In the side job “Coin Operated Boy” in Cyberpunk 2077, Brendan, the talking vending machine, is taken by his owners to have his software wiped and overwritten with generic firmware . This is because his unique “quirk” of memorizing personal details and occasionally giving away snacks for free was allegedly “creeping people out” and deemed unprofitable.
Unfortunately, despite V and Theo’s efforts, there doesn’t seem to be a way to prevent Brendan’s personality wipe in the game’s current design.
Even though you can’t prevent Brendan from being “updated,” you can still experience the emotional weight of the situation and engage with the story:
- Find Brendan: Return to Brendan’s usual spot near Megabuilding H8 in Heywood’s The Glen, where you’ll find an upset Theo, [according to the Cyberpunk Wiki].
- Go to the service point: Follow Theo’s lead and head to the maintenance shop where Brendan is being held.
- Gain access: You have several options to get past the clerk and reach Brendan:
– Bribe the clerk with 600 Eddies.
– Convince the clerk, which requires a sufficient Technical Ability skill level.
– Force your way in.
– Hack the door lock or threaten the clerk and take out the security turret.
- Talk to Brendan: Once you reach Brendan, you can have a conversation with him before his update is complete.
– With a Technical Ability skill of 13, you can unlock additional dialogue choices to explore the nature of his AI.
– Brendan will ask you to deliver a final message to Theo.
– You can also choose to listen to his last joke.
– Optionally, read the computer messages next to Brendan for more story details.
- Talk to Theo: Return to Theo and deliver Brendan’s message, which concludes the quest.
While you can’t “save” Brendan in the traditional sense, completing the quest allows you to experience the storyline and reflect on the themes of artificial intelligence and the nature of connection in Night City, [according to IGN].
How to help Brendan cyberpunk?
Brendan will ask that you deliver a message to Theo to complete the Coin Operated Boy side job. You can read the computer messages next to Brendan before leaving for extra story regarding the situation. Choose the optional, “I found him.” dialogue choice while speaking with Theo to deliver Brendan’s message.
Where is Brendan the vending machine?
Good point! Brendan is the name given to an experimental S.C.S.M. which was installed by a SoftSys techie right outside Megabuilding H8, in Japantown, Westbrook.