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Once Humanis a thrillingopen-world survival RPGset in a post-apocalyptic world infested by an alien creature called the Stardust. The game begins with you waking up as a Meta-Human in the middle of nowhere, disoriented and alone, but with a primal instinct for survival taking hold.
While Once Human’s tutorial teaches you the basic survival mechanics and gives you a handful of items to get started, it can get increasingly overwhelming as you explore the vast open world, leaving you feeling a little lost. This beginner guide covers the best survival tips and advanced strategies to help you thrive in the corrupted world ofOnce Human.
Pay Attention To The Fitness Scale
When you’re first creating your character inOnce Human, be sure to pay attention to theFitnessscale in the Body tab. Your character’s weight is not just about aesthetics; itdirectly affects your character’s stats and abilities.
There are three weight tiers inOnce Human, each impacting your gameplay differently:
It’s recommended to keep your character’s weight in themiddle of the spectrum, as it offers a balance between the agility of a lighter character and the strength of a heavier one. Click on the body icon at the bottom right of the screen to see how your weight impacts the buffs applied to you.
While you start with a chosen weight, you canchange your weight later in the gameby eating certain foods.‘Fried to Crispy’foods, likeFrench Fries, can help you put on weight, whereas eatingrotten foodwill make you puke and lose weight. You will need to take anAntibioticafter eating rotten food to stop vomiting.
Frequently Relocate Your Base
Like most survival games, base building is an integral part ofOnce Human.Your base is essentially your safe haven– it’s a place to store your belongings, craft gear, rest and heal, and plan your next adventure.
While choosing a decent location for your first base is important, it doesn’t have to be the perfect spot. Since you’ll be exploring a lot early on and will often find better spots as you progress, it’s important to frequentlyrelocate your basecloser to more of the late-game locations.
A unique quality-of-life mechanic inOnce Humanis that you caneffortlessly move your entire base and place it in another areawithout having to manually disassemble it.
Join Or Create A Hive
InOnce Human, Hives are a coresocial featurethat allows you to team up with other players to tackle challenging events, explore dangerous zones, and shareresources more effectively. Hive members can collaborate to build a powerful and secure base of operations. Simplyplace your Territory Core in another Hive member’s Territoryto start building structures together.
If you’re looking to join a Hive, consider finding one that aligns with your playstyle and goals. Some Hives are more focused onhardcore combat, while others prioritizeresource gathering and crafting.
Take Care Of Your Body And Sanity
Even though you’re a Meta-Human, you’ll stillexperience hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, and can even lose your sanityinOnce Human.As such, you need to properly take care of your body and sanity to survive in this harsh world.
Hunger and dehydration willdeplete your health and stamina, ultimately slowing you down and leaving you vulnerable. Make sure to always havefood and purified wateron hand whenever you go out exploring.
Certain foods in the game expire and become ‘Spoiled food’ after 24 hours. Consuming these items will make you sick and can even lead to weight loss. As such, it’s recommended to get a refrigerator for storing extra food.
Once Humanalso features aSanity meterthat depletes when you’re exposed to corrupted areas, face a tough enemy, or enter contaminated water. Losing your sanityaffects your health and stamina, making you weaker and more susceptible to environmental hazards.
To boost your Sanity, you need to take Sanity Gummies.If you don’t have these pills on hand, you’re able to simplysleep in your bedto restore your sanity.
Catch Deviants
Deviants are not criminals, but rather unique creatures found scattered throughout the world that you cancapture and befriend. They act as loyal companions with various abilities that can help you survive in the unforgiving world ofOnce Human. There are a few different types of Deviations, namelyCombat, Territory, Gadget, and Furniture.
Deviations are stored in a specialIndependent Secure Uniton your base. Just like any creature, Deviants have preferences that affect theirmood and effectiveness.By providing them with things they like, such as Music, Flowers, Bright Lights, etc, you may keep them happy and efficient.
Craft The Crossbow Early
The Crossbow is one of the best early-gameweapons inOnce Human. While you get a basic crossbow in the intro mission, you shouldcraft a Tier II Crossbow (or higher)as soon as you have established your base and built theGear Workbench.
Interestingly,Once Humanfeatures a unique mechanic whereyou canretrieve crossbow ammofrom fallen enemies or the environment every single time, making it a reliable weapon for beginners.
Besides this, Crossbowsdeal decent damage and can take down enemies from a safer distance, minimizing the risk of getting close to their attacks. This makes hunting wildlife and killing monsters a lot easier. As you progress, you may upgrade the Crossbow to make it even stronger.
Keep Track Of The Seasonal Reset
Once Humanalso features a rather controversial mechanic:a seasonal server reset.After every season, the world will reset, and a new story will begin, allowing you to experience fresh challenges and objectives.
Unfortunately, this also means thatsome of your character’s progress will be wiped, including your character level, unlocked skills, tactical items, and inventory. Essentially, your character will reset to its starting state.
When choosing a server (PvE or PvP) at the beginning of the game, it’s important to focus on theDay or Phasethe server is currently in. This would give you a rough idea of how much time you have to progress with your character.
Certain progress and items will be directly inherited to the new seasons, like your Gear Blueprints and Tiers, Blueprint Fragments, Weapon Accessories, Gear Mods, and any Cosmetic items you find. Everything else will be moved to Eternaland – a personal world for every player that persists between seasons.
