Transmission

Key takeaways

Transmission is built around one major negotiation and its fallout.

• Follow the Voodoo Boys' lead Placide sends V into the Grand Imperial Mall to find the NetWatch agent who is interfering with the Voodoo Boys' plan. The Voodoo Boys' plan
• The mall supports stealth or combat The Animals occupy the facility, but V can combine hacking, cover, takedowns, and direct gunplay while moving toward the cinema. Mall approach
• Save before the meeting The conversation with the NetWatch agent is the mission's key branching point and can change the fate of several Voodoo Boys characters. NetWatch choice

Transmission overview

Transmission is a major Cyberpunk 2077 story mission in which V follows the Voodoo Boys into the abandoned Grand Imperial Mall in Pacifica.

Transmission begins after the confrontation with the Animals in I Walk the Line. Placide directs V deeper into the Voodoo Boys' operation, where the immediate objective is to find a NetWatch agent connected to the mysterious signal that the gang is tracking. The mission combines stealth, close-quarters combat, environmental exploration, and extended dialogue rather than following a single combat-heavy pattern.

The route through the Grand Imperial Mall is deliberately tense because the Voodoo Boys use V as an outsider and a disposable tool. V must move through a hostile facility occupied by the Animals before reaching the cinema area and the NetWatch agent. The mission's most important decisions arrive during that meeting: V can accept the agent's offer, reject it, or attack him, and those choices alter who survives and how the Voodoo Boys storyline continues.

Transmission also develops the relationship between V, Placide, Brigitte, and Johnny Silverhand. Its conclusion leads directly into the Voodoo Boys' attempt to make contact with Alt Cunningham beyond the Blackwall, making the mission a central bridge between the Pacifica storyline and the wider mystery surrounding the Relic. Because the final decision has substantial consequences, players who want to see every outcome should create a manual save before speaking with the NetWatch agent.

Where this sits

Requirements

Transmission becomes available through the Pacifica main-story sequence.

• RequiredComplete I Walk the LineThe mission follows the events at the Grand Imperial Mall and continues the Voodoo Boys' investigation.
• RecommendedPrepare for mixed encountersThe mall includes hostile Animals and confined interior spaces, so a build that can handle both ranged and close-range threats is useful.
• RecommendedCreate a manual save before the NetWatch meetingThe agent's dialogue creates the most consequential branch in the mission.

Objectives

1. Talk to Placide.Receive the Voodoo Boys' instructions for entering the mall and locating the NetWatch agent.
2. Enter the Grand Imperial Mall.Reach the abandoned shopping complex and proceed through its hostile interior.
3. Find the NetWatch agent.Cross the mall and reach the cinema area where the agent is waiting.
4. Deal with the NetWatch agent.Choose whether to accept his offer, reject the arrangement, or attack him.
5. Meet Brigitte.Return to the Voodoo Boys' operation after the encounter and follow the resulting objective.Optional

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Talk to Placide

   Speak with Placide

   Begin the mission by talking with Placide and listening to the Voodoo Boys' instructions. He sends V to the Grand Imperial Mall to locate the NetWatch agent, while his own connection to V remains a source of danger throughout the operation.

   Location: Voodoo Boys hideout in Pacifica

   TipMake a manual save before entering the mall if you want to compare the later dialogue outcomes.

2. 02

   Enter the Grand Imperial Mall

   Enter the Grand Imperial Mall

   Travel to the mall and use the marked entrance to begin the infiltration. Once inside, treat the building as a combat zone: the Animals can detect V from open walkways, side rooms, and the main interior routes.

   Location: Grand Imperial Mall

   Watch outThe interior can become difficult to retreat through after combat starts, so avoid advancing without checking nearby cover and exits.

3. 03

   Reach the NetWatch agent

   Move through the mall

   Advance through the abandoned shopping complex toward the cinema while dealing with the Animals. Hacking cameras, distracting isolated enemies, and using side passages can reduce exposure; direct combat is also possible if V's build favors weapons or close-range attacks.

