The surge in the sheer increase in the number of gangs and organized crime in Cyberpunk 2077 has mainly come about due to the devastating economic, political and environmental landscape in the Cyberpunk age. With rampant poverty and the giant chasm between the poor and the economic elite, gangs have emerged as a result of loss of jobs, identity and hope. Many gangs aggregate as a result of their aligned goals, morals and values or lack thereof.

Some gangs have let the depravity in the world seep into their MO, and will loot, kill and siphon any resources Night City has left to offer, whether that be eurodollars, fuel, equipment or tech. Many will also attempt to monopolize districts and underground industries, and will not take kindly to any entity, corp or otherwise, on their turf.

Others have more blurry motives and are largely shrouded in mystery. Regardless, gangs are now deeply entrenched in 2077’s society and Night City is teeming with all sorts of underground groups each with their own unique goals and methodologies.

The Maelstrom

Our first gang within the City is the Maelstrom, an extremely dangerous Gang who frequents industrial zones and is obsessed with body modifications and the net. Most of them have a wide variety of illegal implantations, and have an occult like obsession with upgrading the flesh, which they deem as weak or inferior. Cyberpsychosis is especially prevalent amongst Maelstrommers, who don’t seem to care all that much about their descents into this twisted mentality. The Maelstrom love anything to do with black leather and metal tattoos.

*Prominent Maelstrom members Dum Dum (Left) and Royce (Middle)*

Although they mainly do reside in Watson, groups of Malestrommers are scattered across Night City specializing in specific tasks like hit jobs, intercepting cargo and even more sadistic ventures. Their main source of revenue comes via the distribution of illegal drugs, mainly Tri-Phet as well as the aforementioned hit jobs which they exact in brutal fashion leaving victims dismembered, skinned alive or even drowned in fresh concrete. The Maelstrom back down from no one and also frequently hit corpo transport vehicles to steal the latest and greatest tech.

The Totentanz is a club that is also a big revenue source for the Maelstrom. This is an extremely dangerous bar to be in, and the body count at the end of the night is usually in the double digits. There are also rumors that The Maelstrom produce black market braindance recordings of a highly violent nature, as well as Numbness, an emotional void that places users in a numbed state of mind popular with those who abuse BDs.

Prominent members of the Maelstrom include Royce, The Brick, Dum Dum and Brandon Frost.

The Animals

Moving onto the next gang we have The Animals, an aggressive street-fighting gang who experiment with ultra testosterone and variants of growth hormone for maximum strength and muscle gain. They prefer to augment their biology with these anabolic hormones, but will also use cyberlimbs and melee-centric cyberware. They are expert brawlers who train in all forms of combat from martial arts, to boxing to cage fights. Animals members typically wear hoodies and gym attire, and sport artificial animal features such as spotted or striped skin, subdermal implants, bestial jaws and vat-grown implanted muscles.

Animals modus operandi is becoming the dominant subspecies and they often take on any challenge presented to them including high tiered police and corporate forces. They are divided into small packs who all have a dominant alpha male or female leader; the strongest and smartest of the group.

Often hired out as bouncers and security guards, Animals also make their eddies by robbing stores, cultivating illegal underground fighting rings, as well as the sale of home-brewed performance enhancement drugs. Their prominent members are Sasquatch, Valdemar The Bully, and Marta “Abomination” Ling.

The Voodooboys

Next we have the mystical netrunning gang The Voodooboys, who hail from Pacifica and are predominantly of Haitian descent. This gang was originally made up of voodoo priests and priestesses, the most prominent caste in the Creole culture of the Haitian diaspora. Haiti was ravaged by flooding, torrential rains and overall climate change and thus the Voodoboys began an exodus out of the area. Voodooboys mix their netrunning flair with high tiered netrunning suits and neural implants, with their afro-caribbean roots of tribalistic tattoos, charms made of small mammals and birds, and dreadlocks.

