Mutators

Mutators were released in Update 15: Mutation Warning. Missions may have Mutators, which are mission modifiers. Warnings are designed to make a mission more challenging and increase the Hazard Bonus. Anomalies are designed to change up the gameplay in ways beneficial or neutral to Dwarves, with a small disadvantage being compensated by a larger advantage. Anomalies do not affect the Hazard Bonus. A mission currently can have at most two Warnings and one Anomaly.

## **Warnings**

Warnings modify missions to be more challenging to Dwarves.

###  Cave Leech Cluster

Cave Leeches spawn in much higher numbers and, as the name suggests, they are usually packed together. Sometimes they can form in a 2x2 grid, potentially wiping out an entire team if all Dwarves are ensnared simultaneously without an alternate means of escape (such as the Heightened Senses perk).

Solo players can be freed by Bosco when grabbed, but this by no means guarantees survival; it can take a while for the drone to find its way back to its owner and kill the Leech before it is too late.

###  Elite Threat

Elite enemies will spawn in a mission with this warning. These are stronger variants of enemies that resist more damage, move faster, and may have different behavior. They are marked by a red aura around them, a larger size, and an "Elite" title above their name and health bar.

###  Exploder Infestation!

Every so often, a pack of Glyphid Exploders will rush the Dwarves. The rushes are conducted independently of enemy spawn rates and Swarms; the special Exploders have a slightly different look to them. There has been a long-perpetuated myth that Bulk Detonators also have an increased chance to appear in these missions, but it is just that: **a myth**.

When the sound of creatures unburrowing themselves is heard -- followed by silence -- this usually indicates that a pack of roving Exploders has just spawned. Compared to most creatures in the depths of Hoxxes IV, they're unusually stealthy (other than a hissing sound before they explode) and can easily sneak up on unwary Dwarves.

###  Haunted Cave

The ghost of an angry Bulk Detonator, known as the **"Unknown Horror"**, will pursue the Dwarves. It spawns a few moments after the Drop Pod lands and will constantly stalk the team for the entire mission; it can even dig through terrain to get to its target. A ghostly aura and unsettling sounds surround the Unknown Horror, increasing in intensity as it gets closer to the player.

While it cannot be stopped or killed, the Unknown Horror is vulnerable to slowing status effects, such as electrocution. It deals slightly reduced damage compared to a standard Bulk Detonator. Salvage Operations and Escort Duties cannot be Haunted.

###  Lethal Enemies

All **melee** damage dealt by enemies is doubled. Specifically, this means *jump*, *bite*, *slash*, *carve* and *dig* attacks, as well as Naedocyte Shockers' zaps, Deeptora Honeycombs' bug swarms, and Cave Leechs' tentacles. Area-of-effect stomps usually cause damage of another type than melee, such as Kinetic (Oppressors) or Explosive (Bulk Detonators, Dreadnoughts).

Projectile attacks from Mactera Spawn and Glyphid Acid Spitters (amongst other examples) are *not* affected by Lethal Enemies.

###  Lithophage Outbreak

The cave is infected by Contagion Spikes, up to 3 as primary objective, to remove them it's necessary to call a Cleansing Pod featuring two tools. The LithoFoamer is used to foam the yellow spots around the main spike, then using the LithoVac to vacuum the foamed spots to destroy them. Repeat the operation until it's weaken enough to perish. Infected Rockpox Grunt, Rockpox Praetorian and Larvae creatures will spawn around to defend the area.

###  Low Oxygen

These caves have toxic air, meaning the Dwarves only get a limited oxygen supply (seen on the right side of the screen). A full tank of O2 lasts for approximately a minute, being depleted at a rate of **1.5%** per second, with increasingly frantic beeps sounding as the supply begins to run out. Should this happen, the Dwarf will start rapidly taking **10 damage** per second, which is *not* blocked by Dwarves' personal shields.

Oxygen is refilled at a rate of **10%** per second by staying adjacent to a Drop Pod, Resupply Pods, the Mine Head or the M.U.L.E. A hissing sound is indicative of oxygen being replenished.

Reviving a Dwarf sets their supply of oxygen to **42%**. Through reviving each other continually, careful teamwork can carry the day even when far away from any source of oxygen.

###  Mactera Plague

The bulk of enemies spawned are Mactera (Spawn, Goo Bombers, Tri-Jaws, Brundles and Grabbers), with Glyphids and other aliens only appearing occasionally or during Swarms.

###  Parasites

Enemies are infected with writhing Carnivorous Larvae, which will burst out and attack when their hosts are killed. Larger enemies such as Praetorians will spawn three parasites on death. Enemies of Tiny size, such as Swarmers and Naedocyte Shockers do not contain parasites. Stationary threats such as Spitball Infectors do not spawn parasites on death either.

The parasites are comparable to a Swarmer in terms of strength, but slightly less durable. They deal low damage and can be killed with just a single swing of the Pickaxe. Parasites cannot survive for long outside of their hosts and will die after performing a suicidal leaping attack.

Parasites are able to pass through the Gunner's bubble shield.

