The Gift

Key takeaways

The mission is brief, but it establishes several systems that recur throughout Cyberpunk 2077.

• Go to Kabuki Market Follow the objective marker to the netrunner’s stall in Kabuki Market rather than searching for a combat encounter. The mission’s destination is a vendor location within the market district.
• Collect Ping The central reward is the Ping quickhack. It is used to expose connected targets and helps demonstrate how a cyberdeck can support stealth and reconnaissance.
• Install the quickhack After receiving Ping, open the cyberdeck or quickhack interface and equip it before attempting to use it. The tutorial expects the hack to be selected from V’s available quickhacks.
• Treat it as a systems tutorial The Gift has no major combat set piece or consequential dialogue branch. Its purpose is to let the player practice quickhacking in a controlled early-game context.

The Gift overview

The Gift is a short early-game optional mission focused on Cyberpunk 2077’s quickhacking tutorial.

V receives the job from T-Bug after the events of The Ripperdoc. The task leads to a netrunner’s stall in Kabuki Market, where V can collect the Ping quickhack and learn how quickhacks are installed through the cyberdeck interface. The mission is designed as a low-pressure introduction rather than a combat assignment, so its main value is teaching a system that becomes increasingly important during later missions.

The objective is straightforward: travel to the marked netrunner in Kabuki Market, obtain the offered quickhack, equip it in the cyberdeck menu, and use it as directed. Ping reveals connected devices and enemies through a local network, making it useful for understanding how hacking targets relate to one another before V commits to a larger infiltration.

Because The Gift is an optional tutorial mission, it does not revolve around a major choice, boss fight, or branching conclusion. Completing it early gives V a practical hacking tool and a safe opportunity to become familiar with quickhack selection, cyberdeck scanning, and the distinction between ordinary exploration and network-based interaction.

Where this sits

Requirements

The mission is intended for the opening portion of the game and has light practical requirements.

• RequiredReach the mission in the opening sequenceThe Gift becomes available after the relevant early-game progression involving T-Bug and The Ripperdoc.
• RequiredReach Kabuki MarketV must be able to travel to the marked vendor in the Kabuki district.
• RequiredUse the cyberdeck interfaceThe tutorial requires V to access the quickhack or cyberdeck menu so Ping can be installed and selected.
• RecommendedPrepare for a short systems tutorialNo special weapons, armor set, cyberware build, or combat preparation is needed for the mission.

Objectives

1. Meet the netrunner in Kabuki MarketTravel to the objective marker and locate the netrunner’s stall inside the market.
2. Obtain the Ping quickhackInteract with the netrunner and accept the offered quickhack.
3. Install Ping in the cyberdeckOpen the appropriate cyberdeck interface and place Ping in an available quickhack slot.
4. Use Ping as directedSelect a valid nearby target or network object and activate Ping to complete the tutorial instruction.

Walkthrough

1. 01

   Start The Gift

   Accept the job from T-Bug

   After the relevant opening missions, speak with T-Bug when The Gift becomes available. The conversation points V toward a netrunner in Kabuki Market and establishes that the mission is about acquiring a quickhack rather than clearing an enemy camp.

   TipThis is a good time to begin learning quickhacking because the mission’s objective is deliberately limited.

2. 02

   Meet the netrunner

   Travel to Kabuki Market

   Follow the mission marker into Kabuki Market and move toward the vendor area. The destination is a netrunner stall within the busy market, so use the objective marker instead of searching the surrounding alleys for a separate entrance.

   Location: Kabuki Market

3. 03

   Obtain Ping

   Speak with the netrunner

   Interact with the marked netrunner to advance the conversation. The vendor provides the Ping quickhack for the mission, so the important interaction is the dialogue and item handoff rather than a purchase or a fight.

   Location: Netrunner stall in Kabuki Market

4. 04

   Install Ping

   Open the cyberdeck interface

   Once Ping is added to V’s inventory, open the cyberdeck or quickhack management screen. The mission will not progress correctly if the player only examines the item without equipping it for use.

5. 05

   Install Ping

   Equip Ping

   Place Ping in an available quickhack slot on the cyberdeck. The exact menu presentation can vary with the game’s interface state, but the required action is to make Ping available from the quickhack selection displayed while scanning.

   TipUse this screen to become familiar with the difference between a quickhack in inventory and one equipped for active use.

6. 06

   Use Ping

   Scan a nearby target

   Return to the mission area and scan the nearby target indicated by the tutorial. Ping is a reconnaissance quickhack, so its purpose here is to reveal information about the local network rather than directly damage an enemy.

   Location: Kabuki Market

7. 07

   Finish The Gift

   Complete the tutorial instruction

   Activate Ping on the valid target and wait for the network information to appear. If the objective does not advance, check that Ping is equipped and that the scan is being performed on the marked or available target rather than on an unrelated object.

   Watch outDo not leave the objective area before using the installed quickhack if the mission prompt is still active.

   Checkpoint

Mission mechanics

The Gift introduces the relationship between scanning, a cyberdeck, and quickhacks. V first needs to have the relevant quickhack installed in the cyberdeck interface; only then can it be selected while examining a compatible target. This distinction is important later, when a player may carry several quickhacks but only have a chosen set ready for immediate use.

Ping is primarily an information tool. When applied successfully, it can expose the local network and help V understand which targets or devices are connected. That makes it useful before entering combat: the player can inspect the area, identify possible targets, and plan whether to remain hidden or begin an attack.

The mission presents these mechanics without requiring a full build commitment. Players who later specialize in stealth, intelligence, or netrunning can treat The Gift as the first practical example of that play style, while players using weapons or melee builds can still complete the tutorial and retain Ping as a situational reconnaissance option.

What works and what does not

Checklist

• Accept The Gift from T-BugConfirm the mission objective before leaving the conversation.
• Reach the netrunner’s stall in Kabuki MarketFollow the objective marker through the market.
• Collect PingComplete the interaction that awards the quickhack.
• Equip Ping in the cyberdeck interfaceReceiving the item is not the same as making it available for use.
• Activate Ping on the requested targetComplete the tutorial prompt in the market area.
• Confirm that the mission has advanced or concludedDo not assume the job is complete until the objective updates.

Failure conditions

• Leaving the active objective unfinishedThe Gift is not completed merely by reaching the market or speaking with the vendor; V must also equip and use Ping as instructed.
• Attempting to use Ping without equipping itIf the quickhack is only in inventory, it may not appear as an available action during scanning. Open the cyberdeck interface and assign it first.
• Selecting an invalid targetThe tutorial may not advance when Ping is used on an unrelated object. Return to the marked area and scan the target associated with the current objective.

Rewards

• Ping
  The mission’s principal reward is the Ping quickhack, which reveals information about connected targets and devices when used successfully.

Characters in this mission

• VThe player character who receives and completes the tutorial objective.
• T-BugAssigns The Gift and directs V to the netrunner in Kabuki Market.

Aftermath

Trivia

• The Gift is one of the game’s early optional activities built around teaching a single gameplay system rather than presenting a large combat encounter.
• The mission places its tutorial interaction in Kabuki Market, reinforcing the district’s role as an early destination for cyberware and netrunning-related systems.
• Ping is introduced as a reconnaissance tool, giving players an example of a quickhack whose value comes from information rather than direct damage.

Relationships