Once Human beginner’s guide: your first steps in a post-catastrophe world

You’ve just launched Once Human for the first time and don’t know where to start: the story, building a base, or picking a server, which apparently decides everything? This guide gives you a framework for your first few hours: what kind of game Once Human is, which decision you make right at the start and can’t easily undo, what awaits you in the first hour, and which systems confuse newcomers the most.

What Once Human is and who it’s for

Once Human is a multiplayer open-world survival game. You explore a world hit by a catastrophe, build a base, capture and raise Deviants, clear dungeons and take part in various scenarios and events. The game combines PvE and PvP content, and which of the two you play is your own choice based on the scenario and server, not something the game forces on you.

It’s a free-to-play game on PC, mobile, PlayStation 5 (including PS5 Pro) and Xbox Series X|S, with all gameplay content available for free. Real money buys cosmetics, the Battle Pass and similar items that don’t affect in-game power. The developers explicitly describe it as a game that isn’t pay-to-win.

Progression in the game is seasonal. You don’t play one endless world. You pick a scenario that has its own phases, and once it ends, you decide whether to stay, move to a new scenario, or take a break in Eternaland. What exactly happens to your character when a scenario ends is covered in a separate article on seasons, wipes and Eternaland. For now, all you need to know is that you won’t lose your progress just because a scenario ends.

It’s a good fit if you like survival games with long-term base building, don’t want to be pushed into PvP when you’d rather avoid it, and don’t mind the world around you changing every season. It’s not for you if you’re looking for a game with one persistent world and no resets, or if you dislike crafting and inventory management, because the game has a lot of both.

Before you start: choosing a scenario and server

This is the most important decision of your first minutes in the game, because it determines what type of content you’ll play for the entire duration of the scenario. Once Human has several scenarios, and each one is essentially a separate world with its own rules, map and pace. Each scenario runs on multiple specific servers you can choose from.

According to the developers’ official overview, the main scenarios look like this:

Scenario	Type	Who it’s for
Manibus (Novice)	PvE	the very first scenario, recommended for every new player
Manibus	PvE	players who already have some survival experience
The Way of Winter	PvE	you want a higher difficulty and survival in extreme temperatures
Endless Dream	PvE	you enjoy the whole server cooperating against powerful enemies
Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve	PvE	you want to collect Deviants and compete in the Deviation League
Evolution’s Call	PvP	you enjoy team battles in a warband over resources
Prismverse’s Clash	PvP	you want PvP between two opposing factions

The recommended very first scenario is Manibus (Novice). It’s PvE, it teaches you the basic mechanics, and no other player can threaten you there. Only once you’ve got the hang of it does it make sense to decide whether you want to continue with PvE or try the PvP scenarios.

Servers are further divided into cross-platform servers (no special label, you play with anyone regardless of platform) and console-exclusive servers (they have “Console” in the name and only console players can join). If you want to play with a friend, you both need to be in the same region, which you can check in the top right corner of the login screen. If the server is full, your friend can invite you with the “Special Invite Code” from their character nameplate. How the invite code differs from redeem codes and event rewards is covered separately.

New servers open regularly (for most scenarios in Europe and North America every Saturday), but the registration window closes 24 hours before opening, so if you want to join a specific new server, don’t leave registration to the last minute.

The first hour step by step

After the tutorial, the game lets you loose in the open world. Here’s the recommended approach for your first hour:

1. Gather basic resources. Wood, stone and metal are the three resources you’ll need constantly. Metal is rarer and you’ll find it mainly in abandoned buildings and wreckage.
2. Craft basic tools. An axe and a pickaxe let you gather more efficiently and are the first things worth crafting.
3. Build your first base. It doesn’t have to be permanent. The point is to have a safe place with storage and a workbench. It pays to pick a spot close to the resources you’ll need first (wood, stone, possibly a food source), because teleporting takes you back to your base from anywhere, but resources don’t carry themselves.
4. Watch your hunger, thirst and sanity. All three stats affect your stamina and performance. Take food, water and, if needed, sanity pills with you before heading out on a longer expedition.
5. Follow the story quests. They aren’t just filler. They unlock useful items, Deviants and workbenches and show you which areas are worth visiting at your stage of the game. Side missions appear in newly visited areas, including conversations with NPCs.
6. Keep an eye out for Deviants you come across. If you run into a capturable Deviant, taming it is worth it. Before you start hunting them deliberately, it’s enough not to overlook them along the way.

