Quick answer: Memetics no longer exist under that name in Once Human. Version 2.3.1 (January 21, 2026) renamed Memetics → Tech, Ciphers → Tech Points and Memetic Specialization → Tech Specialization. Version 2.3.6 (April 8, 2026) then rebuilt the system: four branches (Survival, Production, Combat, Building), unlocks earned by exploring instead of leveling, and Specializations removed entirely. Territory expansion is no longer a node you buy. It comes with your Tech Level, which rises with every Tech you unlock. Once it's available, you expand at your Territory Terminal, and you need clear ground around the base to do it.
If you just started Once Human on PS5 or Xbox and every guide you open talks about Memetics, Ciphers and a "Territory Expansion" memetic you can't find, you're not missing anything. Those guides are out of date. One new player summed it up on r/OnceHumanOfficial this week in a thread titled "Can someone please explain why I can't upgrade my territory?": "Almost every bit of info online is apparently outdated from 2024." This guide explains the current system. Everything official is checked against the Version 2.3.1 update notes and the Version 2.3.6 Tech overhaul notes, and it applies to the live game as of October 30, 2026 (Version 3.1.1, Isles of Abyss). Anything that comes from players is labeled as such.
What happened to Memetics in Once Human?
They were renamed first and rebuilt three months later. Those are two separate changes, and old guides often mix them up.
January 21, 2026: the rename (Version 2.3.1). NetEase moved every Memetics term under one "Tech" label to make it "easier for Metas to understand." Nothing about how it worked changed that day. Only the names did.
April 8, 2026: the rebuild (Version 2.3.6). This is the one that broke every older guide. The patch notes put it plainly:
"The new Tech system completely changes the old progression pace, officially shifting from level-based unlocks to exploration-driven growth." — Once Human Development Team, Version 2.3.6 Update Announcement
Three things follow from that sentence. Tech unlocks are no longer limited by scenario phase or character level. The Tech Specialization layer was removed and folded into Tech nodes, Tech enhancements, exploration and facility enhancements. And gear lost its level requirement, so a good weapon you find early is one you can use right away.
What are the new names for old Memetics terms?
Use this table to translate any 2024 or 2025 guide into the terms your game shows today. Every rename comes from the official 2.3.1 notes. Where the April rebuild replaced a January name again, the table says so.
| Old name (2024–2025 guides) | Current name (since Jan 21, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Memetics | Tech |
| Cipher | Tech Points |
| Memetic Specialization | Tech Specialization (removed entirely on Apr 8, 2026) |
| Specialization Memory Fragments | Targeted Tech Specialization |
| Specialization Memory Cleanser | Specialization Reset Agent |
| Memetics – Gathering/Crafting/Management/Building | Tech – Gathering/Crafting/Management/Building in January; since Apr 8, 2026 the branches are Survival, Production, Combat and Building |
| Isolated Securement Unit | Securement Pod |
| Rift Anchor | Worldstone |
| Stardust Journey | Main Story Task |
| World Quest | Side Story Task |
| Stardust Chronicles | Exploration Notes |
| Wishlist | Formula Tracking |
| Realm | World |
| Otherworldly Lifeforms / Superiors / Root Avatars | Prime Deviants |
| Activator | Treatment |
| Stardust Flora | Lost Item |
| Spacetime Backpack | Eternaland Backpack |
Two of these trip up new console players more than any other. Rift Anchor is now Worldstone, so "teleport at a Rift Anchor" in an old video means "use a Worldstone." And Isolated Securement Unit is now Securement Pod, so the "Securement Unit Expansion" memetics older guides send you to are gone. Your Deviation pod limit now follows Tech Level (more on that below).
How does the Once Human Tech tree work now?
The Tech tree has four branches: Survival, Production, Combat and Building. Some scenarios add an extra scenario-exclusive tab. Each branch runs top to bottom in numbered Sequences (the screen above shows Sequence 1 Basics and Sequence 2 Beginner). Every character starts with the basic Tech already unlocked. On PC the default key is O. On PS5 and Xbox, open it from the main menu.
The official notes list three ways to unlock new Tech:
- Reverse Engineering. Pick up facilities and items marked as "cultural artifacts" in the wilderness and take them to the Synthesis Bench. Reverse engineering can unlock crafting abilities directly or give you Tech Points. This is the route the overhaul was built around, and it's why exploring now matters more than grinding XP.