   Location: Interior of the Grand Imperial Mall

   TipUse the mall's rooms and structural cover to separate enemies instead of drawing the entire group into one fight.

4. 04

   Reach the cinema

   Handle the Animals resistance

   The hostile force consists primarily of physically powerful Animals fighters, supported by the mall's confined layout. Watch for enemies closing distance quickly, keep a route behind V, and search cleared rooms only after the immediate area is secure.

   Location: Grand Imperial Mall combat areas

   Watch outRushing past enemies can leave V surrounded in narrow corridors; clear or bypass each occupied section before committing to the next doorway.

5. 05

   Find the NetWatch agent

   Reach the cinema

   Continue toward the abandoned cinema at the far end of the mall. The approach funnels V toward the meeting area, so finish any preparation, reload weapons, and recover health before entering the final room.

   Location: Cinema in the Grand Imperial Mall

   TipThe meeting is the natural point for a save because the next conversation determines the mission's principal branch.

6. 06

   Deal with the NetWatch agent

   Listen to the NetWatch agent

   The agent explains his position and offers V a way to remove the immediate threat tied to the Voodoo Boys' operation. Let the conversation develop before choosing, because the available responses are not merely cosmetic and affect the people waiting outside the meeting.

   Location: Cinema

   Watch outAccepting the agent's intervention exposes the Voodoo Boys to a severe consequence; refusing or attacking him leads to a different continuation.

7. 07

   Make a decision about the NetWatch agent

   Choose whether to accept the offer

   V can agree to the NetWatch agent's deal, refuse it, or turn the meeting into a fight. Accepting changes V's immediate condition and triggers a major Voodoo Boys outcome, while refusing preserves the confrontation for the next stage of the mission.

   Location: Cinema

   Watch outThis is the mission's decisive choice. There is no single universally best outcome, so use the pre-meeting save if you want to explore both branches.

   Missable
8. 08

   Return to the Voodoo Boys

   Leave the cinema

   After the negotiation or combat, follow the objective out of the cinema and return toward the Voodoo Boys' base. The route and dialogue can differ according to the decision in the meeting, but the mission continues toward Brigitte and the gang's attempt to reach beyond the Blackwall.

   Location: Grand Imperial Mall and the Voodoo Boys' base

   Checkpoint
9. 09

   Meet Brigitte

   Meet Brigitte

   Continue to Brigitte and hear what the Voodoo Boys intend to do next. The mission's conclusion sets up the next major sequence involving Alt Cunningham, Johnny Silverhand, and the Blackwall.

   Location: Voodoo Boys' base

   Checkpoint

Mission mechanics

The mall section rewards flexible planning more than one specific build. Cameras and isolated opponents can be handled with quickhacks, while the wide interior spaces allow firearms and movement-based approaches. The Animals are dangerous at close range, so players using stealth should avoid leaving alerted enemies behind V's intended route.

The NetWatch meeting is not a conventional boss fight. It is a negotiation backed by the possibility of violence, and the important gameplay effect comes from the decision V makes rather than from defeating a named combat encounter. A save before the conversation is more valuable than carrying a particular weapon into the room.

After the meeting, pay attention to the objective markers and dialogue instead of assuming the mission has ended when the agent's scene is over. Transmission's final section connects directly to the Voodoo Boys' next operation and can change the people V encounters on the way back.

What works and what does not

Encounter phasesSpoilers

1. 1

   Mall infiltration

   Starts: Entering the Grand Imperial Mall

   No fixed boss health phase

   V crosses the mall while facing Animals patrols and defenders.

