Once Human Shrapnel build guide: BiS gear, Deviant, and more

The Shrapnel build in Once Human decimates foes in the blink of an eye and boasts some of the fastest boss kill times in the game. Despite being significantly nerfed in the Beta, it remains the meta for PvE, competing closely with other dominant builds this season, such as Frost Vortex, Power Surge, and Unstable Bomber.

This guide covers everything you need to know about the Shrapnel build in Once Human, including the best weapons, armor sets, Deviant, and Cradle Override nodes.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the writer's opinion.

Best Once Human Shrapnel build: Weapons, armor sets, Deviant, and Cradle Override nodes

Best weapon for Once Human Shrapnel build

Shrapnel is the best build for PvE in Once Human (Image via Starry Studio)

These are the best weapons, mods, Calibration Blueprint, and accessories for the Shrapnel build in Once Human:

Primary Weapon:

SOCR - The Last Valor: This Legendary AR can be acquired from the Wish Machine in Once Human.

Primary Weapon Mod:

Obliterate: Farm this Legendary mod from Normal, Hard, and Pro Monolith of Thirst and Pro LEA Research Lab.

Calibration Blueprint:

Precision Style with two Crit Rate affixes: You can get this Calibration Blueprint by disassembling Legendary weapons with the same Calibration Attribute, which can be dropped by bosses, found in Weapon Crates, or acquired through trading with another player.

Accessories:

Muzzle: Hammer Compensator (obtained as a reward from the Balloon type puzzle in the Red Sands region)
Optic: Compact Reflex Sight (purchased from Severin VII-S2041 in any neutral Stronghold using the Stellar Planula currency)
Tactical: Compact Infrared Indicator (obtained as a reward from the Balloon type puzzle in the Blackheart region)
Magazine: Extended Rifle Mag (obtained as a reward from the Jump Pads type puzzle in the Red Sands region)
Ammo: Smart Rifle AP Ammo (crafted in Advanced Supplies Workbench)

Secondary Weapon:

Recursive Crossbow: The blueprint for this Epic Crossbow can be looted from the Mystical Crate in the Evergreen Stronghold in the Red Sands region.

Secondary Weapon Mod:

Vulnerability Amplifier: This gold mod in Once Human can be acquired from Normal Monolith of Thirst, Hard and Pro Mirage Monolith, and Pro LEA Research Lab.

Melee Weapon

Long Axe: The blueprint for this Epic Long Axe can be looted from the Mystical Crate in the Ricci Securement Point Stronghold in the Iron River region.

While you can craft various tiers of the weapons as you progress through Once Human, Tier 5 is the highest quality version you can make once you reach the Red Sands region and unlock the Advanced Gear Workbench from the Memetic tech tree.

After crafting Tier 5 weapons, calibrate them to +10 for increased stats and damage output. Additionally, change their Calibration Attribute using the mentioned Calibration Blueprint for the optimal setup.

The Long Axe and Recursive Crossbow are only used to apply the Fortress Warfare buff and Bull's Eye debuff, respectively. The former provides a DMG Boost to your character, while the latter increases your Crit Rate by 30 percent for 10 seconds.

So, animation-cancel your heavy attack on the Long Axe to drop the Fortress Warfare Area-of-Effect, then swap to the Recursive Crossbow and attack the enemy's Weakspot to apply Bull's Eye. Finally, switch to your Legendary AR to decimate the foe.

Also read: Once Human weapons tier list

Best armor sets for Once Human Shrapnel build

Here are the best armor sets and mods for the Shrapnel build in Once Human:

Key Armor:

Beret: Get the blueprint for this Key Armor by completing the "Daughter's Greeing" quest at Silo SIGMA in the Dayton Wetlands region.

Armor Set (Four pieces):

Lonewolf Set: Get the blueprint for this Legendary set from the Wish Machine.

Last Armor piece:

Bastille: Get the blueprint for this Legendary set piece from the Wish Machine.

Armor Mods:

Helmet: Momentum Up (acquired from Normal, Hard, and Pro Silo ALPHA, Pro Forsaken Monolith, and Pro LEA Research Lab)
Face: Targeted Strike (acquired from Normal, Hard, and Pro Silo EX1, Pro Forsaken Monolith, Pro LEA Research Lab)
Top: Crit DMG Enhancement (obtained from Gear Crates and Normal Silo SIGMA)
Bottoms: Deadshot (obtained from Normal, Hard, and Pro Silo PSI, Pro Forsaken Giant, and Pro LEA Research Lab)
Gloves: Crit Amplifier (acquired from Hard and Pro Silo SIGMA, Pro Forsaken Monolith, and Pro LEA Research Lab)
Shoes: Covered Advance (obtained from Hard and Pro Silo PHI, Pro Forsaken Giant, and Pro LEA Research Lab)

Craft Tier 5 versions of your armor similar to the weapons, and calibrate them to +6, the max calibration level for armor. This will increase their defensive stats significantly. Additionally, if you get mods with optimal affixes, such as Crit DMG or Weapon DMG with high rolls, enhance them up to five times to randomly upgrade the stats.

Best Deviant for Once Human Shrapnel build

The Lonewolf's Whisper is the best Deviant for most of the top builds in Once Human (Image via Starry Studio)

Lonewolf's Whisper is the best Deviant for the Shrapnel build in Once Human, as it significantly increases your Weapon DMG. This Deviant has a chance to drop from the Monolith of Thirst.

Read More: All Deviant companions in Once Human

Best Cradle Override nodes for Once Human Shrapnel build

These are the optimal Cradle Override nodes for the best Shrapnel build in Once Human (Image via Starry Studio)

These are the best Cradle Override nodes for the Shrapnel build in Once Human:

Automatic Weapon Enhancement: Increases Rifle DMG
Tactical Combo: Increases Weapon DMG
Deadly Combo: Increases Shrapnel DMG after you hit a Weakspot with Shrapnel
Rapid Aid: Increases the healing effect and reduces the cooldown of healing items
Bullet Hunt: Increases Shrapnel DMG and Shrapnel Crit DMG after you kill an enemy
Deviation Master: Increases DMG against Deviants after you summon your own Deviant
Steady Hand: Increases Weakspot DMG and Weakspot DMG to the Bull's Eye while in the Fortress Warfare buff
Master Tactician: Increases DMG against a Great One after using a Tactical item

Check out our other guides on this game:

Edited by Angad Sharma