Dev Blog | Mod System Overhaul and Compensation Plan

Dear Metas,

The mod system is a core progression mechanic in Once Human, constituting a major portion of a character's combat power. Many players have invested much time and effort into acquiring and upgrading mods, making them crucial assets. However, we've consistently received feedback about several issues, such as the difficulty of obtaining certain mod sub-attributes, the system being confusing for new players, and upgrades having insufficient impact. The roots of these issues are:

a) Mod sub-attributes are randomly generated. Once Human allows for a wide variety of playstyles, and every player has different needs. This means that obtaining mods with a specific level and sub-attributes is inherently difficult and luck-dependent.

b) There is a wide variety of mod attributes and sub-attributes. This offers flexibility in developing builds, but currently lacks clear in-game guidance, resulting in a steep barrier to entry for new players.

c) The rarity of a mod's sub-attribute is determined by its raw numerical strength. If too strong, it leads to excessive strength or large power gaps between players. If too low, it leads to a lack of noticeable progression.

These three fundamental issues make it difficult to improve the mod system through basic optimizations, such as a guarantee system for sub-attributes or a more detailed guide. After careful consideration, we began planning an overhaul of the mod system in early 2025. Our goal is to solve the issues mentioned above at their roots while rebalancing them for both old and new players. After several months of planning, development, and testing, we will be launching the overhauled mod system on January 21, 2026 (PT). In this blog, we'll detail our optimization plan and reveal a compensation package for existing players.

We deeply value your opinions and feedback. If you have any suggestions regarding our plans, please let us know via the Co-Dev Feedback Platform. We promise to review all feedback and use it to improve our plan.

Mod System Optimization Plan

Our optimization plan has two core objectives. Firstly, we want to make the mod system easier to understand and use for new players. Secondly, we want to reduce the randomness involved in acquiring and upgrading mods, allowing you to acquire mods with your desired attributes more reliably, while retaining the experience of pursuing rare mods. We also want to keep the core feature of transferring mods between scenarios to safeguard your long-term progression.

1. Mods Field Guide: Easily Keep Track of Your Mods

Added a Mods Field Guide. All mods will be categorized by part and build in the Field Guide. This makes it easier for you to learn about all available mods and develop your own playstyle.

When you obtain a mod, its Field Guide entry will be unlocked. Mods still have levels from Lv. 1 to Lv. 17, displayed in the top-left of their entries. The Field Guide will display the highest-level mod you have ever obtained of each type, allowing you to equip it. Duplicate low-level mods of the same type will be automatically disassembled into Mod Dust, which can be used to redeem Random Mod Crates in the Shop.

2. Fixed Sub-Attributes and Shiny Mods: Simpler and Clearer Mod Progression

a) Overhauled mods will retain the same main attributes. The four sub-attributes will no longer be randomly generated, but fixed to match the mod's core traits.

b) Mod level is determined by the sum of a mod's sub-attribute levels, up to a maximum of Lv .17. Thus, a higher mod level means higher sub-attribute levels. The mod level will be displayed on the mod icon for easier access and management.

c) After obtaining a Lv. 17 mod, you may randomly obtain Shiny mods from specific high-difficulty dungeons or game modes. A Shiny mod has the same sub-attributes as a Lv. 17 mod, but its main attribute will be slightly higher. The icons and information panels of Shiny mods will be visually distinct from those of regular mods, allowing players to show off their achievements.

* Shiny mods have a low and random chance of dropping. Only some Shiny mods will be available in the January 21 (PT) update, with more to be added afterward.

Table 1: Mod Level and Attribute Level Correlation Chart

3. Acquiring Mods: Dungeons, Game Modes, and Mod Dust

Mods will still be acquired mainly from dungeons and game modes. The higher the difficulty, the greater the chance of obtaining high-level mods. Additionally, you can spend Mod Dust and Energy Links to redeem Random Mod Crates of varying level ranges from the Shop.

4. Regular Mod Field Guide Updates

With the optimized Field Guide, the role and function of each mod series should become much clearer. We'll add new mod series to the Field Guide approximately every quarter, offering a wide variety of builds and expansion potential. This will provide a constant stream of new gameplay experiences, collection goals, and a clearer sense of progression.

