How do seasons work in Once Human?

Once Human is a looter shooter set in a giant open world with paranormal enemies that have overrun the land and will attack anyone they see. While you work your way across the vast playable space, killing as many of them as possible, you might be wondering what the point of it all is. That’s why seasons matter.

Seasons may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you jump in and play Once Human, but they won’t be far from it once you’ve spent a few hours in its lush world, cutting down strange creatures and other players eager for your gear. Developer Starry Studio has explained exactly how seasons work in the game, how the initial one will fit into the game’s launch, and what to expect from them in the future.

What are seasons in Once Human?

Seasons in Once Human offer a specific scenario for players to engage with. These scenarios consist of objectives and special gameplay mechanics that change from season to season. The challenges you’ll tackle have been designed to fit into unique areas of the map with their own environments and mechanics.

Think of these like the seasonal activities that Destiny 2 had before it moved to an Episodic content model. Each seasonal activity was fresh and took place somewhere new, offering loot you could grind out from that season. Your progress in a seasonal scenario won’t be reset while that season is live during server wipes; it will be reset when a new seasonal scenario begins.

There are PvE scenarios that introduce new survival elements and PvP scenarios that focus on battles between factions. No matter what type of server you’re playing on, there’s something new for you in every season and a way to grind levels in the battle pass.

Every season lasts for roughly six weeks. This could change in the future, but Starry Studio feels this is the right amount of time for players to get as much as they can out of a scenario before it needs to be shelved, and something new should be offered instead.

The thing I’m most concerned about is the battle pass. This, as with your in-game progress, won’t be reset until the start of a new season. If you’re working through levels and unlocking gear, you must grind out as many ranks as possible before the end of the season. Once it’s over, you’ll need to start again with the new season and won’t be able to access anything in the previous battle pass that you didn’t unlock.

The most impactful change that occurs when a new season begins is that all areas of the map you’ve explored and exploration levels will be reset. This is designed to give everyone a level playing field with each season. It’s a pain, yes, but every season brings new challenges and new environments, so it makes sense that your progress exploring the game world would be reset when the world itself completely changes.

You can read Starry Studio’s full explanation of seasons on the developer’s website. I appreciate the company company’s transparency, especially after the debacle with Once Human’s privacy policy, which seems to have left some fans with a feeling of apprehension about the title.