Once Human: Isles of Abyss: Rob Ships, Sink Your Neighbours
Once Human: Isles of Abyss launches October 21, 2026 (Pacific Time), introducing shipbuilding, naval warfare, underwater treasure hunting and, rather wonderfully, the ability to board hostile NPC ships and steal their treasure.
There's also a separate PvP scenario called RaidZone, where players can attack and sink each other's vessels. And losing your ship can mean losing the supplies you've spent your time gathering.
So, can you actually become a pirate in Once Human? Against NPC ships, yes. Against other players, things are less clear. Sinking their vessels is confirmed, but boarding them or stealing their cargo isn't.
Which means we currently have two maritime professions on offer. One involves stealing treasure. The other involves destroying someone else's property for reasons that may or may not extend beyond being an enormous bastard.
Both have their appeal.
Want piracy where stealing ships and cargo is an actual career? Caribbean Legend: Buccaneers lets you rob, smuggle and capture vessels for profit. Finally, maritime crime with a functioning business model instead of recreational property damage.
Apparently, the ocean is now full of things you can rob
The developers have confirmed that players can attack hostile NPC vessels called Voyagers, disable their facilities, board their decks and enter their holds to seize treasure.
Now we're talking. There's an actual target, something valuable aboard it and a reason to fight beyond watching another enemy's health bar slowly evaporate. You want what they've got, they're presumably unwilling to give it to you, and you've brought a heavily armed ship to settle the disagreement. A fairly straightforward business arrangement.
What makes this interesting is that you're also responsible for building your vessel. Ships serve as mobile bases, constructed from modular parts and equipped with different propulsion systems, weapons and facilities. The announced arsenal includes naval artillery, ramming equipment and mines, alongside navigation tools for marking routes and cruising automatically.
I rather like the idea of spending hours constructing what is essentially a floating house, only to decide that the living room would benefit enormously from a naval cannon. Perhaps the kitchen needs reinforced walls. Maybe the front door should be capable of sinking a fishing boat. At some point, you've stopped building transport and started designing the world's most aggressive holiday home.
Whether different ship designs translate into meaningful combat strategies remains to be seen, but the possibilities are interesting.
Isles of Abyss also introduces underwater exploration, shipwrecks, treasure maps and supernatural encounters. Giant sea creatures and environmental hazards mean that even PvE players will have opportunities to discover why humanity spent several thousand years trying to avoid living in the ocean.
Prefer your ocean nightmares without other players sinking your belongings? DREADMOOR gives you a miserable boat, mutant fish and a giant maggot that produces fuel. Somehow, our biggest problem wasn't even the monsters.
RaidZone: Congratulations, your ship is now someone else's target
The standard Isles of Abyss scenario focuses on PvE exploration. RaidZone introduces direct PvP conflict, scarcer resources and competition between players travelling through the same waters.
The interesting part isn't simply that you can attack another player. We've been shooting strangers in video games for decades, usually because they looked at us funny or happened to be standing between us and a slightly better pair of trousers.
It's what happens when you lose.
According to the developers, saved ship blueprints allow you to reconstruct a sunken vessel, but supplies lost aboard it will not be refunded.
Imagine spending days gathering materials, preparing equipment and constructing your magnificent floating fortress. Then someone comes along with a few cannons, demonstrates a fundamental disagreement with your continued existence, and sends the whole thing to the bottom.
Fortunately, the system has preserved your blueprints.
How reassuring. It's rather like coming home to discover your house has burned down, only for the insurance company to proudly announce they've recovered the architectural drawings. Your belongings are gone, but here's a lovely diagram showing where the kitchen used to be. Presumably, you're expected to frame it.
Joking aside, this could have serious implications for RaidZone. A ship carrying valuable supplies becomes a greater personal risk. Players may have to consider what they're transporting, how they equip their vessels and whether a particular journey is worth the potential loss.
We don't yet know every reconstruction cost or limitation, so it's too early to judge how punishing the system will be. But losing supplies gives naval combat consequences beyond respawning and swearing at the screen.
There's one important question, though: What does the attacker actually gain from sinking you?
The developers haven't established whether attackers can collect lost supplies, board player-owned vessels or steal cargo directly. And that distinction matters. If you're sinking ships to steal valuable cargo, you're a pirate. If you're sinking ships purely to destroy someone's possessions, you're essentially the neighbour who keys your car, except he's acquired a battleship.
Both are threats. Only one has a confirmed business model.
Even experienced players will have to rebuild their power
Isles of Abyss also introduces a new Tech progression system. Players enter at maximum character level, but access to better crafting, facilities and equipment depends on developing the appropriate technology. Existing weapon and gear blueprints can be brought along, subject to Tech restrictions, while the familiar Cradle system won't be available.
That could make ship development particularly satisfying, although there's always the risk of progression becoming an elaborate permission system for doing the things you came to do.
The standard PvE scenario runs through two phases lasting approximately 21 days. The first lasts roughly five to ten days depending on server progression, followed by an eleven-day second phase.
That's a relatively compressed progression structure. Whether players can meaningfully experiment with different ship builds or end up rushing toward the same essential upgrades remains unknown.
So, how much piracy are we getting?
The strongest confirmed pirate fantasy is in PvE, where you can attack Voyagers, board their ships and steal treasure. RaidZone offers something different: PvP naval combat, contested resources and the risk of losing supplies when your ship sinks.
Personally, I find the combination promising. A mobile base you've spent time developing gives you something worth protecting, while the possibility of losing resources could make encounters with other vessels genuinely tense.
Of course, that same system could become bloody exhausting if the balance is wrong. There's a fine line between meaningful risk and spending an entire evening rebuilding your belongings because Captain Dickhead discovered artillery.
We'll find out when Once Human: Isles of Abyss launches on October 21, following maintenance (Pacific Time).
Until then, I'm particularly interested in what RaidZone actually allows the victor to do after sinking another player's ship. Because there's a substantial difference between becoming a feared pirate and becoming the most heavily armed vandal on the server.
And frankly, I suspect some players will be perfectly happy with either.
Had enough of maritime crime? Our 25 Best Heist Games trade cannons for vaults, getaway plans and criminal crews with the organisational skills of four drunk raccoons. At least the treasure isn't six hundred feet underwater.
Once Human: Isles of Abyss FAQ
When does Once Human: Isles of Abyss release?
Isles of Abyss launches on October 21, 2026 (Pacific Time), following scheduled maintenance.
Can you become a pirate in Isles of Abyss?
Yes, to an extent. Players can attack hostile NPC ships called Voyagers, board them and steal treasure. However, a complete piracy system involving other players has not been confirmed.
What is the difference between PvE and RaidZone?
The standard scenario focuses on PvE exploration, naval combat and treasure hunting. RaidZone adds PvP, allowing players to attack and sink rival ships while competing for scarce resources.
What happens if your ship sinks in RaidZone?
You can reconstruct your vessel using saved ship blueprints, but supplies lost aboard the sunken ship are not refunded. The exact reconstruction costs remain unconfirmed.
Can you steal cargo from other players?
Not confirmed. Players can sink rival ships, but the developers haven't established whether attackers can board player-owned vessels or collect their lost cargo.
How long does the Isles of Abyss scenario last?
The standard PvE scenario has an approximately 21-day progression cycle, divided into two phases. The RaidZone duration has not been independently confirmed.
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