As a veteran merc navigating the neon-drenched hellscape of Night City, I've faced my fair share of tough calls. But none hit quite like the gut-wrenching decision at the heart of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. It all boils down to one person: Songbird, or Song So Mi. This ain't just another gig; it's a promise of salvation that turns into a zero-sum game where, in the end, you can't save everyone. The choice you make in the pivotal mission "The Killing Moon" doesn't just define the DLC's ending—it reshapes V's entire world and moral compass. Let me break down the brutal calculus of this decision, three years on from the DLC's release in 2026.
From the jump, Songbird presents herself as your lifeline. She's the one who contacts V about rescuing NUSA President Rosalind Myers from the lawless district of Dogtown and, more importantly, dangles the carrot of a potential cure for our Relic-induced terminal condition. She's a netrunner working for Myers, but the plot thickens faster than a MaxTac squad rolling up on a crime scene. The major twist? Songbird is also dying. Her condition is a direct result of being forced to breach the dangerous Blackwall multiple times under Myers' orders. In a desperate move, she orchestrated the crash of Space Force One to cut a deal with Dogtown's warlord, Kurt Hansen, for a one-shot neural matrix she claims can cure them both. Talk about a real 'monkey's paw' situation.
This revelation sets the stage for the DLC's central conflict. The NUSA, through the stern FIA agent Solomon Reed, wants Songbird back under their thumb. So, you're forced to pick a side: do you trust the ally who's been your guide, or the government spook promising order? This initial choice in the mission "Firestarter" leads directly to the finale, "The Killing Moon." If you side with Songbird, you help her execute a daring escape to a monorail that will take her to a ship bound for Luna, where a clinic awaits. But here's the kicker—when you finally get there, she drops the bomb. The neural matrix can only be used once. It's her or you. To add insult to injury, she confesses she was stringing you along the whole time, always intending to take the cure for herself. Oof, that one stings. It's a classic Night City move—everyone's out for themselves.
So, what's a merc to do? The game presents you with two starkly different paths, each with profound consequences.
Path 1: Saving Songbird & The "Good" Ending (For Her)
Choosing to see your promise through and helping Songbird reach Luna is, in many ways, the altruistic route. You're essentially saying, "Keep the cure. Get your freedom." But it comes at a heavy price for V.
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V's Fate: You give up any chance for a cure. The DLC ends, and you're sent back to the original game's endings without any new resolution for V's condition. It's back to square one.
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Songbird's Fate: She gets on that ship to Luna. In follow-up messages, it's confirmed that she successfully cured herself and found freedom from the NUSA's control. This is arguably her best possible outcome.
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Confrontation: This path forces a final, tragic showdown with Solomon Reed on the walkway to the ship. He demands you hand Songbird over. Refusing triggers a dramatic, slow-motion duel where one shot decides it all. Killing Reed is necessary to save Songbird.
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Rewards: You net two fantastic pieces of Iconic gear:
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Pariah (Tech Pistol): Reed's own pistol, picked up from his body. A solid piece of firepower.
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Quantum Tuner (Iconic Cyberware): A game-changer that can reset the cooldown on your other cyberware implants. Incredibly powerful for builds.
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This ending is framed as the more 'hopeful' one for Songbird. You grant a victim of the system her freedom, even after her betrayal. It's the 'save the person, not the patient' choice. But let's be real, it leaves V high and dry, with the original ticking time bomb in their head still very much active. For players who value narrative karma over personal gain, this is the way to go.
Path 2: Taking the Cure & Phantom Liberty's New Ending
If you decide enough is enough and hand Songbird over to Reed—either right after her confession or on the walkway—you secure the cure you were promised. But, this being Cyberpunk, the cost is astronomical.
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Songbird's Fate: It's utterly bleak. She is taken by the FIA and subjected to an invasive procedure that completely alters her personality, effectively turning her back into a compliant tool for the NUSA. Her identity is erased. It's a fate arguably worse than death.
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V's Fate: In exchange, Reed facilitates the NUSA's surgery to cure V using the neural matrix. However, Reed's estimate of "a few weeks" is wildly off. V is placed in a coma for two full years. When they wake up in 2079, the world has moved on:
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Johnny Silverhand is completely and irrevocably gone.
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Most of V's friends and contacts in Night City have moved on with their lives. You're a ghost from the past.
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Critically, V's body can no longer handle combat cyberware. In a devastating scene, V gets beaten up by two common street thugs, a humiliating end for a would-be legend.
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The New Ending: This path unlocks this entirely new, base-game ending. It's a quiet, melancholic epilogue where V is cured but has lost everything that made them who they were: their strength, their partner-in-crime Johnny, and their place in the world. It's a powerful, gut-punch narrative about the cost of survival.
The Verdict: A Choice With No Easy Answers
So, which path is "better"? Well, choom, that's the million-eddie question. There's no truly happy ending here, just different shades of tragedy.
| Aspect | Save Songbird | Hand Over Songbird |
|---|---|---|
| V's Cure | ❌ No cure. Back to base game endings. | ✅ Cure obtained, but at a massive personal cost. |
| Songbird's Fate | ✅ Freed and cured on Luna. | ❌ Personality erased, enslaved by NUSA. |
| Key Reward | Pariah Pistol & Quantum Tuner Cyberware. | Access to the new, melancholic base game ending. |
| Moral Weight | Sacrifice for another's freedom. | Survival at the cost of another's soul. |
| Overall Tone | Bittersweet, hopeful for one character. | Unremittingly bleak, philosophically heavy. |
For players seeking new narrative content, handing Songbird over is the only way to experience Phantom Liberty's unique ending to V's saga. It's a brutal, mature conclusion that stays true to Cyberpunk's themes. For those who can't stomach dooming Songbird to a fate worse than death, saving her feels like the only morally justifiable choice, even if it leaves V's own story unresolved.
In my books, both choices are valid and brilliantly written. It's a masterclass in forcing the player to live with impossible consequences. Do you prioritize your own survival, or grant mercy to a doomed ally who betrayed you? In the end, Phantom Liberty reminds us that in Night City, even salvation comes with a body count. Whatever you choose, just know this: you can't save everyone. Sometimes, you're just choosing who gets left behind. It's the ultimate test of what kind of merc you really are.
