Scientist

The **Scientist** an NPC and playable character. They wear a lab coat with two orange buttons on it, and are typically balding with gray hair.

The Scientist as a playable character is unlocked by polluting 5 Air Filtration Systems.

Speaking with the Scientist at Home Base will allow the Player to enter a Seed for their next run.

## Super Special Ability

* Research Gun causes negative status effects. Each NPC can only be affected ONCE by the Research Gun.
* When starting the game with the Super Special Abilities mutator enabled, the Scientist begins with 3 Critter Uppers, 3 Muscly Pulls, 3 Electro Pills, 3 Killer Thrower pills, 3 additional Giantizers, and 3 additional Rage Poisons.

## NPC

Sometimes found in houses and businesses, Scientists are most often found in Labs and Greenhouses, typically in groups of 3-4. They are either unarmed or have Knives. The Labs of some Scientists are guarded by a Bouncer, making them easy to befriend by bribing the Bouncer; these Labs can be useful sources of Electability. Many Labs also contain Gorillas, who can be freed like any other prisoner.

Scientists will identify an unknown Syringe for $20.

Scientists are hostile towards Gorillas or characters with the Scientist Slayer Trait.

## Drops

* Money
* Syringe (Uncommon)
* Hacking Tool (Rare)
* Translator (Rare)

## Quotes

* *"You don't need brains to be a scientist, just heart!"*
* *"My current hypothesis: Gorillas hate being poked with a ruler."*
* *"My one rule when conducting experiments. Keep it fun!"*
* *"Safety procedures are for wimps! That ain't real science!"*
* *"What's the scientific method? I always get the steps mixed up."*
* *"Please use that info for good and not evil, thaaaanks!"* (After identifying a Syringe)

## Tips and Strategies

### Playable

* **How to fight:** Scientists have overall poor stats, but make up for it with lots of gadgets and traits. Your starting items will help you a lot if you have to fight. You should favor guns over melee, but avoid combat if you can help it.
	+ An strong, but expensive strategy is to freeze someone and then shrink them, as they can be crushed while unable to run away.
	+ Use the Water Pistol loaded with negative effects to cheaply kill or dispatch NPCs.
	+ Use the Leafblower to give yourself room when cornered or able to push your combatants into hazards.
	+ Although lacking in traits to recruit or keep followers, acquired followers can be made extremely powerful in combat by shooting them with a positive effect loaded Water Pistol.
		- Scientists can work around this by hiring Gangsters/Soldiers, hiring Hackers to hack Cloning Machines to produce random clones, and picking up team-oriented traits such as Low Cost Jobs and Team Building Expert.
		- For this reason the scientist is also a very powerful support choice in multiplayer.
		- When all else fails, use a Giantizer to force your way through the level.
* **How to finish missions:** Make sure to utilize gadgets when possible. Use the Tech Expert trait to disable security, use the Water Pistol combined with a negative status effect for cheap kills, the Freeze Ray when caught in combat, and the Shrink Ray to get out of bad situations. Air filtration systems and buffed followers are very good for killing/dispatching NPCs stealthily, and Giantizers can be used to enter enemy-packed buildings when you can't be stealthy. If you still need to apply a negative status effect on someone for the Big Quest, it can help to freeze them first.
* Think outside of the box when completing missions or looting buildings, particularly when using the water pistol.
	+ Water Pistols loaded with electro shot do not make NPCs hostile when shooting them. This can be exploited in tight areas or in combination with cigarettes on air filtration systems to start fights.
	+ Water Pistols loaded with speed or invisibility can be used on prisoners to allow for a quick/stealthy escape from dangerous situations.
	+ Generators explode instantly when NPCs are pushed into it via the Leaf Blower, allowing for quick dispatchment of those standing near one.
* Try to finish the big quest early on so you don't accidentally use the item needed for the quest, and can make free use of the status item in your supply crate for the rest of the floor.
* Scientists can kill Gorillas for easy XP by entering laboratories and killing imprisoned Gorillas with a gun or water pistol, which will not make present scientists hostile. Scientists will become annoyed and eventually hostile however if too much time is spent in the lab.
* Remember to utilize Drug Dealers, as Scientists can make extra use of sold Syringes, Cyanide Pills, and other items.
	+ Giantizers, Rage Poisons, and Shrinkers are better bought from Loadout-O-matics and using the Ammo Dispenser to refill the shrink ray.
* Surplus cash is best spent on Rage Poisons and Giantizers, which can be bought at discount from Loadout-O-Matics.
* Kill Ammunizer works well with your weapons.

### NPC

* Scientists are generally easy targets and usually attack with knives or with their fists, but the buildings they spawn in are often guarded by a Bouncer or Goons.

* Note that Scientists have 1 Endurance, so inflicting Poisoned by poisoning the Air Filtration Systems with a Syringe or by hacking their computers with characters who have Tech Expert, such as the Hacker or a player Scientist, can easily kill a building full of them.

* In the absence of a handy Identify Wand, Scientists are usually the only way to identify syringes without testing it on yourself or others to see the effects.. However, Bartenders, Investment Bankers, and other characters with Drug-a-lug don't need their services.
* Scientists have some of the most useful (albeit rare) drops in the game - syringes and hacking tools.

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