11 Once Human Beginner’s Tips Wish We Knew Sooner

No one is perfect, and we all make mistakes. Sometimes, we make choices in games that can drastically affect our experience, but that’s all part of the fun, right?

That being said, if we can avoid making these mistakes altogether, it can usually lead to a more satisfying and productive gameplay session, and in a game where you grind as much as Once Human, productivity is key.

Once Human can be a pretty obtuse game, especially if you’re like me and stubbornly skip all the tutorials, so in a bid to keep you alive, here are a few things you should remember before venturing into the post-apocalyptic world of Once Human.

1 Invitation Codes

Borrow A Boomstick From A Friend

You can use your friends’ or other players’ invitation codes to get access to their shared weapons and have a smoother experience leveling up.

Your character will hit hard, and early-game regions like the Dayton Wetlands, the Broken Delta, and the Iron River will be easier to clear.

Press F3, go to the Gather Friends event in the Event tab, and redeem the code. Then you’ll have a powerful weapon that will help you breeze through Once Human’s early challenges. Just be sure to redeem the code before level 10.

And just to show that I’m a generous sort, here’s a code on me:

2 Save Stardust Source

Save Up & Spend Smart

Stardust source is an important material used to calibrate Weapons and Gears. Especially in Prime Wars, you need the Stardust source to craft AP ammunition, Biomass, and Plasma missiles.

Unless you have a high-tier Weapon or Gear, you shouldn’t calibrate your weapon to the maximum level, as it consumes a lot of Stardust Source.

Basically, you’ll want to hoard this resource in the early game and suffer through those early challenges, as you’ll be able to reap the rewards later through trading and upgrading.

3 The Wishing Machine

Build Your Character

Like the Stardust source, Starchrom is a rare commodity in the game, which can be used to wish for Weapons or Gear blueprints in the wishing machine.

I advise only buying and investing resources into Weapons and Gears that you want to use long-term. Even if you get extra blueprints, you should save them and use them to enhance the Weapons or Armor pieces you want to equip.

4 Specializations

Momma Says I’m Special

Specializations matter a lot. They vastly impact your Once Human gameplay experience and affect the type of materials you need to farm for.

I was lucky enough to get Oil Processing, which helped me craft a lot of Stardust sources with Portable Mixed Fuel and Startrace Ores. But there are plenty of other good Specializations that can aid you in the early game.

The key to specialization is to aim for those that can help your Hive or Warband or give you an edge in the trading market of the server.

Related

10 Best Once Human Specializations

Specializations play a key role in the game, especially when you are among the chosen ones who can fend off the evil lurking in the shadows.

5 Don’t Be Afraid To Trade

Get Out Of Your Shell

Don’t be afraid of world chat. If you want to get good deals, text in the world chat to offer services in exchange for Stardust Source, Acid, or Energy Links, all of which are essential resources in the end-game.

It’s an excellent opportunity to connect with other players and invite them to your Hive or Warband. If you like to help others, you’ll find that, more often than not, other players will follow suit and pay forward, and others may even be willing to help you in Prime Wars.

6 Be A Hoarder And Upgrade

Pick Everything You Can

When starting the exploration, you might not know which materials you may require for specific dishes, drinks, or items. That’s why it’s best to loot any Storage crates, Trash Cans, vehicles, or random objects. As this will allow you to just take it all and figure out what you actually need later.

Then, in tandem, you’ll want to kit out your base to allow for this mass hoarding. I highly recommend upgrading your facilities and collecting Deviations as quickly as possible.

You can give Building permissions to other players to build unique facilities with perks. That’ll help you to conserve essential resources. Setting up an Acid, Food, and Oil farm is advised as soon as you unlock Memetics for them.

7 Pick Your Base Location Carefully

Location, Location, Location

It’s equally important to move your territory in a unique location to benefit from local resources. Deviations like Logging Beaver and Digby Boy can help you passively farm Ores and Logs.

Use your telekinetic abilities to fetch items you can see in the distance. Collect plants to get their seeds and kill some enemies to get meat to fulfill your food requirements. To automatically place items in your crates in one go, press H to merge the items.

8 A Completionist’s Mindset

Complete Challenges, Events, and Commissions

Getting EXP can be challenging in the early game, as you want to level up as fast as possible to unlock more Memetics and Specialization slots. Open the in-game event menu and collect as many rewards as possible from various events.

Weekly commissions, Side quests, Main quests, and in-game daily events are all great ways to progress in the game, so leave no stone unturned. Plus, it’s vital to sell items to Vendors to maximize the Weekly Energy Links limit and use them wisely.

9 Fuse Your Armor

Multiple Sets, Multiple Perks

It’s good practice to use a full 4-piece Armor set. You’re free to choose whichever armor combination you want to go with. The only restriction is with the Key Gear, as you’ll only be allowed to equip one piece to your full loadout.

Armor sets work similarly to Genshin Impact’s Artifact system, where you can equip unique sets to benefit from their bonuses. Choose a set combination that suits your playstyle.

10 Interactive Map

Plan Your Route

I’ve been using MapGenie for years, and it has served me well in games like Tower of Fantasy, Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves, Once Human, and Palworld.

If you want to save time while looking for items, I recommend signing up on the site and collecting the items on a regional basis.

My strategy is to check all crates except for Storage crates and target one region at a time. You can track up to 100 items for free, and that’s enough for you to get accessories and loot crates (Weapon, Gear, Mystical, Riddle, Morphic, and Treasure).

11 Purification

Laser Sharp Focus

Only purify in the Stardust Resonant Filter if you’re confident about taking on high-level enemies and have solid defenses at your base. Enemies summoned during the purification process may destroy your base completely.

I usually call my Hivemates or ask for help in the World chat. I advise using level-3 Cortexes, as they give the most bang for the buck for Starchrom. With a limit of 40 purifications per week, you only need 40 Cortexes for the purification.