Run This Town Quest Guide: Phantom Liberty Leadership

The Phantom Liberty expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 introduces players to the dangerous and politically volatile district of Dogtown, where power vacuums create opportunities for those bold enough to seize them. Among the most consequential side missions available in this expansion is “Run This Town,” a quest that places you at the center of a criminal organization’s succession crisis. This mission stands out because your decisions directly influence who will control one of the game’s most ruthless factions.

Prerequisites and Quest Activation

Before embarking on this mission, players must complete the primary campaign quest “Firestarter,” which serves as the foundation for everything that follows. The critical prerequisite involves the fate of Kurt Hansen, the current leader of the Barghest gang. For this side job to become available, Kurt Hansen must die during the events of Firestarter.

It’s important to note that players have flexibility in how they approach Hansen’s defeat. While it’s possible to incapacitate him without lethal force, the quest will only trigger if he dies during the mission. This requirement makes alignment with certain characters during Firestarter essential, as different dialogue choices and mission paths lead to divergent outcomes regarding Hansen’s survival.

The Initial Meeting and Strategic Preparation

After completing Firestarter and ensuring Hansen’s death, Mr. Hands will contact V with a proposition. This meeting serves as the formal introduction to the succession struggle within Dogtown. Mr. Hands, a key figure in the criminal underworld, presents you with an opportunity to participate in selecting the next leader of the Barghest organization.

During this initial encounter, V must agree to Mr. Hands’ scheme. This agreement isn’t merely narrative flavor—it commits you to a series of actions that will shape Dogtown’s future leadership. The mission emphasizes stealth, diplomacy, and strategic positioning as you navigate between multiple power-hungry candidates vying for control.

Acquiring Aguilar’s Identity and Resources

A central element of this quest involves obtaining the identity and equipment of Aguilar, a legendary assassin. This acquisition provides the mechanical framework for infiltrating restricted areas and gaining access to locations otherwise closed to V. The package includes three critical components: Aguilar’s signature suit, a distinctive iconic revolver, and most importantly, a behavioral imprint that allows V to temporarily assume Aguilar’s persona.

Upon receiving these items, players should immediately equip the outfit and test the identity change near a mirror. This early experimentation familiarizes you with the mechanics of identity switching, which will be essential during later mission phases. The behavioral imprint operates with important limitations—once activated during identity-dependent sequences, the game prevents saving until those specific scenes conclude. Therefore, strategic save placement before identity changes is highly recommended to prevent progress loss if complications arise.

Diplomatic Encounters and Strategic Conversations

The quest progresses through a series of carefully orchestrated meetings designed to assess and manipulate the candidates competing for leadership. The first significant encounter involves Jago, one of the primary contenders. During this meeting, V must convince Jago to abandon his personal ambitions regarding leadership succession. This conversation requires careful dialogue selection and understanding of Jago’s motivations within the gang hierarchy.

Successfully navigating this encounter involves presenting compelling reasons why Jago should step aside from leadership competition. The dialogue branches provide multiple approaches, from appealing to his pragmatism to suggesting alternative paths to power and influence that don’t involve direct confrontation with other candidates.

The Optional Bennett Investigation

Another crucial phase involves investigating Colonel Bennett’s activities and his connections to external power structures. After Jago’s meeting, players have the option to locate Bennett and monitor his movements, particularly following meetings with Arasaka representatives. This optional objective reveals the broader geopolitical context influencing Dogtown’s leadership vacuum.

Tracking Bennett to his meeting location in Night City’s downtown core and observing his interactions provides valuable intelligence about potential alliances and threats. This information becomes relevant during later decision-making moments when determining who should assume control of Dogtown.

Advanced Tactics and Identity Manipulation

For players who choose to pursue Bennett’s investigation further, the next phase becomes significantly more combat-intensive. Players must travel to a predetermined location, activate Aguilar’s identity to access restricted areas, and neutralize Bennett’s driver. This encounter requires eliminating the driver, concealing the body within a nearby container, and hijacking Bennett’s vehicle to facilitate direct communication with Bennett himself.

