Once Human: Power Surge Build Guide

Power Surge is one of the best weapon effects in Once Human for those looking to deal raw DPS. It's essentially a secondary damage instance that stacks on top of your normal weapon damage, significantly boosting your overall DPS with little to no drawbacks in exchange.

Making a build that takes full advantage of Power Surge can be a little tricky, especially considering the sheer amount of mods and bonuses in the game. However, if you want to beat even the hardest bosses in Once Human, you'll need to get a good build rolling. Here's a setup that aims to get the most out of the Power Surge effect.

Updated September 15, 2024 by Marc Santos: With the second set of scenarios now live for Once Human, players can expect some new Cradle Override effects to use for their builds. The core of this build has remained intact, but there are some new override perks that can help make this setup even better for the current season. We've updated the Cradle Overrides section of this guide as well as the secondary weapon recommendations to better fit the new scenarios.

Once Human Power Surge Build

A looted MPS7 Outer Space SMG in Once Human — Once Human MPS7 Outer Space dropped loot

Slot	Item	Mod
Primary Weapon	MPS7 - Outer SpaceSOCR - Outsider	Static Shock
Secondary Weapon	Recurve Crossbow	Targeted Takedown
Melee Weapon	Stun Baton	Shock Rampage
Helmet	Mayfly Goggles	Deviation Expert
Mask	Heavy Duty	Thunderclap
Chest	Heavy Duty	Any
Gloves	Heavy Duty	Elemental Overload
Pants	Scout	Status Amplification
Boots	Scout	Secluded Strike
Note	Prioritize building Status DMG. Stack crit stats if using SOCR Outsider.

The crit rate provided by the Long Axe's heavy hits on enemies was reduced in Patch 1.1. It's still a decent option, but for players who want an alternative, the Stun Baton is a good option.

The setup above maximizes the damage and proc rate of Power Surge while slightly reducing the power and range of your actual bullets. This build is great for surging through Once Human's Securement Silos and Monolith boss fights alike, and while it won't be able to one-shot enemy players in PvP, it can still shred people apart through sheer volume of fire.

The centerpiece of this build is the MPS7 Outer Space SMG, which you can get from Wish Machines or as a random drop in dungeon or boss chests. It has a blistering rate of fire by default that's paired with effects that greatly enhance its Power Surge proc chance. When used with the Deviation Expert mod, you can bump this gun's fire rate even further, making it spit bullets like nobody's business.

Power Surge Build Strengths and Weaknesses
Pros	Cons
Very high sustained DPS Shock procs have no damage falloff Excellent in all combat scenarios	Expensive Ammo hungry Weak against status-immune bosses

Alternate Weapon Choice

Craftable SOCR Outsider in Once Human — Once Human SOCR Outsider blueprint

If you don't have the Outer Space's blueprint, you can instead use Once Human's SOCR Outsider assault rifle. It doesn't shoot as quickly, but each bullet hits harder. More importantly, the SOCR Outsider's Power Surge trigger rate increases every time you score a critical hit, which means both Crit Rate and Crit DMG stats won't feel wasted when using this weapon. You can increase this gun's rate of fire by using both Deviation Expert and a Rapid-Fire calibration blueprint, which you can obtain by dismantling looted KAM assault rifles.

Secondary Weapon

Weapon feature description of the Recurve Crossbow in Once Human — Once Human Recurve Crossbow weapon features

Patch 1.1 reduced the Recurve Crossbow's bonus crit rate from 30% to 15%. This nerf mainly affects crit-focused setups like SOCR Outsider builds.

The Recurve Crossbow is one of the best secondary weapons in the game for PvE thanks to its ability to inflict the Bull's Eye status when hitting enemy weakspots. This makes targets more vulnerable to damage while also increasing your Crit Rate against them.

However, in the second season's scenarios, there will be Super Anomaly enemies who may be resistant to damage. With this in mind, players should equip a secondary weapon that can take advantage of Anti-Anomaly mods like Anti-Regen Pistol. The DE.50 - Wildfire pistol is an excellent choice this season, as not only does it apply The Bull's Eye, but its own damage output isn't bad either.

