The May 13, 2026 maintenance for Once Human is scheduled at 4:00 PM PT and is expected to last around two hours. Players should manage their session time carefully because the actual downtime may shift. Once the servers return, every player will receive a compensation package containing Starchrom ×1,000, Mitsuko's Mark ×100, Stardust Secret Crate: S12 (Epic) ×1, and Colorful Badge ×30. This update introduces fresh weapons and gear, a comprehensive Chef class overhaul, Tech system improvements, the Lightforge Loot Crate: Ember Conclave, Meta Pass upgrades, territory changes, custom server tools, and numerous bug fixes.
New Weapons and Gear Bring Electric Chaos and Explosive Bounces
One of the headline additions is a lightning-based weapon known as the AUG - Electron Cloud. It rewards a careful reload rhythm by applying Power Surge through attacks, while the first hit after reloading creates a spherical magnetic field at the target location. Enemies affected by Power Surge inside that field generate erratic Electric Orbs that rebound off the magnetic boundary and deal Shock Elemental DMG to anything they strike. The weapon also increases all Shock Elemental DMG while equipped. How often will players find that perfect reload timing in the middle of a chaotic firefight?
For players who prefer precision and area damage, the Compound Bow - The Burden of Betrayal combines sniping with explosive Bounce mechanics. Fully charged attacks guarantee Bounce, increase the number of bounces and targets, and boost Bounce DMG and Crit Rate. Each Bounce hit applies a stack of Echo, and a fully stacked target becomes visually highlighted. When fully charged, additional damage scales with the number of Echo stacks on the target. If no other enemies are nearby, the bow sends its bounces back to the original target more often, making it a highly effective single-target option as well.
A new pair of bottoms also transforms movement by replacing the basic evasive roll with a tactical slide. After sliding, Reload Speed and Movement Speed are temporarily increased. For archers, sliding automatically loads one ammo and increases bow draw speed for a duration, which pairs naturally with the Compound Bow for fluid combat sequences.
Status-focused builds receive a powerful field control core. Enemy units inflicted with Power Surge become magnets that continuously pull in other enemies within a certain range. This creates an ideal setup for grouping targets and clearing entire battlefields when combined with the AUG - Electron Cloud.
These weapons and gear will be available in all scenario servers except RaidZone. RaidZone additions will be detailed in an upcoming announcement.
Chef Class Overhaul Expands Cooking, Orders, and Popularity
The Chef class receives one of the largest reworks in recent memory. Chefs can now manage cooking orders through the Campfire Stove, set customized prices for basic and creative dishes, deploy Chefosaurus Rex, and add ingredients to fully automate cooking. Other Metas can place orders by interacting with the Campfire Stove or by finding it through the World Map using the Vending Machine view. Completed dishes are sent by in-game mail, and if a dish is not finished within the allotted time, the payment is refunded to the buyer.
Star Chef Popularity can be spent at a Campfire Stove to upgrade kitchens or redeem special items. Some upgrades apply only to the Campfire Stove and system orders, including Long-Term Storage, Capacity Expansion, Quantity Increase, Rarity Upgrade, and Express Orders. Other upgrades improve dish effects across all stoves owned by the Chef, such as Grilled Dish: Slow Roast, Frozen Cuisine: Intense Chill, Canned Goods: Mini Canner, Grilled Dish: Grilling Master, Stardust Dish: Shell Break, and Spicy Pepper. Chefs can also redeem items like the Star Chef Trophy, Portable Fridge, and various basic or deviated ingredients, up to 99 of each ingredient per day.
Ordering Terminals now appear at neutral settlements, Securement Silos, and some Strongholds. Chefs can rent an Ordering Terminal and link it to a placed Campfire Stove, allowing other Metas to place dish orders during the rental period.
Creative Cooking allows Chefs to freely choose ingredients without recipe restrictions. There is a chance for a Success that grants enhanced dish effects with longer durations. The Glutton trait lets Chefs consume more dishes at once and benefit from up to two food effects and two drink effects simultaneously. Eating the same creative dish repeatedly increases its potency and duration, and Chefs also have a chance to obtain extra ingredients from fridges, beverage machines, and food crates in wilderness settlements. New formulas include the Basic Recipe, Advanced Stove, and Creative Recipe. After the update, duplicate Gourmet Atlas items in Eternaland will be deleted because each Chef can own only one.
Tech System and Worldstone Improvements
Technology progression becomes more flexible. Players can now exchange 30,000 Tech Points for 1 Tech Enhancement Point at the Challenge Shop under Tech Shop, with no exchange limit during a single scenario. Tech Point materials can be obtained by defeating Elites or Great Ones and clearing Securement Silos or Monoliths, and new Tech Point rewards have been added to the Scenario Challenge system. The Portable Fridge returns to the Tech tree with reduced material consumption, and Electric Furnace enhancement nodes allow players to unlock Petroleum Process, Art of Stardust Decay, and Sulfur Chemist on the same furnace. The Old Currency Shop now offers semi-finished facilities and Recipe: Nalcott Easter Egg, while building load for items in the Backpack's Building tab has been massively reduced. Clearing a Securement Silo or Monolith on Hard or above difficulty can reward a Weapon Body Liner Selection Box, up to one every 7 days.
