Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — How to Beat Colonel Hansen

Colonel Hansen in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is a disgruntled soldier, who was formerly part of NUSA before he decided to stake his claim on the district of Dogtown. Now, he and his Barghest mercs run the place. You will, however, get a chance to put an end to him depending on a decision that you make later on. This crucial decision, as well as the boss fight itself, are what we discuss in our guide. Here’s how to beat Colonel Hansen in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.

How to Beat Colonel Hansen in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

• Firestarter Choice Decision
• Colonel Hansen Boss Fight Tips
  • Colonel Hansen Cheese
  • Boss Fight Rewards

To beat Colonel Hansen in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, you must choose to help Reed capture Songbird during Firestarter. Then, during the encounter itself, you must watch out for his blindingly fast movement and debilitating knife throws.

The Firestarter Decision: Which Choice to Make

At the start of the Firestarter mission, V and Alex are disguised as Aurore and Aymeric, the twins that you met in the casino where you had to choose between red or black. Once you meet Hansen while you’re in disguise, you’ll be asked several questions.

I advise you to stick to the replies that fall in line with Aurore’s background information. While I can’t confirm if Hansen will see through your disguise if you choose the wrong responses, I feel that picking the appropriate replies is in keeping with the espionage theme.

Shortly thereafter, you’ll follow Songbird to the lab down below. You’re presented with a choice: help Songbird escape or help Reed capture Songbird. You must help Reed with his plan here. The other option causes Kurt Hansen to get killed by Alex. As far as I can tell, there’s no way to return to his office, as the door will remain locked.

If you help Reed capture Songbird, this leads to a sequence where you attempt to escape the stadium, all while being hunted by the Barghest. Watch out for dozens of enemies here, and make sure you pick up your previously equipped gear pieces from the locker. Once you’ve made it to the exit, Hansen and a couple of mercs will blow open the metal gate.

Colonel Hansen Boss Fight Tips

I can definitively say that the Cybepunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Colonel Hansen boss fight lulls you with a false sense of security. At the start of the encounter, Hansen and the two Barghest mercs will only shoot at you. You can swiftly take out his goons, and it seems that the big bad himself is a pushover.

However, once I depleted Hansen’s HP below 50%, he switched to Super Saiyan mode. Here are the abilities that I noticed:

• Hansen gains extreme speed. He’ll blur out and dash toward you often.
• You must avoid his knife throw at all costs. If V gets hit, Hansen will follow up with a choke hold, knife stab, and a toss, which cause big damage.
• You won’t be able to heal in the middle of this sequence. I died once during this fight since I was low on health, and I got snagged by Hansen’s devastating combo. I then reloaded via the last autosave checkpoint, which was in the hallway just before the exit.

Potential Hansen Boss Fight Cheese

The good news is that I may have discovered a viable cheese that should help you beat Colonel Hansen in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. When I jumped on top of a container, Hansen no longer did his knife throw/choke sequence.

I believe this type of positioning prevented his script from triggering properly. As such, he mostly relied on regular shots; you, on the other hand, can heal through these shots while blasting him with top-tier weapons. I suggest using a light machine gun or the Rasetsu from the previous mission where you helped out Reed as a sniper. If things get too hot, just run away and circle around before hopping back on top of a container.

Colonel Hansen Rewards

Once Hansen’s HP is down to 1%, he’ll kneel on the ground. You then have the option to finish him off by using his own knife against him. This boss yields not one, not two, but three iconic weapons:

• Fang — A knife that cripples the target when thrown.
• Bald Eagle — A revolver that has a nifty effect: when Fang is thrown into an enemy’s leg, you can shoot that limb to shred it, which will also cause Fang to return to your hand.
• Wild Dog — Repeated hits with this weapon continuously increase fire rate and critical hit chance.

That’s everything you need to know about how to beat Colonel Hansen in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. This particular arc leads to two more missions: Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos and Somewhat Damaged. For other tips and strategies, you can check out our PL guides hub.