Once Human: Starting/Intermediate Game Guide

When creating your character, you'll have choices between different classes, each with unique attributes and skills:

• Chef - Instead of being limited by recipes, Chefs can freely combine ingredients to create unique dishes with dynamic effects. They have a portable cooking facility and the ability to stack dish effects.
• Gardener - This class focuses on manipulating the environment to grow crops, including biomechanical ones, which can also be used in combat. They can gather resources, improve the environment, and craft items to support their crops.
• Beastmaster - Beastmasters command pets to gather resources and dominate in battle. They can utilize a whistle to command pets, change them in their territory, and manipulate their genetics for enhanced abilities and drops.
• Freelancer - This option doesn't offer unique abilities but provides a class change item for later use, allowing players to experiment and potentially switch classes as the system evolves.

Your class choice affects your early game experience, but as you progress, you'll be able to develop skills across all specializations.

Your first priority should be gathering basic resources and crafting essential tools. Follow these steps when you first spawn:

1. Gather Plant Fiber from bushes and Wood from small trees or branches on the ground
2. Craft a Basic Axe which requires 2 Wood and 2 Stone
3. Find a water source to gather dirty water, then press T to create a small camp to cook the water and craft purified water
4. Look for Berry Bushes/orange trees for immediate food
5. Craft a Basic Shelter before nightfall

The early game is about survival and resource gathering. Don't venture too far from your starting area until you have basic equipment and supplies.

Understanding the game's interface is crucial for efficient gameplay. Here are the key elements:

Your health and stamina are your most critical resources:

• Health - Decreases when taking damage from enemies, falls, environmental hazards, hunger, thirst, or extreme temperatures
• Stamina - Used for running, jumping, attacking, and other physical actions

Health regenerates slowly over time if you're well-fed and hydrated. Stamina regenerates much faster but can be depleted quickly during combat or while sprinting.

You'll need to manage your hunger and thirst meters to survive:

• Hunger - Decreases over time, faster when performing physical activities
• Thirst - Decreases more rapidly than hunger, especially in hot environments

When these meters get low, your health will begin to decrease. If they reach zero, you'll take continuous damage until you eat or drink.

🌱 Starting Essential Foods

• Berries - Easy to find but provide minimal nutrition
• 🫐 Blueberries (very common in starter zones)
• 🍒 Hawthorn Berries Provide small Hunger + Hydration restoration. Usually the very first food source you’ll find.
• Fruits
• 🍎 Apples (fall from wild apple trees)
• 🍌 Bananas (less common in starter areas but found in wild spawns)
• 🍊 Oranges (one of the very first starting foods you will find and have a mini-quest for)
• Vegetables
• 🥔 Potatoes (grow in wild patches and can be farmed early)
• 🥬 Cabbage (another common starter veggie)
• 🍄 Mushrooms (common on forest floors)
• 🍖 Meat - Obtained by hunting animals, must be cooked to avoid food poisoning
• 🎣 Fish - Caught in lakes and rivers, a good source of protein
• 🥫 Canned Food - Found in abandoned buildings, long shelf life

🫗 Water Sources:

• 🚤 Rivers & Lakes - Must be purified to avoid contamination
• ⛲Rain Collectors - Can be crafted to gather clean water
• 🥤 Bottled Water - Found in abandoned buildings and can be later crafted.

The environment in Once Human can be just as deadly as the mutated creatures:

Weather Effects:

• Rain - Reduces visibility and makes surfaces slippery
• Thunderstorms - Lightning can strike players in open areas
• 🌧️ Acid Rain -Environmental Hazard : Acid Rain is one of the anomalous weather conditions that can occur while exploring the world. It’s especially common in Polluted Zones (where Stardust Ore and other rare resources spawn).
• Effects on Player: Gradually reduces health if you stay exposed for too long. Can damage armor durability over time. Often comes with reduced visibility, making exploration and combat riskier.
• 💀 Sanity Zones You will see “The Great One’s presence is affecting your sanity.” - These zones are highly dangerous, increases mutation in the area and spawns powerful enemies.
• The Great One is the cosmic-horror style entity at the heart of Once Human’s lore — basically the source of the Stardust contamination and the mutations in the world.

How Sanity Zones Work

• Green / Safe Zone → No “Great One’s presence” effect since contamination is within your resistance.
• Yellow Zone (Moderate Contamination) → You’ll see the Great One’s presence warning and start losing sanity faster.
• Red Zone (Heavy Contamination) → The Great One’s presence is overwhelming: sanity loss spikes, and you risk debuffs like dehydration, stamina reduction, or even diseases.

Temperature:

• Cold - Decreases stamina regeneration and eventually health
• Heat - Increases thirst rate and can cause heat exhaustion

To craft items, you'll need:

1. The required materials
2. The appropriate crafting station (for advanced items)
3. The recipe or blueprint (some must be found in the world)

Basic items can be crafted from your inventory menu (B key), while advanced items require specialized crafting stations like:

• Supplies Workbench - What it does: This is the basic crafting station. You can craft tools, healing items (like Activators), ammunition, and various utility items.
• Intermediate Supplies Workbench & Advanced Supplies Workbench - What they do: Upgraded versions of the basic Supplies Workbench. They offer improved functionality, such as faster crafting or access to higher-tier recipes.
• Material Refineries (e.g., Furnace, Smelter, Electric Furnace) - What they do: These stations enable you to process raw materials into refined products. Examples include smelting gold/silver into ingots, producing gunpowder, or crafting special crystals.
• Cooking Stations (Stove, Cooking Table) - What they do: Used for making foods. The basic cooking setup (like campfires or simple stoves) handles early recipes. Advanced cooking stations unlock more complex dishes with buffs.
• Memetics - The Memetics menu is where you unlock all kinds of progression: weapons, tools, crafting stations, armor, building pieces, survival upgrades, etc.

