Once Human: Way Of Winter - Best New Ways To Stay Warm

2 days ago 4

Once Human has entered a new scenario: Way of Winter and other new ways to keep warm in the extreme cold. Along with the new scenario comes new territory, new content, and new game mechanics. Besides being able to explore new areas and dive further into the Once Human story, players will also have to figure out the new game mechanics, which include extreme temperatures.

Like other survival games, Once Human has finally introduced cold and heat mechanics. These mechanics can affect players in different ways. For example, staying in the cold too long can cause hypothermia, which, if left untreated, can fully deplete a player’s health within a matter of seconds. The result? Fatality. That leaves the question: how do players survive these freezing temperatures?

New Temperature Mechanics And What They Mean

Temperature States And What They Do

Player and Temperature State Screen On Once Human

In Phase 1 of the new Once Human: Way of Winter scenario, players can choose between two areas as their starting points: Vena Fjord and Onyx Tundra. Personally, I went with Onyx Tundra. While I’m not a new player, I wanted to start slow in this scenario and not jump head-first into tougher battles. Where you choose to land is up to you. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter as you can explore both regions soon enough.

A character in Once Human standing in front of a creepy background.

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Regardless of the area you land and build in, you will deal with the same problems as other players: extreme temperatures. In this case, extreme cold. Unfortunately, the cold can have devastating effects, causing you to lose energy and health. There are five temperature states in the Way of Winter, each with its own effect.

Temperature State	Temperature Effect
Frost	Rapid energy and body temperature loss, eventually leading to Hypothermia. Upon worsening Hypothermia, it inflicts one stack of Frozen every three seconds. Frozen causes a 5% HP drop per second, and movement drastically slows down. Upon four stacks, the player dies instantly.
Cold	Rapid energy loss, gradual body temperature loss. Eventual Hypothermia.
Cozy	Body temperature recovers to normal.
Hot	Rapid hydration loss, gradually increased body temperature. Eventual Heatstroke.
Blaze	Rapid hydration loss and increased body temperature. Heatstroke worsens. Upon worsening Heatstroke, it inflicts one stack of Combustion every three seconds. Combustion causes a 5% HP drop per second. Upon four stacks, the player dies instantly.

Cozy is where you should aim to be. Unfortunately, getting to and keeping a Cozy body temperature can be difficult. If you plan on playing Way of Winter, you must prepare to battle these extreme temperatures.

Best Methods To Stay Warm During Way of Winter

Stay Warm To Avoid Hypothermia And Instant Death

Player Mining In Once Human Way of Winter

Getting Hypothermia in Once Human: Way of Winter is frustrating. If you’re struggling to keep warm, you’re not alone. Luckily, there are several ways to stay warm while exploring Vena Fjord and Onyx Tundra.

Keep An Eye On The Time

From dusk until dawn, you can expect the cold temperatures of Vena Fjord and Onyx Tundra to be more unforgiving. So, that means anywhere from 8 PM to 8 AM, it’s time to head inside. Unless, of course, you’re good on cold-resistant items.

Even then, it would be best to be careful as these items don’t guarantee your safety. Mostly, they help buy you time, so you’re not getting as cold as fast. Keep an eye on the clock at the top and time your exploration well.

Return Home Or Build Campfires To Get By

Your home is your haven. While it won’t completely cure the effects of the cold, it’ll keep your health from depleting. However, you can still get cold; if you’re under the effects of being cold, traveling the next day can immediately send you into a Hypothermia state. To help with that, keep a fire nearby or build temperature control facilities, which will unlock in Phase 2. Keep a good fuel supply on hand, as you'll need it to feed your fire.

Also, if you’re caught out and about when night falls and find yourself getting cold, build a campfire. The campfire has the same effects as your home and will protect you from Hypothermia's extremes. While you could transport home, building a campfire will allow you to continue your journey from where you left off the next day.

Armor Up With Different Hides & Tools

In Once Human: Way of Winter, killing and skinning different animals will yield different hides. If you start in the Onyx Tundra area, your best bet is hunting deer, sealing, and polar bears. You can hunt mutated bears and flamingoes if you've reached Vena Fjord. Make sure to unlock the Leatherworking Memetic in your Memetics.

Be careful when entering water. Water will grant or inflict the Dampened state, which increases your Heat Resistance but decreases your Cold Resistance.

Each animal will produce a hide that you can make into cold-resistant armor on top of the armor you already have. The animals of Onyx Tundra will get you by at the start, but the Vena Fjord animal hides will be more beneficial later on. You can also find weapon and armor mods to improve your cold resistance.

Keep The Right Tools In Your Backpack

The Way of Winter has a few old and new tools to help you survive the cold. You can craft and carry a torch to give you warmth. You’ll need to have it out to get the benefits. Other tools that can help include Thermoium and Heatium — make sure to unlock the Polar Expedition Memetic first.

The Chaosium Lantern is another tool you’ll want in your backpack. The Chaosium Lantern requires Chaosium to work and uses it quickly, so keep a good stock of it. You can find Chaosium by looting enemies or making it in the furnace. The good thing about the lantern is that it can raise and lower your body temperature.

Finally, make sure to prepare food that increases cold resistance. A few new crops and meals are introduced in Once Human: Way of Winter. Spikemato, Sunny Ginger, and Polar Peppers are all new crops that grant +5 cold resistance when eaten. Making them into dishes, like Salty Roasted Spikemato, will increase their effect and allow you to survive the cold for longer periods.