Worldstones also receive a visual and functional upgrade. Their true forms are now revealed as colossal organic entities composed of concrete, metallic conduits, and biological tissue. A Worldstone that is Not Unlocked cannot teleport or be set as a respawn point. An Unlocked but Not Activated Worldstone can be set as a respawn point but cannot teleport. An Activated Worldstone can do both.
Territory, Hive, and Construction Changes
Territory life becomes more convenient. Livestock can be recalled to the player's current location, and lighting fixtures can have their color and brightness adjusted in Construction mode. Finished furniture and dyed variants can now be disassembled to recover crafting materials at a Disassembly Bench. When exiting a scenario, territory buildings will no longer be automatically dismantled. Instead, they enter an unowned state and remain as scenery, which also prevents raiders from losing materials if a defending Meta exits during a raid. To keep territory contests fair, a successful occupier receives a 3-minute dismantle restriction, giving defenders time to regroup and counterattack. Hive members with territory permissions can also share crafting queues and claim finished items from each other's facilities.
Custom Server Hosts Gain Powerful Tools and Incentives
Custom server hosts can now create exclusive game modes. Weapon Customization allows basic stats, traits, and bonus effects to be redesigned using existing weapons as bases. Armor Customization offers freedom across survival and damage output dimensions, while Item Customization lets hosts change the names and effects of food and potions. All customized content can be renamed and placed in loot crates or the Shop for players to obtain. A host incentive campaign runs from May 13 to May 27, offering an exclusive incentive pool with no upper limit. Hosts who actively manage their servers and grow their Activity Index can earn a share of total net revenue and receive dynamic bonus payouts.
Loot Crates, Meta Pass, and Cosmetics
Lightforge Loot Crate: Ember Conclave arrives after the update on May 13. It includes the Fallen Abyss fashion set as a Legendary item, the Wish Machine - Echo facility skin also at Legendary rarity, and the Hellish Purgatory - TEC9 weapon skin at Epic Hype rarity. The Fallen Abyss set features a special wing-spreading animation that triggers upon jumping. Lightforge Ingot packs start from 60 Crystgin and are available under Shop > Super Value Deal > Lightforge Rewards.
Combo Crate: Umbral Cyberlight becomes available on May 21. It includes the Umbral Cyberlight set, AI - MPS7 weapon skin, Duo Action: Ruby Welded Crown, Sole Action: Alien Signal, Lightforge Ingots, and more. Returning limited-time boxes include Noir Legacy, Starry Dream, and Faded Wings.
The Meta Pass receives several upgrades. Every Monday after 6:00 AM, players can claim an Epic Stardust Secret Crate for free. A new Monthly Limited-Time Trial benefit rotates a selection of cosmetics monthly, while the original try-on feature is renamed Standard Try-On. The daily reward for activated passes changes from a Starshine Coffer to an Epic Stardust Secret Crate, and players who activated their pass before May 13 will receive up to 15 Starshine Coffers based on remaining days. One additional Lightforge Ingot can be claimed every 15 days the pass is active, up to two per purchase.
Additional Optimizations and Fixes
Several quality-of-life improvements round out the update. Photo Actions previously exclusive to preset templates can now be used independently, and a new batch of static actions is available. The maximum price for items sold at Vending Machines or the Online Trading platform rises to 9,999,999 Energy Links. Gardeners can now farm additional materials through Material Cultivation, including Flight Stick, Power Cord, Climbing Rope, Tire, Engine, Jack, Connector Firmware, Launcher, Coat Hangar, Diode, Welding Machine, Steel Pliers, Custom Cable, Versatile Screwdriver Set, Oven Mitts, Fuse, and Gunpowder.
Sonivore encounters become more tactical: the creature can now take damage, but it cannot be permanently killed. When its HP is low, it becomes stunned, recovers health, and resets aggro. Hoarder notifications now appear only once per character. Fixes cover female character eye display, territory World Map icon details, recycled facility mail stats, House Blueprint previews, the Mod Shop in Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve, and Molotov Cocktail visual effects.
S4 Visional Wheel: Gravity Abyss Arrives May 27
Looking ahead, S4 Visional Wheel: Gravity Abyss descends upon Nalcott on May 27. Gravity loss returns to add vertical navigation and exploration opportunities. The colossal Riftwalker soars through the sky and scatters mysterious artifacts. Metas who find these artifacts may receive Abyssal Cores of various rarities, which can be opened by spending Gravity Crystals. An Abyssal Core could contain nothing, or it could make a player instantly wealthy, so the choice to open or trade is entirely personal. Brave Metas can also challenge the Riftwalker in a multiplayer co-op battle within a vertical space, earning generous rewards for passing the trial.
This assessment draws from PEGI to frame how a content-heavy patch like Once Human’s May 13 update can change not just builds but also the overall player experience: new shock-and-bounce weapon interactions, expanded cooking automation and ordering systems, and custom-server item/weapon tuning all increase systemic complexity and potentially the intensity of on-screen effects and player-driven commerce loops—factors that often intersect with how games communicate content expectations and user-facing safeguards as features evolve.
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