The Beast in Me: Badlands

Key takeaways

Use the following points as a quick preparation guide before starting the race.

• This is a driving mission The central challenge is staying on the route and maintaining control of the race vehicle. Combat equipment and character build choices have little direct impact during the event.
• The Badlands favor consistency The open course gives room to accelerate, but turns and rough ground can punish late braking. A clean, repeatable line is usually safer than trying to force every overtake.
• Stay with Claire's event Claire is the important companion and quest contact for this mission. Follow the race sequence rather than treating the area as a normal free-roam objective.
• The race advances a larger storyline Finishing the event continues The Beast in Me and prepares the next stage of Claire's racing story. The mission should be read as one chapter rather than a standalone activity.

The Beast in Me: Badlands

The Beast in Me: Badlands is a desert race in Claire Russell's multi-part side mission in Cyberpunk 2077. It shifts the emphasis away from dense city streets and onto the open, uneven roads of the Badlands.

The mission begins as part of Claire Russell's invitation to compete in a series of street races. After the earlier race in City Center, Claire directs V toward another event outside Night City, where the route is less constrained by buildings but is more difficult to read at speed. The race is driven in Claire's vehicle, so success depends primarily on steering, braking and keeping the car stable through the course rather than on preparing a conventional combat loadout.

The Badlands route rewards a controlled approach. Wide desert stretches can tempt the player to stay on the accelerator, but bends, changes in elevation and roadside obstacles make a clean line more valuable than reckless speed. The safest way to handle the event is to brake before turns, avoid unnecessary contact with rival cars and recover immediately if the vehicle leaves the intended racing surface.

This race also matters because it advances Claire and V's working relationship before the final event in The Beast in Me. The mission is primarily about completing the race and staying with the event rather than clearing a combat arena. Dialogue and later developments in the wider questline can carry more narrative weight than the race itself, so players who want the full context should continue speaking with Claire after the event.

Where this sits

Requirements

The mission is accessed through Claire Russell's The Beast in Me questline rather than through a separate combat or equipment requirement.

• RequiredProgress The Beast in MeThe race becomes available as part of Claire's ongoing racing series after the preceding stage in the questline.
• RequiredReach the race objectiveTravel to the Badlands event location when the mission marker is active and begin the race sequence with Claire.
• RecommendedUse the supplied race vehicleThe event is built around Claire's vehicle and does not require the player to bring a specialized car from the garage.
• OptionalPrepare before starting the eventSave before entering the race if you want an easy retry, because the driving section is more convenient to repeat from a recent checkpoint than from a distant manual save.

Objectives

1. Meet Claire Russell for the Badlands raceFollow the active objective to the event and remain with Claire as the race sequence begins.
2. Complete the Badlands raceDrive through the marked course, manage the vehicle through turns and rough sections, and reach the finish.
3. Continue the conversation with ClaireAfter the driving section, speak with Claire to resolve the immediate mission scene and advance The Beast in Me.

Walkthrough

1. 01

   Reach the race meeting point

   Travel to the Badlands event

   Use the mission marker to reach the race area in The Badlands. The event is outside Night City's dense street grid, so follow the objective rather than trying to locate the starting line by exploring every nearby road.

   Location: The Badlands

   TipMake a manual save before joining the event if you want a convenient retry point.

2. 02

   Start the race with Claire

   Meet Claire Russell at the start

   Approach Claire and follow the prompt to begin the next race. Once the event starts, the mission changes from normal exploration to a focused driving sequence, so finish any nearby preparation before committing to the start.

   Location: Badlands race start

3. 03

   Drive through the race route

   Follow the marked route

   Stay on the course indicated by the race markers and road guidance. The desert gives the route a wider appearance than the city races, but cutting too far away from the marked path can cost time and make the next turn difficult to read.

   Location: Badlands race course

   Watch outDo not assume that open terrain makes every shortcut safe; leaving the course can cause a recovery delay or jeopardize the event.

4. 04

   Maintain control through the bends

   Brake before the first major turns

   Approach bends with the car aligned before turning instead of entering at maximum speed and trying to correct midway through the corner. Early braking leaves room to accelerate out of the turn and reduces the chance of sliding into barriers, rocks or rival vehicles.

   Location: Badlands race course

   TipSmooth steering is more reliable than repeated corrections, especially when the road surface changes.

5. 05

   Keep pace with the field

   Handle traffic and rival cars

   Rival vehicles can occupy the cleanest line through a bend, and contact can push the race car off course. Pass when there is clear room, but avoid forcing an overtake at the apex of a turn where a small collision can become a larger loss of control.

   Location: Badlands race course

6. 06

   Rejoin the course

   Recover if the vehicle leaves the route

   If the car runs wide, reduce steering input and return to the marked road as soon as the vehicle is stable. Continuing to accelerate while pointed across uneven ground makes a spin or another missed turn more likely.

