The No Easy Way Out side gig is a new quest you pick up from Coach Fred in Cyberpunk 2077’s new Phantom Liberty expansion. You’re tasked with checking up on his former student, Aaron, and either helping him escape gang life as a fall guy for the Animals or keeping him on the hook to earn yourself some creds.
If you want the happiest ending of all for Aaron, you’ll actually have to complete some quests in the main game and defeat the Animal leader, Sasquatch, during the Pacifica storyline. All that being said, here’s how to complete the No Easy Way Out side gig, plus the outcomes for all three potential major choices.
How to start No Easy Way Out
After you’ve completed the initial Phantom Liberty quests with Myers and been in Dogtown for a short while, you’ll get a message from Coach Fred asking you to check on one of his boxing students, Aaron. This initial section is self-explanatory; you meet Aaron at the boxing ring, where he explains that he’s indebted to the Animals, and he wants a chip removed that forces him to take the fall in fights so he can be a professional boxer.
You’ll then meet up in Terra Cognita in north Dogtown and fight your way into a scav den to find the Ripperdoc who originally installed Aaron’s chip. The doc will knock Aaron out for the surgery, but before long, Angie, the leader of the Animals in Dogtown, shows up, and this is where you have to make the most important choice that’ll determine the outcome of the quest.
Choice 1: Take Angie’s deal
After telling you a bit about Aaron’s background as a gang member, Angie will offer to cut you in on the bet winnings if you agree to leave and let Aaron take the fall. Simply agree, then leave the scav hideout. A few days later, Angie will ask to meet at the boxing ring and will give you 22,000 credits, concluding the quest. Coach Fred will also reach out saying it’s a shame you couldn’t help Aaron.
Choice 2: Refuse Angie’s deal
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If you refuse Angie’s deal in the scav hideout, you’ll have to kill her and her two goons. Since she drops the Iconic Power Pistol, Cheetah, this is the most lucrative option, but it’s worth noting that Aaron will die if you choose to do this. A few days after leaving the scav hideout, he’ll ask you to meet him at a bar in Dogtown, but when you arrive, you’ll find his dead body out back by the trash bins, having been killed by vengeful Animals.
Choice 3: Threaten Angie
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This third dialogue option only seems to be available if you beat Sasquatch in the Cyberpunk 2077 main questline in Pacifica. Using this option will make Angie back off and leave Aaron alone. Once he wakes up, you’ll be able to suggest what you think he should do:
- If you tell him to either throw the fight or that you heard about his past he’ll reach out a few days later with a message saying that he’s still in the Animals’ pocket, but that he’s started coaching little kids in Dogtown to be boxers as well.
- If you tell him to do the fight properly he’ll send you a message saying he lost, but that he’s left for Costa Rica where he’s doing street fights and making a go of it as a professional fighter.
Either way, you’ll get 5,000 credits for completing the side gig. If you care about what happens to Aaron, this third option is definitely the best. If you couldn’t care less, killing Angie is the best choice because you can get an otherwise inaccessible Iconic weapon.