Zlata

“	I was just accepted to the music academy when the war broke out. I had so many plans, I had dreams. I used to play the guitar, date boys, dance. My little brother Tadei always made me smile. It all seems a dream now, replaced by this nightmare we live in. Yet, I still hope one day we can forget the war and carry on with our lives as if it never happened.	”
–Zlata's Description

Overview[]

Zlata is one of the many playable characters found in the game. Formerly a music student, she's now trying to survive the war and reunite with her younger brother, who was evacuated during the war.

Her Bolsters Spirits skill allows her to cheer up depressed characters with a much better chance of succeeding as well as increasing the comfort level of the shelter, which speeds up mood recovery from negative events and slows mood drops after positive events. She is also good with the Guitar.

Appearance[]

Zlata wears a blue jacket over a white hoodie, a pair of jeans, and a beige scarf.

Personality[]

Zlata belongs to the altruistic archetype. She's a very optimistic individual who instills courage in others with her faith and her music alike, fitting the archetype of the inspiring musician.

Zlata is very idealistic and morally aware. She heavily disapproves of immoral actions like theft or murder on principle, even against bandits and soldiers. However, she’ll make an exception if it’s part of an on-site quest (e.g. the snipers at the Construction Site or the soldier at the Supermarket). Conversely, she will become happy by aiding other NPCs in all cases. She's also very concerned if a fellow survivor is suffering from negative statuses. If her mood is negative, she’ll likely sob all night and disturb others’ sleep. She likely won’t rob the shelter when leaving, and is most likely to commit suicide out of all archetypes.

If traumatized enough, she will permanently shift to the apathic [sic] modifier. Zlata turns more indifferent and apathetic, and consequently less sensitive to all events, as she becomes hopeless about her situation and resigned to her fate. However, given her naturally optimistic personality, she can endure a fair amount of trauma more than other survivors before she gets a bad ending.

Strategy[]

While her Bolsters Spirits trait does not have any direct impact on her scavenging skills, her decent inventory size of 12 allows her to be a backup scavenger or the primary scavenger if there is no better alternative. She has below average combat skills which discourages scavenging in dangerous territories. However, with enough caution, patience, and a good melee weapon, she is still able to perform an instant kill stealth ambush (just be prepared for her mood to drop). She's also a below average guard.

Zlata is heavily affected by moral choices and crimes, so using her to kill or steal is not recommended. However, her presence in the shelter allows others to recover quicker from mood drops, so committing crimes is overall a bit more viable, though it's still inadvisable as a go-to strategy.

Recruitment Speech[]

“

Hi, you look friendly. My name's Zlata. I used to study at the Music Academy before it got closed due to war. What about we stick together for the time being? We can watch over each other! Besides, it's always better to have some company to cheer you up!

”

Death Note[]

“	I’ll miss Zlata’s smile. Not many people smile these days. It’s really painful to see such a young life wasted.	”
–Note on dead body

Character Story[]

Note: Due to an error, both variants of the 4th segment aren't available in-game. They can only be found in the game files.

"The army is trying to break the rebels' morale with this incessant bombardment, but it's the civilians like us that suffer the most. When you've been under fire for so long, you learn to predict where a mortar shell will fall by the sound it makes. I'd never have thought about it, but one fateful day changed everything."
"The heat was intense and people were lining up for water. I was there with my parents and Tadei. Suddenly, there was a flash and I lost consciousness. Later I learned that a mortar shell exploded among us, wounding me and my brother and killing my parents. I had to explain to my brother that they were gone. Can you imagine losing your parents at the age of six?"
"Doctors did a great job patching us up. We spent a few weeks in the hospital recovering, both physically and mentally. We were lucky that we survived, and we had each other. Our neighbors were helping me look after Tadei, because initially I had trouble catching up with him! Then he got his lucky ticket."
"The massacre was all over the TV news. In the aftermath, we were approached by a charity which offered foster homes for children in Canada. I decided to let them take Tadei out of Pogoren. He is now safe. I'm temporarily stuck here, but one day I'll join him and we'll be together again. I have a very good reason to stay alive."

Traumatized variants:[]

''Did you hear that? Another mortar shell. Not very far from here. Many people got used to the sound but I cringe at every single one of them. I freeze and remember one summer day in the first year of the war. The day which changed everything in my life.''
"The heat was intense and people were lining up for water. I was there with my parents and Tadei when a shell exploded among us. When I got up and looked around, there were screams... blood... dead bodies everywhere... severed limbs... My brother was bleeding, crying, asking me where mommy and daddy were. I looked around, then hugged him and started to scream."
"I don't recall how we got to the hospital. They took out lots of shrapnel from our bodies. I became apathetic in the aftermath. Our neighbors started looking after my brother, because I'd lost the will to live. I kept thinking that I had cheated fate on that day. I no longer hid when I heard a shell. And then Tadei was taken from me."
"The massacre was all over the TV news. The footage showed us, bleeding, crying over the bodies of our parents. A charity got my brother out of Pogoren to Canada, to a foster home. But they left me here. I decided to live in spite of everything. One day I'll go to Canada, too. I don't want to die here, all alone and forgotten."

Endings[]

Spoiler Warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Ending Type	Ending Description
Dead	"Zlata did not survive even though she was so young and full of life. Would she resume her music studies had she survived? Maybe the world lost a famous musician or composer."
Suicide	"Zlata was a sensitive and compassionate girl, who tried to give hope to others. In the end, she herself lost all hope and took her own life. The world got bleaker the day she was found dead."
Abandoned	"Zlata left the shelter one night. She fell victim to human traffickers while trying to reach her brother in Canada."
Rejected	"Zlata was not allowed to stay in the shelter. Let's hope she had better luck elsewhere."
Karma	"The war changed Zlata. She survived, but lost her optimism and cheerfulness. She decided against joining her brother. "I would only remind him of past horrors", she explained. "No, it will be better if I stay in Pogoren. Someone needs to tend to our parents' grave."
Sad	"Zlata survived the war, but reaching Canada proved more difficult than she'd anticipated. Dispite the difficulties, she remains determined and still believes she will see Tadei again one day."
Good	"Zlata survived the war and was reunited with her brother in Canada. It took her some time to adjust to the new reality, but she found a job, and even resumed her music studies - at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto."

**Playable Characters**
Anton	Arica	Boris	Bruno	Cveta	Emilia


Katia	Marin	Marko	Pavle	Roman	Zlata