Once Human Tech Overhaul: My First-Person Take on the April Changes

I have spent too many evenings in Nalcott staring at my Tech tree like it’s a moody vendor that refuses to sell me the good stuff. So when the Once Human team shared their revised optimization plan for the next update, I honestly stopped mid-harvest and read every line twice. It’s 2026, and the final version lands in April. It feels less like a patch and more like a personality transplant for the whole survival loop.

The biggest headline: Tech Points are changing their diet. Mystical Crates are out as a source, but that stings a little less because Tech Point requirements have been lowered. Now I can earn Tech Points by leveling up, researching facilities and items over and over, or farming Elite enemies. That last one turns every Elite encounter into a little payday, which is a huge win in my book. Batch reverse-engineering is also on the way. Clicking through research one at a time was starting to feel like a part-time job, so this is a welcome change.

🎒 Tech Specializations Are Packing Their Bags

The entire Tech specialization system is being removed. Instead of hoarding specialization rolls and praying to RNG, abilities and items previously locked behind that system will now come from a clearer set of paths.

• Unlocking Tech nodes

• Activating Tech enhancements

• Exploring the wilderness for certain specialization items

• Some class-related specializations moving to the class system later

• Crafting-related specialization effects folding into enhanced facilities

Enhanced facilities themselves are being streamlined. The devs admitted there were too many, with effects too scattered. Now they are fewer but more meaningful. Some old specialization effects will be deprecated and can no longer be crafted, though existing facilities with those bonuses stay intact. Honestly, I think my base just sighed with relief.

Crafting Stations: A Cleaner Garage

One change that had me blinking was the removal of five intermediate crafting stations.

Existing intermediate facilities can no longer craft but can be dismantled. Their formulas have been pushed into the corresponding advanced facilities, and the Tech nodes for those advanced facilities are moving earlier in the tree. The goal is to give players full manufacturing capability sooner, so they can spend time on actual exploration and combat. If any of us want a deprecated specialization back, the team says they will seriously consider suggestions through the Co-Dev Feedback Platform.

The Great Ore Diet

Under the new resource rules, tin and aluminum ores will no longer spawn in the wilderness. All related ingot formulas are being restructured. That means my old habit of wandering the hills with a pickaxe, hoping for tin, is officially retired. The Digby Boy will no longer gather tin ore, and its gathering speed is being adjusted. Mining Platforms and Digger Biomechanicals also stop producing tin and aluminum, with their other ore production speeds adjusted accordingly. It is a big shake-up, but the aim is to trim resource clutter and reshape how we approach mining.

Scrap Goes From Junk to Joy

Settlement scrap drops are being cleaned up in a delightful way. The quantity and type of useless scrap will drop significantly, and all useless scrap becomes Normal rarity. I can easily break it down at a Disassembly Bench using the Quick Select function. Even better, existing scrap items are getting new uses.

• Footballs can be thrown to stun enemies

• Books can be read to acquire Tech Points

• Rescue bots can search for death drops

That football detail made me laugh. I cannot wait to bean a wandering creature with a football and call it tactical crowd control. Related Deviations like Paper Doll and H37 are getting production adjustments with new item types, and the Wish Box is having its redemption items and production costs rebalanced. Some things will cost more, some less—expect some market-level drama.

Equipment Freedom and Eternaland Rules

Equipment will no longer require character levels. This feels huge, especially for players who want to try new gear without grinding levels first. The wilderness will also receive more high-rarity dropped gear, which should make exploration feel less like a checklist and more like opening presents.

There is a catch for Eternaland imports. Equipment brought from Eternaland will be automatically marked as dropped gear. That means it cannot be reverse-engineered, repaired, or traded. It is a fairness measure meant to give every scenario a fresh starting point. I appreciate the intent, even if it means some of my favorite legacy pieces will be more decorative than practical.

The material system is also getting a name-and-type simplification pass. The dev blog teases the changes without dumping the full list, so I will be watching the patch notes like a hawk when April arrives.

Overall, these adjustments make the survival loop feel less like spreadsheet maintenance and more like actual adventure. Nalcott is about to get a serious quality-of-life glow-up, and I am ready to turn Elite hunts into Tech Point shopping sprees.