Once Human's September 28 Update Fixes Beastmaster's Biggest Problem and Refunds Customization Costs
Once Human is scheduled to receive its next version update on September 28, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The date matters for two very different groups of players. Beastmasters will finally move from the temporary one-animal restriction to a three-animal simultaneous summon limit, while every player gains free face, body and palette hair-color changes through the floor mirror. The update also changes old customization items, reduces the price of the gender-change item and automatically compensates qualifying recent purchases. Players who need optional currency can review Topuplist as a game recharge platform and the Once Human top-up page, but several purchases are specifically worth delaying until the new rules are live.
Once Human
Confirmed timing: the announcement schedules the update for September 28 at 4:00 p.m. PT. Maintenance duration and the final server opening time can change, so treat the time as the maintenance start rather than a guaranteed moment of access.
What actually changes on September 28
The September 16 update introduced the Beastmaster overhaul, including Beast Riding, direct animal summoning, the Beast Whistle command system, animal gear, saddles, breeding and gene modification. One controversial restriction remained during the first implementation period: Beastmasters could summon only one animal at a time. The developers stated that this was temporary and that the class would regain a three-animal simultaneous limit after the September 28 update. Non-Beastmaster classes remain limited to one summoned animal.
The same update removes the item cost from facial reshaping, body reshaping and palette hair dyeing at a territory floor mirror. Chrysalis Tokens and Butterfly Dyes leave their normal acquisition channels, existing copies become convertible rather than useless, and the Metamorphosis Token price falls from 880 Crystgins to 300. Purchases made with eligible currencies during the stated three-month lookback receive automatic compensation through in-game Mail.
Change | Before September 28 | After the update |
|---|---|---|
Beastmaster simultaneous summons | Temporary limit of one animal | Maximum of three animals |
Other classes | One summoned animal | Still limited to one; no Beastmaster combat abilities |
Face and body reshaping | Consumes a customization item | Free at the territory floor mirror |
Palette hair dyeing | Consumes Butterfly Dye | Free at the territory floor mirror |
Metamorphosis Token | 880 Crystgins | 300 Crystgins |
Three animals change Beastmaster from a single-pet class into a roster problem
Going from one active animal to three is not a simple tripling of damage. Each summoned animal occupies attention, carries its own survivability and trait quality, and still has to receive useful commands. Three weak animals that reach a target late, overlap the same task or die to the same area attack can produce less value than one carefully prepared partner. The important preparation is therefore not collecting any three adult animals. It is building a small roster with complementary jobs.
Start with one durable frontline animal that can stay engaged while the player acts. Add one partner whose traits or role contribute damage, interruption or pressure, then reserve the third slot for gathering, utility or a second combat animal based on the activity. The update announcement identifies Deer, Boar, Bear and Wild Buffalo as the currently supported rideable animals. It does not publish a universal best trio. Wild animals themselves do not possess active or passive skills; only Beastmasters can use an animal's special ability while riding it with a saddle. Animal traits, gear, saddle effects and the Beastmaster's own level still affect the result.
A Beastmaster also cannot command an animal more than ten levels above the character. That rule prevents high-level acquisition alone from solving progression. Before September 28, check the level, traits, gear and saddle status of every intended partner, then narrow the working roster to three animals that meet the command restriction. This is more efficient than spending resources across a large collection whose members cannot enter the same lineup.
Build a command plan before filling all three slots
Summoned animals default to an idle or waiting state. They enter useful assisting behavior after the Beastmaster issues commands through the Beast Whistle. The original three whistle variants are being consolidated into one Beast Whistle, which the class can craft by default. The old red whistle is retained and renamed; the other older whistle types are not automatically recalled and can be used to transform them into the new version. That means inventory cleanup is partly a player action, not an automatic conversion.
Use one simple command sequence when the limit increases. Summon the frontline animal first, command it to engage or take position, deploy the second combat or control partner, and add the utility animal only after the fight is stable. In gathering sessions, reverse the emphasis: lead with the partner whose trait supports collection, keep a mount available for movement, and do not call a third animal merely because a slot exists. Extra bodies can complicate pathing and make it harder to notice which animal needs recovery.
