Black Mamba
| Black Mamba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Circulatory System |
| Tier | Tier 3 |
| Attribute | Reflexes |
| Capacity | 16 |
The Black Mamba turns Poison into a setup for every other kind of damage. Against a Poisoned enemy, V's other attacks deal noticeably more damage. In exchange, V's own Poison damage drops almost to nothing. Poison becomes a marker rather than a damage source. It suits a build that applies Poison quickly and then finishes the target with blades, guns or thrown weapons. The Black Mamba is a mid to late game implant, sold by ripperdocs in Night City and Dogtown from level 20.
Effect
The Black Mamba is a passive implant. It only matters when an enemy is Poisoned. Against that enemy, V's Poison damage drops by ninety percent. At the same time, all of V's other damage against that enemy rises. At Tier 3 the bonus is a tenth. At Tier 5++ it passes a fifth.
The trade works best when Poison comes from a quick, cheap source. V applies Poison first, then switches to the main weapon. Every bullet, swing or throw against the Poisoned target then hits harder. The lost Poison damage matters little in that pattern, since the main damage comes from the other attacks.
The implant is attuned to Reflexes. Each Reflexes point adds a small bonus to Crit Chance. A character with full Reflexes gains two percent Crit Chance.
How to Get Black Mamba Guide
- Visit a ripperdoc from level 20 to buy it at Tier 3.
- Return at levels 30 and 40 for higher tiers.
- Upgrade it at a ripperdoc with crafting components.
Black Mamba Map Location
The map shows Viktor Vektor's clinic in Little China, one of the ripperdocs that sell it.
Black Mamba map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Upgrades
The Black Mamba comes in Tiers 3 to 5, with plus steps in between. Each step raises the damage bonus against Poisoned enemies. The Poison penalty stays the same at every tier. The capacity cost also stays the same at every tier. Ripperdocs stock Tier 3 from level 20, Tier 4 from level 30 and Tier 5 from level 40. A ripperdoc can upgrade it with crafting components, which is the only way to reach Tier 5++.
The table shows what each tier step of Black Mamba costs at a ripperdoc.
| Upgrade | Components | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 3 to Tier 3+ | 30 Tier 3 components | - |
| Tier 3+ to Tier 4 | 22 Tier 4 components | - |
| Tier 4 to Tier 4+ | 30 Tier 4 components | - |
| Tier 4+ to Tier 5 | 22 Tier 5 components | - |
| Tier 5 to Tier 5+ | 30 Tier 5 components | - |
| Tier 5+ to Tier 5++ | 75 Tier 5 components | Phantom Liberty |
Character Builds
The Black Mamba belongs in a build that applies Poison often. In the Cool tree, Scorpion Sting makes critical hits, headshots and weakspot hits with thrown weapons apply Poison. Neurotoxin adds Blinding and stops sprinting on enemies Poisoned through Scorpion Sting. Corrosion lets V Poison mechs, robots, drones and turrets as well. Juggler and Pay It Forward strengthen a thrown-weapon build that uses those Poison hits.
Some perks conflict with the trade. Accelerated Toxin Absorption makes Strong Attacks and thrown weapons deal a burst of Poison damage and then remove the Poison. With the Black Mamba, that burst is mostly lost, and the Poison bonus ends at once.
Select a Build
The build opens from stealth and removes a few targets before the fight starts. Headshots and crits with thrown knives bring the knife back to hand through Juggler. When the character is detected, the Sandevistan or Kerenzikov slows time to finish the enemies who spotted it.
Attributes: Body 18, Reflexes 20, Technical Ability 20, Intelligence 3, Cool 20.
