Dealing With Esper Hunters

Currently a work very much in-progress To-do:

• Check that all of these mutations function for Esper Hunters like I think they do

A guide detailing techniques for dealing with the Esper Hunters who are attracted by high psychic glimmer.

Avoiding Esper Hunters

Fighting Esper Hunters

Mutation-Specific Techniques

Burgeoning

• Carry at least one (though more than one is better) defoliant grenade mk I (though mk II or mk III are preferable if available). defoliant gas will quickly clear out many of the summoned plants, such as the various aloes and vantabuds/vantablooms. Keep in mind, however, that it will deal significantly less damage to other plant types, such as red death daccas or irritable palms. (See the defoliant page for more information)
• Stay at least 10 tiles away from the Esper Hunter to keep outside the range of their burgeoning

Confusion

• Mental Mirror is especially valuable against confusion, as it can reflect the confusion back onto the attacker, rendering them far less dangerous to the player.
• Eating a yuckwheat stem instantly removes the confused(favilink error!) effect. Finding a yuckwheat stem when one's inventory names are scrambled can be done in several ways:
  • Hold a yuckwheat stem in the thrown weapon slot.
  • Hold a single chest in your inventory containing only yuckwheat stems. When confused, go through your inventory, selecting every item until you see one which you can open. Assuming there are no other openable containers in your inventory, this must be the yuckwheat chest, allowing you to eat a stem and cure your confusion.
• Try to keep far enough away from the Esper Hunter that you are out of the (relatively short) range of their confusion cone. (Information on cone length can be found on the confusion page)

Cryokinesis

• If hit by cryokinesis, quickly move outside of the 3x3 square of frozen mist(favilink error!) to avoid taking additional damage and, more importantly, additional temperature decreases.
• Try to have decent cold resistance, as the main danger of cryokinesis is becoming frozen(favilink error!) due to temperature decreases.
• Stay at least 9 tiles away from the Esper Hunter to keep outside the range of their cryokinesis.

Disintegration

• Try to stay at least 3 tiles away from the Esper Hunter at all costs, as disintegration deals massive unavoidable damage, easily enough to instakill a player without extremely high HP.
• Once an Esper Hunter has used disintegration, they are completely incapacitated for 3 turns, which can be used to heal, reposition, or attack.

Ego Projection

• Trying to stay out of melee range will (mostly) prevent Esper Hunters from benefiting from a Strength or Agility boost.

Force Bubble

• Use attacks which can affect the Esper Hunter through their forcefields, such as Sunder Mind, Confusion, Cryo/Pyrokinesis, etc.
• Carry normality gas grenades (mk I, mk II, or mk III), and throw one at the Esper Hunter once they use force bubble to destroy the forcefields. Another source of normality gas, such as a normality gas pump, would also work, but would be less readily available than grenades.

Force Wall

• Often, Esper Hunters will use force wall to trap you in place the instant you enter the zone they have spawned in. This force wall cage can be escaped by simply moving one tile back into the zone you just exited, then re-entering the zone containing the Esper Hunter a short distance away from the forcefield cage.
• Carry normality gas grenades (mk I, mk II, or mk III), and throw one at any problematic forcefields they create (normality destroys forcefields). Another source of normality gas, such as a normality gas pump, would also work, but would be less readily available than grenades.

Light Manipulation

• Having the light manipulation mutation yourself gives you a chance to reflect the Esper Hunter's lase beams, though keep in mind that they also have a chance to reflect yours.
• Use a non light-based ranged weapon or attack in order to prevent the Esper Hunter from reflecting back your attacks.
• Carry at least one glitter grenade mk I (though mk II or mk III are preferable if available), and detonate in your inventory to create a protective shield of glitter dust around yourself.

TL;DR (Fighting Esper Hunters):

• If possible, stay at least 9 tiles away from all Esper Hunters (though further is generally better).
  • This will (mostly) keep you out of the range of many of their mental mutations, including: Burgeoning*, Confusion**, Cryokinesis, Pyrokinesis, Disintegration, Syphon Vim, and Time Dilation.
    * There is a chance for plants from burgeoning to appear up to 10 tiles away from the Esper Hunter.
    ** At mutation levels 18 and above, confusion's cone length extends further than 9 tiles.
• Carry normality gas grenades (mk I, mk II, or mk III). The normality gas which they create:
  • Destroys forcefields (as from Force Bubble and Force Wall), spacetime vortices, and Temporal Fugue clones.
  • Contests the use of Clairvoyance, Precognition, Psychometry, Syphon Vim, Teleportation, Temporal Fugue, and Time Dilation.
  • Removes or suppresses the ongoing effect of Syphon Vim and Time Dilation