Kurt Hansen is one of the main antagonists in Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion. He’s the steadfast dictator leading Dogtown and the Barghest faction that controls it. He’s been helping pull the strings since the beginning of the expansion, and you have a clear moment to take him out.
However, you have a choice available to you. There’s the option to kill him or let him live. It’s a subtle choice, where you do have to go out of your way to let him live, but you can still do this if you’re curious how this all plays out in Cyberpunk 2077. Should you kill Kurt Hansen or let him in Cyberpunk 2077’s Firestarter mission?
What Happens if You Kill Kurt Hansen in Firestarter?
The most straightforward choice you can make during the Firestarter mission is to kill Kurt Hansen. After you defeat him in combat with your Cyberpunk 2077 character, he’ll be on his knees and quick to take out. You do want to make sure you can loot him so you can escape to the bottom floor and meet up with Reed. Before you leave, Reed does thank you for taking out Hansen, as he killed Alex moments ago during the Phantom Liberty story.
Taking Kurt Hansen might be the best option, especially given the setup choices you’ve made to this point. The group inside Dogtown, the Barghest, might be a little out of control without their leader, but Mr. Hands is more than ready to step in, whom you’ve been working with the entire time with your Cyberpunk 2077 character inside Dogtown. It would make his takeover of the area much easier, and prevent Hansen from being a threat later in your playthrough.
What Happens if You Let Kurt Hansen Live in Firestarter?
The second choice is to ignore Hansen, loot his body, and escape the area. All you have to do for this choice is to approach Hansen, loot everything he has on him, and then leave the area. It might not be obvious you can do this, as it feels like a forced decision in Cyberpunk 2077, but you can completely ignore Hansen after this point, escaping the Stadium and making it out with Reed.
Leaving Hansen alive could be a dangerous choice. He’s a man with convictions, and he’ll likely hunt you down after you’ve fought against him and ruined many of his plans in Cyberpunk 2077. Although dangerous, it’s purely business, plus, it might make it more difficult for Mr. Hands to muscle in Dogtown if Hansen is still in play.
Is It Better to Kill or Let Kurt Hansen Live in Firestarter?
It’s a tough choice to make during this part of the story. For my playthrough, I did leave Hansen alive to see what would happen and if he would turn up in other parts of the Phantom Liberty storyline, now that Songbird was in the wind. It’ll be interesting to see the differences between Hansen still being alive and him being dead, especially with Mr. Hands trying to take over Dogtown. He might be a better ruler than Hansen, though.
