‘I Was Physically Crying’: Why Cyberpunk 2077’s ‘Heroes’ Remains The Most Emotional Quest In Modern Gaming
CYBERPUNK 2077 PLAYERS ARE LITERALLY IN TEARS OVER A HIDDEN DETAIL IN THE GAME’S MOST HEARTBREAKING QUEST 🚨 If you skipped this one choice after The Heist, you completely missed the real soul of Night City!
The community is emotionally wrecked right now: thousands of players on Reddit and TikTok are breaking down over the funeral of Jackie Welles, uncovering a subtle detail about Johnny Silverhand that almost no one noticed on their first playthrough! One single early-game decision permanently locked millions of players out of the most raw, tear-jerking scene in modern RPG history—and forced them to miss out on Jackie’s legendary iconic weapons! Did you give your best friend the tragic send-off he deserved, or did you accidentally sell out his memory to Arasaka? 👇🔥
In an open-world RPG famous for high-octane cyberware combat, corporate espionage, and neon-soaked hyper-violence, the most lasting memory for millions of Cyberpunk 2077 players involves no gunfire at all. Instead, it takes place in a dim, candle-lit bar in Heywood, where a grieving mother, a street-scryer, and a dying mercenary gather to say goodbye to a lost brother.
Years after CD Projekt Red released the game, the side-quest “Heroes”—centered around the traditional Mexican ofrenda (funeral memorial) for V’s fallen partner Jackie Welles—continues to spark emotional threads across r/cyberpunkgame, r/LowSodiumCyberpunk, TikTok, and X. While blockbuster campaigns usually rely on grand apocalyptic stakes to drive emotion, “Heroes” achieves its status as a storytelling masterpiece through intimate grief, street-level camaraderie, and tragic cultural authenticity.
Here is the deep breakdown of why “Heroes” resonates so deeply with the community, how a single early-game decision permanently alters the experience, and the subtle, heart-wrenching details that players are still discovering today.
The Catalyst: The Fall of a Legend in “The Heist”
To understand the emotional gravity of “Heroes,” one must trace back to the tragic climax of Act 1. During “The Heist,” V and Jackie Welles breach the luxury suite of Arasaka Tower to steal the biochip known as the Relic. The operation turns catastrophic when Saburo Arasaka is assassinated by his son, Yorinobu, sending the complex into lockdown.
As V and Jackie escape down the outer walls of Arasaka Tower, heavy gunfire mortally wounds Jackie. Inside the getaway cab driven by the AI chauffeur Delamain, Jackie hands the Relic to V before bleeding out in the backseat.
It is at this exact moment that CD Projekt Red presents players with a crucial dialogue choice regarding Jackie’s body:
“Take him home, to his family.”
“Wait for me here.” (Which defaults to sending him home).
“Take him to Vik Vektor’s clinic.”
The Trap: How Millions Accidentally Missed the Ofrenda
One of the biggest talking points across community forums is how easy it was to accidentally lock oneself out of the full quest.
Novice players often select the option to send Jackie’s corpse to ripperdoc Vik Vektor, reasoning that a medical professional should inspect him. However, doing so triggers a grim sequence of off-screen events: Arasaka agents raid Vik’s clinic, seize Jackie’s body, and subject his brain to Soulkiller technology to extract information regarding the heist.
If players send Jackie to Vik, the ofrenda never takes place. Instead, Mama Welles simply leaves V a brief text message, mailing V the keys to Jackie’s Arch (his custom motorcycle).
Conversely, sending Jackie to his family unlocks the full “Heroes” questline. V receives a call from Mama Welles inviting them to El Coyote Cojo, the Welles family bar in Heywood, to participate in an ofrenda—a traditional Mexican altar offering designed to guide the spirit of the deceased back home.
┌───────────────────────────┐
│ Jackie's Death in Cab │
└─────────────┬─────────────┘
│
┌───────────────────┴───────────────────┐
▼ ▼
[Send Body to Mama Welles] [Send Body to Vik Vektor]
│ │
▼ ▼
Full "Heroes" Quest Unlocked Arasaka Seizes Jackie's Body
│ │
┌─────────────┴─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
Participate in Receive Key No Funeral / Find Fragmented
El Coyote Cojo to Jackie's Ofrenda Event Soulkiller Echo in
Ofrenda Ceremony Arch Bike Mikoshi (Arasaka Ending)
Step-by-Step Anatomy of a Heartbreak
For those who unlock the full quest, “Heroes” delivers a masterclass in quiet, environmental storytelling split across three distinct phases.
