How to Inspect Items in Cyberpunk 2077

In the neon-lit metropolis of Night City, surviving and thriving means staying on top of your gear. Whether you’re customizing your iconic katana, equipping a new cyberdeck, or selling junk for extra eddies, knowing how to inspect items in Cyberpunk 2077 is crucial for tactical gameplay. With a variety of loot constantly filling up your backpack, learning the ins and outs of item inspection can turn you from a clueless street rat into a top-tier mercenary with a finely tuned arsenal.

TL;DR

In Cyberpunk 2077, inspecting items is done primarily through your Inventory and Journal interfaces. You can hover over or select items to get detailed stats, comparison info, crafting requirements, and lore descriptions. Weapons, clothing, cyberware, and even quest items can all be inspected for valuable information. Learning how to inspect effectively speeds up item management, upgrades, and strategic decision-making.

Why Inspecting Items Matters

If you’ve spent any time wandering through the smoky alleys and towering skyscrapers of Night City, you know that almost every encounter rewards you with loot. But not all loot is created equal. Inspecting items gives you critical information such as:

• Stat boosts and debuffs
• Modification slots
• Weapon DPS and elemental damage
• Armor values for clothing
• Historical context or flavor text

With this information at your fingertips, it becomes easier to decide what to keep, what to scrap, and what to upgrade.

Accessing the Inventory

The primary way to inspect items is through the Inventory Menu. Press ‘I’ on PC or open the Menu screen via your controller, then navigate to the Inventory tab. Here, you’ll see your gear grouped by type—weapon, clothing, cyberware, and miscellaneous.

To inspect an item:

1. Hover your mouse cursor over an item (or select with your controller).
2. A tooltip will appear displaying its key attributes.
3. Click or press the appropriate hotkey (usually ‘E’ on PC) to open a more detailed screen, if available.

This detailed panel will show fine-grained data like critical hit chances, reload speed, mods equipped, and even manufacturer lore and backstories for unique items.

Inspecting Weapons

Weapons in Cyberpunk 2077 come in multiple varieties: Power, Smart, and Tech. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses, and inspecting them gives you the edge in choosing the right tool for the job.

When inspecting a weapon, look for:

• DPS (Damage per Second): A general indicator of power, but not always the whole story.
• Damage type: Some weapons apply fire, electric, or chemical damage, useful against specific enemy types.
• Mod slots: Add attachments like scopes or silencers, or software mods for Smart weapons.
• Fire rate and reload time: Crucial for deciding between burst weapons and slower, heavier firepower.

You can also preview how some weapons will look and feel in your hands. While not interactive, the visual preview gives you an aesthetic angle to consider—after all, style matters in Night City.

Inspecting Armor and Clothing

Fashion in Night City isn’t just about looking cool—it’s also your first line of defense. Clothes provide armor values and may come with mod slots to boost stealth, damage resistance, or hacking speed.

To inspect an armor piece:

1. Navigate to your clothing section in the Inventory.
2. Hover over the item to reveal its base stats and any mods applied.
3. Select to dig deeper and view appearance details or compare with currently equipped items.

Some rare outfits even have lore tidbits—maybe it used to belong to a legendary netrunner or was manufactured by a long-lost corporation.

Inspecting Cyberware

Cyberware is a whole different beast. Installed through Ripperdocs or found throughout Night City, cyberware affects how you interact with both the physical and digital worlds. Inspecting cyberware is essential before any surgical upgrade—or before purchasing expensive enhancements with limited slots available on your build.

Here’s how you can inspect installed or potential cyberware:

• Go to the Character menu, then select Cyberware.
• Hover over each component—ocular system, arms, legs, etc.—to view details.
• Stats shown include cooldowns, damage bonuses, memory usage, and passives.

Cyberware often integrates directly with playstyles: A netrunner might favor RAM-enhancing chips, while a melee build could benefit from Mantis Blades or Gorilla Arms. The inspection process helps you align your hardware with your gameplay vision.

Crafting and Upgrading Items

Inspection plays a vital role in crafting and upgrading. When you’re at a crafting bench or accessing the ‘Crafting’ menu, you can inspect recipes and component requirements, as well as see upgrade paths for your favorite gear.

Here’s what to look for:

• Required components: Break down junk gear or buy parts to meet these needs.
• Result projection: Inspect the “upgraded” stat line before you commit.
• Upgrade cap: Some items can’t be leveled past your current level or crafting perk tier.

Always inspect before you upgrade. You don’t want to burn resources on an item you’ll outgrow in two levels.

Inspecting Items During Looting

During missions or open-world exploration, looting is typically fast-paced. But if you have a moment, you can inspect items before picking them up:

1. Approach a dropped item and aim at it.
2. A small info panel pops up with its basic stats.
3. Hold the loot button (e.g., Left Alt or Square on PlayStation) to do a quick comparison with equipped gear.

This can prevent clutter in your inventory and helps prioritize what to grab in tense combat scenarios.

Inspecting Quest and Special Items

Not all valuable items are gear-based. Some are lore-driven, related to side quests or main story arcs. These may appear in your Journal, or as special objects in your backpack categorized under “Quest Items.”

Though you can’t always equip or sell them, inspection provides interesting lore or clues. Don’t ignore these—sometimes, a closer look at a quest item will unlock a hidden dialogue option or alternate mission route.

Quick Tips for Better Item Management

• Use filters: The inventory has sorting and filter systems—great for focusing on just the newest or highest-damage items.
• Don’t forget disassembly info: When inspecting, note what materials you’ll get if you disassemble an item.
• Regularly visit Ripperdocs and vendors: They might offer additional insights for certain items or take gear off your hands for a good price.

Conclusion

Inspecting items in Cyberpunk 2077 is more than just scrutinizing stats—it’s about understanding what each piece adds to your narrative and combat experience. From high-powered tech rifles to stylish jackets and brain-enhancing implants, every item has a role to play. Mastering the art of inspection ensures you make the right choices in a world where information is power and style is survival.

So the next time you pick up a shiny new weapon or mod, take a moment. Inspect it. Learn its story. And then decide: Is this the tool that will make you a legend in Night City—or just another trinket to sell for eddies?