Juggernaut serum

The juggernaut serum is serum, a consumable item added by the Anomaly DLC, that significantly increases a pawn's melee combat ability at the expense of a mood penalty.

Acquisition[edit]

Juggernaut serums can be crafted at a serum lab once the Juggernaut serum research project has been completed. Note that this research requires dark study to unlock. Each requires 20 Twisted meat, 10 Bioferrite, 1,080 ticks (18 secs) of work modified by the drug synthesis speed of the crafter, and a crafting skill of 4.
Juggernaut serums can be bought from the following traders: Orbital bulk goods trader, Orbital combat supplier, Orbital exotic goods trader, Outlander base trader, Outlander bulk goods trader, Outlander slaver, Outlander visitor, Slave ship, Empire base trader, Imperial trader caravan, Orbital imperial trader.

Summary[edit]

Juggernaut serum is a powerful combat enhancement serum. Unlike drugs, serums do not have a severity-based high, have no addiction, tolerance, or withdrawal mechanics and do not count as any kind of drug for the purposes of the Chemical need, the chemical interest, fascination, or teetotaler traits, or the Drug use precepts.

Upon injection[edit]

"A serum is super-powering this person's musculature, making them stronger and faster, but reducing their mood due to discomfort."
— Juggernaut hediff description

A pawn taking the serum will do so right where they stand without looking for a place to sit first. The serum is taken by injection, taking 100 ticks (1.67 secs). Pawns can be ordered to inject the serum through the usual means, but it can also be ordered from the item itself. This option allows ghouls to take serums without using an operation bill.

The serum applies the "juggernaut" hediff with the following effects for 600,000 ticks (166.67 mins) or 10 in-game days:

Move speed: +0.50
Melee damage factor: ×150%
Injury healing factor: ×200%
−10 Juggernaut mood. This mood penalty is nullified by the inhumanized hediff.

Analysis[edit]

Juggernaut serum is an incredibly powerful combat drug, specially for melee combatants, with no overdose risk whilst also being relatively cheap. It's also useful for ranged colonists, as the healing factor and move speed bonus can help with kiting and healing from stray shots, and for reducing the down time of injured colonist. It can also be combined with Go-juice or any other drug.

In a colony that is mass producing bioferrite and with large stockpiles of twisted meat, whether from a captured fleshmass nucleus or from butchered entities, it can be added to the list of combat drugs that all colonists take.

Mood mitigation[edit]

The mood debuff can be mitigated by taking psychite tea or any other safe drug, Fine/Lavish meals, or paired with the mood buff from Go-juice. Others mood management techniques also apply.

The inhumanized hediff will prevent the mood penalty. A mind-numb serum will also remove this mood penalty for 2 days, alongside all other thoughts.

Misc[edit]

Besides combat, the increased moving speed can make pawns significantly faster at hauling, indirectly aiding other tasks. It also counters/mitigates the move speed penalty from other pieces of gear/implants. If the mood penalty can be managed and the required resources abundant, there's no reason to not use this serum on all colonist that do not remain stationary most of the time.