Cyberpunk 2077 the Ice Bath Scene from the Deep Dive Explained

Johnny Silverhand: “Hey, V, you alright?”
V: “Let’s do this.”

Cyberpunk 2077 Deep Dive Video begins with an unsettling scene.

V is gasping from freezing pain of the ice-cold water. Voodoo Boys members plug in a wire to her processor. More ice is poured. V calls out to Johnny.
The reality begins to break apart in distorted vertical lines and bright flashes.

V enters the fragmented, neon-colored world of Cyberweb.

What Happened? Why the Ice Tub?

The jarring scene remained a speculative mystery to the Cyberpunk fans, but now we have some answers. Paweł Sasko recently explained to us that the network in Cyberpunk 2077 is a place of many layers, with the first one accessible to the general public (through the internet, phones, computers) and controlled by the military. The next layer is the space where Netrunners run their operations, surfing and using the web.

It’s the network’s third layer where things get quite interesting.
Paweł explains, “that last level is cyberspace – the moment the netrunner is actually inside it.”

That’s what we see with V and Voodoo Boys (specifically Brigitte) in the Deep Dive Video.

Cyberspace is a busy, massive place and not everyone can simulate their presence inside of it safely. In fact, your brains would get fried. To prevent V’s computer system — her body — from overheating and her brain from overclocking, V needs to be submerged in a bathtub of ice and constantly cooled.

Not a pleasant procedure, but traversing the dangerous Cyberspace comes with its costs. And its rewards.

You can read the full GameInformer interview here, but we will continue our discussion about Cyberspace. Particularly, there is an important question that needs to be answered.

Why Does V Need to Enter Cyberspace?

To be fair, CD Projekt Red has been doing an amazing job all these months avoiding sharing too many spoilers of the central aspect of Cyberpunk 2077 — its immersive, exciting main story. Still, we have gathered some information and we have some clues as to what is going on.

Johnny Silverhand, the man who is most likely checking on V at the beginning of the scene (although subtitles to the Deep Dive Video purposefully avoid listing the source of the dialogue line), is integral to V’s main mission. Here is what we suspect: the chip of immortality that V is hunting for in the beginning of the game has Silverhand’s AI on it, and there is some unpleasant history surrounding that fact. Dexter DeShawn is the fixer who sets V with the heist, but many people (including Evelyn) are interested in this chip. No doubt that Arasaka, Voodoo Boys, and the NetWatch are all on it as well.

It’s highly likely that the biochip or the conflict it causes is connected to the so-called Deep Net. Lying deep within the Cyberspace, this place has no borders, a home to Free AIs and a space of boundless expansion. In the conflict between the the NetWatch’s control of the Network and the ambition of the Voodoo Boys, the Deep Net might be the deciding factor. It is hidden behind the protection of the Blackwall, and V will be the key in the mission of breaching it.

Few who have gone to the other side have returned. In fact, if V can do so, she will be the first (or so Brigitte tells us).

Are you excited for Cyberpunk 2077‘s story and V’s place in it?
Do you think CD Projekt Red spoiled too much or are you dying to learn more?
Did you notice something important we haven’t?

Please let us know in the comments!