Players have flexibility in their approach to this encounter. Attacking before initiating conversation provides tactical advantage through surprise, though dialogue-focused playthroughs can also progress through alternative means. Once Bennett arrives at the vehicle, players can choose to engage him in direct conflict or maintain their cover by conversing with him while wearing Aguilar’s identity.

The Black Sapphire and the Leadership Summit

The mission’s climactic sequence takes place at the Black Sapphire, the gang’s headquarters located in a massive skyscraper. To gain access to this heavily secured location, players must activate Aguilar’s identity and use the associated credentials to pass through security systems. The elevator to the 99th floor, where leadership discussions occur, recognizes only Aguilar’s biometric profile.

Upon reaching the designated floor, V encounters both leadership candidates in a specially prepared chamber. A solemn atmosphere pervades this location, with the candidates’ positioning reflecting their confidence and readiness for leadership. This setting creates the perfect backdrop for the mission’s central decision point.

The Critical Leadership Decision

This mission’s defining moment arrives when V must choose which candidate should rule Dogtown. The two primary options present starkly different visions for the organization’s future direction. Each candidate brings different strengths, weaknesses, liabilities, and potential consequences for Dogtown’s residents and the broader criminal ecosystem.

The first option involves endorsing Jago’s leadership. This choice leads to specific dialogue outcomes and subsequent scenes revealing how different parties react to Jago’s ascension. Selecting this path initiates a sequence where Jago assumes formal control and prepares for the transition of power within the organization.

Alternatively, players can support Bennett’s claim to leadership. This decision triggers different narrative consequences and reveals how various factions view Bennett’s potential rule. Bennett’s leadership presents different strategic implications for players’ long-term standing within Dogtown’s criminal hierarchy.

Combat Situations and High-Stat Character Advantages

An important consideration for players pursuing Bennett’s elimination involves character statistics. Players with 15 or more points invested in the Reflex attribute gain access to a special dialogue option or quick-time event during the final confrontation. This stat threshold enables more aggressive resolution options that aren’t available to characters with lower Reflex values.

Characters meeting this requirement can initiate combat with Bennett during the final leadership discussion, creating an opportunity to eliminate him permanently and secure Jago’s unopposed control of Dogtown. This combat engagement provides players with Bennett’s legendary revolver and other valuable equipment as loot, adding mechanical incentives to this particular choice.

Post-Mission Consequences and Aftermath

The consequences of your leadership choice extend beyond the immediate mission conclusion. Selected leadership candidates implement different policies affecting Dogtown’s governance structure. These consequences manifest through subsequent interactions with NPCs, available side quests, and the district’s overall atmosphere and faction relationships.

Information revealed during the mission, such as confidential shards and secret contact lists, influences future questlines and player opportunities. The leadership choice creates branching consequences that impact the player’s standing with various Dogtown factions and their ability to pursue related content.

Strategic Tips for Mission Success

• Save frequently: Multiple decision points and identity changes make strategic save placement essential for exploring different outcomes.
• Maximize Aguilar identity usage: The assassin’s persona provides access to otherwise restricted areas; use these opportunities to gather intelligence and understand the environment.
• Invest in Reflex: Characters prioritizing this attribute gain additional tactical options during confrontations.
• Complete investigation objectives: Optional objectives provide valuable context for making informed leadership decisions.
• Prepare for combat: Despite the mission’s emphasis on stealth and diplomacy, combat encounters may occur unexpectedly; ensure adequate weapon and armor preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I complete Run This Town without Kurt Hansen’s death?

No. The quest exclusively activates after Hansen dies during Firestarter. This prerequisite cannot be bypassed.

What happens if I don’t complete optional objectives?

Optional investigation phases provide narrative context and intelligence but don’t prevent mission completion. However, skipping these elements may result in less informed decision-making regarding leadership selection.

Can I switch between candidates after making my choice?

Once you commit to a leadership selection, that choice becomes permanent for the playthrough. Plan your decision carefully before confirming.

Do leadership choices affect other Phantom Liberty content?

Your leadership decision influences faction relationships and available content, though the impact varies depending on which subsequent missions you undertake.