Building a secure base is crucial for long-term survival. Here's what you need to know:

Base Location Considerations:

• Resources - Proximity to wood, stone, and water
• Safety - Distance from enemy spawn points and patrol routes
• Terrain - Flat ground makes building easier
• Strategic Value - Access to important locations or resources

Essential Base Components:

1. Walls & Foundation - For protection from enemies and weather
2. Storage Containers - To organize and store your resources
3. Crafting Stations - For creating advanced items
4. Bed - Allows you to set a spawn point
5. Farm Plots - For sustainable food production
6. Water Collector - For gathering clean water

The combat system in Once Human combines traditional FPS mechanics with survival elements:

Key Combat Controls:

• Left Mouse Button - Primary attack
• Right Mouse Button - Aim/Block/Secondary attack
• Shift + Space - Dodge (when unlocked)
• R - Reload
• Q - Quick Surroundings Scan
• 1-6 - Switch weapons/tools

Combat Stats:

• Damage - How much health you remove from enemies
• Critical Chance - Probability of landing a critical hit
• Critical Damage - Bonus damage on critical hits
• Attack Speed - How quickly you can attack
• Armor - Reduces incoming damage
• Resistance - Protection against specific damage types

Once Human features various enemy types, each requiring different tactics:

Effective combat in Once Human requires adapting your approach to different situations:

Melee Combat Tips:

• Use heavy attacks (hold left mouse button) to break enemy blocks
• Time your dodges to avoid incoming attacks
• Target weak points for critical damage (usually the head)
• Use the environment to your advantage - funnel enemies through narrow passages
• Conserve stamina by not spamming attacks

Ranged Combat Tips:

• Aim for headshots whenever possible
• Use cover to avoid return fire
• Consider noise levels - loud weapons will attract more enemies
• Keep distance from melee enemies
• Craft and use different ammo types for specific situations

Stealth Approach:

• Crouch to reduce visibility and noise
• Use silenced weapons or bows for quiet takedowns
• Observe enemy patrol patterns before engaging
• Use distractions to separate enemies
• Backstab attacks deal significantly more damage

Once Human features a diverse range of weapons across several categories:

Protective gear is essential for survival, providing defense against damage and environmental hazards:

Armor Slots:

• Head - Helmets and masks
• Chest - Body armor and jackets
• Hands - Gloves and gauntlets
• Legs - Pants and leg armor
• Feet - Boots and shoes

Armor Types:

• Cloth - Minimal protection, high mobility, some environmental resistance
• Leather - Balanced protection and mobility
• Metal - High protection, reduced mobility
• Composite - Advanced protection against specific damage types
• Stardust-Infused - Special properties and resistance to stardust contamination

Different armor sets provide various bonuses and resistances. Consider mixing pieces for optimal protection against the threats you're facing.

Consumable items in Once Human offer a range of benefits, from temporary buffs and healing to survival aid, food, and more. Explore the categorized list below to maximize your gameplay experience:

Medical & Survival Items:

• Antibiotics - Healing and survival
• Adrenaline Shots - Healing, survival, and temporary boosts to damage and speed
• Sanity Gummy - Restores sanity levels
• Sanity Corrosion Capsule - Affects sanity levels (**Use with Caution**)

Food Items:

• Goat Meat - Provides substantial nutrition and health restoration
• Grapes - Restores health and hunger, offers minor antioxidant benefits
• Corn - Provides balanced nutrition
• Potato - Restores health and hunger, rich in carbohydrates
• Blueberry - Provides antioxidants and a minor health boost
• Orange - Restores health/hunger, rich in vitamins
• Apple - Provides nutrition and a minor health boost
• Fish (any type) - Excellent source of protein and significant health restoration
• Beet - Provides nutrition and minor health benefits
• Dried Orange - Concentrated nutrition and health boost
• Seaweed - Rich in vitamins and minerals, restores health

Beverages:

• Goat Milk - Hydrates and provides calcium
• Malt Ale - Restores thirst, may have additional effects (**Consume in Moderation**)
• Water - Essential for hydration

Animal Feed:

• Grain Concentrate Feed - Nutritious feed for animals
• Meat Pellet Feed - High-protein feed for animals

Special Items:

• Transformation Cookie - **Unknown/Unique Effect** (**Use with Caution**)
• Basic Health Activator - Restores 50% HP instantly
• Adrenaline Shot - Increases melee damage and attack speed for 15 seconds
• Quick Activator - Instantly restores stamina for sprinting or dodging
• Stardust Activator - Inflicts AoE damage to nearby enemies and provides temporary shield

Herbs and Spices:

• Mint - **Potential Health Benefits or Crafting Use** (**Research In-Game**)
• Saffron - Valuable, potentially used in **Crafting or Trading**
• Sage - May have **Health Benefits or Recipe Uses** (**Investigate In-Game**)