Once Human’s September 16 Update Reworks Beastmaster With Rideable Animals

Once Human is giving the Beastmaster class a major rework in its September 16 PT update, led by a new Beast Riding system. After the patch, Beastmasters will be able to summon eligible animals, mount them, command them with a redesigned Beast Whistle, and use special mount abilities when the animal has a saddle equipped.

The first rideable animals are Deer, Boar, Bear, and Wild Buffalo. Each has its own mounted ability for Beastmasters, such as deer gaining a gallop, boars charging forward, bears firing off a shockwave, and wild buffalo searching for crops to restore Energy. Other classes can ride saddled animals in the open world, but they won’t be able to use animal special abilities, and they can’t summon mounts in dungeons or during combat.

• Beastmasters can only have one animal summoned at a time after the update.
• Animal items can be used directly from the backpack or hotbar to summon or recall an animal, with a shared 10-second cooldown.
• Only adult animals with more than 20% Energy can be summoned.
• Saddles allow stable riding, while bareback riding costs Stamina and limits the animal’s abilities.
• Beastmasters can craft and replace saddles and animal gear, then trade saddled animals to other players.

The update also simplifies ranching. Tameness and Hydration are being removed, with Energy becoming the main stat for growth, breeding, byproduct production, and slaughter yields. Animals with high Energy can produce more efficiently and breed, while animals below 20% Energy will stop growing and producing byproducts.

Animal status displays are being cleaned up too, with clearer icons for Energy, courtship, and breeding cooldowns. Offline feeding will now only consume food from troughs, not items dropped on the ground. Players will also be able to track animal distribution on the World Map, similar to crops and ores.

Gardeners are getting combat changes in the same patch. Portable Planter Boxes will be able to hold different biomechanical crop types and deploy them separately, with separate cooldowns. Those crops are being strengthened, but the box will now have durability and can be consumed when it runs out.

Further reading: Official Once Human Steam news