Once Human Major Balance and Build Update
In the Once Human Major Balance and Build Update, the Starry Studio team makes some game changing adjustments to weapons, armors, mods, and more. These changes are expected to go live on December 19, 2024 and include a rework for the Bounce builds that enhances it's damage potential in single-target scenarios. This is a significant update with a number of changes and buffs that aim to improve and optimize your in-game experience. The official announcement for the Once Human Major Balance and Build Update is covered below.
Dear Metas!
We've been closely following your feedback on weapon build balance. We want every build to have its moment to shine, so we're planning a balance update on December 19.
We understand that you've invested a lot of time and effort into collecting and upgrading your weapons. That's why we'll do our best to avoid nerfs in this balance adjustment, focusing instead on buffs and environmental changes. After the update, we'll also provide extra blueprint conversion attempts (the exact number will be detailed in the update announcement).
This balance update includes the following changes, and we look forward to your feedback. Please note that these are not all the adjustments or final values. We'll continue to adjust and optimize after testing and gathering your input, and we'll detail all balance changes in future official announcements.
Bounce Rework
The Bounce keyword is getting a rework. We're enhancing its AoE damage and improving the combat experience for Bounce builds in single-target scenarios. The new Bounce effect is as follows:
1. Basic Effect Rework
Weapon Keyword | Updated Effects |
Bounce | After triggering Bounce, your shot will randomly bounce to 1 enemy within a 15-meter radius (if no enemy is nearby, it bounces off the environment). It can then bounce one more time. Each bounce deals Weapon DMG equal to 40% of your Attack. |
2. Weapon Updates
Weapon Blueprint | Updated Effects |
Brahminy | 60% chance to trigger Bounce on hit. Bounces +2; deals 50% Bounce DMG to players. Hitting the environment can also trigger Bounce; damage decreases by 30% (95% against players). Bounce Weakspot Priority +50%. |
Roaring Bear | 25% chance to trigger AoE Bounce on hit, bouncing to up to 3 targets. Bounce hits always trigger a rebound, dealing 100% Bounce DMG; after rebounding, it doesn't continue to bounce. Bounce DMG +30% When magazine capacity is below 50%, Bounce count +1. |
Squidward | 70% chance to trigger Bounce on Crit Hits. Each time Bounce is triggered, Weapon DMG +2%, stacking up to 25 times; 1 stack is lost every 5s. After continuous shooting for 2s, Bounce targets +1. |
3. Unique Gear Updates
Gear Blueprint | Updated Effects |
Prickly Dance Pants | Bounce can hit allies without causing damage and automatically reloads 1 bullet on hit. |
Hot Dog Shorts | Bounces +2 |
Sharp Blade Pants | Bounce trigger count +1 |
4. Mod Updates
Mod Name | Updated Effects |
Super Bullet | Bounce Crit Rate +10%, Bounce Crit DMG +25% |
Targeted Bounce | [Renamed as Chain Bounce] The more Bounces, the higher the damage, up to +45% (7.5% per Bounce). |
Not Throw Away Your Shot | [Renamed as Boomerang Bullet] Each time Bounce deals damage, its trigger chance +2% (based on the weapon's trigger chance), lasting 5s and stacking up to 10 times. |
Bounce Rampage | The more selectable targets Bounce has, the higher the Bounce DMG, up to +45% (15% per target). |
Break Bounce | When Bounce hits an enemy with HP above 50%, final Bounce DMG +25%. |
Precision Bounce | After triggering Bounce 6 times, the next bullet's Bounce DMG +100%. |
5. Cradle Upgrades
Cradle Name | Updated Effects |
Bounce Rampage | After landing a bounced shot, Bounce DMG +5% for 15s. Up to 5 stacks. |
6. Tactical Items
- [Bug Fix] MG Turret - Bullet Storm Specialization
- The Bounce Machine Gun can no longer trigger effects from your currently equipped weapon.
- [New] MG Turret - Shadow Shift Specialization
- The MG Turret now inherits your currently equipped weapon and its stats. The turret's Fire Rate depends on the weapon type (shots per minute); for example, pistols will fire slower than rifles. (Only one of this turret can exist at a time.)
The existing Bullet Storm specialization will remain for now but will be removed later to avoid unnecessary specialization effects. Compensation for tactical item changes: We'll send the new specialization card via mail as compensation.
Trigger & Random Effect Optimization
1. Random Algorithm Adjustment
Random effects on gear sometimes fail to trigger repeatedly, which can be frustrating. To address this, we're implementing a new pseudo-random trigger algorithm. When a random effect doesn't trigger, its chance to trigger will increase, reducing the occurrence of extreme cases.
2. Weapon Adjustments
Some weapons' combat experience and stability are heavily affected by trigger conditions, so we've made the following changes:
Silent Anabasis | Ice Crystal now triggers directly on weapon hit; the target no longer needs to be in Frost Vortex status. Meanwhile, increased the trigger chance of Frost Vortex. |
Boom! Boom! | Explosion now triggers directly on weapon hit. |
Little Jaws | Unstable Bomber now triggers directly on weapon hit. |
Abyss Glance | Reduced the number of hits required to trigger Frost Vortex to 15. |
Gulped Lore | Unstable Bomber now has a low chance to trigger on normal hits and a high chance on Weakspot hits. |
Hammerhead | Power Surge now has a low chance to trigger on normal hits and a high chance on Weakspot hits. |
Dusty | Shrapnel now has a low chance to trigger on normal hits and a high chance on Weakspot hits. |
3. Calibration Blueprint Acquisition and Effect Optimization
We've made some optimizations to address the difficulty in acquiring calibration blueprints. We plan to implement the following changes on December 19:
Adjusted Acquisition Methods for Regular and Seasonal Calibration Blueprints
- Dropped weapons will always carry general calibration blueprints (e.g., Rapid, Heavy).
- Refined calibration blueprints obtained from defeating Super Anomalies will always be seasonal calibration blueprints (e.g., Overflow, Energy).
Adjusted Weapon Drop Rates in Dungeons
- Reduced the proportion of melee weapons among dropped weapons from 30% to 10%.
Adjusted Calibration Blueprint Drop Rates from Super Anomalies
Super Anomaly | Legendary Calibration Blueprint Drop Rate (Seasonal) |
Lv. 40 | 0%→25% |
Lv. 50 | 8%→50% |
Lv. 60 | 8%→50% |
Seasonal Calibration Blueprint Effect Adjustments
| Before Adjustment | After Adjustment |
Vanguard | After reloading from empty, the next shot is guaranteed to trigger its keyword effect. Final DMG -10%. | After reloading from empty, the next shot is guaranteed to trigger its keyword effect. |
Energy | After being shot, automatically reload 1 bullet. Attack +15%. | After taking damage, automatically reload 1 bullet. Attack +15%; cooldown: 0.3s . |
Full Adjustment List
We also plan to adjust other combat stats. Below is the full list of planned updates and specific numerical adjustments:
1. Keyword Adjustments
Before Adjustment | After Adjustment | |
Burn | ▪ Base DMG: 10% | ▪ Base DMG: 12% |
Frost Vortex | ▪ N/A | ▪ Reduced the trigger delay time for Frost Vortex DMG. |
Bounce | ▪ Randomly bounces to 1 enemy within 10 meters, dealing Weapon DMG equal to 60% of your Attack. | ▪ After triggering Bounce, your shot will randomly bounce to 1 enemy within a 15-meter radius (if no enemy is nearby, it bounces off the environment). ▪ It can then bounce one more time. ▪ Each bounce deals Weapon DMG equal to 40% of your Attack. |
2. Weapon Adjustments
| Before Adjustment | After Adjustment |
Memento | ▪ 36% chance to trigger Fast Gunner on hit; chance doubles on Weakspot hits. ▪ When Fast Gunner is triggered, automatically reload 1 bullet. ▪ Each shot has a 40% chance to consume 1 extra bullet. ▪ When consuming extra bullets, Attack +80%. | ▪ 45% chance to trigger Fast Gunner on hit; chance increases to 80% on Weakspot hits. ▪ When Fast Gunner is triggered, automatically reload 1 bullet. ▪ Each shot has a 60% chance to consume 1 extra bullet. ▪ When consuming extra bullets, Attack +60%. |
Raining Cash | ▪ Reloading triggers Fortress Warfare, 10s cooldown. ▪ The longer Fortress Warfare lasts, the higher the Attack, up to +40%. ▪ Within Fortress Warfare, Crit Rate +30%. ▪ Within Fortress Warfare, DMG Reduction +30%. | ▪ Reloading triggers Fortress Warfare, 10s cooldown. For every 0.5s in Fortress Warfare status, Attack +5%, up to 8 stacks; after losing Fortress Warfare, 1 stack is lost every 1s. ▪ In Fortress Warfare status, Crit Rate +30%. ▪ In Fortress Warfare status, DMG Reduction +30%. |
Inferno Starter | ▪ 27% chance to trigger Burn on hit. ▪ 20% chance to generate Deviant Particles on hit (collect them to enter Charge state). ▪ When reloading while in Charge state, ammo is replaced with Dragon's Breath rounds: attacks deal Blaze Elemental DMG equal to 85% of your Attack (Burn DMG bonuses apply). ▪ Reloading consumes all Charges to increase Blaze DMG by 10%; each Charge adds an extra 10%, up to 4 stacks, until the next reload. | ▪ 27% chance to trigger Burn on hit. ▪ 20% chance to generate Deviant Particles on hit (collect them to enter Charge state). ▪ When reloading while in Charge state, ammo is replaced with Dragon's Breath rounds: attacks deal Blaze Elemental DMG equal to 95% of your Attack (Burn DMG bonuses apply). ▪ Reloading consumes all Charges to increase Blaze DMG by 20%; each Charge adds an extra 8%, up to 4 stacks, until the next reload. |
Kumawink | ▪ 25% chance to trigger Bounce on hit. ▪ When hitting a Weakspot, Bounce trigger chance +60% (based on the weapon's trigger chance). ▪ +50% base Bounce DMG. ▪ When magazine capacity is below 50%, Bounce triggers +1. | ▪ 25% chance to trigger AoE Bounce on hit, bouncing to up to 3 targets. ▪ Bounce hits always trigger a rebound, dealing 100% Bounce DMG; after rebounding, it doesn't continue to bounce. ▪ Bounce DMG +30% ▪ When magazine capacity is below 50%, Bounce count +1. |
Little Jaws |