Key Takeaways
Hawk is a Phantom Liberty Iconic Power assault rifle whose value comes from combining conventional rifle handling with an effect that rewards accurate hits. Its tier and availability context matter when evaluating it.
Iconic Power assault rifle
Hawk belongs to the Power weapon system, so it should be evaluated as a ballistic assault rifle rather than as a Smart or Tech weapon. Its Power classification is part of its identity and comparison profile.
Accuracy feeds its special effect
Hawk’s Iconic effect rewards headshots and weak-spot hits by applying a combat debuff to affected enemies. This gives accurate fire a control benefit beyond its ordinary rifle damage.
Phantom Liberty availability
Hawk requires the Phantom Liberty context and is associated with the Dogtown story route. The acquisition section should provide the exact mission and recovery conditions rather than treating it as a base-game rifle.
Useful against priority targets
Because its defining effect is triggered through accurate hits, Hawk is most relevant when the player can consistently target heads or weak spots and wants to pressure dangerous enemies with reduced combat effectiveness.
No universal damage line
Hawk’s combat values are Tier-dependent in the post-2.0 system. Any damage or handling figures need their Tier and applicable upgrade state attached; an unqualified number does not describe every Hawk.
Power behaviour versus Smart and Tech alternatives
Hawk offers Power-class ballistic behaviour rather than Smart targeting or Tech charging. That makes it a conventional rifle choice with an accuracy-driven Iconic effect, not a substitute for either technology’s specialized mechanics.
Overview
Hawk is an Iconic Power assault rifle from Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. It combines conventional automatic rifle handling with an effect package that slows enemies, can disorient them with headshots, and can spread panic after a neutralization.
Hawk occupies the general-purpose assault-rifle role, but its identity is more control-oriented than a standard rifle’s. It remains a Power weapon rather than a Tech or Smart weapon, so its appeal is direct gunplay: acquire targets, maintain fire, and use accurate shots to disrupt groups without relying on charge timing or target-lock assistance.
Its Iconic behavior gives accurate fire a tactical consequence beyond raw damage. Hits can reduce an enemy’s movement speed, headshots have a chance to disorient the target, and neutralizing an enemy can cause nearby enemies to panic. These effects make Hawk particularly relevant when one rifle must create openings against several opponents rather than focus exclusively on the fastest possible single-target takedown.
Hawk is therefore distinct from Power assault rifles that mainly offer a neutral baseline for attachments and perks. It also occupies a different niche from Smart weapons, whose defining advantage is guided targeting, and Tech weapons, whose identity is built around charging and penetration. Hawk instead rewards ordinary aiming while adding disruption that can make a crowded encounter easier to control.
The weapon belongs to the Phantom Liberty side of Cyberpunk 2077’s post-2.0 arsenal, so its availability and progression context should be read separately from base-game assault rifles. It is best understood as an Iconic rifle for players who want a flexible automatic weapon with crowd-control utility, not as a universal replacement for specialized Smart, Tech, stealth, or close-range loadouts.
Statistics
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Class | Assault Rifle |
| Subtype | Assault Rifle |
| Technology | Power |
| Ammo | Heavy Ammo |
| Stat Scaling | Tier-dependent |
| Iconic | Yes |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Content Scope | Phantom Liberty |
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar assault rifles
| Attribute |  Hawk | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Iconic | Yes | — | — | — | — |
How to Obtain
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Access to Dogtown and completion of the Phantom Liberty main mission "Lucretia My Reflection"
- 01Own the Phantom Liberty expansion and begin its Dogtown storyline. Progress through the opening main mission, "Lucretia My Reflection," which brings V to the Kress Street hideout in Dogtown.
- 02After completing "Lucretia My Reflection," return to the Kress Street hideout. Search the weapon stash inside the hideout to collect Hawk; it is a fixed pickup rather than a vendor purchase or random enemy drop.
- 03The stash remains the relevant acquisition point after the mission is complete, so Hawk does not require a separate boss encounter, crafting specification, or rotating vendor stock. No NG+ or additional level gate is required for this route.
Availability
Phantom Liberty / Dogtown
Hawk is a Phantom Liberty weapon and is not part of the base-game weapon pool. It is not treated as an Online, NG+, or rotating-vendor item; its availability follows the Phantom Liberty progression context.
- Requires
- Phantom Liberty expansion and access to Dogtown
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Hawk's headshots and weak-spot hits hinder affected enemies by reducing their movement speed and accuracy, making them easier to keep under rifle fire.
- Its unique effect also prevents affected enemies from calling for reinforcements, which is valuable when a fight could otherwise escalate.
- When an affected enemy dies, the effect can spread to nearby enemies, allowing a successful takedown to create pressure across a clustered group.
- As a Power assault rifle, Hawk suits conventional gunplay while retaining the ricochet behavior associated with the Power weapon system when the environment and angle support it.
Weaknesses
- The strongest control benefits depend on landing headshots or weak-spot hits; body-shot-heavy play gives up much of what distinguishes Hawk from an ordinary assault rifle.
- Its spreading effect is most useful against groups. It provides less value when targets are widely separated or when encounters are decided by a single isolated enemy.
- The movement and accuracy penalties hinder enemies but do not replace direct damage, cover management, or crowd-control tools against heavily protected targets.
- Ricochet is situational rather than a guaranteed damage increase: open spaces, poor firing angles, and targets without useful nearby surfaces reduce the practical benefit of Hawk's Power classification.
Best uses
- Use Hawk for mid-range fights against groups where accurate headshots can suppress a priority target, stop reinforcement calls, and spread the debuff after a kill.
- Pair it with a precision-focused assault-rifle approach that rewards deliberate headshots and weak-spot targeting rather than indiscriminate automatic fire.
- It is particularly useful when enemies are close enough for the effect to spread but not so tightly packed that a dedicated close-range weapon would be the more direct solution.
- Choose another weapon when the encounter is dominated by long-range precision, heavy single-target burst, or targets that cannot be reliably exposed at the head or weak spot.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Attribute | Hawk | Ajax | Copperhead | Masamune |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class and technology | Automatic Power rifle | Automatic Power rifle | Automatic Power rifle | Burst-fire Power rifle |
| Fire profile | Hits reduce enemy accuracy, giving Hawk a control-oriented role rather than relying only on raw damage | Conventional Power-assault-rifle option without Hawk’s accuracy-reduction identity | A conventional Power rifle suited to sustained firefights; it does not fill Hawk’s enemy-debuff role | Its burst-oriented handling makes it a different firing-pattern choice from Hawk’s automatic profile |
| Distinctive comparison point | General-purpose Power-weapon builds that value sustained fire and enemy disruption | Players wanting a straightforward automatic rifle in the same broad class | Automatic-rifle builds seeking a familiar direct-damage alternative | Players who prefer controlled bursts and more deliberate shot placement |
| Best fit | — | — | — | — |
Used In
- Lucretia My ReflectionHawk becomes available in V's Dogtown apartment after this Phantom Liberty main job.
- DogtownThe Phantom Liberty district where V's apartment and the Hawk pickup are located.
