Key Takeaways
The D5 Copperhead is a conventional Power assault rifle whose value comes from sustained automatic fire and the ricochet behavior shared by Power weapons, rather than Smart targeting or Tech charging.
Power assault rifle
The Copperhead belongs to the assault-rifle class and uses the Power weapon system, making it a straightforward choice for sustained ranged fire rather than a precision or homing weapon.
Ricochet is its defining system mechanic
Power ammunition can ricochet from suitable surfaces. The and related cyberware support make that behavior easier to use, but the Copperhead does not become a Smart weapon.
Tier context matters
Its displayed performance depends on the weapon’s current tier and upgrade state in the post-2.0 system. A Copperhead without a stated tier should not be treated as having one universal damage profile.
Reliable sustained fire, with firearm trade-offs
The Copperhead is best suited to keeping pressure on targets across ordinary combat distances. Automatic fire can be less efficient than a more deliberate weapon when ammunition conservation, precision, or stealth matters.
A conventional weapon with an Iconic relative
The standard Copperhead is distinct from its Iconic family variant, Psalm 11:6. They should be compared as separate weapons rather than treating the Iconic’s special behavior as part of every D5 Copperhead.
Overview
D5 Copperhead is a standard Power assault rifle in Cyberpunk 2077, built for sustained mid-range fire and the ricochet-focused handling that distinguishes Power weapons from Tech and Smart firearms.
The Copperhead is a conventional inventory weapon rather than an Iconic or otherwise unique rifle. Its role is straightforward: it gives assault-rifle builds a dependable automatic firearm for engagements where controllable repeated fire matters more than a single heavy hit or guided projectile behaviour. As with other post-2.0 weapons, its displayed performance depends on its tier and upgrade state, so the name identifies the weapon family rather than one universal stat line.
Its defining technology is Power. Power bullets can ricochet when the relevant conditions are met, making the Copperhead more than a generic automatic rifle while still retaining the familiar direct-aimed-fire role. Ricochet is situational rather than a replacement for accurate fire; the weapon remains most naturally suited to players who want conventional shooting with an additional angle for dealing damage around suitable surfaces or cover.
The D5 Copperhead belongs to the ordinary weapon pool and is not dependent on Phantom Liberty for its identity. It can therefore serve as a practical rifle choice during the main game's progression, with its usefulness changing as higher-tier weapons and more specialized options become available. A specific drop, vendor listing, or crafted version should be read in its own tier context rather than treated as the definitive form of the weapon.
The Copperhead is also the base family associated with the Iconic assault rifle Psalm 11:6. That relationship matters when comparing the two: the standard D5 Copperhead is the general-purpose Power rifle, while Psalm 11:6 is the named variant to investigate when a player wants a more distinctive weapon effect. For a broader comparison, Power assault rifles are the closest alternatives; Tech rifles and Smart weapons occupy different handling and targeting niches rather than being simple upgrades to the Copperhead.
Statistics
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Class | Assault Rifle |
| Subtype | Assault Rifle |
| Technology | Power |
| Ammo | Heavy Ammo |
| Stat Scaling | Tier-dependent |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Content Scope | Base game / free update |
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar assault rifles
| Attribute |  D5 Copperhead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Assault Rifle | Assault Rifle | Assault Rifle | Assault Rifle | Assault Rifle |
| Technology | Power | Power | Power | Power | Power |
| Ammo | Heavy Ammo | Heavy Ammo | Heavy Ammo | Heavy Ammo | Heavy Ammo |
How to Obtain
- Access to Cyberpunk 2077’s ordinary weapon-vendor and loot systems; vendor availability and the tier of the weapon depend on current character progression.
- 01Buy the D5 Copperhead from a weapon vendor in Night City when it appears in the vendor’s current inventory. Vendor stock and weapon tier are progression-dependent, so check multiple weapon vendors after advancing or levelling if it is not listed; the purchase is not guaranteed at every visit.
- 02Alternatively, obtain it as ordinary weapon loot from hostile encounters and containers in Night City. This is a random acquisition route rather than a named mission or boss reward, so the weapon is not tied to one guaranteed location. Use the weapon’s displayed tier when deciding whether a drop is an upgrade.
- 03No fixed quest, boss, or character prerequisite is required for the standard D5 Copperhead. It is not treated here as a one-per-playthrough or missable reward, and no separate Phantom Liberty, New Game Plus, or recovery route is required.
