This is the list of This War of Mine characters.
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Official Survivors
Anton
"I was trying to protect my brightest students for months, only to become a witness to them being killed ruthlessly."
An old mathematician (the oldest survivor most likely) who walks with a limp and has a tiny backpack size (8). Turns a blind eye to bad actions for the most part, does not drink, and can make animal traps catch prey more often. He's poor in combat and at guarding the shelter.- Badass Bookworm: He's a skilled tinkerer and chemist, making him the go-to guy for making herbal medications and mousetraps. In-game, this is described as "Skilled Mathematician".
- Good Is Not Soft: He's generally a mild-mannered man, but he will approve if his group kills bandits or thugs, and will be understanding towards morally questionable actions like stealing.
- Guide Dang It!: How, exactly, are you expected to realize that being skilled at math makes his traps catch prey more often? He does mention in passing in one of his journal entries that he and his students survived by catching rats for a while after the war broke out. But even if you do see that entry, it's easy to dismiss this as mere background info with no effect on the game.
- Insufferable Genius: It's a facade, though. He quickly admits that he's grateful he was taken in.
- The Load: Due to his small backpack, the limited and unclear utility of his ability, and his age, Anton is often viewed as such in playthroughs where he appears (though when one knows his ability he's not completely useless; see Cveta).
- Sole Survivor: He watched all of his students die.
- Survivor Guilt: Best explained by one of his story quotes."Some people who are... who were very dear to my heart gave me an order to stay alive at all costs. And since I owe them my life, it's no longer mine to throw away."
- The Teetotaler: Will never smoke or drink alcohol or coffee, no matter how bad things get. He is even given the "abstinent" tag, which isn't present among other survivors without addictions, barring Christo.
- Younger Than They Look: Possibly. Anton was friends with Cveta back in high school. This could mean that he is this trope or that he was one of her teachers.
Arica
"I'm a simple girl from the hood and I know life."
An experienced cat thief, Arica makes much less noise compared to everyone else and can stealth kill any target with one hit. She is also strong in regular combat (among the original survivors, only Roman is better) and good at guarding the shelter. Arica is a smoker and has a relatively small backpack size (10).- Abusive Parents: Arica is glad that her father got killed at the onset of the war since he would beat her hard whenever "he felt like doing so".
- Redemption Equals Death: According to Arica's story, her father dug her out of the rubble of their home and then died of deadly exhaustion from carrying her all the way to Pogoren, essentially sacrificing himself for her survival. She still hates him but gave a bit of forgiveness as a result of this.
- Action Girl: She has the highest combat and guarding skills among all female survivors — and higher than most of the male survivors. Thugs who see her as an easy target are probably in for a nasty surprise.
- Back Stab: Arica is one of three official survivors, along with Roman and Boris, who can instantly and silently dispatch hostiles.
- Badass Normal: Compared to her teammates, at least. Due to her stealth-kill ability, she is one of the better survivors for clearing out large numbers of hostiles, surpassed only by Roman, who has actual combat training.
- Blessed with Suck: Sure, she can sneak past enemies since she emits less sound, but in doing so she loses much of her ability to lure enemies to locations for ambushing (unless she utilizes tools to make noise).
- Classy Cat-Burglar: Presumably. If you cause her to leave, she will take some of your supplies with her.
- I Am Not My Father: In her best ending, Arica starts a family, wanting to be a better parent than her father ever was.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Her nonchalant willingness to resort to theft and killing is questionable and her attitude is rather stuck up and rude, but she's ultimately a decent person. Arica gets a lot of happiness from trading medicine to the man at the Garage who is looking after his father and is happy to aid survivors who find themselves in distress.
- The Sneaky Guy: Arica is the ideal character to perform scavenging trips that require stealth.
- Stealth Expert: Justified since she is a cat burglar. Her unique trait is that she can sneak silently, which greatly dampens all noise that she emits. Her sprint is as quiet as the walk of other characters, and using tools makes about half as much noise as it normally would. Even when cutting metal grates she makes little noise!
- Street Smart: Apparently grew up on the streets doing lots of shady things throughout the years which explains her talent to move around, steal, and even kill quietly.
- Unscrupulous Hero: Arica can kill and rob dangerous individuals like thugs and soldiers without remorse. However, killing innocent survivors can easily make her sad.
Boris
"You stay here, you can barely walk, and I'll run like the wind, she told me. But you can't outrun a sniper's bullet."
A massive goliath of a man, Boris used to stock shelves before the war. He previously sustained a leg injury, causing him to run slower, and smokes often. Boris has the largest backpack size in the game (17) and is heavily affected by amoral actions. Despite his gentle demeanor, he's pretty good in combat and at guarding the shelter.- Back Stab: Where Arica learned to do this as a thief and Roman as a militiaman, he overpowers unaware enemies with his sheer strength.
- The Big Guy: Though not as good as Roman, he's still above-average in combat, and has the highest health of all survivors.
- Common Law Marriage: He and his girlfriend had a kid together, but it doesn't seem that they married.
- Gentle Giant: He's always happy to aid those in need and can easily become content when the group performs selfless actions.
- Martial Pacifist: He doesn't condone violence and gets sad easily when he or others are forced to kill. That being said, he can take more hits than the other survivors and has a very high combat proficiency.
- Mighty Glacier: The strongest character in the game, he has noticeably higher damage durability, but he is also the slowest. His sprinting speed is only barely better than most other character's walk speed.
- Sole Survivor: He's the only survivor of his family, after his son died of a disease, and his girlfriend got shot by a sniper while looking for some medicine to treat said disease.