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Armor

Stat and effect summary of the Mayfly Goggles in Once Human — Once Human Mayfly Goggles item summary

The armor setup above will grant the following bonuses:

Armor Piece(s)	Effects
Mayfly Goggles	Power Surge Trigger Count +1; Power Surge Damage -30%
Heavy Duty set (3pc)	Max HP +10% Element DMG (Blaze, Shock, Frost, Blast) +8% After killing an enemy, increase Movement Speed by 20% for 2s and Elemental DMG by 40% (decays over 8s)
Scout set (2pc)	Max HP +10% Weapon DMG +8%

The Mayfly Goggles is a staple for Once Human Shock builds. It will reduce Power Surge's damage by 30%, but every time the effect triggers, two instances of Shock DMG will proc. If you stack enough damage buffs, the drawback on this head piece becomes negligible, and you'll find yourself dealing over double damage with Power Surge thanks to these goggles.

The armor sets above are great for new players, but once you get enough Starchrom in Once Human, consider buying four pieces of the Shelterer set for more Elemental DMG. If you don't have the MPS7 Outer Space, get the Gas Mask Hood and Lonewolf Set to make this setup more viable for a SOCR Outsider build.

Power Surge Build Mods

SOCR Outsider with the Static Shock mod in Once Human — Once Human SOCR Outsider Static Shock mod

Mod Name	Mod Slot	Effect	Location
Static Shock	Weapon	Reduce Power Surge duration by 50%. Increase Power Surge DMG by 20%.	Treant (Hard mode)
Targeted Takedown	Weapon	Increases Crit Rate against enemies marked by Bull's Eye by 20%	Arachsiam (Hard mode)
Deviation Expert	Helmet	Range -25% Fire Rate +10% Status DMG +20%	Silo Alpha
Thunderclap	Mask	Triggering Power Surge 20 times causes the next hit to summon Celestial Thunder, dealing Shock DMG at 200% Psi Intensity.	Silo EX1
Elemental Overload	Gloves	Elemental DMG +18%	Silo Sigma
Status Amplification	Pants	When magazine is empty, gain +10 Status DMG for 12s (stacks up to three times).	Silo Psi
Secluded Strike	Boots	When there are no enemies within 7m, gain +15% Weapon DMG and Status DMG	Silo Phi

Much of the endgame involves running dungeons like Securement Silo Alpha in Once Human for a chance of getting mods. Expect to spend a lot of time and Controllers when grinding these dungeons.

The Static Shock mod in Once Human is the best weapon mod option players get if they want to increase the damage of their Shock procs. This and Elemental Overload are enough to make up for Mayfly Goggle's damage penalty. Add the Thunderclap mod to increase your damage output even further.

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Combat Deviant

Lonewolf's Whisper in a securement unit in Once Human — Once Human Lonewolf's Whisper securement unit

As of Season 1, the game does not have any Deviants that specifically boosts Shock DMG. This means players can freely choose any type of Combat Deviant they want when using a Power Surge build in Once Human. For offensive Deviants, Lonewolf's Whisper is highly recommended, especially for solo players, as the wolves can draw enemy aggro. Alternatively, Festering Gel works well as a defensive option that provides cover and restores health.

Power Surge Build Cradle Setup (Season 2)

Cradle Overrides in Once Human Season 2 — Once Human Season 2 Cradle

Patch 1.1 nerfed Transient Impact, which used to increase Power Surge DMG after triggering Power Surge. Now, the Cradle perk increases Power Surge and Shock DMG after defeating an enemy, making it less powerful in 1v1 scenarios.

Automatic Weapon Enhancement (or Anti-Void Rifle with SOCR Outsider)
Anti-Regen Pistol (With DE. 50 Wildfire)
Deviation Master
Status Enhancement
First Round Blast
Transient Impact

These are the most important Cradle perks for a Power Surge build as of Season 2. Deviation Master in particular gives a 50% damage buff just for having your Combat Deviant out. Pair it with the buffs from the other perks, and you'll have yourself a build that packs a very mean punch. Use the rest of your vacant slots on QoL perks like Rapid Aid and Sprint.

With the introduction of Super Anomaly enemies, players will have to using Anti-Anomaly mods like Anti-Phase, Anti-Regen, and Anti-Void. Players may be able to brute force their way through encounters with these enemies, but during the early game, using Anti-Anomaly mods will be the best way to beat these enemies.

If you're having trouble surviving, the Advantage Barrier perk should help out. It grants a shield equal to 30% of your max HP when you hit a weakspot. This override is great for both PvE and PvP, though it's better for the latter since it also gives a Weapon DMG Reduction buff that reduces the damage you take from other players' guns. This also affects weapons from Rosetta soldiers and Vultures.

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