Once Human is firing on all cylinders with Isles of Abyss, a massive update that presents a separate scenario for the free-to-play shooter. While developer Starry Studio has released multiple updates since Once Human's launch in mid-2024, the latest can be considered an expansion of sorts, with an oceanic archipelago leading to an assortment of features and mechanics being introduced for the first time.
Isles of Abyss takes the foundation of the base Once Human experience and expands it with some key differences. Namely, you can now create your own ship and set sail to traverse multiple islands, each with its own enemies, resources, and hazardous weather. And that's without mentioning the community-led aspect and how the entire scenario is divided into two phases. Yes, there's a lot to take into account.
If you're wondering what to expect in the upcoming expansion to best prepare for it, here's everything new in the Once Human Isles of Abyss scenario, all the way from features to resources.
Isle of Abyss is divided into two phases
All players taking part in the Isle of Abyss scenario will be subject to two different phases. The core experience lasts for around 21 days, and once done, there's a rest stage until it all begins anew.
Phase 1 lasts around five to ten days. This is subject to the server's purification progress. If players manage to advance it fast enough, the phase duration will decrease accordingly.
Then, Phase 2 lasts 11 days, with the server purification leading to an endgame challenge: a fight against The Sunken Lord. This encounter needs to be unlocked by the community, and promises to yield substantial rewards.
Phase 2 also changes the scenario in other ways. For example, some ship cannons can only be obtained during that time period. Voyagers, which are enemy ships roaming the seas, have a chance to increase in size and put up a bigger challenge. There are other special encounters that only take place in the second phase, making Phase 1 crucial for preparing yourself accordingly.
The main focus is on building your ship for exploration and combat
Your ship will be your greatest companion in Once Human: Isles of Abyss. You can create them from the ground up, and they'll serve as both vehicles to sail the seas and as movable water territory.
Isles of Abyss does a decent job in guiding you through the early steps of ship building. Then, as you explore the archipelago, you'll come across all sorts of facilities and weaponry to stack on it.
Functionality aside, there are dozens upon dozens of customizable parts to make the ship your own. You can customize the hull, gunwale, bow, deck, bulwark, handrails, and everything in between, with parts having different shapes and sizes.
You can also save ship designs to further customize them later on, or to try different configurations without missing previous designs.
Prepare to dive underwater
Ship building is a crucial aspect of Isles of Abyss, but so is diving underwater. There's specific gear introduced with the expansion that is perfect for this, including a suit that grants resistance to ocean contamination and a fish oil paste to increase temperature resistance and temporary isolating from water contamination. There are stronger versions of the suit later on, too, including the shark diving suit that increases swimming speed.
If you're going for a deep dive, keeping an eye on your oxygen level will be crucial. An oxygen tank will automatically active when said level runs out in order to replenish it. In the face of danger, you can use a consumable inflatable float to quickly ascend. Or you can use your trusty spear gun to fight back. There's also an air cushion that you can use to create a temporary foothold on the surface, serving as a floating pad.
The oceanic archipelago brings new resources
Diving underwater has multiple purposes. For one, you can take on treasure hunts, which are bound to require you to unearth a buried chest far below from the surface. And of course, you'll also find fish to hunt down, which are bound to net you with some of the new resources available.
Below are some of the new resources introduced in Isles of Abyss as well as their main uses:
| Resource | Main Uses |
| Ocean Trash | Smelt and process into plastic |
| Pirate Coin, Ambergris | Used for trading at the beachcombing shop |
| Fossil | Obtained by gathering bones. You can extract acid from it |
| Sulfur Water | Obtained by gathering hot spring water. Can be used to refine sulfur |
| Bay Crocodile Skin | Obtained by hunting Bay Crocodiles. Used for crafting gear |
| Tidal Gum, Tidal Fruit | Harvested from the trunk and canopy of the giant tree respectively. Used for rubber processing and dishes |
| Barnacle, Crab, Lobster | Used to prepared seafood dishes |
| Oyster | When opened, there's a chance of looting shells, conches, shellfish meat, seaweed, or pearls |
| Starfish, Sea Urchin | Used to prepare dishes or detoxident |
| Abalone | Used to prepare dishes or adhesive |
| Shell, Conch | Used to build certain facilities |
Of course, you can expect to find more resources pertaining to other mechanics, but the list above is worth keeping in mind to have a good foundation for combat and exploration.
Expect new gear mods
Your existing blueprints and mods can be brought into Isles of Abyss as normal. The craftable rarity of said gear is limited by your tech progress, while the number of active mod attributes will gradually unlock with tech level. Over time, familiar gear loadouts will progressively reach their full potential, combining with the archipelago's survival resources, ammo, dishes, and combat items.
The expansion also introduces new gear mods. Precision Load, for example, is one for the lower body, and makes it so after hitting a weakspot at long range, you'll gain bullet recovery, which improves sustained combat capability at long range. There's also Turret Enhancement, which are gloves that increase the damage dealt by the facilities you use.
The new gear mods can be obtained by challenging The Sunken Lord, which is the boss encounter that culminates Phase 2 of the scenario, or by consuming Hear of the Ocean during the reward stage of either The Sunken Lord or Calamity Tower.
Sign in early for launch events and rewards
The release of Once Human: Isles of Abyss brings a ton of challenges to tackle and mechanics to learn. As such, being as best equipped as possible will make a drastic difference in your experience as you learn the ropes.
For this, there'll be legendary blueprints available as sign-in gifts, as well as a commemorative weapon skin given away for free. The new scenarios launches alongside this year's Halloween event, so there'll be some thematic goodies thrown into the mix as well.
Once Human: Isles of Abyss will be available after the maintenance update on October 21 across PC, console, and mobile.