Key Takeaways
Problem Solver is an Iconic submachine gun associated with Dogtown’s Barghest forces. Its defining value is sustained automatic fire: it becomes more aggressive the longer the trigger is held, making its handling and firing pattern more important than a single displayed damage value.
Sustained-fire Iconic
Problem Solver’s defining mechanic rewards keeping the weapon firing, with its fire-rate behaviour becoming more pronounced during a sustained burst. This gives it a different handling profile from SMGs that deliver their full output immediately.
A close-range pressure weapon
Its strengths are most relevant when the user can maintain fire on targets at close or moderate distance. The same sustained-fire behaviour makes controlled bursts and target selection important when accuracy matters.
Dogtown acquisition
Problem Solver is obtained from a combatant during the -era Dogtown content, rather than being a routine early-game store weapon. The page’s acquisition route should identify the mission and whether the pickup can be missed.
Iconic progression matters
As an Iconic weapon, Problem Solver uses ’s tiered weapon progression rather than having one universal combat profile. Its damage and other displayed statistics must therefore be read alongside its current tier or upgraded state.
Handling is the trade-off
The weapon’s sustained-fire advantage is paired with less forgiving handling as firing continues, so it is not a universal replacement for a precise rifle or a burst-oriented SMG. Its best use is suppressing or rapidly pressuring targets within its practical range.
Compare it with other SMGs
Problem Solver is most meaningfully compared with other SMGs, especially Iconic alternatives that offer steadier accuracy, different technology behaviour, or a more specialised close-range effect. Cross-class damage comparisons are not useful without matching tier and weapon context.
Overview
Problem Solver is an Iconic Power submachine gun in Cyberpunk 2077, built around sustained automatic fire rather than precision or stealth. Its escalating rate of fire makes it a close-to-mid-range weapon for aggressive SMG-focused characters.
Problem Solver is a unique Iconic SMG manufactured as a Power weapon. Its identity comes less from a special damage type than from how its firing behavior changes during a burst: maintaining fire raises the weapon’s rate of fire, creating a progressively denser stream of bullets. That behavior gives it a distinct role among ordinary SMGs, whose handling generally stays more predictable throughout a magazine.
The same mechanic creates a practical trade-off. Problem Solver becomes increasingly difficult to control as sustained fire builds, so its output is most useful when the shooter can stay close enough for spread and recoil to remain manageable. Short bursts can preserve control, while longer bursts make the weapon better suited to overwhelming exposed targets than to carefully placing individual rounds at distance.
As a Power weapon, Problem Solver belongs to Cyberpunk 2077’s conventional ballistic firearm family rather than the Smart or Tech categories. It does not replace Smart weapons’ targeting assistance or Tech weapons’ charge-and-penetration role. Its appeal is instead straightforward automatic pressure, with the Iconic effect rewarding players who accept escalating handling demands in exchange for a faster stream of fire.
Problem Solver is obtained through a story-linked encounter involving the Wraiths, giving it a defined place in the campaign’s weapon progression rather than making it a routine shop pickup. It is particularly relevant to builds centered on SMGs, automatic weapons, and close-range aggression. Players seeking controlled precision, long-range stability, or Smart-weapon targeting have clearer alternatives; players who want a Power SMG that becomes more forceful during a committed burst get the weapon’s defining reason to use it.
Statistics
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Class | Submachine Gun |
| Subtype | Submachine Gun |
| Technology | Power |
| Ammo | Handgun Ammo |
| Stat Scaling | Tier-dependent |
| Iconic | Yes |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Content Scope | Base game / free update |
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar submachine guns
| Attribute |  Problem Solver | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Submachine Gun | Submachine Gun | Submachine Gun | Submachine Gun | Submachine Gun |
| Technology | Power | Power | Smart | Smart | Power |
| Ammo | Handgun Ammo | Handgun Ammo | Handgun Ammo | Handgun Ammo | Handgun Ammo |
| Iconic | Yes | — | — | — | — |
How to Obtain
- Access to the Panam quest line and the “Riders on the Storm” mission.
- Phantom Liberty is required for the Dogtown Black Market recovery route; this alternate route is not available in the base game alone.
- 01Start the Panam Palmer mission “Riders on the Storm” and travel to the Wraith camp in the Badlands. During the camp assault and search for Saul, identify the Wraith gang member carrying the iconic Problem Solver and loot the weapon from that enemy. It is a fixed mission-related drop, not a general vendor purchase or random world pickup.
- 02If Problem Solver was not collected during “Riders on the Storm,” check Herold Loewen’s Black Market Vendor in Dogtown after accessing Phantom Liberty. The vendor can offer missed Iconic weapons under the post-2.0 recovery system, but availability depends on the weapon being missed and the current game state.
Availability
Base game — story progression
Problem Solver is an Iconic Power SMG found during the Wraith camp section of the job. It is obtained from a hostile Wraith in that mission area rather than through a standard vendor purchase. Treat the pickup as missable if the mission area is left without collecting it.
- Requires
- Reach the side job Riders on the Storm
Phantom Liberty installed
The expansion does not add a separate vendor, price, tier gate, or alternate availability condition for Problem Solver. Its post-2.0 weapon behavior and tier availability follow the current character progression system.
- Requires
- The weapon's acquisition remains tied to Riders on the Storm
Mechanics and Handling
Problem Solver is an automatic Power SMG whose identity comes from sustained fire rather than precision. It is most effective when its fire pattern is allowed to build against a target at close or moderate distance, but the same escalating output makes controlled bursts preferable when accuracy matters. Its defining trade-off is therefore straightforward: continued firing increases pressure on the target while making the weapon harder to manage.
