Sandevistan: David's Speedware in Edgerunners and Cyberpunk 2077
The Sandevistan is the implant that slows the world down for whoever is wearing it. Here is how it works, where David Martinez's came from in Edgerunners, and how it plays in Cyberpunk 2077 and the tabletop rules.
The Sandevistan is a neural implant that speeds its user up so far that the world around them seems to freeze. It's the chrome David Martinez carries through Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and in Cyberpunk 2077 it's an operating system that slows time for everyone except V. (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners; Cyberpunk 2077)
How a Sandevistan works#
A Sandevistan pushes the user's reflexes and perception into overdrive for a short time. To the person using it the world slows to a crawl; to everyone else, the user is a blur. When it wears off, it needs time to recover before it can fire again. (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners; Cyberpunk RED)
Cyberpunk RED treats it as speedware, a kind of neuralware that needs a neural link. The standard model adds 3 to initiative for one minute, needs an hour to cool down, and costs 500 eddies at a clinic. Only one piece of speedware can be installed at a time. (Cyberpunk RED)
David's Sandevistan in Edgerunners#
David's Sandevistan came from a cyberpsycho. A former army officer goes on a rampage with it in the first episode and is put down by MaxTac. David's mother Gloria, a paramedic, takes the implant from his body to sell to the merc Maine. (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)
She never makes the sale. Gloria is fatally hurt in a crash, and after she dies David finds the Sandevistan with her things. He takes it to the ripperdoc Doc, who tells him it's military grade, far too much for a kid his size, and likely to drive him mad. Doc installs it anyway, on the understanding that if David ever comes back begging to have it removed, Doc keeps it. (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)
The implant gets David noticed. His first act with it is flooring the classmate who mocked his mother's death with a single punch. Maine's crew turns up looking for the Sandevistan Gloria promised them, and when they see how well David handles it, they offer him a place. (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)
From there it's David's signature move. It's how he outruns the blast when Maine blows himself up. Arasaka's interest in him, and in the strain he can take, comes back to his tolerance for heavy chrome like this. That road ends at Arasaka Tower against Adam Smasher. The Edgerunners guide covers it all. (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)
David's Sandevistan in the tabletop rules#
R. Talsorian wrote David's implant up for Cyberpunk RED in the Edgerunners Mission Kit, a 2024 box set. It's a Militech experimental model, costs 250,000 eddies, takes two neuralware slots and can only be installed at a hospital. Its description asks whether you really want it, given that it has already cost at least two people their lives. (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit)
Switching it on doesn't take an action, puts the user at the top of the initiative order, and grants an extra move or action on their turn. Each use costs 2d6 Humanity. If the user's Humanity is already below zero, it hurts them directly and drops them into extreme cyberpsychosis, at which point the referee takes the character sheet. (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit)
The Sandevistan in Cyberpunk 2077#
In Cyberpunk 2077 the Sandevistan is one of the operating systems V can install, alongside cyberdecks and the Berserk. It's meant above all for bladed weapons. Switching it on slows time for a set duration, and some models add crit chance and crit damage on top. Mods can stretch the duration or cut the cooldown. (Cyberpunk 2077)
Update 2.0 changed how it handles. V can now end the effect early by pressing the activation button again, and installing one counts against V's Cyberware Capacity like any other implant. (Cyberpunk 2077)
The best model is the Militech Apogee. It slows time by 85%, boosts headshot damage, crit chance and crit damage, and stretches its duration with each kill. Its description says it doesn't officially exist, with rumours tying it to secret Militech labs on the Moon. Ripperdocs sell it from level 40. (Cyberpunk 2077)
The Apogee is the nearest thing to David's implant in the game, but nothing in 2077 says it is his. The Edgerunner perk, added in 2.0, is drawn with David's face. (Cyberpunk 2077)
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Sandevistan do?
- It speeds up the user's reflexes and perception so much that the world seems to slow down around them, for a few seconds at a time. In Cyberpunk 2077 that means slowing time for everyone except V.
- Where did David get his Sandevistan?
- His mother Gloria, a paramedic, took it from the body of a cyberpsycho and meant to sell it to Maine. After she died, David found it in her things and had Doc install it.
- Is David's Sandevistan in Cyberpunk 2077?
- Not by name. The closest is the Militech Apogee, a top-end military Sandevistan, but the game never calls it David's.
- What is the best Sandevistan in Cyberpunk 2077?
- The Militech Apogee is the strongest, slowing time by 85% for up to six seconds with crit and headshot bonuses. Ripperdocs sell it from level 40.
- Can you turn off the Sandevistan early?
- Yes, since update 2.0. Pressing the activation button again ends it mid-use.
Sources
- VideoCyberpunk: Edgerunners, Studio Trigger and CD Projekt Red, Netflix, 2022
- GameCyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red, 2020; update 2.0, 2023
- BookCyberpunk RED, R. Talsorian Games, 2020
- BookCyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit, R. Talsorian Games, 2024
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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