The stakes are high in the Shot by Both Sides mission in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and it’s up to you to make a choice that will lead to the death of either Bree, an intrepid journalist who isn’t as true to the cause of journalism as she makes out, or Dante, a corpo hired cowboy out to put an end to Bree’s meddling.
We are going to check out the pros and cons on both choices, siding with Bree or Dante, as well as the possible rewards and consequences of your choice.
How to start the Shot by Both Sides mission in Phantom Liberty
The Shot by Both Sides mission is unlocked once you have started getting deeper into the main narrative of the Phantom Liberty DLC, becoming available once you have completed the Get It Together and The Damned quests.
The mission begins with a text from the fixer Mr. Hands, who will inform you of a journalist named Bree Whitney who needs help as she is being chased down by corpos. There aren’t many other details to go on, but it’s pretty obvious Bree has some kind of dirt that could negatively affect the reputation of the corporation in question (which you will later find out is Militech).
How to get to the decision in the Shot by Both Sides mission in Phantom Liberty
Before you get to the major decision of the quest, you will need to make your way through the main body of the mission. Once Mr. Hands texts you the address of Bree’s apartment in Night City, a marker will appear on the map that will direct you there.
When you have found what you need in the apartment, you’ll briefly run into Bree’s “neighbor,” who plays an important role later on. Return to Dogtown and follow the map marker to get to an apartment block.
After some traversing and scanning to find your way, you will finally meet Bree, who is trying to infiltrate an old Militech facility. You will then have to escort Bree through the facility, dealing with the security systems before you get to the main server room. Bree will get you to watch three video clips on the main computer, all of which will reveal a project that Militech was working on.
Bree is determined to write an article to expose Militech for the project, but just as she is about to leave, a familiar face appears and blocks her path. Bree’s neighbor confronts her, revealing his true identity as a Militech agent by the name of Dante. With the appearance of Dante, the two will engage in a heated argument.
Listen to them carefully, as this is where you will have to make your choice as to whether you will believe Dante or stand by Bree.
Will you defend Bree or let Dante shoot her?
Dante will begin to tell you Bree is not exactly a brave journalist who is merely trying to expose the secrets of a megacorp, and his argument is surprisingly convincing. Firstly, he reveals Bree herself worked for Militech. Bree will admit this is the truth but will argue she only did so to unveil their secrets from within.
Dante will continue to make his argument, stating Bree is also a compulsive liar who is only out for herself. Again, his argument is a convincing one. There is evidence throughout the mission that this is the case too, such as if you go on Bree’s computer while in her apartment and open her messages. You will find an email from Bree contacting a travel agency attempting to get some information so she can escape from Night City as soon as possible. That and Bree’s generally dismissive and vague nature towards your queries all suggest Dante is telling the truth about her character.
Eventually, Dante will ask you if you are going to defend Bree and you can either opt to defend Bree or say nothing. This is a timed decision, so you will need to make your choice quickly.
Siding with Bree
If you defend Bree, you will tell her to take cover before engaging in a firefight with Dante. The fight isn’t too difficult if you have powerful weapons on your person, but Dante has an Iconic weapon that can do a hefty amount of damage if you aren’t careful, so make sure you dodge and try to get in some headshots.
Once Dante is down, Bree will maintain her story and argue Dante was merely a cowboy for hire that Militech had ordered to silence her. She gets incredibly defensive if you query any of the accusations Dante made, but she will tell you that she is going to be writing up an article soon to expose the Militech project.
The rewards when you choose Bree
When it comes to the rewards, siding with Bree is the better option.
You will be able to take Dante’s Iconic Power Revolver, called Ol’ Reliable, but you will also take Bree’s weapon—an Iconic Power Pistol called Riskit—as she will leave it on the table for you to take when the mission is done.
Mr. Hands will also give you some extra eddies as a reward for completing the gig as expected and for keeping Bree, the client, alive. You’ll get 5,000 Eurodollars in total, which is not an amount to be scoffed at in Night City.
The negatives of choosing Bree
Unfortunately, Dante is indeed telling the truth about Bree’s character, and this becomes apparent when it is revealed after the mission that Bree did not write the article she said she was going to. Instead, she sells the information to Netwatch. Because of this, Netwatch will dispatch their agents to take you out and tie up the last loose end.
So, Bree sells you out. The Netwatch agents will be on your tail from time to time, but if you are a relatively high level, they won’t be much hassle to deal with. It’s still pretty annoying, though, not to mention bad for your ego when you realize you have been played by Bree.
Siding with Dante
To side with Dante, all you have to do is say nothing when the two come to blows. Dante will shoot Bree, killing her.
Once she is dead, Dante will reveal a communication he has intercepted, proving Bree was planning to sell the data. He will then say a number of Militech higher-ups would have suffered had this information become public, which is neither here nor there in the broader terms of the game narrative, but it might tick you off if you are particularly anti-corporation.
The rewards when you choose Dante
There is less to gain should you choose Dante. You will only get the one Iconic weapon, Bree’s Riskit pistol. Dante will give you some extra eddies too, but not as much as Mr. Hands would give you as a bonus for saving Bree.
The negatives of choosing Dante
Not only do you get the one Iconic weapon from siding with Dante over Bree, but Mr. Hands will not be pleased you killed his client and will significantly lower your payment. It also feels like the wrong choice in terms of morals, even if Bree does sell you out later down the line. Who really wants the corpos to win anyway?
Final verdict: Should you side with Bree or Dante Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty?
The most logical decision to make here is to side with Bree, as you get the most in terms of quest rewards. Not only do you get two Iconic weapons, but you also get a bonus from Mr. Hands for getting the job done as expected.
That being said, prepare yourself to deal with the hassle of the Netwatch agents tailing you, as well as the frustrating knowledge Dante was right about Bree being a total sellout and a liar. You might get a pretty decent Iconic weapon when you side with Dante along with some payment while also avoiding the Netwatch agents, but you will also get a smaller payment from Mr. Hands.
With this in mind, it’s clear the benefits of siding with Bree far outweigh the negatives, so we advise choosing her in the Shot by the Sides mission in Phantom Liberty.
