Hate chanters

Hate Chanters are a major threat from the Anomaly DLC. Hate Chanters require a level 1 monolith or higher.

Summary

A large number of horax cultists spawn on the edge of the map, move in about 20-30 cells and start hate chanting.

Hate Chant gives a colonist mood debuff of −5, then periodically intensify to −10 / −20 / −30 / −45. Other than the mood debuff, there is no effect. The mood debuff is scaled by psychic sensitivity, meaning that psychically deaf pawns aren't affected by the chant.

The cultists are all inhumanized, which means they can withstand very low temperatures and have −50% pain. Note that this pain effect is an offset not a multiplier.

While they are chanting, chanters also have the Psychic trance hediff, which reduce their needs as follows:

• Hunger Rate: ×10%
• Rest Fall Rate: −90%

Cultists with ranged weapons also have 1 charge of death refusal.

The cultists are ignored by arriving visitors and caravans, but they will be attacked by leaving visitors and caravans.

The chanters will ignore being attacked or killed and continue chanting until 10% to 30% of their number are downed or killed. Then they will start their attack. Unlike other human raiders that will break and retreat once a certain number have been downed, hate chanters will fight until the last person has exhausted their death refusal.

Analysis

It isn't worth it to wait the cultists out, as they will chant for a very long time before collapsing from malnutrition. But if you wait long enough, some of them will collapse first, triggering an attack from the remaining cultist. This attack will be weaker due to the effect of malnutrition

To stop the chant early, you need to send your colonists out and kill enough chanters for the to trigger their attack. You should pick up ranged weapons dropped by the cultists, as their owners have death refusal and will pick up nearby weapons when they resurrect. It is advisable to injure the cultists instead of outright killing them, because you will get to deal more damage before the attack begin.

Before the cultist attack, it's better to avoid bleeding the cultist because it may cause the cultist to collapse, triggering the attack at unexpected times. Painful kinds of damage such as fire or acid burn should also be avoided for the same reason. When enough cultist have been injured, cause fatal bleeding to some more cultists then move your fighters inside and wait for the attack. If the cultists start to collapse from bleeding before you finish, move your fighter inside because an attack might be imminent.

Due to the reduced pain from the inhumanization hediff, cultists almost always fight to the death. They are much more dangerous than normal raiders.