Neural Ghosts: Blackwall Fragments Side Missions
High-Level Summary
Neural Ghosts introduces a new side mission system in Cyberpunk 2077, where players uncover residual memory fragments left behind by netrunners and cyberlinked individuals who died connected to the Net. These ghost-like sequences—unlocked through V’s scanner (Kiroshi Implants) —reveal fragmented, glitchy reenactments of past events, offering narrative-rich, investigative gameplay that expands on the game’s mystery involving the Blackwall.
The system is rooted in the aftermath of the Blackwall breach and leverages existing lore (Soul-killer, rogue AIs, NetWatch VS Voodoo Boys) to provide a grounded narrative reason for V’s new ability. These sequences bring in a detective-like gameplay loop, similar to The Division’s ECHO system, with rich storytelling.
Goals
- Introduce a side content system that integrates narrative, exploration, and discovery.
- Flesh out the consequences of Blackwall interactions and expand on its lore.
- Create a repeatable mission framework that feels rich, mysterious, and possibly dangerous.
Why?
- Narrative Expansion: Leverages Cyberpunk 2077's deep lore, expanding on rogue AIs, the Relic, and Blackwall. Information regarding the Blackwall is scarce and something of great interest to the part of the playerbase who likes hunting down lore (It was further fleshed out by the Expansion, but bringing more mysteries than answers).
- Gameplay Variety: Introduces a slower, investigative mechanic to contrast high-action content in the open world
- Cyberwear Usage: Gives players a compelling reason to use their Kiroshi scanner more frequently outside of combat.
- Worldbuilding: This deepens the immersion of Night City with ambient mysteries and “lost stories” that can only be discovered by the player
How?
During V’s quest with Mama Brigitt, interacting with Alt past the Blackwall during the main quest “Transmission”, the game would introduce a new threat to this setting besides NetWatch: a deamon named Blackwall Echo Protocol (BEP), created by NetWatch, latches on to V’s Relic.
This can cause V’s sight to be glitchy and malfunctioning, just like when we have a Relic-induced crisis. Johnny can have commentary on how he’s not sure what’s causing this.
After the quest “Transmission” is over, V receives an anonymous call from someone who claims we brought over to the world a fragment of something that should have never left the Net. This will trigger a new main quest, leading V to get acquainted with a new NPC - Mara Kinari, an ex-NetWatch agent who worked on the development of this technology created to trace rogue AIs, but that somehow got lost to the Net beyond the Blackwall.
The first step to this quest is to go to a location shared with us by this agent, where we can collect a new pair of Kiroshi Implants, with an upgraded scanner that can cope with the deamon ability to detect Blackwall signatures. After that, we can have them installed in a Reaper Doc (Vik), triggering a new phone call with Mara Kinari giving us more information about the BEP and how now V’s going to be able to pick up new information around Night City. This will conclude this main mission, and now, while the player explores the city districts, they’ll receive text messages from Mara (as a fixer would do) sharing more information about possible Blackwall fragments around the area.
Breakdown
Feature Name - Neural Ghosts
Core Loop
Depending on the city neighborhood V’s passing through, a ex-NetWatch agent (acting much like a Fixer does) sends a text with information about a nearby neural ghost quest.
1. V goes to the coordinates on the map with a potential Neural Ghost fragment, shared by the agent.
2. V’s Kiroshi Implants can react differently in this area, giving the player feedback that they are near the correct area where the scanner should be activated.
3. V scans the area and activates the ghost sequence.
4. A glitchy reconstruction of past events appears (holographic figures, audio logs, digital residue).
Note: This reconstruction would be less detailed and dense than a Braindance, but it would be more focused on interactable items that could be discovered through this investigation instead of just spectating like a BD.
Player observes, scans objects, and pieces together what happened.
Completion may unlock:
1. Dialogue options
2. Side gig leads
3. Perks, loot, or hidden lore
4. Further Blackwall mysteries
Narrative Justification
After the events involving Alt Cunningham and the Voodoo Boys, an untraceable daemon called the Blackwall Echo Protocol (BEP) embeds itself in V’s Relic. Originally designed by NetWatch to track rogue AI, BEP gives V the ability to perceive neural fragments of the past events lived by netrunners who once interacted with the Blackwall and perished (an idea we could explore as well is that besides the Relic and Johnny in V’s head being an influence in the way that BEP is working differently, V’s own death by Dexter DeShawn could also be a drive - they did died and came back, after all).
