   Approach Johnny and use the interaction prompt to begin the scene. Remain nearby while the exchange plays out, because the conversation supplies the mission’s main story information.

   Checkpoint
4. 04

   Listen to Johnny

   Let the first discussion finish

   Follow the dialogue until the scene concludes instead of interrupting it by fast traveling or switching immediately to another activity. Johnny’s comments establish the emotional and practical stakes of the Relic problem.

   TipThis stage has no combat puzzle; reading the subtitles is useful if you want to retain the story details.

5. 05

   Advance the main story

   Resume the main story when Tapeworm pauses

   After the current exchange, continue with the main-story mission named in the journal. Tapeworm is designed to reappear around later story developments, so its temporary pause is part of its structure rather than a missing objective.

6. 06

   Meet Johnny Silverhand again

   Return to Johnny for the next stage

   When the journal activates another Tapeworm objective, travel to its new marker and initiate the next conversation. The scene continues the discussion of V’s condition and Johnny’s connection to the Relic.

   Location: The next location marked by Tapeworm

   Checkpoint
7. 07

   Finish Tapeworm

   Complete the remaining conversation stages

   Repeat the same process for each later Tapeworm objective: follow the marker, speak with Johnny, and wait for the scene to conclude. The mission contains narrative progression rather than a sequence of enemy rooms, loot searches, or environmental puzzles.

   Watch outDo not treat the end of one dialogue scene as the end of the whole mission if Tapeworm remains active in the journal.

8. 08

   Confirm mission completion

   Check the journal for completion

   After the final exchange, confirm that Tapeworm has closed or that the journal has moved to the next main-story objective. Any later consequences belong to the broader main story and are not resolved through a conventional mission reward screen.

Mission mechanics

Tapeworm uses a conversational structure that differs from most Cyberpunk 2077 missions. The player is not asked to clear a compound or defeat a named enemy; instead, the mission advances when V reaches the correct location and engages with Johnny Silverhand. The journal is therefore more important than the minimap’s combat signals.

The mission’s pacing depends on the wider main story. A Tapeworm conversation may be followed by other missions before the next stage becomes available, which can make the quest appear dormant. Checking the journal and continuing the central storyline is the intended way to progress.

Dialogue choices in these scenes primarily shape the tone of V’s exchange with Johnny and the player’s understanding of their relationship. The mission should be read as character development and plot context, not as a source of equipment, money, crafting components, or combat experience.

What works and what does not

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Choose a more cooperative response during Johnny’s conversations.

  This presents V as more willing to engage with Johnny and can alter the tone of the exchange, but Tapeworm does not become a combat mission or branch into a separate objective route.

• Challenge or reject Johnny during the conversations.

  This creates a more confrontational version of the dialogue and changes the immediate relationship tone. The broader consequences are tied to the later main story rather than a separate Tapeworm reward path.

• Continue the main story after each conversation.

  This allows the later Tapeworm stages to appear and keeps the Relic storyline moving forward.

Checklist

• Select Tapeworm in the journal when it becomes active.The mission is spread across multiple story stages.
• Follow the active objective marker to Johnny Silverhand.The current marker is the reliable guide for each conversation.
• Allow every conversation scene to finish.Leaving early can leave the current objective unresolved.
• Continue the main story between Tapeworm stages.The next part may not appear immediately.
• Read the dialogue about V, Johnny, and the Relic.This is the mission’s principal content.
• Check the journal after the final conversation.Confirm that Tapeworm has closed before moving on.

Failure conditions

• Leaving a conversation before it activatesIf V moves away before speaking with Johnny, the objective remains open. Return to the marked location and interact with him.
• Assuming the mission is over after one sceneTapeworm is divided into multiple stages, so a completed conversation may be followed by another objective later in the main story.
• Stopping main-story progressThe later stages depend on continued progress through the central storyline. If no new Tapeworm objective appears, continue the current main mission and check the journal afterward.

Rewards

• Main-story progression
  Completing the conversations advances the Relic and Johnny Silverhand storyline.
• Character context
  The mission reveals additional information about Johnny’s perspective and V’s worsening situation.
• Later-story context
  Tapeworm helps establish the circumstances surrounding later main-story decisions.

Characters in this mission

• VThe protagonist whose condition is affected by the Relic.
• Johnny SilverhandThe construct who appears to V and drives the mission’s conversations.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• Tapeworm is structured as a sequence of dialogue-focused encounters rather than a single conventional mission location.
• The mission’s title refers to the invasive, parasitic nature of the Relic’s effect on V.
• Johnny Silverhand’s appearances make Tapeworm one of the clearest missions for tracking the changing relationship between V and Johnny.

Relationships