Once Human is a survival game that features an assortment of weapons and modifications. Having a complete set of equipment also helps in strengthening your build. Armor sets in Once Human provide extra perks when equipped. In this article, we’ll look at the best melee build in Once Human.
Table of Contents
Why Build a Melee Character: Pros and Cons
Melee builds are often meticulously made because of the gameplay it gives. Unlike other builds, and as its name implies, melee relies on close-range combat, similar to playing a hack-and-slash game. In the case of Once Human, it makes sense: You must do anything and everything to survive. A melee build also helps in clearing out mobs. But it may not be able to clear bosses.
The high damage output of most melee weapons is a tempting proposition for those who want to try out this build. However, there is some reliance on critical hits and damage bonuses which can be obtained through mods.
Melee Weapons List
Here is the complete list of melee weapons available in Once Human.
- Machete
- Baseball Bat
- Camping Knife
- Stun Baton
- Scourge
- Frozen Tilapia
- Wrench
- Torch
- Northern Pike
- Kukri
- Long Axe
- The Fabled Masamune
Best Melee Weapon
Although there isn’t really a weapon dubbed as “the best,” there are some that are better than others. For example, the Stun Baton, equipped with some mods, can do a ton of damage at close range which makes it the best melee weapon in the current meta. But anyone can get by with a pimped up Long Axe or even a Frozen Tilapia.
Build – Armor Set
It’s recommended to get an armor set that boosts passive perks like carry load (very important in this kind of game), defenses (damage reduction, physical armor, etc.), and other things that could amp up your character’s performance.
In this regard, the Raid Armor Set (Helmet, Top, Pants) is the best option. Here are the individual properties of each item:
- Raid Helmet: Crit Rate +2%, Crit DMG +8%
- Raid Top: Melee DMG +12%
- Raid Pants: Crit Rate +2%, Crit DMG +8%
The following effects are applied when the armor set is equipped.
- 1 piece: Gathering Speed +10%
- 2 pieces: Max Load +20
- 3 pieces: When the Load is over 80, DMG taken –10%, Weapon and Tactical DMG +20%
- 4 pieces: Stamina cost when gliding and rolling –30%
As for the fourth armor item, you can choose between any of the missing Raid armor item or any armor item that boosts your weapon DMG. In this case, I choose to go with the Blast Mask as it provides the same core attributes of the Raid Helmet and adds a +20% to Heavy Melee DMG.
For Gloves, you can choose from the Raid set or from another. For this, the Rustic Gloves, which gives a 12% increase in Melee Damage, is a good option. While the Rustic Shoes add another 12% to Melee Damage. Since the Rustic Gloves and Shoes are part of a set, they have the following set effects:
- 1 piece: Movement Speed +8%
- 2 pieces: Melee DMG +15%
- 3 pieces: HP +600
- 4 pieces: Gathering Speed +20%
Armor Mods
Armor mods augment the core effects of the armor. Here are the mods you can put on the armor list above.
- Raid Helmet, Raid Pants and Blast Mask: Crit Amplifier. Adds 2% Crit Rate and 8% Crit DMG. Additional Crit DMG % per upgrade.
- Raid Top, Rustic Gloves, and Rustic Shoes: Melee Amplifier. This mod adds a base 12% to Melee DMG and additional Melee DMG % and DMG to Elite Enemies % per upgrade.
Weapon
To maximize the effectiveness of the armor set and its bonuses, you can choose to equip the strongest melee weapon, Stun Baton, or any other melee weapon. For this build, however, we want to use the Heavy Melee DMG perk of the Raid Top. This is where the Long Axe with the Melee Amplifier mod is a good choice.
Cradle Overrides
Unique to Once Human is the Cradle Override passive slots which further enhances your character’s abilities. You can choose any of the available Overrides but focus on having at least 2 of them for your melee build. For example, the Melee Amplifier Override (different from the weapon/armor mod) adds 20% DMG when holding melee weapons and recovers 20% of stamina spent upon defeating an enemy with a melee weapon.
The Dexterity Override is also useful since it adds a DMG reduction of 15% for four seconds after performing a roll.
Perhaps the most useful in a PvP build is the Brawl Boost Override that reduces the damage dealt to you by a human opponent by 20%.
