What are Memetics in Once Human?
Memetics are Once Human's talent tree system. Each node you unlock gives you a blueprint for a craftable item or base facility, not a passive stat boost or combat perk. Think of the Memetics menu as your production roadmap: every upgrade you pick directly determines what you can build, cook, mine, or deploy. There are four trees covering every major survival activity, and you spend two currencies to unlock them: Meme Points (also called Ciphers) and Energy Links.
Memetics Cradle overview screen
According to Game8's Once Human wiki, Memetics are structured as skill trees where each node has a prerequisite. You can unlock them in any order you want, as long as you've already unlocked the node that comes before it in the chain. Early nodes cost as little as 1 Meme Point and 0 Energy Links, while the deepest tier-4 nodes run 10 Meme Points and 5,000 Energy Links each.
How do you get Meme Points in Once Human?
Leveling up is the primary way to earn Meme Points. The game calls them Ciphers in some menus, but both names refer to the same currency. Early levels hand them out fast enough that you can cover most of the cheap nodes without much grinding. The deeper you go into any tree, the more you'll feel the cost, so knowing which nodes you actually need before spending is worth the few seconds it takes.
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You can reset any single node or an entire tree from the Memetics menu. You get all your Meme Points back, but only 30% of the Energy Links you spent are refunded. Plan your Energy Link spending carefully before committing to expensive tier-4 nodes.
The four Memetics trees explained
Each of the four trees serves a distinct purpose. Spreading points evenly across all four early on is usually a mistake. Figure out what your current bottleneck is (combat gear, food, power, or base structure) and prioritize that tree first.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure covers raw material gathering: pickaxes, ore detectors, drills, chainsaws, and the automated platforms that let Deviants do the gathering for you. The progression here is straightforward: copper tools lead to bronze, then steel, then alloy, then tungsten alloy. The most impactful mid-game unlocks are the Logging Operation Platform (7 Meme Points, 2,000 Energy Links) and Mining Operation Platform (10 Meme Points, 5,000 Energy Links), which pair with the Logging Beaver and The Digby Boy Deviants respectively for fully automated resource collection.
Ore Detectors follow the same tiered progression. Ore Detector I costs just 2 Meme Points, while Ore Detector III at the top of the tree costs 10 Meme Points and 5,000 Energy Links but detects mineral veins far more efficiently.
Crafting
Crafting is the combat-adjacent tree. It unlocks workbenches, ammunition tiers, weapons like rocket launchers and scout drones, healing items, and deployable tactical tools. The Portable Machine Gun Towers node sits at tier 4 of this tree, costing 7 Meme Points and 2,000 Energy Links, with Scout Drones as its prerequisite. According to the Once Human Fandom wiki, unlocking it gives you the blueprint for the Improved Portable MG Turret, which requires 200 Steel Rifle Bullets, 25 Metal Scraps, 15 Aluminum Ingots, 10 Special Parts, 7 Rubber, 10 Stardust Source, and 12 Electronic Parts to craft.
The workbench chain matters here too. Gear Workbench (1 Meme Point) leads to Intermediate Gear Workbench (3 Meme Points, 200 Energy Links) and eventually Advanced Gear Workbench (7 Meme Points, 2,000 Energy Links), each unlocking higher-tier gear crafting and calibration blueprint access.
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The Synthesis Bench node (3 Meme Points, 200 Energy Links) is required before you can craft Tactical Items and explosives. Don't skip it if you're planning any combat-focused build.
Logistics
Logistics handles everything that keeps your base running: food production, water systems, power generation, farming, and animal management. This tree has more horizontal spread than the others, meaning many nodes at the same tier don't require each other.
The power generation chain is one of the most important progressions in the game. Solar Generator unlocks at 5 Meme Points and 700 Energy Links, Hydraulic Generators at 7 Meme Points and 2,000 Energy Links, and Power Upgrade - I (7 Meme Points, 2,000 Energy Links) increases your maximum personal territory generator count by 1 while also unlocking the biomass generator. Power Upgrade - II (10 Meme Points, 5,000 Energy Links) adds another generator slot and unlocks the Deviant energy generator.
The farming side includes Planting (3 Meme Points, 200 Energy Links), Planter Boxes (5 Meme Points, 700 Energy Links), Automated Irrigation (7 Meme Points, 2,000 Energy Links), and the full fertilizer chain through three tiers. Animal management unlocks late: Animal Capture and Animal Taming both cost 7 Meme Points and 2,000 Energy Links, with Breeding Animals requiring 10 Meme Points and 5,000 Energy Links.
Power generation unlock chain
Building
Building is where your base takes shape. The tree starts with basic wooden structures (walls, roofs, doors, stairs) and progresses through stone to enhanced reinforced materials. Vehicle-related nodes are also here, including Garage (1 Meme Point), Four-Wheeler (5 Meme Points, 700 Energy Links), Medium Garage (5 Meme Points, 700 Energy Links), and Large Garage (7 Meme Points, 2,000 Energy Links) for trailer heads.
Defensive structures scale up similarly: Auto Turrets I at 5 Meme Points and 700 Energy Links, then Auto Turrets II at 10 Meme Points and 5,000 Energy Links for enhanced Rifle and Shotgun Turrets. The trap line runs from Defense Trap I through Defense Trap III, with the top tier costing 10 Meme Points and 5,000 Energy Links.
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Territory Expansion (3 Meme Points, 200 Energy Links) is easy to overlook but worth grabbing early. It lets you extend your building zone from the Territory Terminal once you have enough space.Meme Point cost reference table
Here's a quick breakdown of costs by tier across all four trees, based on data from Game8's Memetics list:
How do Memetic Specializations work with Memetics?
Most Memetic nodes have a corresponding Memetic Specialization that upgrades whatever that node unlocked. Specializations can either boost the performance of an existing item or facility, or add entirely new blueprints on top of what the base node gave you. They're a separate system from the Memetics menu itself, so unlocking a node is just the first step if you want to maximize what it produces.
According to Game8, Specialization Memory Fragments are needed to acquire these upgrades, making them a longer-term investment on top of your Meme Point spending.
Specialization upgrade selection
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Resetting a Memetic node does not refund any Memetic Specializations you've applied to it. Factor that into your reset decisions before spending Energy Links on specializations for nodes you might change later.
What should you unlock first?
The honest answer depends on your server type and playstyle, but there's a general order that works for most players based on the structure of the trees:
- Disassembly Techniques and Smelting Essentials first (both free at 1 Meme Point, 0 Energy Links) to start processing raw materials
- Gear Workbench and Essential Tools to get your crafting station running
- Wooden Support and Basic Storage for your base foundation
- Stoves and Dishes I to handle food buffs early
- Copper Pickaxes into Bronze Pickaxes to improve gathering speed
- Synthesis Bench once you're ready to start making Tactical Items
- Solar Generator when your power needs outgrow the starting setup
From there, the tree you push hardest depends on whether you're prioritizing combat (Crafting tree), base automation (Infrastructure and Logistics), or fortification (Building). For more strategies and build ideas across Once Human's systems, browse more guides on GAMES.GG.
The reset system means you're never permanently locked into a bad choice. The Energy Link penalty on resets (30% refund) is the only real cost, so spending those first few cheap nodes confidently is fine. Save the deliberation for anything that costs 5,000 Energy Links.