The Congregation Trouble quest asks you to buy a Hypno-device from Gunter, the Astrologer, charge it, and bring it back. The confusing part is the wording: the objective points you to an “Abandoned Tower,” which sends a lot of players hunting for a charging station that they never find. There is no special device to interact with out in the world. You charge the Hypno-device by crafting a Charged hypno-device at a Formulation Bench.
Quick answer: Buy a Hypno-device from Gunter, take it to the Formulation Bench in your Writing Basement, and craft a Charged hypno-device using 1 Hypno-device and 1 Faith. Then hand one back to Gunter.
What you need before charging the Hypno-device
The charging recipe does not appear until Congregation Trouble unlocks it. After you talk to Gunter about the drop in church attendance and choose the “Problem at the Church” topic, his shop moves up a tier, he starts selling the plain Hypno-device, and the Charged hypno-device recipe becomes available at the Formulation Bench.
- 1 Hypno-device, bought from Gunter’s Tier III stock in the Astrologer’s Tower
- 1 Faith
- Access to a Formulation Bench (found in your Writing Basement)
- A crafting mastery at level 2
- The charging recipe, which unlocks during Congregation Trouble
If you have the Alchemist perk, the craft can yield a second Charged hypno-device, but that bonus is not guaranteed, so do not count on two per craft. The Formulation Bench itself is tied to Church Lighting I in the Theology tech tree; the Hypno-device recipe is a separate unlock, so having the bench alone is not enough if the quest step has not progressed.
The Charged hypno-device cannot be sold to traders. It exists purely as a quest and workforce item, so keep every one you make.
How to charge the Hypno-device
How to know the quest step worked
Giving Gunter the Charged hypno-device removes one from your inventory and moves the quest forward to the test sermon. After you dismiss the sermon results window, the device’s next scene plays. The sermon earns 10 reputation with Gunter, and the PR Machine is placed in your home area.
The test does not actually stop the panic problem in the story, but that is expected. Congregation Trouble ends here and opens Gunter’s next request, Rhyme and Printed.
Why you keep making Charged hypno-devices afterward
Your first Charged hypno-device is just an introduction to the item. After placement, the PR Machine uses Charged hypno-devices to increase the number of zombies your operation can support for a limited time. Going over the cap causes a debuff that reduces attendance and Faith. Church upgrades won’t resolve this, since church quality and zombie capacity are independent systems.
| Zombie limit boost | Charged hypno-devices | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| +10 | 2 | 1 week |
| +20 | 3 (plus newspapers) | 2 weeks |
| +30 | 5 (plus newspapers) | 3 weeks |
Supply the PR Machine on the day with the Gluttony symbol; the added capacity lasts for that period and does not permanently remove the limit. At higher tiers, Newspapers are needed along with the devices, so the basic +10 recipe does not accept Newspapers. Charged hypno-devices stack up to 20 and fit in Universal Bags and Big Universal Bags. If your workforce relies heavily on zombies, keep a modest supply of devices and spare Faith ready before each PR Machine cycle.
