Once Human’s September 16 Update Will Let Beastmasters Ride Into Combat
The planned version update will also simplify ranching around Energy and give Gardeners stronger biomechanical tools with a new durability cost.
Once Human will give Beastmasters a much larger role in combat and exploration when its September 16 (PT) version update arrives. The class overhaul adds Beast Riding, new animal commands, saddle equipment, breeding changes, and a simpler way to manage ranch animals.
Starry Studio outlined the planned changes in its developer blog, which also covers updates for the Gardener class and biomechanical crops.
Beastmasters get one summon and two riding options
Beastmasters will be able to use animal items directly from the backpack or hotbar to summon an animal. Using the same item again will recall it, with a shared 10-second cooldown between summons. Only adult animals with more than 20% Energy can be summoned, and each Beastmaster can have only one summoned animal at a time.
Summoned animals will begin in an idle state. Beastmasters can use the Beast Whistle to command them to assist with combat or gathering, although an animal more than 10 levels above the Beastmaster cannot receive commands. Non-Beastmaster classes can still summon saddled animals in the wild for riding, but they cannot summon them inside dungeons or during combat.
Bareback riding will be available for unoccupied wild animals and summoned animals without saddles. It consumes character Stamina, and the animal will try to break free. Special animal abilities are unavailable during bareback riding.
Saddles provide a more stable ride. While mounted, players can fire weapons, perform melee attacks, gather, interact with objects, use consumables, and activate Deviation abilities. Actions with special animations, such as opening weapon crates, teleporting, or switching worlds, will dismount the player immediately.
Only Beastmasters can use an animal’s special ability while riding with a saddle. The PC command is Ctrl, while mobile and console players will use the dedicated mobile button or the R1+X/RB+A combination.
| Animal | Active ability | Passive effect |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | Enters a gallop that greatly increases Movement Speed | Higher movement speed increases the rider’s Weapon DMG and Status DMG |
| Boar | Charges forward while consuming Stamina and gains DMG Reduction when hitting enemies | Has DMG Reduction and takes part of the rider’s damage |
| Bear | Releases a shockwave that increases the rider’s Weapon DMG and Status DMG when it hits targets | Has DMG Reduction and raises the rider’s Weapon DMG and Status DMG |
| Wild Buffalo | Finds nearby edible crops and consumes them to recover Energy | Can sometimes produce Milk when consuming crops |
Deer, Boar, Bear, and Wild Buffalo are the animals supported for mounting in this version. Wild animals do not have these active or passive abilities by default.
Breeding, whistles, and saddles are being reworked
The Beast Partner trait will stop nearby animals from fleeing or attacking Beastmasters. The class can inspect an animal’s thoughts, Stats, and Traits, then direct summoned partners with the Beast Whistle. The three existing whistle types will be merged into one Beast Whistle, while the original red whistle will be renamed and kept. Other old whistles can be converted by Beastmasters, but they will not be recalled automatically.
Breeding Expert will let Beastmasters craft gene items for targeted animal modifications and improve trait levels through breeding and exploration. The update adds seven attribute groups and adjusts two existing ones. New examples include Deer traits that raise jump height or Movement Speed, a Boar trait that improves HP recovery after combat, a Bear trait that extends shockwave range, and Wild Buffalo traits that grant resistance or improve Milk production. A general Stamina trait can raise mounted Max Stamina by 15%, 25%, or 40%.
Beastmasters will also be able to craft and replace animal gear. Basic Saddles unlock riding, Recovering Saddles restore an animal’s Max HP after combat, Reinforced Saddles increase mounted Attack, and Stamina Saddles raise mounted Max Stamina. Other classes can use the effects of an existing saddle, but only Beastmasters can change the gear.
Ranching will depend on Energy
Animal ranching will no longer use Tameness or Hydration. Growth, breeding, byproduct production, and slaughter yields will all be governed by Energy, while the Docile trait will instead increase youngling growth speed. Trait attributes will unlock at Levels 20, 30, 40, and 50, and attributes already unlocked before the update will remain unchanged.
| Energy | Production and growth | Breeding |
|---|---|---|
| 80% to 100% | Efficient byproduct production, large slaughter yields, and normal growth | Ready to breed |
| 20% to 80% | Normal byproduct production, moderate slaughter yields, and normal growth | Not ready to breed |
| 0% to 20% | Byproduct production and growth pause, with small slaughter yields | Not ready to breed |
Mixed Meat Feed, Mixed Grain Feed, and Mixed Herb Feed will only increase Energy after the update. New icons will show Energy, Courtship, and Breeding Cooldown status in the animal list. Offline feeding will consume food only from the animal trough, and Body Boost Feed will not be consumed while players are offline.
Animal distribution tracking will also be added to the World Map. All players can open the Filter - Resource Tracking tab to see animal locations in the current Scenario, using the same general system already used for crops and ores.
Gardeners can deploy more biomechanical crops
Gardeners will be able to load different types of biomechanical crops into Portable Planter Boxes and place those boxes independently. Each crop type will have its own cooldown, allowing multiple biomechanical units to remain active at once.
The tradeoff is durability. Portable Planter Boxes will lose durability with every use, and a box will be consumed along with the biomechanical crops inside when that durability reaches zero. Grafting will no longer change a biomechanical unit’s abilities. It will only affect the unit’s appearance, giving players more freedom to match their preferred cosmetics.
- Biomechanical Balloon will taunt nearby units before exploding and dealing damage based on the target’s Max HP.
- Rainfall Reaper Biomechanical will grant Summoners a Status DMG bonus and periodically add another bonus.
- Flare Bulbfly Biomechanical will grant Weapon DMG bonuses to nearby Summoners.
- Watcher Biomechanical will select and petrify an enemy within range.
- The Portal Biomechanical will teleport the user back to the unit when players fire at it.
- Agent Biomechanical will attack the nearest enemy, with damage based on the Summoner’s Psi Intensity and the number of existing Agent units.
Portable Planter Boxes containing different crops will be easier to distinguish from their item pins, while Biomechanical Parts and Facilities will receive clearer descriptions for their functions and post-grafting effects. The Beastmaster, ranching, and Gardener changes will arrive alongside the previously detailed MG4 and Treacherous Tides balance changes planned for the same September 16 (PT) update.
Which animal would you choose as your first mount, and will the new Energy rules make ranching easier to manage? Share your pick in the comments, then follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Once Human
Developed by Starry Studio
Once Human is a multiplayer open-world survival game set in a strange, post-apocalyptic future. Unite with friends to fight monstrous enemies, uncover secret plots, compete for resources, and build your own territory. Once, you were merely human. Now, you have the power to remake the world.
- Genre Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Adventure
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, PlayStation 5
- Perspective Third person
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release July 9, 2024
- Publisher Starry Studio
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Age Rating