Watch for red icons on the map. They mark time-limited events that disappear if you miss them. The other icons are points of interest you can return to at any time later. How the world of Nalcott is laid out and when a community interactive map comes in handy is covered in the article on the Once Human map.

Systems that will confuse you at first

Deviants

Deviants are creatures with special abilities that you capture and raise. They roughly fall into combat Deviants (you deploy them in fights), territory Deviants (they gather resources or speed up machines at your base), gadget Deviants (an active ability when used) and furniture Deviants (decorations for your base). You only take one into combat, while the rest can work at your base in the meantime. Each Deviant has its own needs, such as preferred lighting or plants nearby, and meeting them improves its attributes. You’ll find a complete overview and recommended first catches in a separate article on Deviants.

Memetics (the Cradle tree)

Memetics is the tech tree you use to unlock recipes, upgrades and new workbenches. It’s split into several branches focused on infrastructure, production, logistics and building. You earn points for the tree through progression (leveling up), completing seasonal challenges and capturing new Deviants. Your investment can be partially reset, but you lose some of the points you put in when you reset, so there’s no point in spending points carelessly right at the start. Instead, aim for what you need for the current phase of the scenario.

Territory

Territory is your more permanent base. Unlike the makeshift camp from your first hour, this is where you invest in buildings, storage and production. It can be upgraded and moved to another location, and you can save your building blueprint and reuse it, which comes in handy when you unlock a new area and decide to move closer to the resources you currently need. The current version 3.0.5 added a shortcut on consoles for quickly upgrading your territory straight from the territory interface. You’ll find a detailed walkthrough in the article on Territory.

Stardust

Stardust is a resource you collect in the world that’s then used for crafting and upgrading gear. The main thing a newcomer needs to know is that it’s worth gathering continuously, not only when you urgently need it for a specific craft. We’re preparing a detailed overview of farming resources and currencies as a separate article.

Mistakes newcomers make

• Skipping story quests. They look like filler, but they unlock recipes, Deviants and workbenches you won’t get anywhere else early on.
• Picking a PvP scenario without knowing what they’re getting into. The choice applies for the entire duration of the scenario, so it pays to master the PvE Manibus (Novice) first and only then try PvP.
• Ignoring hunger, thirst and sanity until it’s too late. It’s easier to keep a steady supply of food and water than to deal with a critical state in the middle of exploring.
• Building their base far from the resources they currently need. Teleporting gets you to your base from anywhere, but resources are gathered by hand, so it’s worth relocating your base as you progress through the game.
• Leaving registration for a new server to the last minute. The registration window closes 24 hours before the server opens, so a late decision means waiting for the next opening.
• Playing solo in scenarios built around cooperation. Endless Dream and Evolution’s Call are designed around the whole server or a warband taking part. Playing solo, you’ll hit a ceiling faster.

What to do when you hit the early-game ceiling

Sooner or later you’ll reach a point where your basic gear and level aren’t enough for what the scenario offers next. When that happens:

• Invest in the Memetics tree deliberately, in the direction you need for the next area or dungeon, instead of spreading your points across every branch.
• Round out your team of combat Deviants. Their abilities can make up for gaps in your gear.
• If you’re playing a scenario built around cooperation (Endless Dream, Evolution’s Call), find a warband or join in on server activity. Solo, you’ll hit the ceiling sooner than you would with a group.
• Consider moving your base closer to the area you need to farm for your next craft. Constantly traveling back to your old location just slows you down.
• If the scenario really doesn’t match what you want to play, you can leave it once for free and move elsewhere. What exactly you take with you to Eternaland is described in the article on seasons and wipes.

FAQ

Information verified as of 22 August 2026, valid for version 3.0.5. Once Human is updated often, so details may change in future patches. You can continue with the overview of Deviants, the Territory guide, the explanation of seasons, wipes and Eternaland, the overview of servers and multiplayer, the comparison of platforms, or go back to the Once Human hub.