1. Reconnecting with Misty Outside the Garage
Upon arriving in Heywood, V finds Misty Olszewski—Jackie’s girlfriend—sitting on a alley bench outside Jackie’s garage, hesitant to enter due to tense relations with Mama Welles. V convinces Misty to join them inside to find a fitting offering for the memorial table.
2. The Garage: Searching for Meaning in the Trash
Inside the garage, players scan Jackie’s personal belongings, each representing a different facet of his personality beyond his tough-guy mercenary exterior:
The Leather Jacket & Dumbbells: Reflecting his ambition, street pride, and physical discipline.
The Basketball: Symbolizing his youth and camaraderie with local Heywood kids.
A Bottle of Premium Centzon Tequila: Representing his love for celebration and living life to the fullest.
Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls: The book Jackie re-read before every major gig. This object stands as a community favorite, showing that despite his street-thug image, Jackie was a thoughtful, sensitive romantic who contemplated mortality.
Players pick one item to bring to the altar, comforting Misty and convincing her to walk into the bar side-by-side with V.
3. The Ceremony at El Coyote Cojo
Inside El Coyote Cojo, local regulars, Valentino gang members, and close friends gather around an altar stacked with marigold flowers, candles, and framed photos. Speeches are given by Mama Welles, Vik Vektor, and V.
After placing the offering, V toasts to Jackie’s memory, declaring him a true legend of Night City. Mama Welles approves of V’s loyalty, officially handing over the keys to Jackie’s Arch.
The Hidden Details Blowing Up Social Media
What elevates “Heroes” from a standard RPG side-quest to a viral masterpiece are the subtle, easily missed details that CD Projekt Red hid within the scene.
1. The Silence of Johnny Silverhand
Across thousands of posts on Reddit and X, players frequently discuss a chilling realization: Johnny Silverhand never speaks or appears during the entire ofrenda sequence.
Throughout the rest of Cyberpunk 2077, Johnny constantly interrupts V’s conversations with sarcastic comments, political rants, or cynical commentary. Yet during “Heroes,” Johnny remains completely invisible.
Community consensus views this not as a developer oversight, but as a deliberate act of respect from Johnny. Having suffered the tragic loss of his own bandmates in 2023, Johnny recognizes the sacredness of grief and steps back to let V have their moment of closure.
2. The Heartbreaking Voicemails
Long after “Heroes” is completed, players can pull up V’s phone and dial Jackie’s number. Instead of an answer, it goes straight to voicemail. Players can choose to leave multiple voice messages throughout different chapters of the campaign, detailing V’s progress, fears regarding Johnny, and feelings of isolation.
Listening to V’s voice crack while talking to a dead friend’s inbox is widely cited on TikTok as one of the most raw, emotionally devastating mechanics in modern gaming.
3. Claiming “La Chingona Dorada”
If players return to El Coyote Cojo 24 in-game hours after completing the ofrenda, they will find two shiny golden pistols sitting on the altar. These are La Chingona Dorada—Jackie’s iconic dual Power Pistols. Equipping them allows V to carry a piece of Jackie into every firefight for the rest of the game.
Key Rewards Unlocked in “Heroes”
Item / Asset
Item Type
Method of Acquisition
Significance in Lore
Jackie’s Arch
Vehicle (Motorcycle)
Granted by Mama Welles at the end of the ceremony
Jackie’s personal ride; can be tuned if Nomad V
La Chingona Dorada
Iconic Power Pistol (Dual)
Picked up from the ofrenda altar 24 hours later
Jackie’s signature customized handguns
Jackie’s Leather Jacket
Outer Torso Clothing
Found inside Jackie’s garage during search
Iconic street-style jacket worn by Jackie
Hemingway Book / Tequila
Quest Item / Offering
Selected from garage shelves
Serves as V’s personal tribute on the altar
Future Outlook: The Legacy of Human Storytelling in Cyberpunk
As CD Projekt Red pushes ahead with early development on Cyberpunk 2077‘s sequel (Project Orion), “Heroes” stands as a crucial case study in RPG design.
While flashy cyberware, bullet-time Sandevistan combat, and high-tech weapons grab headlines, “Heroes” proved that players care most about the human hearts beating beneath the chrome. By giving players a quiet, authentic space to process grief, respect local cultural traditions, and remember a friend, CD Projekt Red created a timeless narrative landmark.
In the end, Night City is a meat grinder designed to turn human beings into forgotten statistics. But through the ofrenda in “Heroes,” V ensures that Jackie Welles wasn’t just another body in the gutter—he was a legend who lived, loved, and will never be forgotten.
