In Graveyard Keeper 2, the Charged hypno-device helps prevent a swelling zombie crew from hurting church attendance. You first deliver one during Congregation Trouble, then keep making more to supply the PR Machine. The recipe is easy to find once you know where it unlocks.
Quick answer: Spend 50 Copper with Gunter to obtain a Hypno-device; use 1 Faith at a Formulation Bench to charge it, then bring one Charged hypno-device back to him and deliver the test sermon he requests.
What you need before charging the device
Having both a Hypno-device and a Formulation Bench does not guarantee you can charge it yet. The recipe becomes available only after enough progress in Congregation Trouble. If it is absent from the bench menu, you still need to reach the relevant quest step; the bench itself is fine.
Gunter starts Congregation Trouble after attending one of your sermons and faulting the growing zombie population on your property for the poor turnout. Go back to his tower and bring up the “Problem at the Church” topic. His shop will advance to Tier III, making the device available in his trade window.
- A Hypno-device purchased at Gunter’s Tier III shop.
- A Formulation Bench that you have built and placed in either the tower or the dungeon.
- The charging recipe, which becomes available as you progress through Congregation Trouble.
- Anatomy Mastery 2, plus 1 Faith for every charge.
Buy the Hypno-device from Gunter
At the Main Port on the coast, Gunter sells the Hypno-device from the Astrologer’s Tower. The Astrologer stocks it only after his shop reaches Tier III: each costs 50 Copper, and about 10 are available per week. He will also buy them back.
Build the Formulation Bench
The blueprint sits under Church Lighting I in the Theology section of the tech tree, right after Church Cleaning. Unlocking that node costs 5 Red, 10 Green, and 5 Blue tech points. Building the bench needs Building Mastery 2, and it can only be placed in the tower or the dungeon.
| Material | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Wooden Plank | 4 |
| Bronze Detail | 4 |
| Polished Bronze | 1 |
Although the quest mentions an “abandoned Tower,” there is no pre-existing device in the world for you to charge. The quest means the Formulation Bench you build in the Writing Basement below your home, so there is no need to look elsewhere.
Charge the Hypno-device at the Formulation Bench
Every device you charge costs Faith, so this is an ongoing expense rather than a one-off. Before charging, keep Faith from your church and ceremonies in reserve. If you have the Alchemist perk, there is roughly a 50% chance of getting a second device from a craft; regard that as a bonus, not a dependable yield.
Return it to Gunter and hold the test sermon
After the sermon results window appears, the device’s scene plays, confirming that it worked. You receive 10 reputation with Gunter from the sermon, and the PR Machine appears in your home area. It is expected that this test will not end the story’s panic. Congregation Trouble concludes at this point, unlocking Gunter’s next request.
Feed Charged hypno-devices to the PR Machine
After you install it, the PR Machine can use Charged hypno-devices to increase your operation’s zombie capacity for a limited time. Add a device on the day bearing the Gluttony symbol. The added capacity lasts only for a set period; it is not a permanent increase.
| Zombie boost | Charged devices | Newspapers | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| +10 | 2 | None | 1 week |
| +20 | 3 | 10 | 2 weeks |
| +30 | 5 | 20 | 3 weeks |
| +50 | None | 100 | 4 weeks |
| +80 | None | 100 | 5 weeks |
The starting +10 boost takes 2 Charged hypno-devices, with no Newspapers involved. So, if the machine rejects Newspapers for this recipe, it is working as intended. Recipes at higher tiers add Newspapers, while the two biggest boosts require Newspapers alone.
Going over your supported zombie limit triggers a debuff that reduces church attendance and Faith generation. A church upgrade will not clear this penalty: church quality and the zombie cap are governed separately.
When zombies handle gathering, farming, transport, and Factory duties, going over the cap is easy. This makes charged devices a recurring expense instead of a quest-only item. Charged hypno-devices stack to 20 and fit in Universal Bags and Big Universal Bags, but traders won’t buy them. Keep every one you craft and set aside extra Faith before each PR Machine cycle.
