Once Human’s September 16 Update Will Make MG4 Shrapnel Trigger Faster and Tie Treacherous Tides to HP
The planned pass adds an area Shrapnel effect, raises the Treacherous Tides four-piece shield to 30% of max HP, and remains subject to testing changes.

Once Human‘s September 16 (PT) update will bring two combat balance changes, making MG4 – Conflicting Memories trigger Shrapnel more often and tying Treacherous Tides’ damage bonuses to HP instead of sanity. Starry Studio outlined the plans in its September combat balance developer update.
MG4 – Conflicting Memories will receive a lower Shrapnel hit threshold, a new area effect, Super Armor protection, and higher Shrapnel damage values. Treacherous Tides will use a player’s current HP to determine its damage bonus, while its four-piece set effect will provide a larger Shield.
The values are still being tested, so Starry Studio warned that the final in-game numbers may receive slight adjustments. The September 16 update is also the target for a previously announced planter skin fix.
MG4 – Conflicting Memories will trigger Shrapnel sooner
Conflicting Memories currently triggers Shrapnel after 12 hits. The planned adjustment will cut that requirement to 6 hits, giving the weapon a faster damage rhythm during sustained fire.
Reloading or reaching 12 cumulative hits will also upgrade the next Shrapnel trigger to Memory Storm, which applies Shrapnel to targets within range at the same time. Each Shrapnel application will grant 0.5 seconds of Super Armor, and the effect can stack. The weapon will also gain one Shrapnel part and a higher Shrapnel DMG rate.
Treacherous Tides will use HP for its damage bonus
Treacherous Tides previously tied its strongest damage benefits to sanity, which required players to maintain or lower that resource during combat. After the adjustment, the set will measure current HP instead, allowing players to judge its benefit from their health bar.
The two-piece bonus will decrease from 12% to 10% for Weapon DMG and Status DMG when HP is below 70%. The three-piece bonus will still reduce max HP when sanity is low, but its damage bonus will now rise as current HP falls, reaching up to 28% when HP is below 60%. The fixed 10% damage bonus is being removed from that tier.
Players using the four-piece set will receive a Shield equal to 30% of max HP when HP drops below 40%, up from 20%. The cooldown will remain 8 seconds.
Once Human September Balance Adjustment Notes
The official adjustment details below compare the planned values with the current effects. They will be part of the September 16 (PT) update if the testing numbers remain unchanged.
| Adjustment Details | After | Before |
|---|---|---|
| MG4 – Conflicting Memories | Every 6 hits triggers Shrapnel on the target.
|
Triggers Shrapnel after 12 hits.
|
| 2-Piece Set | When HP is below 70%, Weapon DMG and Status DMG +10%. | When HP is below 70%, Weapon DMG and Status DMG +12%. |
| 3-Piece Set | Low sanity reduces max HP by up to 60%. The lower your current HP, the higher your Weapon DMG and Status DMG, up to +28% (attained when HP is below 60%). | The max HP effect from low sanity is decreased by 40%. Weapon and Status DMG +10% and further increases as your sanity drops, up to +28% (attained at 30% of max sanity). |
| 4-Piece Set | Generates a Shield equal to 30% of max HP when HP is below 40%. Cooldown: 8s. | Generates a Shield equal to 20% of max HP when HP is below 40%. Cooldown: 8s. |
* The above values are for testing. There may be slight adjustments when implemented in-game.
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Once Human
Developed by Starry Studio