Mod Compatibility and Compensation Plan

We understand that many players have invested substantial time and effort in the existing mod system. Even as we overhaul the mod system, we want to preserve continuity and the value of your effort. Following internal discussions and player consultations, we've drafted a compensation plan based on the following principles:

a) The old mods should still be usable, ensuring continuity.

b) The old mods should be converted into new mods of a high level, so players don't have to gather basic materials again.

c) Players who've collected many high-rarity mods before the overhaul should receive compensation.

We understand that no amount of compensation is sufficient to cover the time and effort you've put into the game. However, this overhaul is needed to refine and simplify the mod system and provide an improved and streamlined experience. Therefore, we sincerely ask for your understanding and support. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please share them with us via the Co-Dev Feedback Platform.

1. Old Mods Can Still Be Used

a) After the overhaul, any old mods you own will be retained with the same features and attributes, and you can continue using them as per normal. There won't be a massive difference in numerical power between old and new mods. If you own old mods, both the Mod Backpack and Mod Field Guide will be available for use.

b) The disassembly and enhancement systems for old mods will remain intact. If you disassemble old mods, you'll obtain mod parts. Old mods can only be exchanged for other old mods. Old mods can only be upgraded with old mod parts. However, old mod parts can also be used to redeem items related to new mods at an NPC redemption shop.

* New mods cannot be enhanced or exchanged.

2. Unlocking New Mods with Existing Old Mods

After the overhaul, if you have old mods, you'll also unlock new mods of the same type. The rules are as follows:

a) If you have an old mod whose max level is Lv. 14 or above, you'll unlock a new mod with the same name and suffix at Lv. 14. If you have an old mod whose max level is below Lv. 14, you'll unlock a new mod with the same name, suffix, and level. In either case, the old mod will be retained even after unlocking the new mod.

Example: You own a Legendary mod whose four sub-attribute levels add up to Lv. 17. After the overhaul, you'll unlock a new mod of the same type at Lv. 14. However, if the old mod's max level is Lv. 12, the new mod unlocked will also be Lv. 12.

b) If you don't have a particular Legendary mod in your Mod Backpack, we will check the mod's exchange history. If the mod has been exchanged at least 1 time, you'll unlock a corresponding new mod at Lv. 8. If not, you won't unlock anything.

3. Mod Dust Compensation: Based on Lv. 9 or Above Legendary Mods Acquired Over Three Months

The mod system overhaul may disrupt the progression plans of players who collect many mods for enhancement. Therefore, players who've collected a large number of Legendary mods at Lv. 9 or above within a three-month period will receive additional compensation in the form of Mod Dust. Mod Dust can be used to redeem Random Mod Crates containing new mods. You can redeem up to 50 Legendary Mod Crates. The compensation amounts are listed in Table 2. Only mods acquired between October 18, 2025, 4:00 PM, and January 18, 2026, 8:00 AM (PT) are counted. Compensation will be issued after the January 21 (PT) update. (Due to the time required for data processing, mods acquired after the January 18 deadline but before the update will not be counted. Thank you for your understanding and support.)

NOTE: This compensation is meant for players who are in the habit of collecting large amounts of mods. If you don't usually amass lots of mods, you don't have to change your gameplay habits for the sake of the compensation. Instead, we recommend waiting until after the overhaul to start collecting mods again.

Table 2: Correlation of Old Mods Acquired and New Mod Crate Compensation

4. Additional Compensation for Lv. 17 Mods: Get Up to 5 Shiny Mods

We understand that many players have fully developed mod builds and that "perfect" mods aren't easy to acquire. Hence, before the December 23 (PT) update, we'll scan the Mod Backpack data of active players (logged in between September 23, 2025, 4:00 PM and December 23, 2025, 8:00 AM (PT)) using a data backup. Based on the number of Lv. 17 mods in your Mod Backpack and the rarity of their attributes, we'll issue up to 5× Shiny Mod Selection Crate and 20× Lv. 14–17 Random Mod Crate as compensation. As we do not yet have the necessary data, the rules for this compensation will be announced after the scan is complete, planned for before January 5, 2026 (PT).

* As we need time to process such a large amount of data, we cannot cover mods acquired between the December 23 update and January 21 (PT). We apologize for this limitation and thank you for your understanding and support.

That's all for this dev blog on the mod system overhaul. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please let us know via the Co-Dev Feedback Platform.

Once Human Development Team