Claire Russell in Cyberpunk 2077: The Afterlife Bartender and Street Racer
The short version
Claire Russell is a bartender at the Afterlife in Cyberpunk 2077, a former Militech engineer who runs an autoshop in Arroyo and races street cars. Maddie Taylor voices her in English.
On this page
The short version#
Claire pours the drinks at the Afterlife, the mercenary bar in Night City, and she remembers what everyone orders. Many of the drinks on the menu are named after solo legends, and they were each a regular's personal choice.
She is friendly with staff and customers, and by day she runs an autoshop in Arroyo, which is where she built her car, the Beast.
Who she is#
Claire used to be a Militech engineer. She quit, opened her own garage, and took the Afterlife job at night. Her husband Dean raced street cars with her riding along as the shooter, until he died in the 2076 championship race against an old corporate rival, Peter Sampson.
Dean had supported her through her transition and brought daffodils when she was recovering from surgery. Their friendship became a marriage. Her grief is the engine of her questline.
In the story#
She meets V and Jackie Welles when Dexter DeShawn's new crew first walks into the Afterlife. Jackie gives her his personal choice of drink, a recipe he says to remember for when he becomes a legend.
Her racing quests are The Beast in Me. V joins the street races in City Center, the Badlands and Santo Domingo, and then the big race. Her side jobs also include A Cool Metal Fire and Where Eagles Dare.
Spoilers The Peter Sampson choice
Claire joins the championship to get revenge on Peter Sampson. She does not mention that Dean's death was fair by the race's rules.
V follows Peter after he wrecks his car. Claire can shoot him on the street. If she kills him, she gives V the Beast and texts the next day that she regrets pulling V into her vendetta. If V talks her out of it, she lets Peter go and gives V the Beast anyway, because racing was Dean's hobby and it is not the same without him. If V finishes the race instead of chasing Peter, she is angry at V.
After Jackie dies, Claire adds his drink to the menu.
Where she shows up#
Besides The Beast in Me, Claire appears in the main jobs The Heist, Ghost Town and Path of Glory (depending on your route), and in the side jobs A Cool Metal Fire and Where Eagles Dare. She first showed in the 2020 gameplay video, where she serves Jackie and V drinks at the Afterlife.
Game files suggest she was originally named Marianne and tied to the Forlorn Hope bar. That version never shipped, and the character you get is the Afterlife bartender.
Edgerunners cameo and fixer's notes#
Claire also appears in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, behind the bar at the Afterlife, which makes her one of the few game characters who also shows up in the anime. Our read: she is a small bridge between the two. If the anime is how you found the setting (David Martinez and Lucy are the leads), she is a familiar face when you walk into the Afterlife.
What players miss: the drinks are named after people, and the menu changes as the story moves on. Check the board once the Heist is behind you. At the table, run Claire as the bartender who knows every PC's drink and, quietly, every PC's debts. See the Cyberpunk RED roles for how a Fixer or Tech would use a contact like her.
Who knows who#
Connections as a table
| From | Link | To |
|---|---|---|
| Claire Russell | serves his drink | Jackie Welles |
| Claire Russell | racing partner | V |
| Claire Russell | former employer | Militech |
Explore#
- Official