*Voodooboys goons take a smoke break outside the Grand Imperial Mall in Pacifica*

The Voodooboys have an obsession with the Old Net, unraveling its secrets and developing a spiritual connection with what lies beyond. Because of their curiosity and ambition to contact the rogue AIs and self-aware programs, they have drawn the attention of Net Cops as well as NetWatch to actively attempt to monitor what the Voodoboys are doing in cyberspace.

Voodoboys hack data banks with top secret information, they steal virtual currency and hire themselves out as mercenary netrunners for operations beyond the Black Wall. Prominent members within the Voodooboys hierarchy are Ti Neptune, Placide, Brigitte & Philippe “Agve” Oreste.

The 6th Street

Next we have the 6th Street Gang, a group of 4th corporate war veterans who were formed around 50 years ago. Originally, they were a gang who filled the role as a “policing entity” keeping the streets safe, but have now forgone their public trust, largely have their own interests in mind, and are no better than any of the other gangs in the city. They bully neighborhoods into forking over protection money, and also engage in shady and many times criminal activities. They favor militarized gear with military uniforms, boots, vests, cargo pants, and stars and stripes as prominent clothing choices.

Originally the 6th Street Gang helped keep other gangs and thugs away from desecrating the city, but have lost sight of their original goals. Most 6th street members are unemployed, retired or discharged members of society who have either served in more recent conflicts, or hail from high end security jobs. Their current activities include gun smuggling, extortion and robbery as well as stealing and modifying cars, since most members are talented techies. Prominent 6th Streeters include Will Gunner, Rick Morton, Wyatt Alken, Lucius Thoran, Matt Dodges and Patricia Gerville.

The Mox

Moving on we have The Mox, a smaller gang of mainly sex workers, anarchists, punks and sexual minorities. They were formed during the riots that occurred after the death of Elizabeth Lizzie Borden, a strip club owner and former prostitute who was well known to go above and beyond the call of duty in protecting her workers. She was brutally murdered by members of the Tyger Claws gang in 2067, after seeking revenge on 3 Claw assailants who had raped one of her workers, killing them with an axe and displaying their bodies in front of her club as a deterrent.

Although Borden was killed, her ideology proliferated rapidly throughout Night City and the strip club she owned was renamed to the Lizzies Bar by the Mox. “Moxie” is a slang word for those with the determination to stand up against oppressors.

The Mox mainly wear inexpensive punk outfits, although some of the more combat oriented members have modified bodies reminiscent of plastic dolls. They run several brothels around the city, with the Lizzies, an exclusive braindance club being their hub. Prominent members include Susie Q, Dollie Radcliffe and James Morran.

The Tyger Claws

Next we have one of the largest gangs in the City, the Tyger Claws, a territorial gang hailing from Japantown who are organized similarly to many Asian crime syndicates like the Triads and the Yakuza. Tyger Claws are easily recognizable by their luminous tattoos, street bikes and katanas. They are structured in a way that even if a low-level foot soldier is disrespected, the perpetrator will feel the full force of the entire gang as a response.

*Tyger Claws in Japantown - steelbook design by Deathburger*

Immediate and violent reactions are typical from the Tyger Claws who shoot or in their case, slice first and ask questions later. Higher Up Tyger Claws believe in the rigidity of structured business and will pick their battles wisely, whilst lower tiered members are impartial to violence and depravity in the form of abductions, sexual assaults, torture, abduction and brutal killings. They dominate the businesses in Japantown, with many Claws members running the operations.

In Cyberpunk 2077, They make their money in bars, restaurants, braindance clubs, casinos, prostitution, human trafficking and the distribution of the infamous drug known as Glitter. They are also closely tied to Arasaka, who have been known to supply them with cybertech and military grade weaponry in exchange for hit jobs. Pivotal members include Hiromi Sato, Ishin Obata, Hiyame Miyagawa, Jotaro Shobo, Xiu Lian and Wu Dong.

