What Is the Best Outcome in ‘The Pickup’ in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0?

“The Pickup” is one of the earliest quests you’ll find in the main story of Cyberpunk 2077 2.0. This quest involves a job you take on for Dexter DeShawn, which teaches you the ropes of how player choices play into this massive RPG. You have two sides to choose from in this quest. There is Meredith Stout on the Militech side and the Maelstrom gang on the other. Who do you pick?

Should You Side With the Maelstrom or Meredith Stout in Cyberpunk 2077?

Note: Full spoilers lie ahead for “The Pickup” in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0.

Right from the moment you begin “The Pickup” mission in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, you have two choices to make: immediately meet up with Jackie and move onto the next part of the mission or optionally meet with the Militech corpo contact. If you skip over meeting with Meredith Stout, you’ll pretty much lock yourself out of that side.

If you have any desire to side with the corpo in this quest, you’ll want to meet up with Meredith first, which I recommend to all players unless you have a load of money. This at least leaves the door open for you to side with her if you want to. The ultimate choice then arrives when you meet up with the Maelstrom at their base.

You can choose to handle this situation by either siding with the Militech or the Maelstrom. If you meet with Meredith beforehand, you have a fight on your hands no matter, unless you pay for the part out of pocket. If you side with the Militech, you’ll have to take down the Maelstrom. If you go with the gang, you’ll betray Meredith and have to defend the hideout from the corpo forces.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. However, you get more out of the content later in the game if you side with the Maelstrom. There is a side job later on that involves them, so you’re missing out if you don’t pick their side. The only reason I recommend picking Meredith’s side is if you want a special intimate scene with her later. Overall, I recommend going with the Maelstrom here.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.