Right after the tutorial, Once Human puts you in front of a decision that shapes what kind of game you’ll actually be playing: choosing a scenario. It isn’t a cosmetic choice or an extra difficulty setting. Each scenario is a separate world with its own map, rules, story and pace. You’ll find out how many scenario types are in rotation now in September 2026 on version 3.0.5, how they differ, what exactly awaits players in The Way of Winter, what you’re getting into with faction PvP and what happens if you pick the wrong one at the start.
What a scenario in Once Human actually is
A server in Once Human always belongs to one specific scenario. The scenario determines the map, the PvE or PvP rules, the story background and which mechanics show up in it. Each scenario also goes through several phases lasting from a few days to several weeks. As the phases progress, the server unlocks new game modes, mechanics or parts of the map, so the game in phase five looks different from how it did at the start.
As soon as you finish the tutorial, you choose a scenario and a specific server within it. If you’re new to the game, the official recommendation points to Manibus (Novice), a tutorial world that teaches you the basics before you move on to more demanding scenarios. More experienced players can pick right away.
Servers within a scenario are split into Visional and normal worlds. For most scenarios, new servers open regularly every Saturday; for Evolution’s Call only on the 1st and 15th of each month. Since version 3.0.5, the registration window has also been shortened to 4 hours before the server opens, so you have more time to think about which server you sign up for and with whom. The more players register for a given date, the more servers open, but there is always at least one.
Scenario overview: how they differ and who they suit
Once Human currently has seven scenario types in rotation. Two of them (Manibus and its novice version) are entry points for new players, while the rest offer different experiences, from co-op survival to faction PvP.
| Scenario | PvE / PvP | Who it’s for | What makes it special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manibus (Novice) | PvE | complete beginners | tutorial world where you learn the basic mechanics of Once Human |
| Manibus | PvE | players with some basic experience | open world, building up your strength and fending off attacks from the Manibus faction |
| The Way of Winter | PvE | players who want a survival challenge | extreme cold and heat mechanic, building a Thermal Tower, fighting the Chaosweaver |
| Endless Dream | PvE | players who want to cooperate with others | dynamic Dream Zones that change based on how the whole server plays |
| Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve | PvE | Deviant collectors | hunting, securing Deviants and battles in the Deviation League |
| Evolution’s Call | PvP | players who want team battles | warbands compete for resources on the front line and clash directly |
| Prismverse’s Clash | PvP | players who want faction PvP | two factions fight over Prism Deviations and gather Prism Energy |
In every scenario you also pick a server by type: cross-platform servers are available from all devices, while console servers have a “Console” tag in their name and only console players play on them. Players on PC or mobile can only view characters from console servers but can’t log in to them, and vice versa.
The Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve scenario stands a bit apart from this overview. Instead of surviving against the environment or fighting other players, it’s mainly about the Deviants themselves. The goal is to secure Deviations, build a team and fight your way through the Deviation League, so it suits players who enjoy collecting and breeding more than fighting over territory or PvP starts. A detailed overview of Deviants and their traits is in the separate article on Deviants.
The Way of Winter in more detail
The Way of Winter is a PvE scenario built around surviving extreme temperatures, and it’s the only scenario where the ambient temperature directly drains your health if you don’t manage it. The game divides temperature into bands from freezing Frost to scorching Blaze, and the ideal is to stay somewhere in the middle. Outside the safe band you gradually build up stacks (Frozen in the cold, Combustion in the heat), and after collecting several stacks you risk dying.
You protect yourself against the extremes in three ways: food with a bonus to cold or heat resistance, clothing and armor with passive protection, and structures like a furnace or crafting stations that let you make items that raise your resistance. The key structure of the scenario is the Thermal Tower, a Wonder that regulates the temperature over a large area around it and needs fuel to run.
The climax of the scenario is the Chaosweaver, an enemy that appears in a later phase and affects the temperature over a large area around it. Defeating the Chaosweaver requires cooperation from the whole server, not just one group of players. It’s a server-wide goal that closes the main storyline of the scenario.
Version 3.0.5 raised the score cap for turning in Chaosium Hearts in Scenario Honor to 200, so players who actively farm and turn in resources in Way of Winter now earn more points for it than before.
Compared to Manibus or Endless Dream, Way of Winter is the only scenario where inactivity physically hurts you. It isn’t only about surviving an encounter with an enemy, but also about how long you can last away from shelter. That’s exactly why the scenario suits players who enjoy planning supplies and building infrastructure (furnaces, the Thermal Tower, food storage) more than pure combat. If you don’t care for survival mechanics, you’ll find a calmer pace in Manibus or in the co-op Endless Dream.
