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Cyberpunk 2077 Firestarter: Should You Help Songbird Escape or Help Reed Capture Her

You have the critical choice to side with Songbird or Reed in Cyberpunk 2077's Firestarter mission. Who should you choose?

When things start to line up for you in Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll have to make some critical choices. How you decide things go down will vary much more on the type of results you’re looking to achieve, especially when it comes to picking between Solomon Reed and helping out Songbird.

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As you’re working with Songbird, and giving her the access codes, you can choose between helping Songbird escape or siding with Reed to capture her. The hope is to capture her so Reed can get her to safety and ensure she’s saved. Should you help Songbird escape, or is it better to assist Reed in trying to capture her during Cyberpunk 2077’s Firestarter mission?

What Happens When You Help Songbird Escape in Firestarter?

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When you side with Songbird, you’ll directly work with her on the current project. Your Cyberpunk 2077 character will turn off the ICEBreaker, preventing it from immobilizing her, and she’ll begin to take control of the stadium defenses controlled by Kurt Hansen’s people. After you signal Alex, she’ll take out Hansen herself, giving you and Songbird the opportunity. However, she had to reach behind the Blackwall to help her make it happen, which has been a major threat throughout the Phantom Liberty story.

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Now, the two of you will be able to escape the facility with each other, fighting against Hansen’s forces. Songbird will be able to assist at different points during the escape, hacking certain things in the environment to make it more difficult for Hansen’s forces to overwhelm you. Eventually, the two of you will make it out of the stadium, and you’ll escape to continue the rest of the Phantom Liberty story in Cyberpunk 2077. Songbird will go her way, and you’ll go hers, although she will be worse for wear having hacked the stadium, and having touched the Blackwall.

What Happens When You Help Reed Capture Songbird in Firestarter?

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This mission goes differently when you side with Reed. When you activate the ICEBreaker against Songbird, she freaks out, even if you’re trying to work with Reed to help her. She’ll reach into the Blackwall, going crazy, and potentially become corrupted, berserking her way out of the Stadium without your help. Also, your Cyberpunk 2077 character will watch Hansen overpowering Alex, killing her.

Now, your Cyberpunk 2077 character will have to escape out of the stadium by themself, without any help from Songbird during this part. When you reach the end of the way, Kurt Hansen will be at the end of the Stadium, and you’ll have to fight him off with a handful of goons. After defeating him, you’ll have a chance to choose to spare him or take him out. Given that he has just killed Alex, Reed will thank you for taking him out.

Once you’re out of the Stadium, Reed will pick you up, and the two of you will be working together to find a way to bring Songbird back to Langley. Because it seems she’s corrupted and she’s been taken over by the Rogue AIs behind the Blackwall, she’ll be taken by the NCPD, and you’ll have to find a way to get ahead of her before she’s comprised, and out of Night City.

Is It Better To Help Reed Catch Songbird or Help Her Escape in Cyberpunk 2077?

This choice changes up the rest of the Phantom Liberty expansion, and it’s a critical moment. You’ll be showing that you’ve sided with Reed or Songbird, and it all comes down to your specific choices throughout the course of this journey in Cyberpunk 2077. You might feel more inclined to side with Reed over Songbird, or you might understand Songbird’s need to escape from anything, assisting her.

I will say that if you side with Songbird, helping her prevents Alex from dying. You can signal her to take out Hansen, giving her the chance to survive this portion of the game, rather than dying to Hansen, whom you then have the choice to kill if you choose to side with Reed. It all comes down to how you want the story to go in your Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough, especially if you’ve formed a relationship with Alex.


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Author
Image of Zack Palm
Zack Palm
Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.