Once Human lays out new class system

Once Human is revamping a core mechanic by introducing a class system, along with three new classes that will be available for testing from July 3, 2025.

After sifting through Once Human data, the developers realised randomised mechanics and level-gated unlocks resulted in restrictions that encouraged min-maxing rather than freedom. Instead of being able to run a desired build, players have been using meta builds. A class system hopes to promote diversity in the way in which Once Human is played.

Adopt a new role with classes in Once Human

Each class comes equipped with unique starting items, core abilities, and talents.

Chef

Starting Item
- Campfire Stove: A portable cooking facility that can be quickly deployed outside your territory. Fully solar-powered, it doesn’t require logs or fuel to start making delicious dishes. You can also place dishes on the Campfire Stove for others to use.
- Gourmet Atlas: Gourmet hunters use this to note down their creative recipes. All creative cooking dishes you’ve made will be recorded inside.
Core Abilities
- Creative Cooking: Freely choose ingredients to craft unique dishes without being restricted by recipes. During creative cooking, there’s a chance for a Success that grants the dish enhanced effects with longer durations.
Talents
- Glutton: Can consume more food than normal to gain up to 2 food effects and 2 drink effects simultaneously.
- Ingredient Scent: Has a sharp nose for ingredients, with a chance to obtain bonus ingredients when gathering from Fridges, Beverage Machines, and Food Crates in wilderness settlements.
- Fine Cuisine: Has a refined palate. Consuming the same creative dish repeatedly will enhance its dish and ingredient effects and durations. Dishes that use different ingredients don’t count as the same

Gardener

Starting Item
- Portable Planter Box: Used to store biomechanical crops or cultivate seeds on the go.
- Environment Detector: Tracks nearby environmental conditions when held in the hand.
Core Abilities
- HP Sewing: Specializes in crops and biomechanics. Can graft crops with other crops or biomechanical parts to yield dual-stat crops or special biomechanical crops. Biomechanical parts are sometimes dropped by Biomechanical Deviants in the wilderness.
Talents
- Environmental Expert: Deeply attuned to the natural world. Equipped with an Environment Detector that monitors environmental parameters in real time, and can craft items to restore and enhance soil conditions.
- Portable Planting: Has a Portable Planter Box that can store biomechanical parts or process mature crops to mass-produce seeds.
- Greenhouse Technology: Has a Greenhouse Module that can manipulate crop growth environments.

Beastmaster

Starting Item
- Beast Whistle: Summons a Beast Partner to assist in exploration outside the territory. You can link an animal to your Beast Whistle in your territory.
- Starting Partner: Pick your starting partner: Pongo, Misha, or Shiro.
  - Pongo: A green boar that excels at gathering. Can also forage for rare items.
  - Misha: A golden bear with a larger build than most, serving as a solid wall in battle.
  - Shiro: A white wolf that is a late bloomer with the potential to become an alpha. Capable of evolving through battles.
Core Abilities
- Beast Partner: Uses a Beast Whistle to summon and command a Beast Partner to fight, gather, or mine. The Beast Partner can be changed in the territory.
Talents
- Beast Whisperer: Understands the language of beasts. Wild animals will neither attack nor flee from the Beastmaster, who can also view wild animals’ stats and traits.
- Breeding Expert: Uses mutant genes to change animal traits and raise Beast Partners who can grow constantly.
- Wilderness Master: Crafts gear for the Beast Partner to strengthen their combat, gathering, production, and growth abilities.