The Once Human September 16 update, announced for September 16 (PT), extensively reworks the Beastmaster class, animal riding and ranch management. Published on September 12, 2026, the official Steam post details the Beast Riding rules without giving an exact deployment time.
The central change affects players who use the Beastmaster or raise animals. Only one creature can be summoned at a time, while production, growth and breeding will now mainly depend on Energy. The post also announces balance adjustments to Gardeners’ combat capabilities, but does not provide a detailed list in its presentation.
Confirmed changes and fixes
Beastmasters will be able to summon the animal corresponding to an item placed in their backpack or hotbar. Using the item again will recall the creature, with a shared 10-second cooldown. After the update, only one animal can remain summoned at once, and it must be an adult with more than 20% Energy.
Four species are confirmed as mountable in this version: Deer, Boar, Bear and Wild Buffalo. The planned controls cover PC, mobile and console, although the post does not provide a complete matrix for each device model.
Once Human Beast Riding: how saddles change combat
With a saddle, players will be able to fire their weapons, perform melee attacks, gather resources, interact with their surroundings, use consumables and activate their Deviation abilities without a special animation. The animal’s special ability can also be used while riding with a saddle. However, an action with a special animation will immediately dismount the player, including certain interactions, teleportation and world changes.
Bareback riding follows stricter rules: it consumes the character’s Stamina and becomes impossible when the gauge is insufficient. Animals without saddles also resist while being ridden. The Beastmaster will also start with one animal chosen from Deer, Boar and Bear, along with a Beast Whistle and a Basic Saddle.
Animal ranching: Energy replaces several stats
The ranching overhaul removes the Tameness and Hydration stats. Youngling growth, breeding, byproduct production and slaughter yields will now be tied to the animal’s Energy.
- 80% to 100%: efficient byproduct production, large slaughter yields, normal growth and breeding available.
- 20% to 80%: normal production, moderate slaughter yields and normal growth, but breeding unavailable.
- 0% to 20%: production and growth paused, small slaughter yields and breeding unavailable.
The animal list will display new indicators for Energy, Courtship and Breeding Cooldown. The World Map will also allow players to track the distribution of animals in the current Scenario. While offline, only food placed in the animal trough will be consumed: items thrown on the ground will not count, and Body Boost Feed will not be used.
The date of September 16 (PT) is confirmed, but its launch time is not. For the Beastmaster, the priority will be keeping Energy above 80% to maintain the best announced yields. The full details of the Gardener balance changes remain to be clarified.
