Once Human beginner’s guide: ten tips for getting started in this strange world
Once Human has taken off big-time, with nearly 200,000 people playing it on Steam. But just how do you get started in this open-world MMO? We’ve put together a Once Human beginner’s guide with tips to help you get started and survive in this weird, warped world.
This free-to-play crafting-heavy MMO takes place in a world where an alien substance known as Stardust has warped most of the population, and animals, into twisted parodies of their former selves. And the further you press on into the game, the more you’ll have to deal with these monsters, bosses included. So to give you a solid start, here are our handy tips.
Follow the main story
Follow the main story at least up until Rotten Manor, ideally until the Ravenous Hunter boss. This will teach you some of the basics, plus you’ll end up with a motorbike that cuts out a lot of the walking.
Build near resources
When you build your first base, put it somewhere between copper ore rocks and trees and, ideally, near to water. All resources respawn quickly, especially if you’re on a novice server, meaning you can dash back and forth grabbing all the stuff you need.
Use the crossbow
The game will teach you how to make a pistol and you may also end up with a shotgun and hunting rifle but the crossbow should be your go-to early game weapon. It’s powerful, long-range and it’s easier to make ammo for. Make copper-tipped arrows if you can but before you go anywhere, make sure you’ve got at least 200 arrows on you. They’re super effective against most early foes and many bosses.
Build a stove
Even if you’re standing around doing nothing, you’ll still need to eat and drink. Build a stove as soon as you can (you may need to scavenge for metal scraps) and unlock Dishes 1 from the Memetics menu. This will let you cook meat and boil water, the latter of which you can get from pretty much any water source. You can also do this at your tent.
Build a bed
Build a bed as soon as you can, unlocking it from Memetics (Building – Wooden Doors & Windows – Basic Furniture). Since this is an online game you can’t advance time but sleeping in a bed will heal you and restore sanity. Adrenaline Shots also heal you, but you should keep those for out in the field.
Unlock Teleportation Towers
The game has Teleportation Towers scattered around the map, which make it much, much easier to get around. They’re represented by little pylon icons so as soon as you see once, make it your business to go over there and unlock it. Be warned, a few will have monsters around them, but it’ll still make your life easier.
Keep checking your mail
Hit Escape and click on the envelope to check your mail. Why? Because there could be rewards waiting for you, especially during the game’s early days. Developer Starry Studio has been giving out welcome gifts, compensation for server trouble and more. Okay, it’s not real money but click on them and you could have resources added to your inventory.
Check every corpse, especially if you’re using the crossbow
Every time you kill an enemy the body will disappear but it’ll leave a glowing white light, which represents what it’s dropped. Collect from every corpse, especially if you’re using the crossbow, because that will give you arrows back.
Mod your weapons
You’ll pick up a few mods (plus you can buy them) and it’s easy to overlook them. Instead, make sure you visit your mod screen (via the inventory menu) regularly and install them. You can also enhance mods. Even something like +8% damage can be a big bonus out in the field.
Lower your graphics settings
If your PC isn’t up to scratch, you’ll have problems with Once Human’s default settings. Go to the settings menu, choose Video, then Performance and lower the graphic settings. It may not look as pretty but graphical stuttering can be lethal when you’ve got monsters bearing down on you.
This beginner’s guide should give you a hand when it comes to making your way through Once Human. Enjoy!
