They Won’t Go When I Go

Key takeaways

The mission is primarily dialogue-driven and its important decisions concern V’s participation in Joshua’s final braindance.

• Part of a connected quest line They Won’t Go When I Go follows Sinnerman and There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. Its setup and available interactions depend on how V handled the earlier stages of Joshua Stephenson’s storyline.
• The braindance is the main event The mission’s defining sequence is the filming of Joshua’s crucifixion braindance. The player’s role is shaped by dialogue and cooperation rather than by a conventional combat objective.
• Choices are personal rather than tactical V can respond to Joshua’s request in different ways, including questioning the production or taking part in it. These decisions alter the tone and immediate outcome of the scene.
• Expect heavy subject matter The mission deals with execution, religion, guilt, commercialized suffering and the ethics of recording another person’s pain. It is not designed as a light interlude between action missions.

They Won’t Go When I Go

They Won’t Go When I Go is the concluding mission of Joshua Stephenson’s storyline in Cyberpunk 2077, following the events of Sinnerman and There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.

This mission continues directly from Joshua Stephenson’s attempt to find meaning before his execution. Rather than sending V through a conventional combat encounter, it places the focus on a controlled, uncomfortable conversation about faith, guilt, public spectacle and the way Night City turns private suffering into entertainment. The mission’s tension comes from what Joshua is asking V to do, not from a difficult firefight.

The central event is the production of a braindance based on Joshua’s crucifixion. V is brought into the recording process and must decide how closely to follow Joshua’s wishes. The scene is deliberately confrontational: the job asks the player to consider whether participation is an act of compassion, exploitation or simple compliance with a dying man’s request.

This mission is best approached as a narrative side mission rather than a loot or combat activity. Dialogue choices determine V’s attitude toward Joshua and the recording, while earlier decisions in the Sinnerman chain affect the circumstances under which this final chapter becomes available. The mission also contains major character-outcome material, so players who want to experience Joshua’s story without spoilers should stop at the overview.

Where this sits

Requirements

Complete the preceding Joshua Stephenson missions and follow the resulting lead into the braindance production.

• RequiredComplete SinnermanThe storyline begins with this earlier side mission and its encounter involving Joshua Stephenson.
• RequiredComplete There Is a Light That Never Goes OutThis is the immediate prerequisite and leads into the circumstances of the final recording.
• RecommendedBe prepared for dialogue-heavy playThe mission offers limited conventional combat and is driven mainly by conversations, consent and role-playing choices.

Objectives

1. Follow the lead into Joshua Stephenson’s final braindance production.The mission begins as the continuation of the preceding conversation and moves V toward the recording session.
2. Speak with Joshua and the braindance production team.The important information is delivered through dialogue, so listen to the discussion before choosing how V will respond.
3. Decide whether and how V will participate in the crucifixion recording.The mission asks V to respond to Joshua’s request while dealing with the ethical and emotional implications of the production.
4. Complete the braindance sequence.Once the recording begins, follow the scene’s prompts and remain aware that the mission’s conclusion depends on the choices made during the session.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Reach the next stage of Joshua Stephenson’s storyline.

   Continue from Joshua’s storyline

   They Won’t Go When I Go becomes available after the events of There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. Follow the quest marker and remain with the group rather than leaving the area, because this mission is presented as a direct continuation of Joshua’s preparations.

   TipMake a manual save before entering the final production sequence if you want to compare different dialogue approaches.

2. 02

   Understand the plan for Joshua’s final recording.

   Listen to the discussion about the recording

   The opening section establishes what the braindance is intended to depict and how the people behind it view Joshua’s suffering. Let the conversation play out before committing to a response, since the mission’s central conflict is explained through these exchanges rather than through an objective marker.

   Location: The braindance production area.

3. 03

   Respond to Joshua’s request.

   Speak with Joshua Stephenson

   Joshua’s conversation is the most important role-playing section in the mission. He explains his wishes and invites V to take part, while V can remain skeptical, challenge the request or answer in a way that accepts the proposed role.

   Location: The production area with Joshua and the recording crew.

   Watch outThe conversation contains major character-outcome material and can determine how the final scene plays out.

4. 04

   Choose V’s position on the braindance production.

   Decide whether V will participate

   When the production asks V to become involved in the crucifixion scene, choose according to the role you want V to play. Refusing or questioning the process keeps V at a distance, while cooperation treats Joshua’s request as something V is willing to help fulfill.

   TipThere is no combat build requirement for this decision; the choice is primarily about V’s attitude and role-play.

5. 05

   Take part in or witness the recording.

   Follow the recording prompts

   If V agrees to participate, follow the instructions given during the recording and allow the scene to progress. The sequence is staged and controlled, so avoid treating it like an ordinary combat encounter or leaving the production area before the current prompt is complete.

