DogTown

Golden Pacific is a neighborhood located in Dogtown, in the Pacifica district of southern Night City Longshore Stacks is a large cargo container community located in Dogtown, in the Pacifica district of southern Night City Luxor Heights is a neighborhood located in Dogtown, in the Pacifica district of southern Night City Terra Cognita is an abandoned-technological park located in Dogtown, in the Pacifica district of southern Night City.

Dogtown, the infamous walled-off district located within Pacifica in Night City, was not always a lawless war zone. In fact, its origins lie in a high-concept, corporate-backed vision for a luxurious future. Originally named Serenisands, the area was designed in the late 2050s to be a high-end touristic destination, with significant investments coming from megacorporations—most notably Militech. Major construction firms like HFS, Zhirafa, Corp-Bud, and Aurochs were brought in to turn eastern Pacifica into a paradise of futuristic leisure and innovation.   Early development saw the demolition of older buildings to make way for new state-of-the-art resorts, entertainment venues, and residential structures. One of the crown jewels of the project was to be the EBM Petrochem Stadium, designed as a major attraction for tourists and locals alike. Other major developments, like the Eventide Resort & Spa, the Heavy Hearts Club, and even a planned Militech Night City headquarters, were showcased at the ambitious Founding Our Future Innovation EXPO—intended to market Serenisands as the next big thing in urban luxury and corporate innovation.   However, progress came to a halt following a massive explosion beneath one of Serenisands' construction sites. Investigations were launched, and although no official cause was ever identified, rumors circulated that a forgotten part of Project Cynosure—a black-budget operation connected to Militech from the 2020s—had been disturbed. It was later revealed that Militech had developed a network of hidden labs and bunkers under Pacifica’s infrastructure, which were abandoned before the outbreak of the Fourth Corporate War. In response to the incident, the Night City Council claimed a gas leak and authorized the walling off of Serenisands. Militech then constructed a massive security wall, supposedly to contain the "hazard" and restore investor confidence.   Despite the temporary resurgence in investment following the incident, the Unification War (2069–2070) devastated what was left of Serenisands’ dream. As fear of a full-scale NUSA invasion loomed, especially from the south, investors and corporations abandoned the area en masse. The situation was further complicated when Colonel Kurt Hansen, a commander in the New United States Army, ignored post-war orders to vacate Pacifica and instead seized control of the territory. Hansen rejected the terms of the Arvin Accord, establishing a military stronghold and turning his private army—BARGHEST—into the region’s ruling force.   Under Hansen’s control, what was left of Serenisands collapsed. Construction projects were permanently suspended, leaving towering shells of steel and concrete to decay. With the district abandoned by official authorities and megacorporations, it quickly descended into lawlessness. Gangs, squatters, and the homeless moved in to occupy the remnants. Eventually, the militarized zone was nicknamed Dogtown, inspired by Hansen’s reputation and the brutal tactics of his BARGHEST militia.   One of the district’s most symbolic landmarks—the crashed cargo aerozep in EBM Petrochem Stadium—was never cleared. Instead, its nuclear engine was salvaged and repurposed to power the entire district. With this internal energy source, Dogtown became functionally independent from the rest of Night City.   As a sovereign black market zone with no corporate oversight or legal accountability, Dogtown became a haven for illicit activity. Hansen and his inner circle operated a thriving underground economy, trafficking weapons and goods through Dogtown’s black market. The ruling elite prospered while the majority of residents—those who came seeking refuge or a better life—found themselves living in squalor, caught under a new kind of oppressive regime.   By 2077, Dogtown remained a fortified and isolated territory, governed by Colonel Hansen with absolute authority. BARGHEST continued to enforce martial law within its walls, and outsiders rarely ventured in without cause—or backup. That same year, the status quo was shattered once again when President Rosalind Myers’s Space Force One was shot down over Night City, crash-landing in Dogtown. The incident drew the eyes of the world back to the district, setting in motion a new chapter of conflict, conspiracy, and survival in Night City’s most volatile zone.   Dogtown’s history is one of promise turned to decay, of freedom twisted into tyranny. It is a place where dreams were built, burned, and buried beneath concrete ruins—and where power is seized, not given.