V’s first trip into Dogtown begins not with a firefight, but with a mysterious call from a netrunner who goes by Songbird. She claims she can fix the Relic slowly killing the merc, and all V has to do is meet her at the border between Pacifica and the new combat zone. This opening mission, Dog Eat Dog, serves as an extended on-ramp to Phantom Liberty’s story—low on bullets, but packed with traversal, puzzle-solving, and exposition. Even in 2026, after several updates and balance tweaks, the quest remains a solid tutorial for the tricks Dogtown will throw at players later.

First Contact with Songbird

After the call, V heads toward the meeting spot near the Pacifica border. The route is straightforward: follow the road until a blockade forces a stop, then leave the vehicle and move on foot around the corner. Songbird appears once V gets close enough—no need to hunt every shadow. The conversation that follows not only lays out the President’s dire situation but also unlocks the new Relic skill tree, which is easy to miss if someone skips dialogue. Pay attention here; those extra abilities can shape a build for the rest of the expansion.

Slipping Into the Parking Garage

When Songbird walks off, V follows until she vanishes, then receives a new objective to find a way into a nearby parking garage. This part is a coin toss between stealth and violence. A dumpster sits directly ahead, and crawling through it drops V inside a restricted area. From that point, guards are hostile on sight. A player with a silenced pistol or quickhacks can ghost through, while a Body-focused V can simply kick the hornet’s nest and start shooting. Either approach works, but staying quiet keeps things quick and clean.

The goal is a partially opened garage door to the left of the dumpster exit. It is marked by a glowing V sign above it. Interact with the door to slip inside. No need to overthink this segment—just keep a low profile or burn through a few magazines, depending on how the player rolls.

Restoring Power and Jacking In

Once inside the garage, V crouches through a hole into the next room and moves a metal sheet out of the way. After dropping down, Songbird chimes in about finding a maintenance room and an access point. The camera practically points at the entrance, so it is hard to get lost. Inside, turn right to find the dead access point. V notes there is no juice, so the next step is a short generator detour.

From the access point, head left and drop down to a lower area, then walk forward into a small room containing a generator. Scan the machine, activate the little screen, and power returns. Then backtrack to the access point and jack in. This triggers a platform that lowers from above.

Traversing the Collapsed Garage

The following section is more climbing than fighting. V follows Songbird’s voice through a broken parking structure, jumping onto an overturned truck, crossing a makeshift bridge, and walking up a flipped car. At one point, the path splits. If V’s Body attribute is 10 or higher, the left route lets the player shove down a large platform, which is faster. With lower Body, the right path is the only option. Both routes converge eventually, so nobody gets locked out.

Songbird lights up the safe path with glowing markers, which is a blessing when the wreckage starts to blur together. The journey ends at a broken catwalk. Jump across, follow her to an elevator, and ride it out of the garage.

Through the Market to the Construction Site

The elevator spits V out near a busy Dogtown market. There is no requirement to stop and shop, but new players might want to browse for consumables or crafting components. For the quest itself, head right through the market, look for a set of small stairs on the left, climb them, and move through an open door. Songbird pauses for another conversation before guiding V toward a blue door and a staircase that leads to a construction site.

Climbing to the Roof and Finishing the Job

The final stretch is straightforward platforming with one small hiccup. Use the central ladder or the left ramp to get onto the first level. Songbird tries to lower an elevator, but it stalls. The fix is as simple as interacting with the panel to the left of the elevator—either dialogue choice works. Then step onto the elevator and hit the button to reach the roof.

After the ride, V clambers through a ruined building, uses ramps to reach a higher level, and triggers a cutscene with Songbird. The mission ends with a slide down a long chute—an appropriately stylish exit from a quest that is really just a warm-up for the chaos to come.

Quick Tips for Dog Eat Dog

Dog Eat Dog may not be the most action-heavy opener in Night City, but it is a masterclass in setting tone. It introduces Dogtown’s verticality, the new Relic powers, and one of the expansion’s most important characters without overstaying its welcome. For anyone jumping into Phantom Liberty in 2026, this is a solid, low-stakes way to get reacquainted with V’s world—and a reminder that sometimes the quiet jobs can be just as tense as a shootout.