How to defeat the Manibus in Once Human

While the current Once Human PvE scenario is called “Manibus,” many players don’t realize that we actually fight the Manibus in Phase 5 of the season. And if, like me, you haven’t paid close attention to the game’s story, you may stumble upon the encounter and decide to try your hand at it without fully understanding what’s happening. So, how exactly do you beat the Manibus in Once Human?

What is the Manibus in Once Human?

The Manibus is not the weird, legged bus that can be found traipsing around the world — what many of us probably assume when we first start playing. The Manibus in Once Human is an Old One or Great One that has “ripped through the heavens, thrusting its tentacles down through the clouds.”

It manifests in the game as a glowing pink sky, swirling with storm clouds as three giant tentacles wave around, each with a single hand at the end.

How to fight the Manibus in Once Human

You don’t need to get right under the Manibus to fight it, and remaining in the vicinity exposes you to constant Stardust Pollution that, towards the end of the fight, grows so strong that your health bar will always be nearly empty.

The Manibus in Once Human can do melee damage if you get too close. It will also periodically shoot out a barrage of purple heat-seeking orbs that, even at level 50, nearly killed me. It’s better to keep a safe distance with a sturdy obstacle to duck behind when necessary.

I set up shop behind a giant rock so that the orbs couldn’t hit me as long as I stayed crouched. And if you’re far enough away or out of reach on a rooftop, other enemies won’t constantly be mucking up your routine, so you won’t have to move for the duration of the fight.

What are the Manibus’ weak spots?

Shooting anywhere along the tentacles will deal damage to the Manibus, but you might notice that there are clusters of purple flowers around the wrist of each tentacle arm. These open and close and, when open, are the Manibus’ weak spot. I found it incredibly useful to equip my sniper rifle and, since I was safely sheltered, I could stay zoomed in and peacefully plink away at the flowers.

Two Phases to the Manibus fight

When you first begin the encounter, the quest log will instruct you to “Defeat 1 tentacle of Manibus.” And after you whittle its health down, the tentacle retreats into the pink cloud and disappears, so you might think everything’s over. After a brief lull, however, you’ll get a new directive: “Defeat all tentacles of Manibus.” Take out the two remaining tentacles the same way you did the first.

Once you’ve beat the Manibus, you might also have completed one of the Season Goals, which requires you to deal 2 million damage to Manibus to earn 80 Mitsuko’s Marks. A chest will appear in your inventory as well, full of the usual goodies: Energy Links, a mod or two, and maybe a blueprint.

Defeating the Manibus contributes to your server’s progress in the Prime War, an event that will net all players 7,500 Starchrom total. What’s most notable about this Phase is that it’s the second to the last before the season closes. So you may want to take a few minutes to learn just what happens when a season ends in Once Human and the preparations you should make.