- Tech Invention. Combine materials at the Synthesis Bench to run invention experiments. A success gives you the formula and the finished item. A failure still returns part of the materials.
- Tech Point allocation. Spend Tech Points to unlock the specific Tech you want, the closest thing to the old Memetics screen.
The April rebuild also removed four mid-tier crafting stations: the Intermediate Supplies Workbench, Intermediate Weapon Bench, Small Synthesis Bench and Intermediate Stove. Their formulas moved into the advanced versions, and those unlock earlier now. If a guide tells you to build an Intermediate Weapon Bench, skip that step and go straight to the advanced one.
How do you get Tech Points fast?
Per the 2.3.6 notes, Tech Points come from leveling up, repeating research, defeating Elite enemies, and more. NetEase also removed one old source on purpose: Mystical Crates no longer give Tech Points, to cut down on grinding. One new source is easy to miss: books are now an interactive scrap item, and reading one gives Tech Points.
A good starting route for a new player:
- Read every book you pick up. It's free Tech Points sitting in your backpack.
- Carry cultural artifacts home. Reverse engineering at the Synthesis Bench is the efficient path the overhaul was built around.
- Hunt Elites when you see them. They're a listed Tech Point source, and they drop better gear.
- Do your Scenario Challenges and capture new Deviation species. The Once Human Wiki lists both as Tech Point sources (a community source, not the patch notes).
Don't spend points evenly across all four branches. Get your base running first (power, storage, a better furnace), then Combat. The overhaul moved several facility upgrades into Tech nodes and enhancements. Sulfur Chemist, Petroleum Process and Art of Stardust Decay now unlock at the Enhanced Electric Furnace, for example. Base Tech pays off in everything you craft afterward.
What is Tech Level and what does it unlock?
Tech Level is the big number in the top-left corner of the Tech screen. It goes up as you unlock more Tech. In Isles of Abyss, the Tech Level screen in the official October 16 dev blog shows 4 Tech unlocked for Level 2, 10 for Level 3, 18 for Level 4, rising to 63 by Level 8. Other scenarios use their own thresholds.
Tap or click that number to open the Tech Level details page. That page lists every milestone reward for your scenario, and it's the screen most new players never find. Raising your Tech Level gives you:
- Tech enhancement points, which you spend to add extra effects to Tech you've already unlocked. Per the official notes, enhancements are fixed and cannot be reset, but the notes also say enhancement effects "can be traded," encouraging players to exchange with each other. Enhancements also aren't retroactive. In the October 26 bug-fix notice, the studio confirmed an effect applies only to facilities and items built or crafted after you unlock it. Moving or re-placing an old furnace doesn't count, so rebuild it.
- More power generation. The 2.3.6 notes say the generator facility limit "can now be unlocked through Tech level and enhancements."
- Territory expansion and more Securement Pods (next section).
- Scenario-specific gates. Isles of Abyss lowered the team-unlock requirement from Tech Level 2 to Tech Level 1 in the October 23 bug-fix patch.
One more rule from the overhaul: Eternaland gear you bring into a new scenario is marked "lost gear." It can't be repaired, reverse engineered or traded. That's deliberate. Your Tech Level is meant to be what carries you through a fresh scenario.
How do you expand your territory in Once Human?
This is the question behind most of the confused threads. The old answer ("unlock the Territory Expansion memetic in the Building tab") hasn't been true since April. Here's the current process:
- Raise your Tech Level. Territory expansion is a Tech Level milestone now, not a Building-branch node. Fan databases list Territory Expansion as a Tech Level unlock, and players describe it the same way. Open the Tech screen, select your Tech Level number and find the expansion reward in the milestone list. The exact level depends on the scenario, so trust that screen over any number you read online.
- Check your backpack. Players report that some milestone rewards arrive as a gold-colored item you have to use from your inventory before the bonus applies. If you reached the level and nothing changed, look there first.
- Go to your Territory Terminal and choose the expansion option.
- Make sure the space is clear. The bigger footprint needs open ground. It won't expand into roads, settlements or another player's territory. As one player answered in this week's thread, a nearby player "may be blocking expansion."
Can't find a spot that's big and flat enough? That was the second fresh thread this week, from a player in Manibus. The community's working answers:
- Relocate your territory. Territory Relocation sits in Build Mode under Common Construction. Players point out that moving is free, and you can raise or lower the base while you place it.
