Usually, the downside to melee weapons in games like Cyberpunk 2077 is that they just don’t do damage quickly enough to be worth putting yourself within range of enemy fire without cover. Katanas are great because of their speed — but what if there was something even better?
Prior to finding this free pair of legendary Mantis Blades, I didn’t use melee very often. You need to sacrifice one of your gun slots to a melee weapon, which limits your options overall, and unless you have a clear path to an enemy or can flank them easily, it’s impractical to rush in for melee strikes.
As flashy as katanas are, they just not a practical choice. I typically prefer a shotgun for close range in most cases.
But the mantis blades solve all of that. Not only are they incredibly fast and powerful, but they’re considered a type of Cyberware that’s installed on your arms at a Ripperdoc — not a slotted melee weapon. In the weapon wheel, they replace your hands, so you can still fill up your three weapon slots with guns.
Additionally, if you hold down the attack button to charge a heavy attack and release it while facing an enemy, you can charge a good 20 or so yards to close the distance.
For many weaker enemies, this is just a flat out one-hit kill. And for those it doesn’t kill outright, you can follow-up with several quick strikes that stagger enemies and shred through their health like nothing. The killing power is frankly ridiculous.
Where to Find the Free Legendary Mantis Blades
Luckily, finding these blades is incredibly easy. I’ve only tried locating them after the Prologue once the game “officially” begins, but they should show up as early as you’re able to get to them. I tested on a lower level character and they were there, but I originally found them when I was Level 11.
Start out by locating the City Center in Corpo Plaza on your map, as shown in the screenshot below. The blue cursor box is right over the City Center circle in the middle of the screen.
From there, zoom in a bit and take your cursor northwest. You should see an exclamation point denoting an event. This particular event is for a very, very powerful high-level enemy that you do not need to fight; they just spawn near the place you can get the Mantis Blades.
Go to this spot, which is in an alleyway on the side of the Night City Center for Behavioral Health, and around the corner. On the right wall, you’ll see a loot box that contains a bunch of great gear that’s mostly randomized, except for the Mantis Blades. Those will always spawn there.
You do not need to fight the enemies here. Instead, you can simply dart in, loot the box, and immediately flee until they stop chasing you.
Now you just need to go visit a Ripperdoc and have them install the Mantis Blades on your arms like in the Cyberware picture up near the top of this article.
The closest Ripperdoc is west of your current location. In the map screenshot above, it’s the white scissors icon near the blue map marker on the left edge of the city. However, any Ripperdoc is fine.
Now that you have these powerful Mantis Blades, you should be able to slash your way out of any sticky situation. I know it made a big difference for me in terms of how confident I was entering combat scenarios even if overwhelmed. For more on Cyberpunk 2077, check out our guide on bounties and street crimes and visit our game hub for all the latest.