   Location: The braindance recording set.

6. 06

   Finish Joshua’s final mission.

   Complete the mission and review the aftermath

   The mission concludes once the recording sequence and its immediate conversations are finished. The final exchange provides the direct consequence of V’s involvement and closes Joshua Stephenson’s dedicated storyline.

   Watch outThe conclusion contains major outcome information; postpone this step if you are avoiding spoilers.

   Checkpoint

Mission mechanics

They Won’t Go When I Go uses dialogue as its primary interaction system. The mission does not ask the player to solve a combat arena or manage a complex infiltration route; instead, it presents a chain of conversations in which V’s responses establish whether the character is sympathetic, skeptical, detached or willing to cooperate.

The braindance production is also a role-playing test. Joshua’s request is explicit, but the commercial context surrounding it makes simple compliance feel morally complicated. The mission allows the player to frame V’s involvement as support for Joshua, participation in a media spectacle or an act V does not want to perform.

Because the quest is a continuation, its most important state is inherited from the earlier missions. The best preparation is therefore not equipment or cyberware but a save before the preceding quest’s final decisions. That gives the player a way to revisit the setup without treating the recording as a missable collectible hunt or a conventional boss encounter.

What works and what does not

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Accept Joshua’s request and participate in the braindance production.

  V becomes directly involved in the crucifixion recording, producing the most intimate version of the mission’s final scene.

  Spoiler
• Refuse or challenge the request.

  V maintains distance from the production and the conclusion presents Joshua’s final moments from a different perspective.

  Spoiler
• Answer Joshua with sympathy rather than treating the recording as routine work.

  The conversation emphasizes Joshua’s personal search for meaning and gives the scene a more reflective tone.

  Spoiler
• Treat the braindance as a commercial job and cooperate without engaging with its meaning.

  The mission’s framing becomes more transactional, highlighting the production’s use of suffering as entertainment.

  Spoiler

Checklist

• Complete Sinnerman before attempting to reach this mission.This mission belongs to Joshua Stephenson’s connected storyline.
• Complete There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.It is the immediate preceding mission.
• Create a save before committing to the final conversation.Useful for comparing role-playing choices without replaying the entire quest line.Optional
• Listen to the production team before selecting a response.Their dialogue explains the commercial purpose of the braindance.
• Decide whether V will participate in the recording.This is the mission’s central player choice.
• Finish the recording sequence before leaving the area.The mission does not resolve until the staged production and its immediate dialogue are complete.
• Expect mature themes involving execution and religious imagery.This mission is not suitable for players seeking a light or purely action-focused side quest.

PhasesSpoilers

1. 1

   Preparation and discussion

   Starts: The mission begins after the preceding Joshua Stephenson storyline advances.

   V enters the final production context and hears the people involved explain what they intend to record. The tension is conversational rather than physical.

   • Listen to the full discussion before choosing a response.
   • Treat the scene as a dialogue encounter, not an arena fight.
2. 2

   Joshua’s request

   Starts: After the production plan has been explained.

   Joshua asks V to take part in the crucifixion braindance. V can respond with cooperation, refusal or skepticism, and these responses establish the tone of the conclusion.

   • Read the dialogue carefully because the wording reflects V’s level of consent.
   • A pre-conversation save is the safest way to compare different approaches.
3. 3

   Recording and conclusion

   Starts: V accepts a role in the staged production or proceeds as an observer.

   The braindance sequence is performed and the mission closes with the immediate consequences of V’s decision. The scene is designed to be emotionally difficult rather than mechanically demanding.

   • Follow the current prompt instead of trying to leave the set.
   • This phase contains the mission’s most significant spoilers.

Failure conditions

• Failing to complete the preceding quest lineThey Won’t Go When I Go is not an independent opening mission; it depends on the progression of Joshua Stephenson’s earlier storyline.
• Leaving before the current scene is completeThe final sequence is staged around a series of conversations and prompts. Abandoning the area before the active objective resolves can interrupt progress and require reloading or returning to the objective.
• Expecting a conventional combat solutionThere is no standard boss fight that substitutes for the mission’s dialogue choices. The relevant success condition is completing the production sequence and its surrounding conversations.

Characters in this mission

• Joshua StephensonThe condemned man whose requested braindance recording drives the mission.
• VThe player character, whose responses determine whether and how the recording is completed.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• The mission’s title is shared with a song by Stevie Wonder.
• The mission is named after a biblical passage associated with the Book of Job.
• Joshua’s storyline is one of Cyberpunk 2077’s clearest examinations of braindance as both a technological medium and a commercial product.
• The mission is notable for making player participation itself the central source of discomfort rather than placing the player in a conventional combat challenge.

Relationships