Should you side with Meredith Stout in Cyberpunk 2077?

During The Pickup quest in Cyberpunk 2077, you'll get an optional objective to meet with the Militech agent Meredith Stout. At the end of your interaction with the agent, you'll be prompted to either make a deal with her or reject her proposal and go with the mission as you please. Below I've described all the dialogue choices and their outcomes related to the character Meredith Stout.

How to romance Meredith Stout in Cyberpunk 2077

Let's say you choose the Take credchip option and make a deal with Stout. You'll then proceed forward with the quest to meet the Maelstrom gang members and their boss Royce. After a short interaction, you'll find yourself in a standoff against the crew. You'll be pointing a gun at Royce's head with the following three options to choose from:

• Pay with Militech Chip: When the Maelstromers use the chip, a virus is uploaded into their safehouse and they become hostile toward you. You'll have to grab the Flathead robot and fight your way out. There will also be an interesting boss fight against Royce. Meredith Stout will be waiting for you outside and you'll have a quick chat with her.
• Shoot Royce: Royce dies immediately and you have to defeat the remaining crew members. Same as before, you'll find Meredith Stout outside the facility.
• Pay with your own money: If you choose this option, MiliTech will attack the safehouse. This time, you'll side with the Maelstrom gang and defeat the MiliTech before leaving. Outside the facility, you'll find MiliTech agent Anthony Gilchrist waiting instead of Meredith Stout. He'll assure you Stout will no longer bother you as she's been taken care of.

If you elect either to pay with the Militech chip or shoot Royce, you'll unlock the quest to romance Meredith Stout called Venus in Furs. It's more of a one-night stand in which Stout will text you a motel location where she's staying. You will not find her after this quest in Cyberpunk 2077. Furthermore, this romance option is available regardless of your character's gender.

Related: How to get Ken Block Car in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0

What happens if you reject Meredith Stout's proposal? (Cyberpunk 2077)

After meeting Meredith Stout, you can also select the option No way, not happenin' to reject her proposal. When you meet Royce later on, you'll get a similar set of dialogue choices as before. You can either shoot Royce or pay with your own money.

Selecting the former, you'll of course have to fight the Maelstrom gang before escaping the All Foods facility. You'll get to interact with Meredith Stout outside, but you will not get the option to romance her later in the story. If you pay with your own money, MiliTech will attack and you'll have to fight them alongside the Maelstromers. Anthony Gilchrist will be waiting outside to assure your safety.

Stay tuned to Pro Game Guides for more Cyberpunk 2077 content. In the meantime, head over to our article on How to get the Sport R-7 Charon Car in Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty.