By Indie Report in Once Human — 31 Jan 2026

Once Human Fixes - Development Team Addresses Community Feedback with New Features and Bug Fixes

Date: January 31, 2026

Once Human, the multiplayer open‑world survival title set in a strange post‑apocalyptic future, has just received a substantial update that tackles the most‑asked questions from its community. The development team released a detailed FAQ dev‑blog after the enthusiastic response to **S3 Aberrant Progeny**, and the new patch introduces quality‑of‑life improvements, balance tweaks, and a slate of bug fixes.

Key Highlights from the Update

The team reaffirmed the design intent of Pro‑Difficulty Deviant Zones as high‑risk, high‑reward areas where higher material investment is expected.
Ongoing monitoring of Territory‑protection costs, corrosion mechanics, and overall zone balance will continue, with further adjustments announced as needed.
All feedback channels remain open, including the Once Human Co‑Dev Feedback Platform for suggestions on the “You’re Delicious” Whim and other systems.

New Features

Automatic vault deposit: Loot harvested from destroyed enemy bases in Pro‑Difficulty Deviant Zones now automatically transfers to the player’s vault, reducing loss when a base is destroyed. (Live the week of the announcement)
Deviant Sprout dismantling: After the Feb 4 (PT) update, players can disassemble unwanted Deviant Sprouts at a Disassembly Bench, turning them into Deviant Seeds and freeing backpack space.
Extended Deviant Chest timer: Chest lifetime increased from 1 minute to 5 minutes (effective after the Feb 4 (PT) update). Chests now have a chance to drop exclusive Aberrant Progeny Vision creatures.
Improved in‑game guidance: Long‑press on UI buttons now shows detailed rule descriptions. Future updates will add map‑pin hints, clearer combat tutorials, and mechanic breakdowns for Deviant Zones, Void/Solid State, and enemy traits.
Vault capacity reminder: Players are warned that any loot exceeding vault capacity will still be lost after a base’s destruction.

Bug Fixes

Territory‑protection material cost bug in Pollution Zones (calculation discrepancy) fixed on Jan 21 (PT).
Stardust Ore yield bug in Pollution Zones fixed across all scenarios except "Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve"; comprehensive adjustments scheduled for Feb 4 (PT).
Stardust Generator / Stardust Miner malfunction caused by Territory Terminal location rule acknowledged; optimization scheduled for future updates.
"You’re Delicious" Whim temporarily disabled because it altered enemy drops and the countdown refresh mechanic negatively impacted gameplay.
Phantasmal Zones creature‑spawn bug (no animals could be captured) fixed with the Feb 4 (PT) update.
Deviant Sprout stacking limitation remains, but the new dismantling feature mitigates backpack‑space impact after Feb 4 (PT).
Chest duration extended from 1 minute to 5 minutes (Feb 4 (PT) update) - a direct fix to the “chest disappears too quickly” complaint.
Corrosion speed and reinforcement‑cost concerns are under evaluation; no immediate fix was released, but optimization plans are in preparation.

For a full breakdown of the changes, see the official announcement:

https://steamcommunity.com/games/2139460/announcements/detail/540003346670420683

The development team thanked the community for its continued enthusiasm and encouraged players to keep the feedback flowing through the Co‑Dev platform. With these fixes and new tools, Once Human aims to make its challenging Deviant Zones more rewarding while preserving the high‑stakes survival experience that defines the game.