The Valentinos

Next we have The Valentinos, again a larger gang of Night City predominantly consisting of members of Mexican heritage. Other races and ethnicities are allowed and integrate into the Valentinos quickly, simply by celebrating the various Mexican holidays like the Dia De Los Muertos, Quinceaneras, Semana Santa and Chicano culture in general. The gang is deeply connected and form one big family with unshakable loyalty. Betraying the gang is considered one of the most heinous crimes and is punishable by gruesome death. Valentinos who have died fending off cops, other gangs or corpos are immortalized as saints and martyrs and many times commemorated in murals, pieces of art or songs.

*Valentinos in Heywood - steelbook art by Deathburger*

Valentinos operate a fair share of legitimate businesses such as restaurants, auto shops, night clubs, braindance recording studios, sports betting parlors and construction companies. These can sometimes be a front for their illegal activities such as money laundering, chop shops and the illegal modification of firearms and vehicles. Valentinos make a significant portion of their income through gun smuggling, car theft, drug trafficking, and hit-jobs. Valentinos higher ups include Jose Luis, Gustavo Orta, Camila Martinez and Julio Palaco.

Scavengers

The Scavengers are up next, a group of ruthless street scum who prey on unwary citizens and thugs. Harvesting cyberware and organs are the main goals of the Scavs, both of which can fetch high prices on the black market. They do so in brutal fashion with 0 regard for human life and have no morals or values. Scavs do not care about anything other than profit. Because of their sheer numbers and efficiency in taking down targets, they have achieved a near monopoly in the body parts aftermarket.

*A Scavenger leader unloads a heavy Militech rifle into a raiding Trauma Team unit*

In Cyberpunk 2077, Scavengers are a loosely defined gang with little to no hierarchy, who are separated into pockets spread across the entire city. Victims are referred to as donors, and are often never found due to the Scavs finding a use for the entire body. Anything of substance is harvested, and the remains are burned, dumped or left for the rats. They are the main suppliers of low end illegal cyberware for other gangs, criminals and ripperdocs.

Moving on we have two distinct Nomad factions. The Badlands are home to the Nomads, groups of highly mobile migrants and refugees who have settled into small towns in the outskirts and deserts surrounding the cities. For more on the structure and hierarchy of the Nomads check out the Nomad Lore on the channel.

Raffen Shiv / The Wraiths

Our first Nomad group in Cyberpunk 2077 are the Raffen Shiv, the bandits, criminals and outcasts exiled from the other Nomad Nations forming dangerous gangs that prowl the roads looking for prey. Raffens are indistinguishable from other Nomads, and thus have made a poor name for regular Nomads who live a simple and honest life. Raffen Shiv are ruthless, destructive and are involved in many convoy ambushes, robberies and raids on small towns.

*A Wraith enjoys a beer on the outskirts of Night City*

The Wraiths are a subset of the Raffen Shiv widely considered the most dangerous. They are highway robbers who live purely off their raids. They will occasionally take on transportation and mercenary contracts but they are notorious for breaking these contracts frequently and keeping the fruits of their labors whether that be loot, human cargo or otherwise for their own uses. Nash is the only prominent Wraith on file with the authorities.

The Aldecaldos

Finally we have the Aldecaldos, a Nomad group who started in Los Angeles in the early 2000s by Juan Aldecaldo, a migrant who gained notoriety for his speech against violence after his son was killed in a gang shootout. Giving up on a life in the cities after the Collapse, he led a large group of exiles and those fed up from LA to Mexico City to help other Nomads rebuild. After Juan's death, the group returned to Cali to bury Juan and the next 3 generations were led by the Santiago family.

*An Aldecaldo camp congregating over a fire in the Badlands*

In Cyberpunk 2077, The Aldecaldos are big into scavenging, farm life and the transportation of both legal and illegal goods. Prominent members include Saul and Dakota Smith.

Cyberpunk 2077’s Gangs & Nomads