Key Takeaways
Neurotoxin Knife is a post-2.0 throwable knife whose identity comes from poison-oriented combat rather than raw damage alone. Its value depends on tier, throwing-weapon perks, and how reliably the player can keep enemies affected by its status interaction.
Poison-focused throwable
Neurotoxin Knife is built for throwing-weapon play and rewards attacks against enemies affected by poison or related status effects.
Tier context matters
Its damage and other tier-dependent values should be read from the weapon’s current tier or upgrade state, not treated as universal figures.
Strongest in status-oriented builds
The knife suits Cool-based throwing builds that can apply or exploit poison while maintaining close-to-mid-range pressure.
Status dependence is a limitation
Its distinctive benefits are less relevant when enemies resist, clear, or cannot be meaningfully affected by the poison interaction.
Iconic progression
As an Iconic weapon, Neurotoxin Knife belongs to Cyberpunk 2077’s post-2.0 Iconic upgrade framework rather than being a purely fixed-stat knife.
A specialized alternative
Compared with ordinary throwing knives, it exchanges some general-purpose simplicity for stronger poison synergy and a more specialized combat role.
Overview
Neurotoxin Knife is an Iconic throwing knife in Cyberpunk 2077, built for close-range melee and throwable combat with a poison-focused identity.
Neurotoxin Knife belongs to Cyberpunk 2077’s knife and throwable-weapon family. It is an Iconic weapon rather than an ordinary interchangeable knife, so its identity comes from its named weapon effect as well as its basic blade attacks. The weapon is intended for players who want to combine stealth-friendly close combat with deliberate thrown attacks.
Its defining role is poison-oriented pressure. Neurotoxin Knife is most relevant when a build can repeatedly land thrown-knife hits and take advantage of the weapon’s status-focused behaviour, rather than treating every attack as a simple source of physical damage. The poison theme gives it a different purpose from more general-purpose knives that are chosen mainly for raw handling or direct burst.
The weapon also sits within Cyberpunk 2077’s post-2.0 throwable-weapon system, where knives can be used as both held melee weapons and thrown weapons. That makes its practical value depend on how the player approaches an encounter: it can support quiet attacks from short distance, but it still belongs to a close-range weapon category and does not replace a firearm for sustained ranged combat.
Neurotoxin Knife is associated with the Phantom Liberty-era weapon roster and should be assessed within the current tier-based system rather than with pre-2.0 knife rules. Its main point of distinction is therefore not a universal damage advantage, but the combination of Iconic status, throwable-knife handling and poison-oriented specialization. The later sections should establish its exact acquisition route, tier values and upgrade behaviour separately.
Statistics
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Class | Melee |
| Subtype | Knife / Throwable |
| Technology | Blade / Throwable |
| Stat Scaling | Tier-dependent |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Content Scope | Base game / free update |
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar melees
| Attribute |  Neurotoxin Knife | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Melee | Melee | Melee | Melee | Melee |
| Technology | Blade / Throwable | Blunt | Blunt | Blunt | Blunt |
How to Obtain
- Phantom Liberty and access to Dogtown.
- Sufficient eddies for the vendor’s current price.
- The vendor must currently stock the Neurotoxin Knife; its tier and price are not universal.
- 01Purchase the Neurotoxin Knife from the Black Market Vendor in Dogtown after gaining access to Phantom Liberty’s Dogtown area. It is a vendor inventory item rather than a quest reward or enemy drop; check the melee-weapon listings and buy it when it appears at the appropriate progression tier.
- 02The purchase is guaranteed when the knife is present in the vendor’s inventory, but vendor stock and weapon tier are progression-dependent. No boss kill, mission completion, one-per-playthrough restriction, or missable pickup is required; if it is not listed, advance your character or revisit the vendor later.
Mechanics and Handling
Neurotoxin Knife is handled as both a close-range blade and a throwable weapon. Its defining mechanic is poison: attacks can apply the Poison status, giving the knife value beyond its immediate hit damage. The weapon is most distinctive when used to maintain poison pressure rather than thrown once and then replaced with another weapon.
Poison and Target Selection
Poisoned targets are the knife's preferred targets. After an enemy has been affected, a thrown Neurotoxin Knife can trigger the weapon's special poison interaction, spreading the threat beyond the initial hit and making clustered enemies more attractive targets. The effect is conditional on the target's poison state; it should not be treated as a universal damage multiplier or as a guaranteed instant kill. Against a single resistant or unaffected target, the knife functions more like a conventional throwing blade.
Throwing and Recovery
A thrown knife is not governed by a firearm magazine or reload cycle. After the throw, it returns to the player's usable pool through the game's throwing-weapon recovery system, so the player must account for the recovery delay before relying on another throw. Headshots are especially useful for shortening that delay, making accurate throws more sustainable than repeated body shots. Missing also carries a practical opportunity cost: the knife contributes no hit while it is recovering.
Close-Range Handling
At melee distance, Neurotoxin Knife uses the quick, committed attacks expected from a knife rather than the broad control of a larger blade. Its short reach makes spacing important, while its speed supports rapid follow-up attacks and poison application. Blocking and ordinary melee defenses remain available through Cyberpunk 2077's standard combat controls, but the weapon's main tactical identity is offensive: apply poison, create distance, and throw into an affected target when the spread effect is useful. It has no firearm-style recoil, ammunition count, or reload animation.
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its throwable-knife design gives a stealth-friendly alternative to firearms, allowing precise attacks without committing to a conventional gunfight.
- The neurotoxin effect gives successful hits value beyond their initial impact by applying a damaging status effect, making the knife useful against targets that can survive the first hit.
- It fits throwing-weapon perks and knife-focused cyberware or attribute investments, so a dedicated throwing build can use it without splitting its core progression across unrelated weapon systems.
Weaknesses
- A thrown knife is temporarily unavailable after use while its recovery cooldown runs, and a missed throw can leave the weapon unavailable when an immediate follow-up is needed.
- Its effectiveness depends on accurate aim and practical throwing distance; it is less forgiving than automatic weapons when several enemies expose themselves at once.
- Poison-oriented benefits are matchup-dependent: enemies resistant or unsuitable for the status effect reduce the value of the knife's distinctive mechanic, while heavily armored encounters may demand a different damage solution.
Best uses
- Stealth approaches where a quiet, accurately placed throw can remove or weaken an isolated target without raising the noise and ammunition concerns of a firearm.
- Knife and throwing-weapon builds that can support the recovery window with mobility, cover, or a second throwable weapon.
- Extended engagements against targets vulnerable to its neurotoxin effect, where repeated applications can supplement the knife's direct attacks rather than serving as its sole source of damage.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Attribute |  Stinger |  Blue Fang |  Headhunter |  Punknife |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class / role | Poison- and bleed-oriented status pressure | Crowd control through its stun-focused effect | Headshot-focused precision play | Straightforward baseline for the throwing-knife system |
| Distinguishing use | Builds that want throwable status effects rather than a purely direct-damage knife | Players who value interrupting or disabling targets over poison synergy | Stealth, precision, and knife-throwing builds that can consistently target weak points | Players who want a conventional knife without an Iconic effect competing with their build |
| Best fit | — | — | — | — |