PvP scenarios: what you’re getting into
If you’d rather fight other players than survive against the environment, you have two scenarios to choose from.
Prismverse’s Clash is two-faction PvP. At the start you choose between the Mayfly and Rosetta factions, each with its own specializations and playstyle. The goal is to secure Prism Deviations and gather Prism Energy; the faction that collects more wins. Version 3.0.5 adjusted Scenario Honor scoring in this scenario: every 50 Prism Energy collected in Faction War now adds 25 points, and the cap for defeating players was raised to 150. The server for Prismverse’s Clash (a so-called Visional world) opens regularly every Saturday.
Evolution’s Call is built on warbands, teams that compete with each other for resources on the front line and clash directly in combat. It suits players who want team PvP rather than a solo faction conflict. Unlike the others, this scenario doesn’t open every week, only on the 1st and 15th of each month.
For both PvP scenarios, builds tuned for PvE (pure damage output) work worse there than in a regular world. In PvP, survivability, resistance and team coordination pay off more.
The difference between the two PvP scenarios is mainly what the fighting revolves around. Evolution’s Call is primarily about warbands and direct clashes over resources on the front line, which is closer to classic team PvP. In Prismverse’s Clash, the fighting takes place between two large factions, and besides direct combat, exploration, building a base in the safe zone and completing faction quests also play a role before you even get into open conflict. If you want hard PvP right away without a ramp-up, go for Evolution’s Call; if you want PvP with a more pronounced preparation phase, Prismverse’s Clash will suit you better.
How to choose a scenario and what if you choose wrong
Choosing the wrong scenario in Once Human won’t lock you into a dead end. The game expects you to move between scenarios and gives you clear rules for it:
- Until the scenario reaches the rest period, you can leave it once for free and sign up somewhere else.
- After entering the rest period, the server automatically merges with the permanent server of that scenario, so you don’t have to do anything manually.
- If you stay on your current server, you keep your progress and your supplies.
- If you leave the scenario, you move to Eternaland. Weapons, armor, resources, medicine, Deviants and calibration blueprints are transferred there, and Energy Links turn into Astral Sand.
- You then take items from Eternaland back into a new scenario with Resource Inheritance Points. Cosmetics, most currencies, recipes and game progress carry over automatically, without points.
In other words, you don’t have to try a new scenario the moment it opens, and you don’t lose your old scenario if you decide to stay. Eternaland serves exactly as a place you can retreat to at any time, sort out your supplies and calmly decide where to go next.
What’s coming: Isles of Abyss
A note in the release of version 3.0.5 (2 September 2026) mentions that the developers are gradually pre-downloading map resources for the upcoming Isles of Abyss scenario, which is why recent game updates are bigger than they used to be. Apart from the name itself and the fact that the game is technically preparing for it, official sources haven’t revealed anything else yet. When more details appear, we’ll add them here.
FAQ
Currently (version 3.0.5, September 2026) there are seven types: Manibus (Novice), Manibus, The Way of Winter, Endless Dream, Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve, Evolution’s Call and Prismverse’s Clash. Isles of Abyss is also on the way, but without a confirmed release date.
No, it’s only a recommendation for complete beginners. If you understand basic crafting and survival, feel free to pick a different scenario right away.
No. Key gear, resources and Deviants are transferred to Eternaland when you leave a scenario, and you take them back from there with Resource Inheritance Points. Fashion, most currencies and game progress carry over directly.
According to the official description, it’s a scenario u0022for players looking for a survival challengeu0022, so it aims for a more demanding experience than, for example, Manibus. It also adds a mechanic you won’t find anywhere else: temperature that actively drains your health.
No. Progression, crafting and most of the content are available in PvE scenarios. The PvP scenarios (Evolution’s Call, Prismverse’s Clash) are an optional choice for players who want to fight others.
It varies by scenario and phase. Individual phases last from several days to several weeks, and a whole scenario lasts weeks to months.
It hasn’t been officially announced yet. We only know that the game has been technically preparing for it by gradually downloading map data since version 3.0.5.
Yes, just not on one character at the same time. You always move a character between scenarios through Eternaland, but nothing stops you from having one scenario in progress while trying another one on a new login.
Information verified as of 10 September 2026, Once Human version 3.0.5. The game updates every two weeks, so numbers and scenario phases may shift. If you want to choose a scenario with confidence, also check the beginner’s guide, servers and multiplayer, seasons, wipes and Eternaland or the Deviants overview. You’ll find the complete hub overview on the Once Human page.