###  Regenerative Bugs

Any damaged enemy is capable of regenerating **5%** of its maximum HP per second if it goes without taking damage for 3 seconds. The creature's regeneration will be halted for 3 seconds every time it is damaged again by *any* damage type -- weapons fire, natural hazards, and damage-over-time effects (being on fire, poisoned, irradiated or electrocuted).
A few enemies will not regenerate their health: Glyphid Brood Nexus, Xynarch Charge-Sucker, Glyphid Bulk Detonator, Dreadnoughts and Ebonite variants from the Ebonite Mutation Machine Event.

Glyphids captured with the Beastmaster perk will still regenerate health, giving the tamed bug much more longevity.

###  Rival Presence

Patrol Bot and Shredder Rival tech enemies will spawn in a mission with this warning, and the chance of a Nemesis encounter is greatly increased. Burst, Sniper and Repulsion turrets are spawned around a Turret Controller unit. If hacked, all turrets are destroyed.

###  Shield Disruption

Shields are **permanently** disabled by an electric field which encompasses the entire map. To compensate, Dwarves take **30% less damage** from enemy attacks and terrain hazards (such as Electrocrystals). Friendly fire damage and self damage is *not* affected by this damage reduction.

The Gunner's Shield Generator functions as normal (repelling bugs and granting damage resistance) but will not restore personal shields.

The Shield Link Perk is effectively neutralized and provides no benefits.

###  Swarmageddon

Glyphid Swarmers will spawn in small packs frequently throughout the mission, independently from other enemies.

## **Anomalies**

Anomalies modify missions to either be beneficial to Dwarves, or neutral, without the goal to make it more challenging.

###  Critical Weakness

Firing at an enemy's weak spot will deal five times as much damage, compared to the usual double or triple damage. This damage is multiplicative with weapon weakpoint damage bonuses and with enemies' innate weakpoint damage multipliers.

Critical Weakness does not apply to creatures that do not have a weakspot, such as Loot Bugs. It also does not apply to Dreadnoughts; shooting the weakpoint of a Dreadnought in a Critical Weakness mission does the same amount of damage as a mission without the Critical Weakness modifier.

Only attacks that deal instant, single-target damage benefit from the weakpoint multiplier. This rules out damage-over-time (DoT) and area-of-effect (AoE) attacks, such as the Driller's CRSPR Flamethrower. The "Embedded Detonator" Overclocks and the Engineer's "Fatboy" Overclock for the PGL are also unaffected by Critical Weakness.

###  Double XP

At the end of a mission, the  Experience reward is doubled. However, mission failure will reward just the usual 25% of  Credits and  Experience.

Completing the secondary objective, collecting as many minerals as possible, obtaining Korlok Tyrant Shards and surviving Machine Events all contribute to the post-mission  Experience reward.

###  Gold Rush

Gold veins are twice as long compared to normal missions.

###  Golden Bugs

Every killed enemy will drop one unit of Gold on the ground, which can be picked up by the Dwarves and then deposited into the M.U.L.E., Mine Head or Drop Pod.

In some circumstances, for example high Hazard Level missions with a full squad of players, enemies can spawn in such enormous numbers that the amount of gold they generate will start to cause lag and performance problems, especially if the mission lasts a long time.

The Pots O' Gold beer buff does *not* apply to the gold dropped from enemies when this Mutator is active.

###  Low Gravity

Gravity is ~2.4 times lower than normal, allowing for higher jumps and making falling safer -- though falling from extreme heights or at extreme speeds can still cause fall damage.

Some of the Dwarves' gear will function differently in low gravity.

* Flare throw distance is much greater.
* The Scout's Grappling Hook can be used for very high and long jumps and for mid-air mobility (to counteract the much longer airtime during these jumps).
* The Gunner's Cluster Grenade bomblets are dispersed further, blanketing a much larger area in explosions.

The Cluster Bombs from Glyphid Bulk Detonators also travel further than normal.

###  Mineral Mania

A biome's corresponding crafting resources appear more commonly. The actual amount of additional resource deposits is influenced by the random cave generation and can vary quite a bit.

###  Rich Atmosphere

Movement speed for Dwarves is increased by 50% and allows for sprinting through environmental slows such as blizzards and sandstorms. Enemies, M.U.L.E.s and Bosco are unaffected.

All of the Dwarves' voices are 50% higher pitched, though this has no practical effect on gameplay.

###  Volatile Guts

When an enemy is killed it instantly explodes, causing damage to Dwarves and enemies alike. The explosive damage is lower than that from a Glyphid Exploder, but can still be lethal. Larger enemies produce bigger, more damaging explosions. Enemies of Tiny size, (Swarmers, Naedocyte Shockers, etc.) and stationary threats (such as Spitball Infectors) are unaffected by Volatile Guts and will not explode when killed.

Explosions may cause chain reactions in tightly-packed clusters of enemies, especially if they've been softened up beforehand.

Glyphid Exploders can be prevented from using their more powerful suicide attack by triggering the Volatile Guts effect first. This also affects Glyphid Bulk Detonators, causing both the Final Blow and the Cluster Bombs to not occur.

## Gallery

* Unknown Horror in Haunted Cave mutator.