I have a confession: in 2023, I spent an embarrassing amount of time refreshing Cyberpunk 2077 news like it was a stock ticker. The Phantom Liberty expansion and the 2.0 update were weeks away, and every scrap of info made the game sound like it was getting a full chrome-plated glow-up. New abilities, reworked systems, and—most importantly—the possibility that Adam Smasher, the walking tank with a god complex, might finally stop being a boss fight that folded like a cheap deck chair.
Now, in 2026, I can look back and laugh. Or cry. Or both, while eating a burrito and queuing up yet another run. The 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty did arrive on September 26, 2023, and they did overhaul combat and RPG elements in ways that made Night City feel less like a loot shooter with a cyberpunk skin and more like the chaotic, chrome-fueled RPG we were promised. But the Adam Smasher discourse? That was a beautiful, messy, pre-launch fever dream.
The Fear: New V, Same Old Smasher
The original worry was simple: if CD Projekt Red gave V a pile of new toys, but left Adam Smasher untouched, the final boss would become a joke. A heavily armed, cyberpsycho joke, sure, but a joke nonetheless. Some players already found him easy in the vanilla game. Give them dash abilities, better cyberware, revamped perks, and a relic tree that turns V into a minor god, and Smasher might as well be a vending machine that occasionally shoots back.
Reddit user Blackwolf20978sb pointed out that it was very possible—even likely—that the big bad of Cyberpunk 2077 had received an upgrade in the 2.0 update. And honestly? I was praying to the digital ghost of Johnny Silverhand that they were right.
Viper_Visionary put it perfectly: 'I really hope so. The guy's a massive cyberpsycho decked out with weaponry, his boss fight had no business being so easy.'
Preach. Adam Smasher is a full-body conversion nightmare who canonically treats people like tissue paper. In the Edgerunners anime, he's a true final boss—so difficult to take down that the main characters couldn't even manage it. If the update was taking inspiration from Edgerunners for its new perk system, then maybe, just maybe, Smasher could get a glow-up worthy of the anime.
ErikMaekir added: 'First time I fought him, I was doing the secret ending on Very Hard. The one sniper who spawns halfway through the fight gave me more trouble than Smasher himself.'
Ouch. That sniper should not be the emotional core of the Arasaka assault.
What Actually Happened in 2.0
Spoiler for anyone who has been living under a rock (or inside a freezer): the update did rework combat, enemy AI, cyberware, and perks. Bosses got adjusted. Adam Smasher became less of a pushover, though your mileage may vary depending on your build. If you show up with a maxed-out Sandevistan, a shotgun that fires war crimes, and enough health items to open a pharmacy, he can still go down fast. But at least now he feels like he's participating in the fight.
Here's a quick table of what changed around that era:
| Feature | Free 2.0 Patch | Phantom Liberty Expansion |
|---|---|---|
| New perk system | ✅ | ✅ |
| Vehicle combat | ✅ | ✅ |
| Increased level cap | ❌ | ✅ |
| New weapons | ❌ | ✅ |
| Relic abilities | ❌ | ✅ |
| Adam Smasher difficulty | Rebalanced | Rebalanced + context |
That last row is doing a lot of emotional labor, I know.
Why a Harder Smasher Matters
Making Adam Smasher harder isn't just about masochism. It's about narrative payoff. This is the guy who embodies everything rotten about Arasaka, corporate power, and unchecked cyberpsychosis. He's the boogeyman in a metal chassis. If I'm going to storm Arasaka Tower—especially in the secret ending where I go in alone—I want the final obstacle to feel like a genuine wall. I want to earn that victory. I want to scream at my monitor, not yawn at it.
And for those who choose the solo route, the pain is the point. You're deliberately taking on an army by yourself. The game should respect that choice by making the final fight feel impossible until you prove it isn't. If Smasher deletes me a few times, good. That means the game is taking me seriously.
The 2026 Verdict
In 2026, Cyberpunk 2077 is a different beast. Phantom Liberty is essential, the 2.0 update is baked into every version, and the sequel is somewhere on the horizon, probably being built with all this feedback in mind. But the Adam Smasher conversation still lingers, because it represents something bigger: the tension between player power and boss design.
Do I want to feel like a cybernetic god by the end of the game? Absolutely. Do I also want Adam Smasher to remind me that even gods can get their chrome ripped out? Also yes. That's the sweet spot. That's the dream.
So here's to you, Smasher. You big, terrifying, occasionally underwhelming pile of military-grade aggression. In 2026, you're better than you were. But I still think you could stand to be a little meaner. After all, if I'm going to avenge an entire anime's worth of characters, I want to sweat for it. 😈