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Power Surge is one of the best weapon effects inOnce Humanfor those looking to deal raw DPS. It’s essentially a secondary damage instance that stacks on top of your normal weapon damage, significantly boosting your overall DPS with little to no drawbacks in exchange.
Making a build that takes full advantage of Power Surge can be a little tricky, especially considering the sheer amount of mods and bonuses in the game. However, if you want to beat eventhe hardest bosses inOnce Human, you’ll need to get a good build rolling. Here’s a setup that aims to get the most out of the Power Surge effect.
Updated July 20, 2025 by Marc Santos:With the second set of scenarios now live for Once Human, players can expect some new Cradle Override effects to use for their builds. The core of this build has remained intact, but there are some new override perks that can help make this setup even better for the current season. We’ve updated the Cradle Overrides section of this guide as well as the secondary weapon recommendations to better fit the new scenarios.
Secluded Strike
Note
Prioritize building Status DMG. Stack crit stats if using SOCR Outsider.
The crit rate provided by the Long Axe’s heavy hits on enemies was reduced in Patch 1.1. It’s still a decent option, but for players who want an alternative, the Stun Baton is a good option.
The setup abovemaximizes the damage and proc rate of Power Surgewhile slightly reducing the power and range of your actual bullets. This build is great for surging throughOnce Human’sSecurement Silosand Monolith boss fights alike, and while it won’t be able to one-shot enemy players in PvP, it can still shred people apart through sheer volume of fire.
The centerpiece of this build isthe MPS7 Outer Space SMG, which you can get from Wish Machines or as a random drop in dungeon or boss chests. It has a blistering rate of fire by default that’s paired with effects that greatly enhance its Power Surge proc chance. When used withthe Deviation Expert mod, you can bump this gun’s fire rate even further, making it spit bullets like nobody’s business.
Power Surge Build Strengths and Weaknesses
Alternate Weapon Choice
If you don’t have the Outer Space’s blueprint, you’re able to instead useOnce Human’sSOCR Outsider assault rifle. It doesn’t shoot as quickly, but each bullet hits harder. More importantly, theSOCR Outsider’s Power Surge trigger rate increases every time you score a critical hit, which means both Crit Rate and Crit DMG stats won’t feel wasted when using this weapon. You can increase this gun’s rate of fire by usingboth Deviation Expert and a Rapid-Fire calibration blueprint, which you can obtain by dismantling lootedKAMassault rifles.
Secondary Weapon
Patch 1.1 reduced the Recurve Crossbow’s bonus crit rate from 30% to 15%. This nerf mainly affects crit-focused setups like SOCR Outsider builds.
The Recurve Crossbow is one of the best secondary weapons in the game for PvE thanks to its ability to inflict the Bull’s Eye status when hitting enemy weakspots. Thismakes targets more vulnerable to damage while also increasing your Crit Rate against them.
However, in the second season’s scenarios, there will be Super Anomaly enemies who may be resistant to damage. With this in mind, players should equip a secondary weapon that can take advantage of Anti-Anomaly mods like Anti-Regen Pistol. TheDE.50 - Wildfirepistol is an excellent choice this season, as not only does it apply The Bull’s Eye, but its own damage output isn’t bad either.
Heavy Duty set (3pc)
Scout set (2pc)
TheMayfly Goggles is a staple forOnce HumanShock builds.It will reduce Power Surge’s damage by 30%, but every time the effect triggers, two instances of Shock DMG will proc. If you stack enough damage buffs, the drawback on this head piece becomes negligible, and you’ll find yourself dealing over double damage with Power Surge thanks to these goggles.
The armor sets above are great for new players, but once youget enough Starchrom inOnce Human,consider buying four pieces of the Shelterer setfor more Elemental DMG. If you don’t have the MPS7 Outer Space,get the Gas Mask Hood and Lonewolf Setto make this setup more viable for a SOCR Outsider build.
Static Shock
Weapon
Reduce Power Surge duration by 50%. Increase Power Surge DMG by 20%.
Treant (Hard mode)
Targeted Takedown
Increases Crit Rate against enemies marked by Bull’s Eye by 20%
Arachsiam (Hard mode)
Thunderclap
Mask
Triggering Power Surge 20 times causes the next hit to summon Celestial Thunder, dealing Shock DMG at 200% Psi Intensity.
Status Amplification
Pants
When magazine is empty, gain +10 Status DMG for 12s (stacks up to three times).
Boots
When there are no enemies within 7m, gain +15% Weapon DMG and Status DMG
Silo Phi
Much of the endgame involves running dungeons likeSecurement Silo Alpha inOnce Humanfor a chance of getting mods. Expect to spend a lot of time and Controllers when grinding these dungeons.
TheStatic Shock mod inOnce Humanis the best weapon mod option players get if they want to increase the damage of their Shock procs. This andElemental Overloadare enough to make up for Mayfly Goggle’s damage penalty. Add the Thunderclap mod to increase your damage output even further.
Combat Deviant
As of Season 1, the game does not have any Deviants that specifically boosts Shock DMG. This means players can freely choose any type of Combat Deviant they want when using a Power Surge build inOnce Human. For offensive Deviants,Lonewolf’s Whisperis highly recommended, especially for solo players, as the wolves can draw enemy aggro. Alternatively,Festering Gelworks well as a defensive option that provides cover and restores health.
Power Surge Build Cradle Setup (Season 2)
Patch 1.1 nerfed Transient Impact, which used to increase Power Surge DMG after triggering Power Surge. Now, the Cradle perk increases Power Surge and Shock DMG after defeating an enemy, making it less powerful in 1v1 scenarios.
These are the most important Cradle perks for a Power Surge build as of Season 2. Deviation Master in particular gives a 50% damage buff just for having your Combat Deviant out. Pair it with the buffs from the other perks, and you’ll have yourself a build that packs a very mean punch. Use the rest of your vacant slots on QoL perks like Rapid Aid and Sprint.
With the introduction of Super Anomaly enemies, players will have to using Anti-Anomaly mods like Anti-Phase, Anti-Regen, and Anti-Void. Players may be able to brute force their way through encounters with these enemies, but during the early game, using Anti-Anomaly mods will be the best way to beat these enemies.
If you’re having trouble surviving, theAdvantage Barrierperk should help out. It grants a shield equal to 30% of your max HP when you hit a weakspot. This override is great for both PvE and PvP, though it’s better for the latter since it also gives a Weapon DMG Reduction buff that reduces the damage you take from other players' guns. This also affects weapons from Rosetta soldiers and Vultures.
