Best Early Game Weapons in Once Human

There are plenty of weapons to choose from in Once Human, meaning you can start fighting Deviants right off the bat. Here are our picks for the best early game weapons in Once Human.

Once Human Best Early Game Weapons

You’ll automatically acquire a machete and a crossbow as you progress through The Eve of Evolution, the first mission in the game. These weapons will serve you well until you get blueprints for more effective weapons.

You have three weapon slots in Once Human – two for ranged weapons and one for melee. However, you can have more in your inventory at any time. So, there’s no harm in keeping more on hand. It’s worth considering that ammo is a limited resource and, while it’s easy to craft more in high quantities, this might not always be feasible.

Initially, you’ll be given the chance to craft the following weapon types:

• Pistol: Decent all-round firearms with decent magazine capacity.
• Shotgun: Strong guns with small magazine sizes and low range.
• SMG: Weaker than most guns, but have the highest fire rate. However, the small magazine size means you’ll be reloading frequently, and the high fire rate means you’ll be chewing through ammo.
• Rifle: Slightly stronger than the SMG and with a slightly larger magazine size.
• Sniper Rifle: Strong and accurate, the Sniper Rifle is best at range. The slow fire rate and small magazine might put you in danger if you try to use it up close.
• LMG: The SMG’s big brother. Slightly weaker and moderately slower, but with an increased magazine size.

Best Weapons to Choose in Once Human

Which weapon you pick is up to you. For our money, the pistol is the best pick. It packs a decent punch with a decent fire rate, which can offset the low magazine capacity. While flashier weapons might excel elsewhere, you’ll find yourself picking between a strong weapon with a smaller magazine or a weaker weapon with a high fire rate, which risks burning through your ammo quickly.

If you have the material to craft more, we recommend the shotgun. While the magazine size is small, it packs a punch that can quickly kill any hostiles that come too close. However, the crossbow itself is a decent weapon and one of the strongest of the early choices.

As you progress through the opening missions, you’ll eventually unlock the Recurve Bow. While it’s not necessarily the strongest of the early weapons, it has a good combination of range and accuracy, letting you strike an enemy’s weak point. Don’t forget that you can enter first-person mode by right-clicking, which will increase your accuracy further.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that characters above 85kg gain a +15 boost to weapon stability. As such, weapons with low stability, such as the SMG, Rifle, and LMG are more effective in their hands.

As for melee weapons, you’ll get the chance to craft a Baseball Bat B.P. or a Torch B.P. from the start. Of the two, the baseball bat is the best (and, for our money, coolest). While the machete is slightly stronger, the bat has an increased critical hit rate and a boost to weak point damage. The first heavy hit against an enemy (excluding bosses and meta-humans) also inflicts blunt damage, reducing their damage output by 30% for 15 seconds.

One thing to keep in mind when it comes to crafting weapons is materials. Don’t be dissuaded if you’re told you don’t have to click the materials required. Simply click on the box and you’ll see the materials required to craft them, which you can do immediately from the crafting bench.

Looking for more tips to get started in Once Human? Here’s everything you need to know about fitness levels and teleportation. We’ve also got guides on how to change worlds and the best PC settings.