Once Human: Best Weapons, Ranked (2024)

Once Human is an interesting game that merges multiple genres into a chaotic whole that just seems to work. It is part survival game, part horror game, and part competitive PvP shooter. It is notable for the truly wacky events that have been scripted, which the player will uncover as they progress.

Choosing the right weapon in Once Human comes down to how the player likes to play. Every player needs a workhorse weapon to use while they explore the huge open-world map. However, what makes a good workhorse weapon might not work well for boss fights, so choosing the right combination of weapons to carry is crucial.

7 Stun Baton

Powerful Melee Weapon

• How to Get: Opening weapon crates found in the world.
• Specials:
  • Light attacks and charges have a 33% chance to apply Power Surge when hitting.
  • Hitting a target in Shock State with a heavy attack causes an additional 50% Power Surge DMG to nearby targets.
• Suggested weapon mods:
  • Melee Amplifier
  • Surge Amplifier
  • Static Shock
  • Shock Diffusion
  • Shock Rampage

Every player needs to carry a melee weapon in Once Human, even if they prefer ranged combat. Using a melee weapon to kill low-level enemies saves ammo, and ammo is expensive to craft in this horror survival game.

The Stun Baton is the best of the limited range of melee weapons available in Once Human. It can do considerable damage to groups of enemies due to the Power Surge proc, which can produce AoE damage. However, it might take some time to loot the initial blueprint and unlock this weapon.

6 R500 - Memento

A Pistol Requiring Precision

• How to get: Blueprint can be won from the Wish Machine.
• Special: Requires the player to hit enemy weak points frequently to boost damage and refill bullets.
• Suggested weapon mod: Shooting Blitz

The R500 Memento makes a great sidearm in Once Human. For players who like to carry a pistol to finish off enemies quickly, rather than waiting to reload their primary weapon, this weapon offers some additional utility as well.

The baked-in special ability will increase weapon damage and reload a bullet every time the player hits a weak spot on an enemy. This makes the R500 Memento a great backup weapon for taking down bosses in this third-person horror game. Overall, this is the best pistol in the game for most players.

5 DB12 - Raining Cash

High Damage Shotgun

• How to get: Blueprint can be won from the Wish Machine.
• Specials:
  • Reloading triggers Fortress Warfare, with a cooldown of 10 seconds.
  • When defeating an enemy with any form of DMG, boost Reload Speed by +10%. This lasts 5 seconds, stacking up to 5 times.
  • When in Fortress Warfare, Crit Rate +25%, DMG Reduction +25%.
• Suggested weapon mods:
  • Vortex Multiplier
  • Frosty Blessing

Some players love using shotguns. There is something extremely satisfying about getting up close and personal with an enemy in Once Human. But what makes DB12 - Raining Cash such a great weapon is that it is perfect for taking down bosses that don’t do direct melee damage.

The Fortress Warfare special ability can stack up some incredible levels of additional damage. DPS is boosted thanks to reduced reload speed and a higher crit rate. Another bonus is the fact that the player’s incoming damage is reduced somewhat as well.

4 KAM - Abyss Glance

Assault Rifle Modeled On The AK-47

• How to get: Blueprint can be won from the Wish Machine.
• Specials:
  • ​​​​​​​Triggers Frost Vortex every 20 hits. Frost Vortex DMG +20%.
  • Each Crit counts as 2 hits.
  • The closer to the center of the Frost Vortex, the higher the DMG, up to a 200% increase.
• Suggested weapon mods:
  • ​​​​​​​Frosty Blessing
  • Vortex Multiplier
  • Frostwave
  • Vortex Overcharge

Every game seems to have an assault rifle based on the AK-47, and Once Human is no exception. The KAM range of rifles, including the Abyss Glance, have a forward curving barrel very much like an AK.

The KAM - Abyss Glance makes an excellent everyday carry primary weapon. The special abilities of this weapon fit everywhere, from farming enemies to defeating bosses. Of course, the fact that the blueprint comes from the wish machine means that most players will need to be very lucky to unlock this blueprint in the early game.

3 AWS.338 - Bingo

Top Sniper Option

• How to get: Blueprint can be won from the Wish Machine.
• Specials:
  • 70% chance to trigger The Bull's Eye upon hitting a weak spot.
  • The first hit after switching Weapons triggers The Bull's Eye.
  • After hitting, weak spot DMG +15%. This lasts 10 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.
  • After defeating an enemy with a weak spot hit, Weapon DMG +20%, lasting 20 seconds.
• Suggested weapon mods:
  • Vulnerability Amplifier
  • Fatal Flaw
  • Hunter's Perk
  • Targeted Takedown

For players who prefer to engage enemies at long range, the AWS.338 - Bingo is the best choice in Once Human. The weapon is based on its baked-in special abilities, which means it lends more towards being a long-range weapon for taking down bosses.

That being said, this weapon can also do duty as a great secondary weapon to carry. It's great for engaging enemies at extreme ranges and thinning out the herd, before moving into a POI to clear it out properly. However, some luck is going to be needed to get the original blueprint.

2 KVD - Boom! Boom!

Powerful Machine Gun

• How to get: Blueprint can be won from the Wish Machine.
• Specials:
  • ​​​​​​​18% chance to trigger Burn with each shot.
  • Killing an enemy that is on fire from Burn results in an explosion doing 300% weapon damage. All targets hit by the explosion will receive the Burn debuff as well.
• Suggested weapon mods: Flame Resonance, Embers

KVD - Boom! Boom! is an incredibly fun weapon to use, as this is an LMG that has a chance of setting enemies on fire with every hit. If an enemy is killed while on fire, an AoE explosion is triggered. In long fights with a large group of enemies, this can lead to total carnage.

The only real downside of using KVD - Boom! Boom! is that it reloads so slowly. Most players will want to carry a good secondary weapon to switch to for finishing off enemies once the magazine of this LMG is empty. However, if the player is lucky enough to get the blueprint for this weapon, it makes an excellent workhorse in all scenarios.

1 Compound Bow

Silent Death From Afar

• How to get: Opening weapon crates found in the world.
• Specials:
  • ​​​​​​​Hitting a target grants temporary Reload Speed +6, Crit Rate +10%, stacking up to 3 times. This buff is instantly maxed out upon defeating a target.
  • At full stacks, hitting a target also triggers Unstable Bomber.
• Suggested weapon mods:
  • ​​​​​​​Decisive Blow
  • Eruptive Bomber
  • Pinpoint Strike
  • Super Charged

When entering a POI that is stuffed full of enemies, it can be a good idea to clear some out first from afar. Using the Compound Bow for this works well, as it is a weapon that promotes stealth gameplay, and enemies are then much less likely to locate the player and attack.

What makes the Compound Bow perfect for this, is that simply killing one enemy triggers the weapon’s self-buff. This improves the reload speed of the weapon and increases the damage as well.

Once Human

Platform(s)

PC , Android , iOS

Released

July 9, 2024

Developer(s)

Starry Studio

Genre(s)

Survival , Shooter , Open-World