Regular Ghouls rely on sound
The official game site describes regular Ghouls as blind and sound-reliant. That supports a simple field rule: treat unnecessary noise as a decision. It does not establish an exact hearing radius, a numerical noise meter, a fixed search duration, or a guarantee that silence makes every route safe. Procedural space and other threats can still change the choice.
Before an interaction, decide who is moving and what noise the squad is willing to create. Keep a retreat direction available, because a sound-based plan still needs somewhere to go if the Ghoul's position or the room changes. In co-op, one short call before a noisy action prevents several players from creating separate distractions without a shared purpose.
Decapitation or burning makes the kill permanent
The official site states that a regular Ghoul must be decapitated or burned for a permanent kill. That is stronger evidence than a community tactic because it defines the finishing requirement directly. The wording does not publish the damage needed to reach that state, the exact tools that can cause it, or the time available before the enemy returns.
Treat the finishing method as a separate step from creating space. Confirm what the live game shows, assign one player to act if the group has an appropriate option, and keep others clear enough to observe. A failed attempt should remain an observation rather than becoming a new universal rule. Record the patch version when behavior appears inconsistent.
Patch 0.05.005 repairs Ghoul decapitation
Patch 0.05.005 says Ghoul decapitation was fixed, including decapitation caused by gates. Old demo footage or reports may therefore show a result that no longer matches the current build. The patch line confirms the repair but does not say that every weapon, physics object, or gate angle now behaves identically.
When a finishing action appears to fail, verify the installed version and separate the visible symptom from the intended outcome. The co-op page explains version mismatch, while the patch ledger keeps the fix date attached. That makes a current report easier to compare without automatically reopening a resolved patch item.
The store shows a Ghoul-to-Rat interaction
The Steam store uses polymorphing a Ghoul into a Rat as an example of class, spell, and environment interaction. It confirms the interaction exists in the official description. It does not name the spell, publish a cooldown, promise success on every Ghoul variant, or establish the Rat's later behavior.
The Squad Planner therefore calls the capability Polymorph control instead of naming a class or build. A player can assign responsibility for checking the option shown in the current game. That keeps the planning benefit while avoiding a fictional spell database or a guaranteed counter claim.
FEAR can lead to Ghoul transformation
The store connects low FAITH with FEAR exposure and warns that failing to manage FEAR can lead to becoming a Ghoul or something worse. This makes Ghoul knowledge relevant before combat begins. A squad should state who watches FAITH pressure and what evidence-backed recovery options remain, using the live interface rather than an invented breakpoint.
Petting the cat reduces FEAR in Patch 0.05.005, while the store describes alcohol and ally spells as recovery options. None of those sources supplies a universal quantity or timer. The FAITH and FEAR guide organizes the decision around purpose, urgency, and fallback instead of a number the developer has not published.
What this Ghoul page does not claim
No checked current source establishes Ghoul health, attack damage, detection radius, spawn rate, loot, or variant statistics. This guide does not rank weapons for the encounter. Burning and decapitation are permanent-kill methods, not promises that the setup will be safe in every room. Sound reliance does not erase vision or hearing rules for other entities nearby.
Use this page as a source card, then trust the current game state. If a later patch changes decapitation, sound behavior, or transformation, the entity record should carry the new effective date and keep the older patch in history. That is safer than silently editing a timeless strategy paragraph after every Early Access change.