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Where to find Fuel in Once Human

Here’s how to get plenty of Portable Mixed Fuel and Premium Fuel in Once Human.

The player character is on an island facing some abandoned cars in Once Human
Image credit: VG247/Starry Studio
UPDATE: We've added some more information to this guide about how to refuel vehicles and how to get Solar Power up and running properly in Once Human.

As you start out your journey in Once Human, you’ll very quickly realize that this post-apocalyptic open-world you have been launched to is huge; far too huge for anyone to run around on foot. Once you get your hands on a motorcycle and can begin to explore further out, you’ll run into a new issue; how do you get your hands on more Fuel?

Fuel is an important resource used to keep vehicles running in Once Human, and later, you will also require plenty more to keep your turrets ticking over - something you’ll need to stay on top of if you wish to keep your humble abode safe from gruesome enemies and hostile players. Without further ado, here’s how to get Fuel in Once Human.


Where to find Fuel in Once Human

Fortunately, Fuel isn’t too hard to find in Once Human, but does require some leg-work to acquire consistently. First things first, let’s establish what the two types of Fuel in Once Human are:

  • Portable Mixed Fuel: This is Fuel you’ll commonly find around the map. It can be used to power certain vehicles, and can be refined into Premium Fuel.
  • Barreled Premium Fuel: A refined version of Mixed Fuel. This is needed to power specific, later vehicles as well as later defense equipment, such as some turrets.

At the beginning of Once Human, when all you’re bothered about is having enough Fuel to keep your motorcycle running, you can get enough of the resource by looting the back of the various abandoned cars around the map.

The player loots Mixed Fuel from the boot of an abandoned car in Once Human
Search the boots/trunks of cars for Fuel! | Image credit: VG247/Starry Studio

To find these, you want to stick to the roads around the New World, where you’ll find plenty of broken-down cars in the middle of, or to the side of roads. If you fancy a much bigger Fuel-farming mission though, I recommend paying a visit to the two islands to the southeast of the Once Human map.

The Once Human map is shown, zoomed into an island where the fuel refinery and multiple abandoned cars are found
You can explore the island to the southeast to find multiple abandoned cars and minimal enemies with ease, as well as plenty other resources. | Image credit: VG247/Starry Studio

These islands are great for farming common resources such as Copper and Iron, and consist of multiple winding roads with few enemies, making looting fuel and farming for other items while you’re at it easily done. You might even find a new, quiet spot to move your territory to!

How to refine Premium Fuel in Once Human

Later in Once Human, when you’re in need of Premium Fuel, you will need to unlock the Fuel Refinery Memetic from the Infrastructure tab of your Memetics menu.

The player looks at the items needed to craft a Refining Facility in the build menu in Once Human
A Refining Facility can be used to turn Portable Mixed Fuel into Premium Fuel. | Image credit: VG247/Starry Studio

Then, build the Fuel Refinery using the following:

  • 25 Bronze Ingots
  • 10 Copper Ingots
  • 5 Electronic Parts
  • 10 Standard Parts

Once it is built, you then need to power it. You can do this by unlocking the Solar Generator Memetic from the Logistics tab of the Memetics menu, which then unlocks every building recipe you need to get solar power up, running, and connected to your Fuel Refinery.

You'll then want to place a Circuit Module of your choice between the Solar Generators and Fuel Refinery. Then, while in build mode, press 'X' near the Generator to connect a wire from it to your Circuit Module. Do the same with your Fuel Refinery, and power should now flow from one to the other.

Once everything is connected together, you’ll be able to use solar power to get your Fuel Refinery working; over time, the Refinery will then turn 50 of your Portable Mixed Fuel into one Barreled Premium Fuel.

How to refuel in Once Human

If you need to refuel your motorcycle or truck in Once Human, all you need to do is get off or out of the vehicle and then press 'G' beside it. Select the amount of fuel you want to put in the tank, and then you're free to continue your adventure.

As a result, you should always have — or at least, strive to pick up — some Portable Mixed Fuel. There's nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a vehicle that's out of Fuel and no way to refuel it, so bear that in mind.


For more on Once Human, take a look at our Once Human codes for some freebies, our tips and tricks to help you make the most of the survival game, and how PvP works.

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