   • Close-range pressureTell Animals fighters advance aggressively and attempt to close the gap.Answer Maintain distance, use cover, and disable or isolate the nearest threat before moving onward.
   • CrossfireTell Alerting one group can expose V to enemies positioned in adjoining rooms or walkways.Answer Break line of sight, reposition through cover, and avoid fighting in the center of a large open area.
   • Use cameras and hacks to identify the next room before stepping into it.
   • Search for recovery opportunities only after the nearby patrols are no longer active.
2. 2

   NetWatch negotiation

   Starts: Reaching the agent in the cinema

   No standard combat health phase unless V initiates violence

   The mission changes from infiltration to a consequential conversation about the Voodoo Boys' plan and V's immediate danger.

   • Agent confrontationTell The conversation presents a direct offer and challenges V's trust in Placide and the Voodoo Boys.Answer Choose a dialogue response deliberately, or attack only if that is the intended branch.
   • A pre-conversation save allows the mission's major outcomes to be compared.
   • Read the dialogue options carefully because accepting the deal has consequences beyond the room.

Choices and consequencesEnding spoilers

• Accept the NetWatch agent's offer.

  The agent removes the immediate malware threat affecting V and takes action against the Voodoo Boys connected to the operation. Returning to the base reveals a significantly different aftermath, including the deaths of important Voodoo Boys members.

  Spoiler
• Refuse the offer and leave the agent alive.

  V preserves the Voodoo Boys' immediate position and continues their planned operation. The mission proceeds toward Brigitte and the Blackwall-related sequence.

  Spoiler
• Attack and kill the NetWatch agent.

  The negotiation becomes a combat encounter and V rejects the agent's intervention by force. This route keeps the Voodoo Boys' plan in motion, although the agent and his offer are removed from the story.

  Spoiler

Checklist

• Complete I Walk the Line.This opens the next major stage of the Pacifica storyline.
• Talk to Placide before entering the mall.His instructions establish the mission's immediate objective.
• Create a manual save before meeting the NetWatch agent.The decision in the cinema has major consequences.Optional
• Prepare both ranged and close-range options.The Animals can pressure V in confined spaces.Optional
• Reach the cinema and complete the NetWatch conversation.The mission cannot progress until the agent encounter is resolved.
• Follow the post-meeting objective back to the Voodoo Boys.The mission continues after the cinema scene.
• Meet Brigitte and continue into the Blackwall sequence.This leads into the next major story mission.

Failure conditions

• V dies during the mall infiltration.Reload the latest checkpoint or manual save and use cover, healing, hacking, or a more cautious route through the Animals' positions.
• V is overwhelmed after alerting multiple Animals groups.Break contact and retreat behind solid cover before re-engaging. The open mall spaces can expose V to several angles at once.
• V makes an unintended choice during the NetWatch meeting.Reload the manual save made before the conversation if you want a different outcome; the mission does not provide a general undo option after the branch resolves.

RewardsSpoilers

• Story progression
  Completing Transmission advances the Pacifica storyline and opens the next major sequence involving the Voodoo Boys.
• Branch-specific aftermath
  The final reward is primarily narrative: the NetWatch decision changes V's immediate condition, the fate of Voodoo Boys characters, and the route into the following mission.
• Access to the next mission
  The conclusion leads into Never Fade Away and the mission chain surrounding Alt Cunningham and the Blackwall.

Characters in this missionSpoilers

• VPlayer character sent into the mall.
• PlacideVoodoo Boys operative who directs V's assignment.
• BrigitteVoodoo Boys leader who becomes central after the NetWatch decision.
• Johnny SilverhandV's Relic-linked companion and commentator during the mission's wider story.

AftermathEnding spoilers

Trivia

• Transmission is named after the mission's focus on signals, networks, and communication across the Blackwall.
• The mission is one of the clearest examples of Cyberpunk 2077 using a dialogue decision to alter an entire faction's immediate survival rather than only changing a line of dialogue.
• The Grand Imperial Mall appears in both I Walk the Line and Transmission, but the two missions use its spaces for different stages of the Voodoo Boys storyline.
• The mission's title also fits its narrative role: it passes information between V, the Voodoo Boys, NetWatch, and the intelligences beyond the Blackwall.

Relationships