The Dezerter is one of the hardest-hitting shotguns players can find in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. This iconic Testera unloads massive damage per trigger pull—more so than a regular—capable of obliterating weaker targets in a single shot.
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Grabbing this shotgun is fairly simple if players know what to do. It does require ownership of the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion, as it can only be obtained inside Dogtown. Here's where to find this gun.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty - Dezerter Location
The Dezerter shotgun can be found inside a storage garage near the Terra Cognita building in southern Dogtown. To get here, go to the Shacks and head south toward the tall elevator. Ride it all the way up, then go to the right side of the underpass. The video above shows exactly where players need to go. Open the garage door by entering the code 1975 on the keypad.
Normally, players will need to do a DLC Gig called The Man Who Killed Jason Foreman. Here, Mr. Hands will ask V to handle a vendetta against Barghest soldier Leon Rinder, the man allegedly responsible for the massacre of seven Longshore Stacks residents. Rinder can be found in the Westwind Estates in Pacifica, inside a Scav harvesting den. Completing this quest isn't required, but finishing it rewards players with the location of the Dezerter.
Go to the marked apartment complex and clear out the Scavs to see Rinder all bandaged up. He will refuse to take responsibility for the killing of Jason Foreman, and players can choose what to do with him. In order to get the key to the Dezerter shotgun, point a gun at Rinder and ask for his dogtags. He will oblige and give players both his tags and the key to his stash.
The Dezerter shotgun hits incredibly hard, even for the Testera's standards. It shoots exploding rounds that have a 400% Dismemberment Chance and 25% additional armor penetration. In exchange, killing an enemy with this shotgun will set players on fire. When ignited, players will gain extra movement speed and increased Mitigation Chance, which reduces incoming damage when triggered.
This weapon works best with a Body and Reflexes build with full investment in the Shotgun/LMG perk line. Rush of Blood slightly increases Dezerter's slow reload speed upon dismembering a target, and the Dash skills in the Reflexes trees will help players close the distance between enemies faster than normal.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.