How I Defeated the Chimera in Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty

I still remember my first run through Phantom Liberty: I was barely settled into the new district when Songbird activated the Chimera to wipe out Hansen's goons, and for a few seconds I actually thought we were safe. Then the hulking war machine turned on President Myers and me, and after that chaotic chase I had to stand and fight. It was easily one of the hardest early bosses I have faced in Cyberpunk 2077, and in 2026, even with patches and better builds, the Chimera still punishes players who ignore its mechanics. If you start Phantom Liberty with a fresh character, expect a much rougher time than someone who has leveled up in the base game first.

The Chimera's attack patterns I had to learn

Before I could even think about damaging it, I had to study its moves. Here is the table I eventually memorized:

Attack	What it does	How I dealt with it
⚡ Ground slam	Massive AoE burst that can one-shot depending on difficulty, armor, and health	I dashed away or never climbed on top of it
🚀 Missile barrage	Fires tracking missiles that home in for a while	I kept moving and used dashes
🔫 Head cannon	Basic direct cannon shot used constantly	I kept strafing and shot weak points
🌀 Gatling barrage	Continuous tracking bullet fire	I hid behind a pillar when stamina was low
🔦 Laser beam	A devastating beam that cover and dashes cannot avoid	I jumped over it
☠️ Toxic gas	In phase two, fills the lower arena and drains health fast	I moved to higher platforms and waited for it to clear

The ground slam was the most dangerous. If I was inside its area of effect or foolish enough to stand on top of the bot, the damage was enormous. The missile barrage tracked my location for a fair bit, so dashing in circles was far safer than trying to tank it. The head cannon is the Chimera's basic attack, but it will rely on it heavily, so constant movement is non-negotiable. When the Gatling barrage started, I learned not to dodge if I was low on stamina; a pillar was my best friend. The laser beam was especially tricky because it hit like a truck and couldn't be avoided by cover or dashing—jumping was the only reliable answer. The toxic gas only appeared in phase two when I stayed too close, and it made close-range fighting impossible until it dissipated.

Phase one: hitting the weak points

At the start, running in guns blazing was a mistake. The Chimera has a hardened exoskeleton, and most of its body is invulnerable. I had to scan the machine and target only the weak points while avoiding its cannon and missiles. The legs, the back of the head, and the generators in the middle section of the lower body were the spots I aimed for the most.

For phase one, close-range weapons like a double-barrelled shotgun worked best for me. Because the Chimera constantly moves, wasting bullets hoping to clip a weak spot is not worth it. Instead, I waited for it to stop and commit to an attack, then blasted one of those glowing weak points before repositioning.

EMP grenades became one of my favorite tools. With Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update, combat grenades recharge over time, so I used my EMP every time it came back. Slowing the Chimera gave me more room to line up weak-point shots. I also leaned on quickhacks like Short Circuit and Overheat to chip away at its health, and sometimes used Weapon Glitch to momentarily stop its attack barrage.

Since I was playing a netrunner-style build, I also took control of the combat turrets scattered around the arena. That made the fight noticeably easier because the turrets added consistent damage while I focused on dodging. The most important phase-one rule is simple: learn the movesets and never stand still. If it charged a slam or missile barrage, I dashed away. If the Gatling started, I got behind a pillar. If the laser fired, I jumped. Kiting the Chimera while chipping its health was the winning formula.

Phase two: repair bots, gas, and long range

When I dropped the Chimera below a certain health threshold, it went inactive and spawned two repair bots with some combat escorts. I immediately killed the repair bots first. The longer they worked, the more health the Chimera recovered for phase two. It may feel satisfying to focus on the big machine, but taking out those bots matters more.

After that, the fight became even more aggressive. The Chimera added toxic gas to its rotation, filling the lower part of the arena with poison that melted my health bar. The best response was to climb to higher ground—either a platform or one of the elevated corridors around the room—and wait for the gas to clear.

Ammo was another issue because this is one of the longest encounters in the game. Whenever I ran low, I searched the corridors and platforms around the arena; they had ammo for every weapon type. Phase two also changed my approach. Whereas phase one rewarded close-range shotgun work, phase two is the opposite. The Chimera no longer reduces damage to its body parts, so I kept my distance, used pillars and raised platforms, and fired from range. I still had to keep moving because the laser and missile barrage could punish a stationary player fast.

When the Chimera's health reached about 2 percent, President Myers signaled me to finish it. I mounted its head, ripped open the cockpit, and pulled out the core. Myers then tossed me a grenade, which I dropped inside before jumping off and watching the machine blow up.

The entire encounter took me around five to ten minutes. Once it was dead, I received a solid chunk of XP and made sure to grab the Chimera core from the floor near its body. It is technically optional, but I highly recommend picking it up regardless.