Only V can access these through the new and enhanced Kiroshi optics. Ex-NetWatch agent becomes aware and warns V that this is dangerous territory, but is willing to provide support in exchange for the information V picks up with this new tech.
We can have 2 gigs per district, and their conclusion can be V discovering a new gang who, after buying data from Slider (Ex-voodoo boys netrunner introduced in the Phantom Liberty Expansion), started their own plans of breaching the Blackwall. This can lead to more information about Mikoshi and Arasaka. Overall, this new side quest type can give the player more information about the event related to Bartmoss (a famous netrunner who broke the net), about the technology for the soul-killer, Alt Cunningham, and more lore related to the Relic, which is relevant to the game’s main goals.
Unlocking Conditions
Introduced via a main quest with the Voodoo Boys.
Requires an upgraded Kiroshi Implant (given during the quest).
Integration with the World
Environmental storytelling (Shard rumors, odd objects in places they wouldn’t normally be, clues given by new NPC).
Fixer gigs that involve hunting down these fragments.
Mechanics
Non-combat investigative sequences
Glitchy, reconstructed short events
Interactive scanning and analysis
Optional outcomes: reveal the truth, suppress it, sell it, gain more knowledge about the world’s lore
New unique-class cyberwear for face implants.
Design Frameworks Applied
Reversal Thinking: The dead (blackwall fragments) are now narrators.
Pattern Disruption: Slower-paced, eerie interludes in contrast to action-heavy gameplay.
Interlocking Systems: Combines scanner, lore, and detective gameplay.
Feedback Loop: Each fragment found escalates risk/reward (NetWatch attention, discovering sensitive information, mental toll on V, etc).
Feature Breakdown
Controls & Interface
Activation: Kiroshi Scanner (L1/LB on controller, TAB on keyboard).
Scan Point: When Blackwall Fragment Zones are present, an icon pulses faintly until scanned.
Reconstruction Mode: Enter a “memory bubble”. Investigate fragments of the past in a limited environment. Items can be traced, leading V into new places to investigate, thanks to the fragment analysed.
Core Mechanics
Fragment Recovery: The player must find 2-3 fragments in a given area, each providing distorted glimpses of a past event.
Puzzle solving: The echo can have different goals and ways to go about it: can be a sequence of a few fragments that are shuffled in a time manner (the player must piece together the sequence of events), they can be simpler, scan an item that will lead you somewhere different, etc.
Communicate findings: much like the Regina gigs, V communicates back to the ex-NetWatch agent what they discovered with this fragment.
Sample Mission
Title: For my honor
Setup: V walks past a crime scene in Watson where an alley has been cordoned off. They receive a message from Mira explaining that they detected Blackwall energy in the vicinity and that we should investigate.
Discovery: Using the scanner, V finds a faint pulsing glitch. Activating it reveals a first memory fragment—a gang member loading a weapon. Scanning more around the alley reveals:
A second fragment: a man’s limping body being placed next to a dumpster.
A third: A Valentino member fleeing the scene.
Puzzle and Resolution: Reassembling the memory shows a Valentino thug executing one of their own. A hidden netrunner garage opens after completing the sequence, revealing a netrunning setup and data shards, providing more information.
The conclusion is that a Netrunner belonging to the Valentinos stumbled upon information about the Blackwall and tried to dig deeper into it. Not being fully prepared hardware-wise to handle what they discovered, their consciousness got trapped in the Net when their equipment got overcharged, cutting the connection between their mind and their body. The crime scene reconstructs their best friend disposing of their body and shooting it, after their consciousness reaches out to this friend and asks for their body to be disposed of in this way, ashamed of dying due to poor hardware, and stating that it would be more honorable to have fallen during an armed conflict.
The reason V can pick up this fragment with their scanner is that the deceased body has traces of the Blackwall in it, who leaked in before the connection was severed.
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Character Integration
Judy Alvarez (can engage in these quests after completing “The Heist”): V can reach out to her due to her knowledge on Braindances and the similarity it can have with the fragments V is experiencing.
River Ward (can engage in these quests after completing “The Hunt”): Considering his interest in being a Private Investigator (and still being a NCPD cop) after his main quest is completed, V can text him asking for help with a few of these fragment quests.
Ex-NetWatch Agent (New NPC): A former researcher agent who explains about the deamon created and other Blackwall-related information.
Summary
Neural Ghosts adds an investigative side content system to Cyberpunk 2077, centered on uncovering fragmented memories left behind related to cyberspace. By integrating scanner gameplay, eerie storytelling, and grounded lore connections, it builds emotional depth, mystery, and new gameplay variety.