Choose three jobs: frontline, damage or control, and movement or gathering.
Check the ten-level command rule: every working animal must be within the Beastmaster's usable range.
Prepare one unified Beast Whistle: convert obsolete variants manually where the inventory permits it.
Equip for the job: normal-state animal gear and saddle effects solve different parts of the loop.
Test one command at a time: learn how each partner responds before sending all three into a difficult encounter.
Riding, saddles and animal ownership still have separate rules
Beastmasters can mount eligible animals directly, including bareback interactions, but bareback riding consumes character Stamina. An animal without a saddle has restricted maximum stamina, cannot provide its special ability and may attempt to break free. A saddle changes the relationship from temporary control into stable riding, and Beastmasters can use the animal's special ability while mounted. The class can craft and replace animal gear and saddles, while other classes can inspect and benefit from equipment already fitted but cannot replace it themselves.
That distinction creates a useful preparation market. A Beastmaster can develop a saddled animal and trade it to another Meta, after which ownership permissions for the animal and saddle change together. Non-Beastmasters can ride a properly prepared animal in the wild, but they cannot use animal special abilities or receive their effects, and they cannot summon it inside dungeons or during combat. A buyer should therefore evaluate movement, saddle quality and ownership rather than paying as if the purchase grants the full Beastmaster combat kit.
If September 28 motivates a class switch, do not judge the class only by mounted speed. The real advantage is the complete loop: approaching animals without causing them to flee or attack, reading their Stats and Traits, commanding partners, breeding, targeted gene modification, carrying animals at reduced weight and fielding three simultaneously. Players who only want faster open-world travel can obtain much of that convenience from a saddled animal without rebuilding an entire class setup.
Free customization makes three purchases poor value before maintenance
The safest financial action is to stop buying Chrysalis Tokens and Butterfly Dyes before the update. Existing items retain value through conversion, but buying them now to perform an appearance change offers little reason when the same face, body and palette hair-color functions are scheduled to become free. A Metamorphosis Token is an even clearer wait: its listed price falls by 580 Crystgins, from 880 to 300, after the update.
The compensation rules reduce the harm for recent purchasers but should not be treated as permission for unnecessary spending. Players who bought Chrysalis Tokens or Butterfly Dyes from the Shop with Crystgin or Colorful Badges within the three months before the September 28 update are due a full refund of the currency spent. The announcement lists a 580-Crystgin refund for each qualifying Metamorphosis Token purchased during that period. Compensation is distributed automatically through in-game Mail, so there is no application form to submit.
Item or purchase | September 28 treatment | Player action |
|---|---|---|
Existing Chrysalis Token | Convertible to 120 Colorful Badges each | Keep it and verify the conversion interface after maintenance. |
Existing Butterfly Dye | Convertible to 60 Colorful Badges each | Do not discard it; compare inventory before and after conversion. |
Eligible recent Chrysalis Token or Butterfly Dye purchase | Full refund of the Crystgin or Colorful Badges originally spent | Claim the automatic Mail and compare it with purchase history. |
Eligible recent Metamorphosis Token purchase | 580 Crystgins returned per qualifying token | Check Mail after the update; do not buy another at 880 now. |
Future face, body or palette hair-color edit | No item cost | Use the floor mirror after maintenance. |
Important boundary: free reshaping and hair dyeing do not make gender changes free. The Metamorphosis Token remains a paid item; only its price changes to 300 Crystgins.
How to audit the automatic refund without creating support confusion
Automatic compensation is convenient, but players should keep enough information to recognize an error. Before maintenance, record the current quantities of Chrysalis Tokens, Butterfly Dyes, Colorful Badges and Crystgins. If the purchase-history interface shows recent customization purchases, note their dates and quantities. There is no need to publish or share account information. The purpose is simply to compare the account's own numbers with the Mail contents after the update.