Availability
Base game — post-2.0 system
The D5 Copperhead uses the standard weapon loot and vendor systems. Its offered tier and availability can vary with character progression and current loot or vendor scaling; no universal price is stated.
- Requires
- No DLC-specific requirement.
Phantom Liberty / Dogtown
The expansion does not create a separate required availability gate for the D5 Copperhead. Tier and stock remain progression-dependent.
- Requires
- Phantom Liberty is not required to use the weapon.
Mechanics and Handling
The D5 Copperhead is a conventional Power assault rifle: it fires a sustained automatic stream rather than charging individual shots, tracking targets, or relying on a special activation. Its practical role is straightforward—maintain pressure at close-to-medium range while managing recoil and spread during longer bursts.
Automatic fire and effective range
The Copperhead is most predictable when fired in controlled bursts. Holding the trigger produces automatic fire, but repeated shots make the weapon harder to keep precisely on a small target, especially outside its comfortable range. Shorter bursts help preserve accuracy; sustained fire is more useful against larger targets or when suppressing an enemy position than when attempting precise long-range hits.
It is not a Tech weapon, so its normal fire does not provide the charge-and-release behaviour associated with charged penetration shots. It is also not a Smart weapon: target tracking and guided projectile behaviour are not part of the D5 Copperhead’s standard firing pattern.
Power-weapon ricochet
As a Power weapon, the Copperhead can use ricochets when its rounds strike suitable surfaces. This can let shots reach an enemy from an unexpected angle, but the behaviour depends on the environment and is less dependable than direct fire. A can make ricochet interactions easier to read by assisting with the trajectory display; it does not turn the Copperhead into a Smart weapon or remove the need to aim.
Ricochet is best treated as a situational advantage rather than the rifle’s primary damage routine. Open spaces, soft cover, and enemies who remain exposed generally favour direct bursts, while hard surfaces and obstructed angles create more opportunities to use the weapon’s Power classification.
Handling, reloads, and weapon-specific effects
The Copperhead uses conventional firearm handling: aim, fire, release the trigger, and reload when its magazine is depleted. It has no return-to-hand mechanic, charge timing, alternate throw mode, or weapon-specific status effect that needs to be activated. Attachment and mod behaviour depends on the particular weapon instance and its current tier, so those effects should be checked from the in-game item panel rather than assumed from the base name.
The ordinary D5 Copperhead should therefore be judged on its automatic rifle handling, available tier-specific stats, and compatibility with a Power-weapon playstyle. Its standard form does not carry the bespoke Iconic modifier found on named Copperhead derivatives.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- As a Power assault rifle, the D5 Copperhead offers a conventional automatic-fire option without Smart targeting or Tech charging requirements.
- Its sustained fire can keep pressure on exposed enemies while the user tracks targets manually, making it less dependent on precise single-shot timing than a precision rifle.
- Power-weapon ricochet can add value around cover when the required ballistic cyberware and a suitable angle are available.
Weaknesses
- Automatic fire becomes less reliable as distance increases because continued firing makes spread and manual target tracking more important.
- It does not provide Smart homing or Tech weapon charge-and-penetration behavior, so it cannot replace those systems against evasive targets or enemies using cover.
- Sustained fire consumes ammunition and can create reload downtime; a controlled burst approach is preferable to holding the trigger continuously.
Best uses
- Use it as a flexible general-purpose rifle for encounters that move between close and medium range.
- Choose it for a conventional gun build that wants manual aim and sustained fire rather than Smart-lock assistance or charged Tech shots.
- Use ricochet opportunistically in urban cover fights when the relevant cyberware is installed, while switching weapons for dedicated long-range precision or cover-penetration roles.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Attribute | D5 Copperhead | D5 Ajax | Masamune |  Kyubi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology and class | Automatic fire with Power-weapon ricochet behavior | Automatic fire | Burst-fire operation | Semi-automatic operation |
| Firing profile | General-purpose close-to-mid-range rifle use | Sustained conventional rifle combat | Controlled mid-range engagements | Accurate, deliberate rifle play |
| Best fit | Less specialized than the alternatives; performance depends more on aim and positioning | A comparable Power option, but its handling and weapon-specific modifier differ from the Copperhead | Burst timing rewards deliberate shots rather than continuous automatic fire | Lower firing tempo makes missed shots more costly than with the Copperhead |
| Main trade-off | — | — | — | — |
