The worst part about White Cliff is the run back. It’s no Gravelord Nito, but crossing the bridge between the teleporter and White Cliff takes a minute, plenty of time to ruminate on my bad decisions in Once Human. A Rosetta Securer puts a few rounds into my Meta-Human guts, and I blackout and respawn at base. The teleportation tower is around 1,000m south of the alabaster fortress, but using it gets expensive. To be fair, I’m soloing a Level 60 POI with a Level 6 character. I’m also restricting myself to a machete, crossbow, and the starting armor, which is glorified underwear. It’s going as you’d expect.
The Road to White Cliff
If I were wise I’d move my base closer, but if I were wise I’d be back home smelting copper ingots for The Eve of Evolution instead of dying in some godforsaken compound. I’m ignoring the intended progression path in Once Human, so whatever happens is on me. I should be doing world events or farming Deviants, but that’s not as fun. It occurs to me, as I jog across what could be mistaken for an Arizona desert, that this Groundhog’s Day loop isn’t what Starry Studio intended, at least for most of its players. I’m meant to be unraveling the mystery of Stardust. Instead, I’m here.
I stumbled upon White Cliff, at least as much as you can stumble upon anything in a game that automatically logs every nearby POI on your map. I just wanted to go north, so I went. Winding a path through Red Sands and into the Blackheart Region, I ran from wolves and scavenged from sun-blistered trucks, dead on the highway. I want to experience Once Human from a new angle. I don’t want to run the gauntlet of quests or build a base. Give me an unnecessary, self-invented goal. Sometimes open-world games are the most interesting when you play them the “wrong” way.
Level 6 Meta-Human Dies a Preventable Death
There are many problems with breaching the walls of White Cliff. Most of those problems have names and guns. Though stealth is possible while scavenging in Once Human, it isn’t recommended. Climbing the huge, white stone staircase into the main building, you can’t help but notice the endless sightlines. You’re supposed to roll into White Cliff at Level 50 and dust the floors with the Securers, not show up as a spunky Level 6 like someone nerfed Solid Snake. There are no pillars to block the enemy’s shots. I take two rounds to the shoulder on my way in the door.
Inside the front door is a posh lobby. I’m so taken aback by the polished marble floor that I get distracted and gunned down on a random staircase. After the run back, I die again, this time trying to kite the three guards from the entrance, using the truck as cover as I book it towards the core. White Cliff is merciless today, and I’m having the most fun I’ve had yet in Once Human. It’s no Breath of the Wild, but if you commit yourself to finding fun off the beaten path, it’s there. Even if “off the beaten path” means one of the biggest POIs on the map. Ahab will have his White Whale. After this run back.
