What is the best outcome of ‘The Pickup’ quest in Cyberpunk 2077?

“The Pickup” in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 is one of the earliest missions you’ll face in your journey through Night City. The mission requires V to recover major hardware from a gang known as the Maelstrom, who stole it from Militech, one of the major corporations in Night City. However, you’ll be presented with the option to choose between the former and the latter in the mission. Whose side will you pick?

Players should side with the Maelstrom during “The Pickup” mission in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 as it unlocks a side job with the Maelstrom, called “Second Conflict”, later in the game, after the choice is made. This will lead to more pathways being opened for players to explore.

The mission takes place in an abandoned food warehouse hosted by the Maelstrom, where you’ll have to retrieve a Flathead – a robotic weapon – from their new leader Royce. A contact in the game, known as Dex, will give you this information along with Meredith Stout’s contact. However, meeting Meredith will be optional.

It is recommended to meet with Meredith first before continuing the mission as it opens up the door to side with her later. Failing to meet her will result in Stout getting killed off-screen, and being replaced by a character known as Gilchrist, who she was holding hostage.

You’ll be given a credchip by Stout to buy the Flathead from the Maelstrom, laced with a virus that would screw up Maelstrom and their leader Royce. Now, here’s what happens when you side with either of the two parties:

1. What happens if you side with the Maelstrom?

To side with Maelstrom, players need to ensure that they leave the warehouse without any conflict with the Maelstrom gang. Royce will eventually ask for payment for the Flathead, which will lead to three options:

• Pay with your own eddies.
• Pay with Stout’s credchip.
• Ask for a discount, then confront Royce which gives the option to shoot him in the head immediately.

What you need to do is either pay for the Flathead with your own eddies or pay with Stout’s credchip and warn the Maelstrom about the virus laced with it. This will cause Militech to attack the food warehouse, resulting in a shootout between them and the Maelstrom.

Giving Royce the credchip without warning the Maelstrom about the virus can lead to a boss fight with the whole gang. Alternatively, you’ll also get an option to shoot Royce in the head, which leads to a fight with the entire Maelstrom gang. Be well-prepared if you want to take this route.

2. Rewards for siding with the Maelstrom

Siding with Maelstrom will help you complete “The Pickup” mission easily while also gaining the help of Royce and his lieutenant named Dum-Dum for a side job known as “Second Conflict”.

3. What happens if you side with Meredith Stout?

To side with Meredith Stout, you need to do the following choices.

• Meet with Stout before going to the food warehouse.
• Kill Royce and the Maelstrom.

If you’re planning on siding with Stout, then you need to choose either of the above options which leads to a fight with Royce or the Maelstrom. Siding with Stout will give you an intimate scene with her later in the game. Hence, it is recommended to side with Maelstrom to get more out of the game, but it’s entirely up to you.

4. Rewards for siding with Meredith Stout

Siding with Stout will gain you her trust and her desire to work with her again. If you agree to her offer, a questline known as “Venus in Furs” will activate, which will lead to a sex scene with her, once you meet her again.

Along with this, you’ll also have access to a melee weapon shaped like a dildo named Sir John Phallustiff. For a weapon shaped like a sex toy, it does deal pretty decent damage.

Ultimately, it all boils down to you on whose side you want to choose – the Maelstrom or the Militech. I’d recommended choosing the Maelstrom as you’ll get a side job with it which will lead to more rewards and story content for the game, compared to a mere sex scene and a dildo-shaped weapon that you get for siding with Stout.

If you’re in a similar dilemma on choosing sides between Reed or Songbird in the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC, then look no further:

5. About Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is a 2020 action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt, based on video game designer Mike Pondsmith’s game series.

Set in a dystopian cyberpunk universe, the player assumes the role of “V,” a mercenary in the fictional Californian city known as “Night City,” where they deal with the fallout from a heist gone wrong that results in an experimental cybernetic “bio-chip” containing an engram of the legendary rock star and terrorist Johnny Silverhand (played by Keanu Reeves) threatening to slowly overwrite V’s mind; as the story progresses V and Johnny must work together to find a way to be separated and save V’s life.