Meta-humans inOnce Humanmust build fortified territories for protection, crafting, and generating materials for end game progression.Polluted areasin particular are especially desirable, as there are several facilities that can only function properly in these locations. Players can harvest resources such asPolluted Water, which is one of the primary ways to obtain Acid, a frequent choke point for crafting gear and supplies.
By building in a polluted area, players can usespecial generatorsto passively use stardust energy to power your facilities. Depending on the surrounding area, you may also be able to find a surplus ofStartrace Ore, which can be mined and refined intoStardust Sourcewith the proper Memetic Specialization. These locations are the best in the game to build your base, and here is how to most efficiently use these areas.
Best Polluted Locations To Build
Easiest Polluted Area To Reach - Broken Delta
The easiest and fastest polluted area to reach is near theBlack Lake Public Crisisevent location in the Broken Delta. It can be foundbetween the Gaia Research Center Ruins and Sunbury settlements. While not a very large space, this area is open at the beginning of the season and can be accessed right away. Be mindful thatyou should not build directly on the lakedue to the event, but you should have space to build along the side. You mayneed to hop worldsif the space is already full, but players will tend to move to other polluted areas as the season progresses.
Best Polluted Area For Resources - Chalk Peak
This area is, in my opinion, thebest polluted areainOnce Human. In the far Northwest corner of Chalk Peak, there is a massive polluted area that can housedozens of territories. Additionally, this area also hasStartrace Ore, which can be mined and converted into Stardust Source with the proper Memetic Specialization. You can also easily findall three varieties of Corrupted Crops, and just a short five-minute run around the areacan yield 10+ crops easily. These crops can then be placed in Brewing Barrels to produceAcid.
The only downside of this area is that it is a higher leveled area and hasmany, many bears. Be careful if you arrive early andbe prepared to fight! Territory defensessuch as turrets or Nutcracker Deviationswill likely be needed.
Most Popular Polluted Area - Blackfell
The polluted area just outside Blackfellin the Red Sands regionis one of the most popular polluted areas in the game. Not only is Blackfell thecurrent trade hubof most servers, but it also houses the Blackfell run, where players canregularly gather endgame materialsand furniture formulas.
Unfortunately, this location hasextremely limited building spacedue to the proximity of the settlement. Players tend to rush here and place their territories as soon as the region opens. You must also carefully place your territory so that it isnot too near the settlement, or else your building will be restricted.Be wary of high-level enemiesthat can (and will) enter your base and attack!
Best Blackfell Backup Polluted Area - Evergreen
If you were hoping to have easily farmed materials on your doorstep,the resort town of Evergreenin Red Sands makes a worthwhile consolation. Though missing the benefits of Blackfell’s trading, players can still easily run through the settlement to obtain endgame materials here as well. There are also many deviants that can be defeated to obtain Acid and experience. This area tends to have plenty of open space for players to build on.
Making the Most Of Polluted Areas
Sometimes Pollution Is A Good Thing
To generate power,Deviation Energy Generatorscan be used to produce power for essentially zero cost. Provided they are placed in an area with pollution, they willautomatically generate powerfrom the residual stardust in the air. These generators will produce a base amount of 35W of energy. If, for some reason, the generator does not work, try moving it a few feet away. Unfortunately, there are sometimes dead spots where the generators don’t properly detect pollution.
Polluted areas are wherea pollution number appears on your Cradle backpack. An occasional beep is heard depending on how heavy the pollution is, and will beep rapidly if you do not have appropriate pollution resistance.
The best resource to gather isPolluted Water. In polluted areas, Water Pumps will pull Polluted Water instead of Dirty Water. However, some areas may still pull Dirty Water due to dead spots as well. Unfortunately, it takes about five minutes for the first water to pull from the ground, so you’ll have to wait and check to make sure you’re getting the right type.
There currently seems to be a bug where, when offline, there is a chance the pumpswill pull a fraction of Dirty Water. This does not seem to happen immediately after logging off. It also does not stop gathering Polluted Water, but only reduces the amount.
Running Polluted Water throughCompact or Osmosis Water Filterswill produceImpure Acid, which can besynthesized into Acid using a Brewing Barrel. This is currently the best method for generating Acid inOnce Human. Players can leverage Acid to trade for other necessary wares such as Stardust Source, Electronic Parts, and Energy Links.
