Once Human Sets Sail With Isles of Abyss, a PvE Ocean Survival Scenario
Starry Studio's October 21 update added Isles of Abyss, a 21-day ocean scenario with island building, diving and a Sunken Lord endgame, plus a new RaidZone map, new gear and a Halloween event.
Once Human has moved its survival formula to the open sea. Starry Studio's update on October 21 launched Isles of Abyss, a new ocean survival scenario, along with a new map for the game's RaidZone mode and a long list of additions. The details come from the developer's update announcement on Steam.
What Isles of Abyss is
Once Human is built around scenarios: time-limited server cycles with their own rules and goals. Isles of Abyss is a PvE scenario in which players explore scattered islands, gather resources, build facilities and dive into the ocean to find lost treasures alongside companions.
According to Starry Studio, the scenario runs on roughly a 21-day cycle split into two phases:
- Phase I lasts about 5–10 days. It gets shorter as the server's purification progress advances.
- Phase II lasts 11 days and unlocks the endgame challenge, The Sunken Lord, as purification progresses.
A rest stage follows once both phases end. Each server hosts 12 worlds for the scenario, and it's available on every platform the game supports, including PC, consoles and mobile.
More in the update
Isles of Abyss wasn't the only addition. The October 21 patch also brought:
- A new ocean map, Isles of Abyss: RaidZone, for RaidZone mode.
- New combat weapons and armor.
- A new First Person OTS camera feature.
- The limited-time Halloween Wonder Night event.
- New cosmetic items and a limited-time loot crate.
A big download
PC players should plan ahead for storage. Starry Studio listed the PC launcher update at approximately 26.28 GB, with an in-game download of about 751 MB. The studio said the size was mainly due to the new scenario and the RaidZone ocean map, and warned that duplicate downloads could occur if the Steam push was delayed.
Rewards for returning players
Players who log in between the update and November 8 at 2:00 PM PT can claim a celebration package from their in-game mailbox. Starry Studio lists a new Legendary weapon blueprint, a Legendary gear blueprint, 10,000 Starchrom, a 30-day Meta Pass trial card and a limited weapon skin.
Why it matters
Once Human's seasonal scenario structure means the game feels different every few weeks, and an ocean-focused PvE scenario is one of its biggest shifts yet. Since then, Starry Studio has continued to patch the game, including a version 3.1.2 update on November 4. If you've been waiting for a reason to return, the login rewards make the next couple of days a good time to check in.
