Once Human's Winter Update Unleashes Five Powerful New Weapons for 2025

The world of Once Human has been plunged into a deep freeze with the arrival of the major Way of Winter scenario in 2025. Players are scrambling to access the new servers, braving harsh weather conditions and equipping their best gear to tackle fresh story quests, missions, and exploration objectives. A core part of surviving this frozen frontier is mastering the arsenal introduced in this update, which features five distinct new weapons designed for various combat philosophies and survival strategies. From close-quarters carnage to long-range precision, these tools are essential for conquering the chilling challenges that await.

5️⃣ M416 - Scorched Earth: The Early-Game Workhorse

Perfect for players just starting their journey in the new winter zones, the Scorched Earth variant of the M416 is a reliable companion. While it may lack the meta-defining traits of some end-game weapons, its true value shines for those without vast reserves of Starchrome. This assault rifle excels during farming runs, allowing players to efficiently gather resources. Its design synergizes powerfully with elemental damage gear sets, such as the Shelterer and Blackstone sets, amplifying its effectiveness. A key survival feature in the freezing temperatures is the Burn modification, which heals the user upon each kill—a crucial lifeline when the environment itself is draining your HP.

4️⃣ M416 - Autumn Equinox: The Solo Survivor's Choice

Designed for self-sufficient play, the Autumn Equinox (also known as Fortress Warfare) is a top pick for solo operators. Its improved visual animations provide clear feedback, especially indicating the area where you can receive healing, making tactical positioning more intuitive. With a high rate of fire, players can reliably trigger its effects without worry. This weapon uniquely rewards maintaining a high health pool, offering significant bonuses that make it exceptionally strong in Player versus Environment (PvE) scenarios. This allows players to forgo stacking excessive damage reduction mods, a common necessity in Player versus Player (PvP) combat, and instead focus on aggressive, health-sustaining playstyles.

3️⃣ ACS12 - Pyroclasm Starter: The Close-Quarters King

💥 Warning: Do not stand in front of this weapon. The ACS12 Pyroclasm Starter is a devastating shotgun that dominates short to mid-range engagements. Its core mechanic is brutally simple yet powerful: reloading boosts Blaze and Burn damage. By collecting Deviant particles during combat and then performing a tactical reload, players can trigger devastating passive effects, turning the shotgun into an inferno-spewing beast. While its damage noticeably falls off against long-range targets, within its intended range, few weapons can match its raw, explosive stopping power. It's the perfect tool for clearing confined spaces and dealing with aggressive, charging Deviants.

2️⃣ MG4 - Conflicting Memories: The Sustained Fire Specialist

A formidable contender in the light machine gun category, the MG4 Conflicting Memories brings lethal firepower to long-range engagements. It focuses on Shrapnel as its core effect, which automatically triggers after every 12 hits on a target, dealing significant bonus damage. This effect is enhanced by the weapon's generous base magazine, with an extra 40 rounds providing a substantial Shrapnel damage bonus. However, mastering this LMG requires a specific build focus; it heavily relies on increasing the magazine capacity through mods to maximize its sustained damage potential. Players must also carefully manage recoil, as continuous fire can make precision challenging, unlike the more controllable bursts of standard assault rifles.

Weapon Trait	MG4 Conflicting Memories	Typical Assault Rifle
Core Effect	Shrapnel (every 12 hits)	Varies (often direct damage)
Magazine Dependency	High (Needs capacity mods)	Moderate to Low
Optimal Range	Medium to Long	All Ranges
Fire Control	High Recoil (Sustained Fire)	Manageable Recoil

1️⃣ M416 - Silent Anabasis: The Community's Frosty Favorite 👑

Crowned as the most popular new weapon in the 2025 meta, the M416 Silent Anabasis is an auto-attacking ace. Its rise to fame is directly tied to a new key gear item: the Snow Camouflage gloves. This combination is revolutionary, as the gloves enable auto-targeting ice missiles upon shattering Ice crystals created by the weapon. This creates a powerful, automated damage system that excels at crowd control. The Frost Vortexes generated are invaluable for managing hordes of Deviants, making this weapon indispensable in challenging end-game content like the Zone of Haze or LEA Research Lab, where controlling incoming waves is as important as dealing raw damage. Its blend of high DPS and exceptional crowd control has led many players to declare, "Sorry, The Last Valor, the new Frost AR is my best friend now."

Conclusion: A Balanced Arsenal for a Harsh World

The Way of Winter update has successfully expanded Once Human's tactical landscape with this diverse set of weapons. Whether you're a new survivor relying on the Scorched Earth, a lone wolf thriving with the Autumn Equinox, a frontline brawler wielding the Pyroclasm Starter, a support gunner laying down fire with the Conflicting Memories, or a meta-chaser controlling the battlefield with the Silent Anabasis, there is a tool tailored for every playstyle. Mastering these weapons and their synergies with new gear like the Snow Camouflage gloves is the key to not just surviving, but thriving in the frozen chaos of 2025's Once Human.

Research highlighted by Eurogamer underscores the importance of weapon diversity and adaptive strategies in survival shooters like Once Human. Eurogamer's editorial coverage often explores how new content updates, such as the Way of Winter scenario, can dramatically shift player behavior and meta preferences, especially when unique weapon effects and gear synergies are introduced to challenge established playstyles.