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Once Human: Best Deviants to Get First

So you’ve already leveled up considerably and you’ve picked the best Specializations for your character in Once Human. Your next step is to make sure you’ve got competent companions as well. Here’s our take on the best Deviants to choose in Once Human.

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What are Deviants in Once Human?

Deviants are little alien critters in Once Human that you can capture and use as companions as you’re exploring the open-world. There are various types of Deviants, and they all come with different abilities that can aid you in a whole host of different ways in the game.

Deviants are also divided into four categories as listed below:

  • Combat type
  • Territory type
  • Gadget type
  • Furniture type

Combat Deviants will take orders from you in combat situations, and will assist you in fighting off foes generally. Territory and Gadget Deviants will help with mining and gathering usually, as well as assist you with general supply and base-building elements.

Best Deviants to Choose in Once Human

best deviants in once human

The good news is that you can endeavor to collect all of the critters in Once Human and swap them out as necessary, so there isn’t really a need to just choose and stick with one Deviant. That being said, here are our picks for the best Deviants you should prioritize getting:

Deviant NameTypeEffectsHow to Get
Buzzy BeeTerritory – FarmerVariant Planting

Mood Boosters: Music, Crop, Flowers
Found in Citrus County. Can be obtained from hidden chests.
ChefosaurusTerritory – CookingIncreased cooking speed

Mood Boosters: Red light, toy, high temperature
Obtained from Lowe’s quest at Meyer’s Market. Can be dropped at Securement Silo: Phi.
Festering GelCombat – DefenderFlawless Fortification, Build Fortification

Mood Boosters: Red light, 2W power
Obtained from Ravenous Hunter.
Zeno PurifierCombat – AttackerDesignated target, Auto attack

Mood Boosters: Red light, music
Obtained through season goals. Complete the challenge that tasks you with defeating 200 enemies with melee enemies.
Shattered MaidenCombat – AttackerDesignated target, Auto attack

Mood Boosters: Blue light, red light, plants
Obtained as a possible drop at Silo: Theta.
Digby BoyTerritory – MinerMine ores

Mood Boosters: Music, toy, high temperature, 5W power
Obtained as a possible drop while mining ore.
Logging BeaverTerritory – LoggerFell trees

Mood Boosters: Music, crops, high temperature, 3W power
Obtained at the docks south of Meyer’s Market.
NutcrackerTerritory – DefenseMobile turret

Mood Boosters: Green light, toy, 5W power
Obtained by defeating the 5th Great One Mensdevoran.

In my view, the best and most useful Deviants to get definitely fall into the Territory type. These guys are great at just streamlining a lot of the farming process, allowing you to gather materials more efficiently. Going even further than that, the Territory Defense Deviants also help a lot with base protection, which takes pressure off of you.

As for the Combat type Deviants, both Zeno Purifier and Shattered Maiden will get the job done as a companion that fights alongside you. Personally, I found it easier to go with Zeno Purifier just because it’s a lot more straightforward to obtain, as opposed to relying on RNG drops for Shattered Maiden.

How to Use Deviants

Finally, let’s quickly go over how to actually use your Deviants in Once Human. You’ll first need to build an Isolated Securement Unit in your territory. After doing so, interact with it, and choose to put a Deviant into your Cradle.

Once that’s sorted and you’ve completed the Cradle sync process, hold down the E key to issue commands to your Deviant. This works for all types of Deviants, including combat ones.

And those are the best Deviants to get in Once Human. Be sure to search up The Escapist for more tips and information on the game, including how to escape Dayton Hospital, and how to complete A Miracle Chase.


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Author
Image of Zhiqing Wan
Zhiqing Wan
Zhiqing is a History undergrad from the National University of Singapore. She started playing video games in 1996 when her dad introduced her to Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil -- and the rest, as they say, is history. When she's not obsessing over Elden Ring and Dark Souls lore theories, you can find her singing along loudly and badly to Taylor Swift's latest bops. Formerly the Reviews Editor at Twinfinite, she joined the Escapist team in 2024. You can reach her at [email protected].