The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.
| Name | Image | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painkiller | 
|
Body 4 | Slow Health regeneration in combat |
| Adrenaline Rush | 
|
Body 15 | More Health and the Adrenaline Rush mode |
| Feline Footwork | 
|
Cool 4 | Faster and safer while crouched |
| Killer Instinct | 
|
Cool 4 | More damage with knives, axes and silenced guns before combat |
| Gag Order | 
|
Cool 4 | A quick hit after being spotted delays detection by others |
| Scorpion Sting | 
|
Cool 9 | Thrown crits and headshots apply Poison |
| Neurotoxin | 
|
Cool 9 | Poison also blinds and stops sprinting |
| Parasite | 
|
Cool 9 | Health back from thrown crits and headshots |
| Accelerated Toxin Absorption | 
|
Cool 9 | Strong attacks and throws on poisoned enemies deal a burst of Poison |
| Corrosion | 
|
Cool 9 | Poison works on mechs, robots, drones and turrets |
| Ninjutsu | 
|
Cool 15 | Sprint while crouched |
| Creeping Death | 
|
Cool 15 | Health, Stamina and speed from kills while hidden |
| Vanishing Act | 
|
Cool 15 | Optical Camo turns on while crouch-sprinting |
| Juggler | 
|
Cool 15 | Thrown headshots and crits return the weapon at once |
| Sleight Of Hand | 
|
Cool 15 | Crit Damage stacks each time Juggler triggers |
| Finisher: Act Of Mercy | 
|
Cool 15 | A thrown weapon Finisher that heals |
| Pay It Forward | 
|
Cool 15 | Big melee hit after picking up a thrown blade |
| Pounce | 
|
Cool 15 | Finishers from range after a throw |
| Style Over Substance | 
|
Cool 20 | Guaranteed crits when throwing on the move |
| Slippery | 
|
Reflexes 4 | Harder to hit while moving fast |
| Dash | 
|
Reflexes 9 | Unlocks the Dash and makes it cheaper |
| Air Dash | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Dash in midair |
| All Things Cyber | 
|
Technical Ability 9 | Stronger cyberware stats |
| License To Chrome | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | Stronger cyberware, more armor and a Skeleton slot |
| Ambidextrous | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | A second Hands cyberware slot |
| Edgerunner | Technical Ability 20 | Cyberware past the capacity limit for a small Health cost |
| Name | Image | Slot | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerenzikov Boost System | 
|
Frontal Cortex | Stronger Kerenzikov with free shooting Stamina |
| Mechatronic Core | 
|
Frontal Cortex | More damage against drones, robots and mechs |
| Handle Wrap | 
|
Hands | More crit chance with throwables |
| Shock Absorber | 
|
Hands | Less recoil |
| Optical Camo | 
|
Integumentary System | Near invisibility for a few seconds |
| Defenzikov | 
|
Integumentary System | Mitigation after Kerenzikov ends |
| Kerenzikov | 
|
Nervous System | Slows time when aiming during a slide or dodge |
| Stabber | 
|
Nervous System | More crit chance with Blades and throwables |
| Militech Apogee Sandevistan | Operating System | Slows time by 85% with crit bonuses | |
| Dense Marrow | 
|
Skeleton | More melee damage |
| Spring Joints | 
|
Skeleton | Stronger Mitigation |
Lore
The Black Mamba's in-game line is a joke about therapy. It asks whether V remembers a therapist calling V "toxic," and suggests this is what they meant. The implant makes Poison the first step of an attack rather than the attack itself.
Cyberware Categories
All Circulatory System Cyberware
Every Circulatory System implant is listed below. The Iconic ones come first, then the standard ones.
Iconic Circulatory System Cyberware
| Name | Image | Attribute | Capacity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electromag Recycler | 
|
Technical Ability | 40 | Dogtown |
| Isometric Stabilizer | 
|
Reflexes | 40 | Dogtown |
Standard Circulatory System Cyberware
| Name | Image | Attribute | Capacity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrenaline Booster | 
|
Reflexes | 14 | |
| Biomonitor | 
|
Technical Ability | 14 | |
| Black Mamba | 
|
Reflexes | 16 | |
| Blood Pump | 
|
Technical Ability | 15 | |
| Clutch Padding | 
|
Body | 12 | |
| Feedback Circuit | 
|
Technical Ability | 14 | |
| Heal-On-Kill | 
|
Intelligence | 10 | |
| Microrotors | 
|
Reflexes | 12 | Northside |
| Second Heart | 
|
Body | 30 | |
| ThreatEvac | 
|
Intelligence | 5 |