   Location: Badlands race course

   Watch outA crash or prolonged loss of control can fail the race, so prioritize recovery over an immediate attempt to regain every lost position.

7. 07

   Finish the race

   Reach the finish

   Complete the remaining checkpoints and drive across the finish area. Keep control until the race fully registers as complete; stopping short or turning away near the end can leave the objective unfinished even when the field has already passed the line.

   Location: Badlands finish

   Checkpoint
8. 08

   Talk to Claire Russell

   Speak with Claire after the race

   When the driving section ends, stay near Claire and follow the post-race dialogue. This conversation closes the Badlands chapter and keeps the wider The Beast in Me questline moving toward its later races.

   Location: Badlands race area

Mission mechanics

The mission temporarily makes driving the main form of play. V is not being asked to clear a group of enemies or solve a conventional infiltration route; the important feedback comes from the vehicle's position, momentum and relationship to the race markers. Treat the course as a sequence of controlled approaches rather than one uninterrupted sprint.

The Badlands setting changes how the route reads. In the city, buildings and curbs provide constant visual boundaries, while the desert can make the correct line less obvious. Use the marked course, watch the road ahead for changes in direction and begin slowing before the turn becomes unavoidable.

Vehicle contact is costly because a collision can turn a small mistake into a spin or an excursion from the route. When another racer blocks the inside line, waiting for a safer passing opportunity is often better than making contact. Recovering the car cleanly is more important than preserving an aggressive pace through every corner.

What works and what does not

Phases

1. 1

   Approach and staging

   Starts: Arriving at the active Badlands objective

   V reaches Claire and prepares to enter the race sequence. This is the safest point to check equipment, make a save and ensure the correct mission is active.

   • Finish preparation before accepting the start prompt.
   • Use the objective marker to distinguish the event area from surrounding Badlands roads.
2. 2

   Opening course

   Starts: The race begins

   The field accelerates away from the starting area and the player establishes a line through the first sections of the route. Avoid treating the opening sprint as a reason to ignore the first braking point.

   • Rival-car congestionTell Several vehicles compete for the same line near the opening sections.Answer Hold a stable line and pass only when there is enough space to avoid side contact.
   • Brake before the corner rather than during the turn.
   • Recover position gradually if the opening is messy.
3. 3

   Desert turns and rough ground

   Starts: The course moves through the main Badlands route

   The race's defining challenge is maintaining control while the route opens out and the road surface becomes less predictable. The player must balance speed with the need to remain inside the marked course.

   • Roadside hazardsTell The route leaves less room for error when the car runs wide toward uneven ground or obstacles.Answer Reduce speed, straighten the car and rejoin the marked road instead of forcing a sharp correction.
   • Look beyond the car's nose so the next bend is visible before braking.
   • Do not chase a rival into an unsafe shortcut.
4. 4

   Finish and debrief

   Starts: Crossing the finish area

   The race concludes when the vehicle reaches the finish and the event state updates. Claire's follow-up conversation then handles the mission's narrative progression.

   • Keep driving until the finish objective visibly completes.
   • Stay with Claire afterward so the next dialogue is not overlooked.

Checklist

• Complete the preceding stage of The Beast in MeThe Badlands event is part of Claire Russell's sequential racing questline.
• Reach the Badlands race startFollow the active mission marker rather than searching for the course manually.
• Save before starting the raceRecommended because the driving section can be retried more conveniently from a recent save.
• Follow the marked routeThe open desert makes accidental course deviations easy to miss.
• Avoid unnecessary collisionsContact can turn a minor loss of speed into a spin or recovery delay.
• Finish the eventRemain in control until the finish objective registers.
• Speak with Claire Russell afterwardThe post-race conversation advances the wider questline.

Failure conditions

• Failing to complete the raceThe driving objective must be completed for the mission to advance; a failed event requires a retry from an available checkpoint or save.
• Leaving the marked course for too longThe open Badlands can invite shortcuts, but going too far from the route may trigger a recovery state or prevent the race objective from progressing.
• Losing control after a collisionA crash, spin or excursion into rough ground can cost enough time to compromise the event. Recover the vehicle before attempting another pass.
• Not completing the post-race conversationFinishing the driving section is not the only mission state to watch. Return to Claire and follow the dialogue so the quest can close its current stage.

Rewards

• Quest progression
  Completing the event advances Claire Russell's The Beast in Me questline toward its later races.
• Post-race dialogue
  The mission provides follow-up conversation with Claire after the driving sequence.

Characters in this mission

• VThe player character and driver.
• Claire RussellQuest giver, racing partner and post-race contact.

Aftermath

Trivia

• The Beast in Me: Badlands contrasts with the city race by placing the event in a more open desert environment.
• The mission is structured around vehicle handling rather than a conventional enemy encounter.
• Claire Russell's race series is presented as a connected set of events rather than unrelated driving activities.

Relationships