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Once Human is now out in its 1.0 full release and there have been significant changes ever since the beta. As expected, there are legions of newbies running around, and if you’re one of them, it’s easy to commit some mistakes. Thankfully, I’m here to help you avoid some of the most common beginner mistakes in Once Human. If you manage to avoid them, you’ll have smoother sailing later on in the higher levels.
Ignoring Character Physique
Surprisingly, character physique and appearance matter quite a bit in Once Human. It’s one of the few survival games that have this mechanic. Your character’s weight dictates their buffs or debuffs (refer to the image above for reference). Taller and heavier characters are not ideal for melee combat.
The sweet spot is the middle, of course since you can carry a lot and have damage reduction. Smaller and lighter characters are great for melee and running, but bad for hauling. It’s something you want to consider before making your character too tall, too short, too muscular, or too thick. If you’ve already made a character, then tough luck.
Fussing Too Much About Base Location
Once Human is a survival RPG game where you also build bases, like most other games in its genre. Base location is thus important, however, it’s not as rigid as other survival-crafting RPGs. You can actually move your base in Once Human, and quite seamlessly too (similar to Fallout 76).
That very well means you shouldn’t really fuss too much or be picky about your base unless you’re in a PvP server. You can pack up and move with a few button presses. Base re-location has a cooldown, by the way, but it’s still a generous system. So go pursue that nomadic playstyle all you want.
Poorly Defended Bases
Now, while base locations don’t matter too much since you can move easily, being a slob when it comes to base and home building in Once Human will bite you back in the rear later on. Base layouts and planning are important game mechanics here once you start unlocking Starchrom (currency for gacha mechanics).
One of the game’s main modes is a base defense where monsters will attack your base while you crack purify Cortexes (for Starchrom) on a timer. Poorly built bases with terrible defenses are indeed among the deadliest beginner mistakes in Once Human because of this. You can ignore this game mode if you don’t like shoring up base defenses, but the rewards and incentives are too tempting and too good.
Using Energy Links to Fast Travel
There is a fair fast travel mechanic in Once Human but it’s not exactly free unless you’re returning to your base. Fast travel to Teleporters or NPC bases costs Energy Link, which is a currency that allows you to upgrade, build, and pursue other gameplay-progressing activities in Once Human.
Thus, fast traveling too often between non-base locations is one of the biggest beginner mistakes you can make in Once Human. Because once you’ve run out of Energy Link, you might find it hard to unlock Memetics (perks), weapon upgrades, weapons, armor, and visit other locations. So use the motorcycle or car unless the location is too far.
Ignoring Melee Weapons
Gunpowder, which comes from the Acid material in Once Human can quickly become a scarce resource if you’re too trigger-happy or if you seldom loot dead enemies. So in the early game, you’d do well to conserve your ammo, Gunpowder, or Acid by opting to fight melee instead.
Most starting enemies in Once Human are “zombies” anyway and are limited to melee range. You might even be surprised to see that melee weapons can take down weaker enemies in as little as two strikes– much faster than shooting them with starter guns. Of course, when it comes to flying enemies or bosses with weak points, use the guns instead.
Forgetting to Transfer Mods
When changing weapons and armor in Once Human (which can happen often), the Mods don’t transfer automatically. You have to take out the Mods one by one and place them in the new weapon or armor you equipped. So if you’re wondering why your upgrade seems underperforming, this might be the issue.
You simply forgot to transfer the Mods to your new, more powerful gear. You’ll want to make a habit of checking and transferring your prized mods before you shelve or store your older, weaker gear. Certain Mods in Once Human can be rather build-enabling or build-defining, and you don’t want to accidentally weaken yourself.
Ignoring Quests
At times, survival RPGs can be overwhelming and you might find yourself fixating on exploring, chopping, mining, cooking, farming, or fishing– all of which are available in Once Human. But do yourself a favor and stick to the main quest when you’re below Level 20 or 25.
Some main quests and side quests (like the Digby Boy quest) can reward convenient items, weapons, and armor, and even unlock certain mechanics that can make your life easier. You can generally see the reward for each active quest in the Tasks menu. Check those first before you wander off like a true gamer.