Sustained fire and accuracy trade-off
Problem Solver’s iconic behavior rewards keeping the trigger held. Its rate of fire ramps upward during a firing sequence, giving the weapon increasing close-range volume instead of a fixed, unchanging attack rhythm. That benefit is paired with less forgiving accuracy as the sequence continues, so long sprays can become wasteful outside the weapon’s comfortable range. Short bursts preserve more control; sustained fire is the better choice when the target is close enough for the rising spread to remain manageable.
The ramp is most useful against targets that can be kept in the reticle for several consecutive shots. It is less valuable when enemies are frequently repositioning, appearing from different angles, or presenting only brief exposure windows. In those situations, releasing the trigger and reacquiring the target is generally more reliable than trying to carry the weapon’s accumulated fire rate into an already-unstable spray.
Power SMG projectile behaviour
As a Power weapon, Problem Solver does not use Smart targeting or Tech weapon charging as part of its normal attack pattern. Its rounds are aimed conventionally, so the weapon’s practical performance depends on keeping the reticle on the target while compensating for the increasingly difficult spray. This makes it a direct-fire firearm rather than a lock-on or charged-shot solution.
The Power classification also matters when choosing combat distance. Problem Solver can maintain strong pressure through ordinary cover-and-advance engagements, but its escalating spread limits the value of trying to use it as a precision weapon at longer range. A clear sight picture helps, yet it does not remove the weapon’s handling penalty during extended fire.
Magazine use and reload decisions
Problem Solver’s sustained-fire design makes magazine management part of its handling. It is tempting to remain on the trigger because the weapon becomes more aggressive as the sequence continues, but doing so after the target is already neutralized spends ammunition without a corresponding benefit. Release the trigger when a target goes down, then begin the next engagement with a deliberate burst rather than automatically carrying the previous spray forward.
Reload timing is especially important when several enemies are entering at once. The weapon is better suited to finishing a close target and then resetting for the next one than to replacing a reload in the middle of an uncontrolled spray. Its role is strongest when the player can choose when to commit to sustained fire, rather than being forced to use the weapon at the edge of its effective handling range.
Best engagement pattern
Use Problem Solver as a close-to-mid-range pressure weapon. Open with a controlled burst to establish aim, extend the burst when the target is pinned or exposed, and stop firing before spread makes the remaining ammunition inefficient. It is a natural fit for aggressive automatic-fire play, especially when the rest of the loadout supplies a more precise option for distant or heavily exposed targets.
The weapon’s main limitation is not a special reload sequence or charge requirement; it is the loss of precision created by prolonged fire. Players who prefer measured taps, long-range accuracy, or rapid target swapping may find its iconic ramp less useful. Players who can stay near their targets and manage the trigger gain the most from what makes Problem Solver distinct.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its iconic effect rewards sustained fire by increasing the weapon’s fire rate while also making the gun progressively harder to control. Against a target that remains exposed, maintaining the burst can produce stronger pressure than repeatedly starting and stopping fire.
- As a Smart SMG, Problem Solver can use guided projectiles against a locked target when the character has the relevant Smart Link support. This reduces the need to keep every round perfectly aligned with a moving enemy at typical SMG engagement distances.
- The SMG format makes the weapon suitable for aggressive close- to mid-range engagements where its escalating rate of fire can be applied before the target leaves line of sight.
Weaknesses
- The fire-rate effect is tied to continued firing and resets when firing stops, so missed openings, forced reloads, target switches and movement between cover can discard its momentum.
- The same mechanic that increases its output also increases recoil during sustained fire. Longer bursts therefore demand more correction and can become less reliable when the target is distant or only briefly exposed.
- Its intended guided-fire behavior depends on Smart weapon support. Without effective target locking, Problem Solver loses part of the handling advantage that distinguishes it from conventional SMGs, while its rapid fire still consumes ammunition quickly.
Best uses
- Use it in a Smart Weapons setup with Smart Link support, especially when fights provide clear sightlines and several consecutive targets to lock onto.
- Keep the trigger held on exposed enemies when the encounter allows sustained fire; avoid treating it like a precision weapon that should be repeatedly tapped.
- Favor close- and mid-range combat, where the fire-rate ramp and guided projectiles matter more than the recoil and reduced reliability that emerge during longer engagements.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Attribute | Problem Solver |  Yinglong | Shingen Mark V |  Fenrir |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class / technology | Expands magazine capacity and increases fire rate, with reduced accuracy as the trade-off. Its strength is sustained close-to-mid-range target pressure. | Adds an EMP-oriented effect to its smart-weapon role, giving it more disruption potential than Problem Solver. | Uses explosive ammunition, trading Problem Solver's sustained-fire profile for stronger burst and area impact. | Uses a status-oriented power-weapon profile and does not depend on smart targeting. |
| Distinctive behavior | Choose it when you want aggressive automatic fire and can tolerate less precise targeting. | A better fit when cyberware disruption and area utility matter more than straightforward volume of fire. | Prefer it for clustered enemies or explosive crowd control rather than extended spray. | A realistic alternative for players investing in Power weapons or preferring direct ballistic fire without Smart-weapon requirements. |
| Best comparison use | — | — | — | — |
Used In
- Riders on the StormProblem Solver can be looted during this mission from a Wraith at the gang's compound.
- WraithsThe Wraith enemy carrying Problem Solver is encountered at the Wraiths' compound during Riders on the Storm.
