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Don't get me wrong, I like the new advanced content, but I am at a loss as to how to counter mind control.

When I am boarding, and get mind controlled, it usually is the end for at least one of them...

When a crewman gets mind controlled on my own ship, I usually leave them to attack whatever system they want. But that's not always a good idea.

What can I do when my crewman gets the purple spiral of doom above him?

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Here are a few strategies I can think of:

  1. Hit the affected crew member with your own mind control to cancel out the effect - that's what I would recommend. I normally engage the flagship with MC installed. UPDATE: even level 1 MC can cancel out a lvl 3.
  2. Disable enemy's mind control system either by direct damage or ion damage.
  3. Hacking mind control disables it and as a bonus you get to mind control a random enemy crew member.
  4. Have a boarding crew (or whole crew!) of slugs - they are immune to mind control.
  5. There is a new stun mechanic introduced in advanced edition, so keep them stunned while waiting for them to get back to their old selves. However, level 3 mind control lasts for 35 seconds while stun bombs, for example, only stun for 10 seconds.
  6. Since mind controlled crew members have the same AI as any other enemy, you can drain air from more important rooms, effectively guiding them to the least important systems.
  7. Hacking enemy teleporter teleports all of their crew currently boarding your ship back to their ship. Assuming you have hacker drones and a teleporter and you're fighting an enemy who also has a teleporter AND method #3 is just too easy for you, you may try hacking their teleporter to beam your mind controlled team member to the enemy's ship (since they're considered an enemy at this point) and then beam them back when the effect wears off.
  8. If you have a cloning bay, you might as well kill them.
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    If you hack the enemy ship's teleport system (assuming they have one), you can temporarily send your MCed unit to their ship that way, and then beam them back when the MC wears off.
    – l I
    Commented Apr 14, 2014 at 13:32
  • @z- Not often do you get in a situation when this might work, but it could happen. Added.
    – Ray Poward
    Commented Apr 14, 2014 at 13:46
  • The 6th option (venting oxygen) is quite effective in the beginning of the game, where most advanced systems aren't installed yet.
    – Doktoro Reichard
    Commented Apr 14, 2014 at 21:47
  • Don't remember for sure, but I think when your guy is mind controlled, he'll have to break through upgraded doors on your ship (slowing him down).
    – spudone
    Commented Jun 13, 2014 at 17:38
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  1. Make the Mind Control system on the enemy ship a high priority target. Yes, taking damage is bad. But losing a crew member, even in advanced, can be worse (I say even in advanced because it's possible to get crew who come with experience in certain skills; it is easier, but by no means easy, to absord the loss of a well experienced crew now). If you have hacking, dump it on the mind control and then attempt to damage it for good measure.

  2. If you have a heal bomb, you can target your own ship and keep crew alive more easily. Though it won't heal the mind controlled crew. All bombs can target your own ship. If there is a stunning bomb, you could use it to help deal with a controlled crew member onboard.

  3. Stunning weapons can be used to deal with one of your boarders getting mind controlled.

  4. The Crystal race ability to lock down a room could service in a pinch, but crystal crew members are rare (unless you are playing the Crystal Cruiser).

But really, there's nothing better than taking the Mind Control device out of play. I consider it to be an extremely high priority target.

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    If you have the mind control unit installed, you can target your own mind-controlled unit to counter the mind control.
    – 5pike
    Commented Apr 14, 2014 at 13:12
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The other answers are great, however I want to add some basic tactic you can follow:

Let the Mind-Controlled unit to damage the system all alone until is about to finish damaging one power to the system, then send your crew member with more life to fight against the MCed unit. This way you minimize the damage taken to units and prevent damage to systems. When the crew member recovers his sanity your current system point being damaged will recover too.

This works specially at the beginning of the game, where the Mind Control is level 1 and then the damage taken will be minimal.

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