Another mission, another choice to be had, and another life ending up in your morally questionable hands, as per the norm with Cyberpunk 2077 quests. This time around, it’s the upcoming boxer and ex-Animal gang member Aaron whose future comes down to your choices.
In this guide, we will look at the specific decisions you can make in regard to Aaron’s fate, including their outcomes and any rewards that you may receive along the way.
Starting the No Easy Way Out mission
In the mission, No Easy Way Out, you will have to choose whether you want to save Aaron from Angie’s clutches or leave him to continue throwing matches for a living. Below, we explain how to begin the quest and the different choices you can take that align with your playthrough. To start the No Way Out quest, you will have to complete the Spider And The Fly first, which is one of the opening quests of Phantom Liberty.
Respond to Coach Fred’s text
When you have entered Dogtown—the new district only unlocked via the Phantom Liberty DLC—you should receive a text at some point from Coach Fred, who you might remember from the boxing tutorial mission at the beginning of the base Cyberpunk 2077 game.
Coach Fred will ask for your help regarding a friend called Aaron, but he doesn’t have any other information other than that he told Aaron he will send someone to assist him. When you have responded to Fred’s text, a marker will appear on the map that will show you the way to Aaron, beginning the mission.
Talking to Aaron
Aaron will be in the middle of a boxing match, so you can’t talk to him until it is over. He will sit on a nearby bench when it is over. Approach him, chat with him, and he will ask you to meet at the nearby Terra Cognita.
Finding the Ripperdoc
When you get to Terra Cognita, Aaron will tell you about his situation with the chip in his head. He is due to face the former heavyweight boxing champion soon, but he wants to fight on his own terms. Because of this, he wants your help in reaching the nearby ripperdoc so he can have the chip removed from his head.
To find the ripperdoc, you will need to go to the nearby building marked on the map. The ripperdoc1s office is on the very top floor, so you will need to get past the scavs patrolling the building to get there. You can try and do this stealthily, but it’s going to be difficult to do so as there are tons of scavs to be found on the way up to the top floor.
Meeting Angie and making your choice
When you have gotten up to the top floor, Aaron will talk with Damir the ripperdoc, who will eventually agree to try and remove the chip. Sit on the nearby wheelchair and wait for the procedure. When it is done, Damir will tell you it was too dangerous to remove the chip due to its location in Aaron’s inner ear. However, he has managed to render it inactive.
As you chat with Damir, Angie and her fellow Animal gang members will barge into the room and tell Damir to leave. She will then talk to you, and this is where you have the opportunity to make your choice. With Aaron still unconscious from his procedure, it’s up to you to choose his fate. Let’s have a closer look at these choices as well as the repercussions.
Option one: Kill Angie
- Reward: Killing Angie will grant you the Cheetah Iconic Pistol after looting her body.
- Consequences: Killing Angie will unleash her thugs upon you, and Aaron will end up dead by the onslaught.
We thought removing Angie from the equation would lead to the best outcome for Aaron, as we believed it would mean Aaron could finally be free of his gang roots and start a new life. we can tell you now, dear reader, that we were wrong. So very, very wrong. Morally, this is the worst decision you can make. However, there is an iconic weapon to be had, which is sure to be appealing to some players.
To go with this decision, you’ll need to choose the “A deal? With you? Gotta be kidding” dialogue choice, which will lead to Angie and the other Animals attacking you. The gunfight isn’t too tough, but Angie herself can be difficult to pin down as she is very fast. When you have managed to down her, loot her body, and you will receive the Cheetah iconic pistol.
Aaron will be pleased with your choice when he wakes up, but his fate is sealed from this point after Angie has been taken out. In a few in-game days, you will receive a text from Aaron asking you to meet him at the Dream Gig Bar after he has told you he lost the fight. Enter the bar, and you will be unable to find Aaron, so you’ll need to speak to the server to ask after him. He will tell you two other guys were looking for him too and that the three of them went outside to the alley for a cigarette.
Make your way out to the alley, and you will find Aaron’s dead body amongst the trash. Yep, Aaron’s death is technically on your hands should you opt for the choice to kill Angie. You will need to have a quick chat with Johnny to wrap up the mission. The only positive point about this choice is the Cheetah pistol that you can take from Angie. Otherwise, it’s definitely one of the more depressing choices.
Option two: Hand Aaron over to Angie
- Reward: Handing over Aaron will reward you with 10,000 eddies.
- Consequences: Aaron will continue carrying the weight of throwing matches.
Another choice is to simply leave and let Angie stay with Aaron, keeping him under her thumb and continuing his life as a fight-throwing boxer for the Animals. This is a betrayal of Aaron’s trust, but at least this option won’t lead to his death. Instead, you will be able to take a cut of the winnings from Aaron’s fight if you do so.
With this choice, all you need to do is pick the “Fine” dialogue choice. You will then berate both Angie and Aaron (whose crimes committed during his time with the Animals were explained by Angie during your previous conversation) before leaving for good. However, this won’t be the last that you hear from Angie, as she will text you a few days later.
She wants to meet you at the same location where you first met Aaron, so follow the map marker, and you’ll find her sitting on the bleachers. Talk to her, and she will offer you the cut of 10,000 eddies. Even if you refuse the money, Angie will give it to you anyway, so no matter what, you’ll get a nice paycheck out of this choice.
You don’t hear from Aaron again with this choice, other than Angie telling you that he threw the fight as was planned. However, if you talk more with Angie, she will eventually agree to think more about Aaron’s situation. At least he is alive when you opt to make a deal with Angie, which has to count as a win of sorts.
Option three: Threaten Angie
- Reward: Threatening Angie will reward you with 5,000 eddies.
- Consequences: You will not get 10,000 eddies from handing over Aaron, nor will you get the Cheetah Iconic Pistol from killing Angie. However, you will receive 5,000 eddies and a peace of mind that Aaron is happy.
Threatening Angie is the best outcome for Aaron. To do this, pick the “Got a better idea” option when you are talking to her. Angie will get a bit freaked out by your subtle aggression and will walk away without resorting to violence. When Aaron wakes up, there will be another decision to make with your dialogue choices. Aaron will be in fear of Angie and the Animals returning, so he will ask for your opinion on what you should do about the fight.
There are three dialogue options here. If you pick “Fuck the Animals. Don’t throw it,” he will get a boost of confidence and agree to do his own thing. He still loses, but he does so on his own terms. With his self-respect and dignity intact, Aaron moves away from Night City and goes to Costa Rica to become a street fighter. He will text you expressing his happiness for choosing his own decisions and making his own path in life.
The other two dialogue options—those being “Angie told me everything” or “Yeah, throw the fuckin’ fight. Safer that way”—will lead to Aaron throwing the fight. This is arguably the best option for Aaron, as he will text you to say he is glad to be done with his boxing career. Not only that, he also tells you he has started coaching boxing and teaching kids. Now, if that isn’t a happy ending, we don’t know what is.
Phantom Liberty Aaron decision: should you hand him over to Angie?
The best choice for this mission is to threaten Angie. It allows Aaron to escape Angie’s rule and take the piece out of his ear that was helping him throw fights, which he ultimately felt was unethical. For this choice, you will receive 5,000 eddies. That said, there is a choice for each type of playthrough, whether you value weapons and money or if you are looking for a moral victory.
If it is money you’re after, and you aren’t invested in Aaron’s attempts to turn his life around, then the best choice would be to turn him over to Angie while he’s still unconscious. You’ll get 10,000 eddies as a reward, though Aaron will remain under the thumb of the Animals.
If you are looking for a new iconic weapon to add to your collection, killing Angie is the best choice.
