Skip To...
Once Human has many diverse builds revolving around guns, but most of them have one problem: you eventually have to reload. And we all know that reloading is a DPS loss. Our Once Human Shrapnel build, on the other hand, begs to differ. If you want to fire 500 rounds of ammo from a 30-round magazine — effectively dealing millions of damage before you reload, then this build guide has you covered.
Best Weapon for the Once Human Shrapnel Build
There are a couple of main weapons that come to mind. Those two would be:
- SOCR – The Last Valor (ideally)
- MPS7 – DIV-EVO (budget)
Both work fine, but of course, The Last Valor is what you want if you prefer the build to perform as intended. Mods matter a lot here, and regardless of which main weapon you pick, make sure you have the following mods inserted (ideally legendary/gold):
| Weapon Name | Mods |
| SOCR – The Last Valor / MPS7 – DIV-EVO | Shrapnel Souvenir (mandatory) |
| Recurve Crossbow | Any |
The Recurve Crossbow is there for the added Crit thanks to The Bull’s Eye status it has. That very well means you need to open up the fight against elite or boss enemies with a Recurve Crossbow headshot.
After that, you can just shoot them with your main Shrapnel weapon to your heart’s content. Shrapnel Souvenir makes it so that the Shrapnels that hit enemy weakspots will replenish ammo in your magazine, allowing you to fire around 400-500 rounds before you need to reload. Take note that this will still consume your ammo reserves.
You’ll need additional armor mods to make it work like this, however. But if done right, you will be able to burst down Hard-mode bosses in less than a minute. Additionally, you need to perform your due diligence and ensure that your main Shrapnel weapon of choice has the following:
- Fully Calibrated (+10) at Tier V (5)
- Enhanced with all blueprint fragments (if you get lucky)
- Equipped with Accessories
That’s half the battle already. The other half is collecting armor pieces and their respective mods.
Best Armor for the Once Human Shrapnel Build
Thankfully, unlike the Power Surge build, the Jaws build, or any other build that relies on Status damage, doesn’t need much in the way of armor. You can use a 3 or 4-piece Falcon set or even some pieces of a Scout Set. Armor doesn’t matter much, as long as you add in as much Crit (rate and damage) as you can.
One key piece of this build is the Beret hat, however. This build will not function as intended without the Beret. But even that hat or headpiece is a purple piece of armor, so it’s also easy to obtain. I will still recommend the Lonewolf Set paired with the Beret as the best-in-slot- for this.
So with that in mind, try to work your way up towards this and their respective mods:
| Armor Name | Mods |
| Helmet: Beret (mandatory) | Fateful Strike / Momentum Up |
| Mask: Bastille / Lonewolf | Shrapnel Carnage (mandatory) |
| Gloves: Lonewolf / Falcon | Crit Boost / Crit Amplifier |
| Shoes: Lonewolf / Falcon | Covered Advance / Slow and Steady |
| Top: Lonewolf / Falcon | Crit DMG mod / Rejuvenating / Head-on Conflict |
| Pants: Lonewolf | Deadshot |
Shrapnel Carnage on your mask paired with the Shrapnel Souvenir on your Last Valor rifle (or the SMG budget alternative) is what makes this build function at the bare minimum. Do not skip those two.
Additionally, you’ll want a minimum of 30 percent Crit Rate, which you can further increase to 40+ percent using Fateful Strike.
It also goes without saying, that you must use the highest-tier ammo you can craft, ideally Steel Ammo at the minimum, but Tungsten or Tungsten AP Ammo is simply better.
Deviation and Memetics Cradle Choices for the Shrapnel Build
For the Deviation, it would be none other than Lonewolf’s Whisper once again. This one is great for boss fights as it will draw aggro for you and it also works well against mobs. More importantly, it pairs well with some of our mods like Covered Advance. You can also choose other Deviations if you prefer, but Lonewolf’s Whisper hits two birds with one stone.
You can find the Lonewolf’s Whisper Deviation in the Monolith of Thirst dungeon (Level 40). Just make sure to use Lonewolf’s Whisper as often as you can in fights for a huge damage boost (more on that later).
For your Cradle perks, pick the following:
| Cradle Choices | Effect |
| Automatic Weapon Enhancement | DMG +20% when holding SMGs, rifles, or LMGs. Reload 10% of magazine capacity from reserve upon defeating an enemy. |
| Deviation Master / Agility (for PvP) | Having it fight alongside grants DMG + 50% against Deviants. |
| Sprint | Movement Speed +5%, Running Stamina Cost -15%. |
| Tactical Combo | Weapon DMG +25% for 4s after switching weapon or reloading. |
| Deadly Combo | After hitting a weakspot with bullet effects (Bounce and Shrapnel), bullet effect DMG +25% for 3s. |
| Rapid Aid | Reduces the cooldown of healing items by -30% and increases the healing effect by +15%. |
| Bullet Hunt | After killing a target with ranged weapons, Shrapnel DMG +35% for 15s. |
| Master Tactician / Brawl Boost (for PvP) | After using a tactical item, DMG against the Great Ones (bosses) +25% for 15s. |
Again, our focus isn’t on Status or Elemental damage, but Crit and Shrapnel damage. Make sure your mod sub-stat bonuses reflect that. Last but not least, here’s how to play our Once Human Shrapnel build.
Playstyle for the Once Human Shrapnel Build
It’s not necessary to fuss over rotations, but if you want to maximize DPS, follow this step-by-step guide, it can shorten your kill time for bosses:
- Bring your Lonewolf’s Whisper Deviation out.
- Using the Recurve Crossbow, hit an enemy’s weakspot to trigger The Bull’s Eye buff.
- If you’re fighting a boss, throw a Molotov or a Grenade (no need to hit them). We just need to trigger Master Tactician. For regular mobs, skip this step.
- Shoot once or twice.
- Reload (to trigger all your reload buffs).
- Important: Avoid aiming or manually hitting the enemy’s weakspot, your Shrapnel procs will hit weakspots automatically.
- Shoot continuously and unload your whole clip on the target, again, don’t manually hit weakspots. Shoot any other part except the weakspot.
- Avoid taking damage to keep Covered Advance’s buff active.
- From time to time, kill some enemy minions to trigger Bullet Hunt.
Keep firing, and you might be surprised at how limitless your ammo is for this build. In fact, you might get tired of holding the left mouse button before you run out of ammo, assuming you don’t aim at or hit enemy weakspots.
