How to Get Mantis Blades in Cyberpunk 2077: Ripperdocs, Tiers and Upgrades (Update 2.5)

Few things in Cyberpunk 2077 feel as good as snapping a pair of blades out of V's forearms and leaping across a room at a gang boss. Mantis Blades are arm cyberware, which means you don't find them on a rack in a gun shop – a ripperdoc has to put them in.

The catch is that most Mantis Blades guides on the web were written before Update 2.0 rebuilt cyberware from scratch. Street Cred gates, ripperdoc "specialties" and fixed price lists from 2020 no longer describe the game. This guide covers how it works now, in the current version (Update 2.5, "Edgerunners 2", released October 22, 2026), which didn't change how you get them but did add new ways to change how they look.

Quick answer

In short: as soon as V can visit a ripperdoc and has the eddies, you can buy a Tier 1 set and upgrade it as you go.

Step-by-step: getting your first pair

1. Play through to the first ripperdoc visit. Early in Act 1, the story takes you to Viktor Vektor, the ripperdoc in Watson. After that his clinic works like any other ripperdoc shop.
2. Save up some eddies. Prices scale with tier, so a Tier 1 set is by far the cheapest way in. Gigs and selling loot are the quickest early sources.
3. Open the cyberware screen at Viktor's or any other ripperdoc (look for the ripperdoc icon on the map) and select the Arms slot.
4. Pick your variant. The main difference between the four versions is the damage type and the status effect they apply. If you're not sure, take the plain Mantis Blades (Physical, Bleeding) – that one is attuned to Reflexes, the attribute most blade perks live in.
5. Check your capacity, then buy and install. If the bar turns red, remove something or wait until a level-up gives you more room.
6. Equip them in combat. They take the unarmed/melee slot rather than one of your three weapon slots, so you can carry three weapons and still pull out the blades.

Requirements in Update 2.x

• Level, not Street Cred. Ripperdoc stock no longer depends on Street Cred. Higher-tier cyberware simply appears as V levels up, and Tier 5 shows up late in the game.
• No special ripperdoc. Ripperdocs don't have specialties anymore, so you don't need to cross the city to find one that stocks blades.
• Cyberware capacity. Every implant costs capacity points. You start with a fairly small pool (in the 20s), and it rises a little with each level-up and with capacity shards. The blades are a mid-cost implant, a sensible spend for your main weapon.
• Only one arms implant. Mantis Blades share the arms slot with Gorilla Arms, Monowire and the Projectile Launch System, so installing them replaces whatever was there.

How to use Mantis Blades

The moveset is close to a katana's:

• Light attack (left mouse, R2 or RT) for quick slashes.
• Block by holding the aim button (right mouse, L2 or LT).
• Hold and release attack for a charged heavy attack that leaps at the target. It closes distance fast and hits hard.

The blades count as blades for perks, so the Reflexes tree is where they shine – the same blade perks that power katana builds work here too.

If you own Phantom Liberty, the Relic tree adds Jailbreak, which changes the blades significantly. Finishers and dismemberments charge your next leap; a charged leap reaches much farther, deals huge damage and is more likely to dismember. It turns the blades into a gap-closer that can chain from enemy to enemy.

Upgrading to higher tiers

You don't have to rebuy the blades every time a new tier appears. At any ripperdoc you can upgrade installed cyberware to the next tier using crafting components. If you have the components, upgrading is usually cheaper than buying a new set at the higher rarity.

Each tier raises the blades' damage, so keeping them current pays off noticeably over a playthrough.

Other ways to get Mantis Blades

• MaxTac Mantis Blades (Phantom Liberty). An iconic version can come as a reward from Mr. Hands on one of the expansion's story paths. It's a late-game bonus, not an early option.
• Glamdocs (Update 2.5). Not a new pair, but worth knowing: five new Glamdoc shops let you restyle Mantis Blades and recolor their skins. Equip the blades first, then visit one.

Tips and common mistakes

• Following 2020 guides. Street Cred 20, specific ripperdocs and old euro-dollar prices don't apply anymore. Don't rely on pre-2.0 "free legendary blades" spots either.
• Ignoring capacity. If you pile on armor implants first, you may not have room for the blades. Plan your capacity around your main weapon.
• Buying at every tier. Upgrading the set you already have is usually the cheaper path – hold on to your crafting components.
• Choosing a variant at random. The elemental versions are fine, but they don't all scale with Reflexes – Electrifying, for example, benefits from Intelligence. For a Reflexes build, the plain Physical blades are the safe pick.
• Forgetting the leap. Light attacks are fine, but the charged leap is what makes Mantis Blades special. Use it to open every fight.