- Build on a slope or over water. You don't need flat land. One player built their whole base on top of a bridge over a river. Another runs one foundation out over a cliff edge and builds outward from there.
- Switch Worlds at a Worldstone (formerly Rift Anchor). Another World on the same server may have your favorite spot free. Our server and World switching guide walks through it on PS5 and Xbox.
- Go north once you have a vehicle. Manibus's later regions have more flat, open ground, at the cost of being farther from the starting resources.
Why can you only place 10 Deviations in your territory?
Your Securement Pod limit (the old Isolated Securement Unit) grows with Tech Level now. You don't raise it by building more pods, and the old "Securement Unit Expansion" memetics no longer exist. Fan databases list the current upgrade, Secure Expansion I, as "automatically unlocked after upgrading Tech level," and it increases max Securement Pod capacity by 5. New players in this week's threads report hitting a 10-pod wall early on. The fix is the same as for territory: unlock more Tech, check the Tech Level milestone list, and use any reward item waiting in your backpack. If you want to know which Deviations are worth the slots, our Deviations and Cradle guide covers it.
Note: our base building guide for beginners still uses the older "Memetics" wording for pod limits. Wherever it says Memetics, read Tech, and follow the Tech Level route above.
Does Tech carry over between scenarios?
No. Tech progress belongs to the scenario you're playing, so a new scenario means building it up again. That's by design, and it's why lost gear and reverse engineering exist. What does carry over is the stuff that makes the climb faster: weapon and armor blueprints, Mods, house blueprints, story progress, and Starchrom. Our guide to what carries over and what resets has the full list. If you're starting fresh this week, the console beginner guide covers your first hours in order.
FAQ
Are Memetics still in Once Human in 2026? Not by that name. Version 2.3.1 on January 21, 2026 renamed Memetics to Tech and Ciphers to Tech Points. Version 2.3.6 on April 8, 2026 then rebuilt the system around four branches and exploration-based unlocks. A guide that still describes Memetic nodes, Ciphers or Specializations is describing the old system, even if it ranks for the old search term.
Where is the Territory Expansion memetic? It no longer exists as a node. Territory expansion is a Tech Level milestone now. Raise your Tech Level, check the milestone list by selecting the Tech Level number on the Tech screen, use any reward item in your backpack, then expand at your Territory Terminal with clear ground around your base.
What are Ciphers in Once Human? Ciphers are the old name for Tech Points. You earn Tech Points by leveling up, repeating research, defeating Elite enemies, reading books and reverse engineering cultural artifacts at the Synthesis Bench. Mystical Crates stopped giving them in April 2026.
Why won't my territory expand even though I unlocked it? The expansion needs open space. It won't push into roads, settlements or another player's territory, and players report that a neighbor's base right next to yours is a common blocker. Relocate the territory (free, from Build Mode) to a clearer spot, or switch Worlds at a Worldstone to find one.
What is a Worldstone in Once Human? It's the current name for a Rift Anchor, renamed in Version 2.3.1. You use it to teleport and to switch Worlds on your server.
Can I reset Tech enhancements? No. Per the official 2.3.6 notes, Tech enhancement results are fixed and cannot be reset, though enhancement effects can be traded with other players. Pick enhancements for the Tech you'll actually keep using.
Why isn't my Tech enhancement working? Enhancements only apply to things you build or craft after unlocking them. The studio confirmed this in its October 26, 2026 bug-fix notice. Moving, replacing or putting back an existing facility or tool doesn't apply the effect, so rebuild or recraft it.
More Once Human guides
Just switched to the new Tech system? These console-first guides cover what to do next.
- Once Human base building guide for beginners
- Once Human console beginner guide (PS5 & Xbox)
- How to get Mods in Once Human
- What carries over and what resets when a scenario ends
Last updated October 30, 2026. Applies to Once Human Version 3.1.1 (Isles of Abyss) on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC and mobile. Official facts are verified against the Version 2.3.1 (January 21, 2026) and Version 2.3.6 (April 8, 2026) update announcements on oncehuman.game and the October 16, 2026 Isles of Abyss dev blog. Player-reported details are sourced from r/OnceHumanOfficial threads dated October 29–30, 2026.
