Cyberpunk 2077: 6 Things You Need To Know About The Blackwall

Highlights

• Cyberpunk 2077 had a rocky start with numerous bugs, but with Update 2.0, players can now experience it as intended.
• NetWatch, the agency in the game, constructed the Blackwall with the help of Transcendentals and Ghosts, two types of rogue AIs.
• The DataKrash event caused a massive portion of the Net to be locked behind the Blackwall, but it also allowed rogue AIs to develop and infiltrate physical objects.

Cyberpunk 2077 has gone through a wild journey since its disastrous launch. The game was clearly shipped out at least a year before it would be ready, leading to the title being plagued with bugs that significantly hampered a player’s experience. Whatever goodwill CD Projekt Red had generated with The Witcher 3 was eradicated in a flash, and most people wondered if this game would or could make a comeback in the future.

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Thankfully, the studio went to work and painstakingly launched update after update to fix the numerous bugs that marred a genuinely good open-world action RPG. Now, with Update 2.0, players can jump into this game and experience Cyberpunk 2077 like the developers intended. The world of this game is truly riveting, with the Blackwall being one of the many fascinating concepts that players will learn about as they go through this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

1 Created By NetWatch With Help From Other Rogue AIs

Transcendentals And Ghosts Helped The Agency

NetWatch is an agency that players hear a lot about in Cyberpunk 2077, with one of their agents finally making an appearance during the quest with the Voodoo Boys. While this agent does give some credence to this legendary organization, it still doesn’t communicate just how powerful the agency really is.

After all, it would take someone — or something — really powerful to construct a firewall in the 2040s that blocked the entire Net from being invaded by rogue AIs. However, rumors stated that these rogue AIs were seeking a quiet place where they could work on themselves in peace. As a result, NetWatch was helped by Transcendentals (a term for AI programs that have achieved Transcendental Sentience) and Ghosts (engrams), two types of rogue AIs, to help construct the Blackwall.

2 Was A Response To The DataKrash

Viruses Developed By Rache Bartmoss Destroyed The Entire Net

The DataKrash is one of the biggest events to occur in the history of Cyberpunk 2077. Before this cataclysmic event, the Net operated much like it does in real life, connecting the world on a global scale with few restrictions. However, corporations still managed to abuse the Net for their own privileges, prompting many anti-corpo activists to take drastic measures. One such Netrunner, Rache Bartmoss, changed the face of the Net with his R.A.B.I.D.S. virus.

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The man was on the run from corpos throughout his life, electing to spend all his time in a cryogenic freezer with life support tech and access to the Net. He programmed a virus that, upon his death, would trigger and reveal the datafortresses of all corporates for the world to see. However, this virus was so effective that it ended up affecting almost 80% of the entire Net and caused many AI protocols to go rogue. Civilization was forced to go offline until the Blackwall was implemented, letting normal life resume once again.

3 The Blackwall Was Implemented Instantly, Without Warning

Netrunners Stuck On The Other Side Were Killed Instantly

NetWatch may be positioning itself as an agency adamant about keeping the Net as safe as possible, but even this agency has the potential to be monstrous if the situation calls for it. The manner in which it ruthlessly implemented the Blackwall is a great example of the same.

Without any warning, NetWatch implemented the Blackwall and prevented many marauding Netrunners from going back to their own bodies. With no hope of escape, these hackers died, and NetWatch killed two birds with one lethal stone.

4 It Stopped Self-Aware AIs From Pervading The Mainstream

A Costly Compromise But Understood By Many

Before the DataKrash, the potential of the Net was still vastly untapped. AI technology had progressed by leaps and bounds in the 2040s, and most people expected that self-aware AIs would be commercialized. However, the R.A.B.I.D.S. changed everything, and a massive portion of the Net was locked behind the Blackwall.

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This severely hampered the progress of technology, but most people and corporations were willing to accept this compromise. After all, given how dangerous most rogue AIs are, it’s easy to see why avoiding this risk was for the better.

5 Not As Secure As Most People Think

Propaganda Helps People Rely On The False Sense Of Security The Blackwall Provides

The DataKrash was an event that shook the system to its very core. People feared for their future, and the Blackwall served as nothing more than a bandaid to the real issue… but the general public was made completely unaware of that.

To maintain peace and harmony, people were fed a ton of propaganda about how NetWatch was actually competent when it came to maintaining security. However, the truth is that many rogue AIs have managed to circumvent this firewall, and Netrunners themselves have carried out successful infiltrations of this firewall too.

6 Rogue AIs From Beyond The Blackwall Have Developed In An Interesting Way

They Can Inhabit Physical Objects And Don’t Rate Human Life All That Highly

With the advent of Update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion, it seems that rogue AIs have the capacity to take over certain items that V can craft, giving them an edge in battle… but at what cost? After all, most rogue AIs have also developed a disdain for human life as they’ve festered behind the Blackwall for the longest time.

This is understandable given the hubris of the human race and how they’ve ruined the world with their corporate greed and infighting. Still, there’s no denying that players get a kick out of using the powers of rogue AIs to make them more effective in combat.