After the server reopens, claim all relevant system Mail, then separate three different movements: conversion of items already owned, refund of eligible recent Shop purchases, and the new 300-Crystgin price. These are not interchangeable. A player may receive both an item conversion and a purchase refund because one concerns current inventory while the other concerns a historical purchase. If the numbers do not match, wait until the announced distribution completes before contacting support with the exact item, currency, quantity and purchase date.
The practical order remains important: collect refunds first, confirm the reduced price second, and only then calculate whether additional Crystgins are needed. Otherwise, a purchase made to cover a temporary shortfall can become unnecessary as soon as compensation Mail arrives.
The Moon That Lingers discount ends at the same update boundary
The version notice also places a deadline on the Moon That Lingers Lightforge Loot Crate promotion. Until the September 28 update, a ten-draw costs nine Lightforge Ingots, described as a ten-percent discount. This is a cosmetic offer, not a reason to convert customization savings into automatic crate spending. The Beastmaster change and free mirror functions are permanent system value; the crate remains an optional probability-based purchase.
If a specific cosmetic is desired, inspect the probability notice, guarantee structure, duplicate handling and remaining draw count before the deadline. Do not compare nine discounted Ingots with the old customization price as if both buy the same outcome. One pays for a defined service whose price is being reduced or removed; the other buys randomized cosmetic results. Keeping those budgets separate prevents the update's refund from disappearing into a purchase that was never planned.
A practical September 28 launch checklist
Before maintenance
Stop buying Chrysalis Tokens, Butterfly Dyes and full-price Metamorphosis Tokens.
Record customization-item and currency balances for a private after-update comparison.
Select three Beastmaster animals by role, level, traits, gear and saddle readiness.
Keep one working Beast Whistle and identify old variants that require manual conversion.
Make any Moon That Lingers decision from its probability rules, not from fear of missing the discount.
After the server reopens
Read the live notice and confirm that the simultaneous Beastmaster summon limit displays three.
Test commands with low-risk enemies before taking the trio into a dungeon or difficult event.
Visit the territory floor mirror and confirm that eligible reshaping and palette dye functions show no item cost.
Check automatic Mail for purchase compensation and verify old-item conversion values.
Confirm the Metamorphosis Token shows 300 Crystgins before considering a gender change.
The update rewards preparation more than immediate spending
The largest September 28 gain is flexibility. Beastmasters regain the three-part field identity that players expected from an animal-centered class, but that power will depend on roster design and command discipline rather than raw summon count. At the same time, every account receives more appearance freedom, while players who paid under the old rules receive a defined conversion or compensation route.
Prepare three animals with different jobs, retain old customization items, delay the purchases that become cheaper or unnecessary, and audit Mail before spending again. That sequence extracts the system value of the update first. It also keeps optional cosmetic decisions separate from permanent account improvements, which is the simplest way to avoid turning a player-friendly refund into a new budget problem.
FAQ
When is the Once Human September 28 update?
Maintenance is scheduled to begin on September 28, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. PT. The final opening time can move, so check the live server notice.
How many animals can a Beastmaster summon after the update?
The announced simultaneous limit is three for Beastmasters. Other classes remain limited to one summoned animal and do not gain Beastmaster-only combat abilities.
Will character customization become completely free?
Face reshaping, body reshaping and palette hair dyeing at the territory floor mirror become free. Gender change still requires a Metamorphosis Token, whose price is reduced from 880 to 300 Crystgins.
What happens to old Chrysalis Tokens and Butterfly Dyes?
Existing Chrysalis Tokens convert at 120 Colorful Badges each, while existing Butterfly Dyes convert at 60 Colorful Badges each. Do not discard them before checking the post-update conversion interface.
Do eligible players need to request the refund?
No application is announced. Eligible compensation is scheduled for automatic distribution through in-game Mail after the update.
Where can players recharge Once Human currency after checking the refund?
After claiming compensation and confirming the live price, players who still need optional currency can compare current offers through the game recharge platform Topuplist and its Once Human top-up page.
