The Once Human map is not the same in every scenario, and its rules have moved with the updates. This guide covers what the developers’ announcements say about the map: the original regions, Worldstones, the maps of a few scenarios, Pollution Zones and the changes since 2025. If you are new to the game, start with the beginner guide.

Everything comes from the developers’ version notes, dev blogs and two pages on oncehuman.game, read on November 6, 2026. The latest version is 3.1.2 (November 4, 2026). Nothing was played or tested for this page, so there is no list of “best farming spots”. Each rule below is tied to the version or scenario whose notes state it. Version 3.1.2 does not restate most of them. An older rule is what the notes said then, not a confirmed description of today’s game.

The original Nalcott map

The notes name these regions of the original map: Broken Delta, Dayton Wetlands, Iron River, Chalk Peak, Red Sands and the Blackheart Region. Version 1.4.4 (March 26, 2025) says the Field Guide’s Regional Records section includes Red Sands and the Blackheart Region. A 2025 note on Endless Dream describes the whole map as running from the southern Broken Delta to Ember Strand in the north.

What changes by scenario

A scenario can change which parts of the map you can reach. These are dated facts, not a current rulebook.

• Endless Dream. The version 1.6.1 notes (May 21, 2025) say all existing regions are accessible in Phase I. That note belongs to the scenario’s early access, so check your scenario’s screen.
• The Way of Winter. The developers’ launch post of October 17, 2024 describes a new map in the far north of Nalcott, with a choice of starting points. It says players can travel on to Ember Strand and visit strongholds such as Frost Forge, Fire Throat Sanctum and Fort Obsidian. The scenario’s dev blog of the same day names the region Arkam. It lists Vena Fjord and Onyx Tundra for Phase 1, and Ember Strand for Phase 2. Both pages date from 2024. Of the three strongholds, only Fire Throat Sanctum appears again in the Steam notes read here (version 2.3.3, February 25, 2026, a fix for unreachable resource crates). This guide did not check whether Frost Forge and Fort Obsidian are still on the map today.
• Isles of Abyss. The October 16 and 21, 2026 notes describe an archipelago from tropical groves to cold tundra, with 12 worlds per server. Ships work as vehicles and movable water territory.

The icons on a map like the one above change with the scenario and the version. This guide does not list what each one marks, because the notes read for it do not describe the map screens in that detail. Open the in-game map instead.

Worldstones and fast travel

Version 2.2.4 (December 23, 2025) replaced the wilderness Rift Anchors and Teleportation Towers with Worldstones. The notes say Worldstones can be bound as respawn points, that activated ones keep their teleportation functionality, and that Rift Anchors and Teleportation Towers you had already activated kept their status. Version 2.3.1 (January 21, 2026) renamed “Rift Anchor” to “Worldstone” in the game’s terms.

Settlements and rewards

Version 2.3.5 (March 25, 2026) says exploration points, crates, settlement treasures and first-clear dungeon rewards that gave blueprint fragments now give Starchrom. The notes read for this page do not describe the settlement screen, so this guide gives no recommended levels. Read them on your map.

Pollution Zones: four scopes

The rules differ by scope. Keep them apart.

• Scenarios other than RaidZone (version 2.3.1, January 21, 2026). These servers randomly generate Pollution Zones, so each scenario server has its own locations and quantities. Each zone has one Deviant effect and one to three Deviant Traits. The traits affect survival, exploration or production. The notes name Wild and Mirror zones. A later note (Meta Hotline of September 17, 2026) names Phantom Pollution Zones, where loot and recycling are doubled and teleporting home while overencumbered is restricted. Version 3.0.3 (August 5, 2026) says that in the Mirror Pollution Zone, teleporting is now disabled only above a load threshold.
• Visional Wheel S3, Aberrant Progeny (history). The 2.3.1 notes say that during this vision, Pollution Zone boundaries were redrawn per server. Territories inside updated zones suffered continuous erosion. A 7-day erosion protection ended on January 29, 2026, and ended at once if you relocated out of the zone. S4, Gravity Abyss, arrived with version 2.4.1 on May 27, 2026, and the 2.3.7 notes had said S3 was nearing its end. Treat these rules as history.
• RaidZone. Version 3.0.2 (July 22, 2026) lists “Mental Pollution Zones” under its RaidZone updates. There are two levels. “Sanity” is replaced by a “Mentality” stat that falls inside a zone, and HP is lost too. RaidZone was split into Casual, Standard and Hardcore in version 2.3.7 (April 22, 2026). Older RaidZone notes may not apply to a given mode.
• Territory. The base building guide on this site covers Territories and Pollution Zones from the Territory Terminal’s side.

Changes to the map since 2025

• Western Isles. The 2.4.1 notes (May 27, 2026) announced an adjustment of the border area west of Chalk Peak in the June 10 update, to prepare for the Western Isles region. Territories in the marked area would be packed up, and you had to relocate them manually.
• Isles of Abyss. It launched without a Vision tag. The notes say the Vision World for its servers opens with the S5 Vision release.
• Visions. The 3.1.2 notes say the next Visional Wheel is about to turn, with details to come in upcoming dev blogs. Check the Events screen, under Visional Wheel.

Before you set out

• Which scenario and mode are you in? Maps, Pollution Zones and rewards are not the same in every one.
• Which version is it? Look at the date of any guide, including this one.
• What does your own map show? It is the only source for the icons and settlements of your server.

Common mistakes

• Using a fixed list of locations. Names, rewards and layouts change with updates and between scenarios.
• Assuming every scenario uses the original map. The Way of Winter and Isles of Abyss have their own.
• Carrying S3 rules into other visions. Zone redrawing and erosion belonged to that vision.
• Applying RaidZone rules to scenarios. The Mentality rule is RaidZone’s.
• Settling without checking the zones. Pollution Zones are generated per server and can sit around your Territory.

What this guide does not cover

• No ranking of farming spots, no route and no coordinates.
• What each map icon marks, and settlement details such as recommended levels.
• Whether Frost Forge, Fort Obsidian and the other Way of Winter strongholds are still laid out as in 2024.
• Any change after the 3.1.2 notes of November 4, 2026.

Sources named in the text: Steam community announcements for Once Human (version notes 1.4.4, 1.6.1, 2.2.4, 2.3.1, 2.3.3, 2.3.5, 2.3.7, 2.4.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.1.2, the Meta Hotline of September 17, 2026, the Isles of Abyss notes of October 16 and 21, 2026) and two pages on oncehuman.game dated October 17, 2024 (The Way of Winter launch post and dev blog).