- Stout Strength: He's got more girth than most characters which lends him the strength to deal greater damage with melee weapons and carry more items.
- Tempting Fate: Boris barely has enough time to go from cover to cover at Sniper Junction, making him very likely to get killed by the gunman there. Don't do this unless you're super-confident.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: Boris is always bothered if someone in his group kills, even if the victim was a bandit who deserved it for preying on other people. Partly averted since Boris doesn't get too sad at killing bandits or soldiers himself.
Bruno
"Even when I was listening to the news getting scarier day by day, I did not believe at all that was about to happen."
A master chef, Bruno is capable of making cooked meals/moonshine/medicine with less ingredients than other people. He is, however, a known smoker and an egoist. He has a somewhat small backpack (10) and is average in combat and at guarding.- Celebrity Survivor: Bruno was a famous chef before the war. He even used to have his own TV cooking show.
- Cooking Show: Hosted one before the war. From his description, he would travel to restaurants around the world.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and Marko are old friends and in one story choose to stick together as things got worse with the war.
- It's All About Me: At times, his journal entries come off like this. He's relatively ok with others committing crimes or being distressed, but if he gets his own hands dirty or if he's the one suffering, he immediately becomes sad.
- Jade-Colored Glasses: Bruno explains that he used to be an optimist, but the war has made him more cynical and selfish.
- Jerkass: He typically scowls when his group chooses to aid others no matter how dire their need. If a group member kills other survivors or bandits, he will scoff at their deaths rather than feel sadness.
- Lack of Empathy: Is fairly callous to others' plights and will more often than not fail to bring others out of depression. However:
- Not So Stoic: He will still feel content after certain kind acts, and will become depressed hard if he kills an innocent while scavenging. He also gets depressed at the slightest things, such as being hungry.
- My Greatest Failure: A lot of his guilt comes from the fact that he convinced his friend to stay, saying that everything with blow over soon. If it wasn't for him, she would've already fled before the war began.
- Nerf: In Update 1.3 his proficiency with making meds was moved to the Pharmacist survivor.
- Pet the Dog: He's callous towards helping others, but will make an exception some of the time.
- Team Chef: If you need cooking done, send Bruno. He does more with less. He also makes moonshine with less ingredients than anyone else would need.
- Utility Party Member: Bruno is pretty mediocre as a combatant and is decent as a guard, but his cooking expertise makes him a very desirable companion.
Christo
- Action Dad: He will do anything to keep Iskra safe. Up to and including killing people.
- Badass and Child Duo: Christo will be paired with Iskra, no matter what. He even has a starting scenario where he is responsible for defending the shelter, scavenging and keeping her safe.
- Friend to All Children: Being a determined father, he can reliably console children when they get depressed.
- The Insomniac: Takes far less time to get fully rested.
- Jack of All Trades: His combat and scavenging abilities are average, and his determination allows him to get rested very quickly.
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Nintendo Hard: There is a starting scenario where he starts off with his daughter. This makes it seem easier than one of Marko's, where he starts of alone, until you realize that your companion is a child. Every night, you have to choose if you can survive the next day without supplies or risk the chance of getting raided. - Papa Wolf: Being the father of Iskra, he inevitably follows this trope.
- The Teetotaler: Like Anton, he will not drink alcohol no matter how hard things get.
Cveta
"That's silly, children need the light to read", I said, "and besides, it's not like anyone is going to target the school!"
A former elementary school principal who loves children, Cveta seems to get more happiness when helping children. With The Little Ones expansion, she takes less time to form a bond with an orphan, and is capable of cheering depressed children much more effectively. She has a tiny backpack (8), horrible combat abilities (though she's not quite as bad at guarding the shelter), and has no substance addictions.- Cannot Tell a Joke: In her bio, she lists her mundane abilities as if doing a job interview, but claims she was attempting to joke.
- Friend to All Children: Helping children will almost always instantly make her content regardless of how bad everything else is for her. She's able to imprint on orphans much faster than anyone else.
- The Load: Due to both her uniquely limited ability, abysmal combat stats, her puny backpack, and the inability to play the guitar, Cveta is regarded as such in most playthroughs where she appears, even more so than Anton. She lampshades this in her bio entries.
- Nerves of Steel: Cveta has a resistance to depression, claiming the warzone isn't that much more chaotic than managing an elementary school.
- Non-Action Guy: Of all the characters, she has the worst combat ability. As such, she is completely incapable of performing a backstab, and produces poor results as a guard.
- Older Than They Look: Possibly. She was friends with Anton back in high school, meaning that she's either this trope or she was a student under him.
- Tempting Fate: She does this in one of her character stories."One young man advised me to cover the windows with mattresses from the gym. 'That's silly, children need the light to read', I said, "and besides, it's not like anyone is going to target the school!'"
- What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Aiding children is a rare occurrence and has absolutely no change with Cveta, making her ability useless the rest of the time. Even with The Little Ones adding child survivors into the mix, anyone can imprint on a child given enough time, rendering Cveta's specialty redundant.
- However, her high empathy rivaling that of Boris means she can console depressed children with higher odds. This is important as while happy children means they serve as a positive modifier to the shelter's morale and thus lowering the rate morale decays or worsens. A sad child will make the entire shelter feel depressed in turn and may refuse to work when sad. This means she can get the kids to keep working and consoling them when they feel overworked.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: No matter how bad the situation, Cveta will never approve of stealing or killing, believing there is always another way.
- Break the Cutie: The bad endings had her unable to return to her job, or miring in poverty with disability pension as a way to survive.
Emilia
"Some ragtag militiamen entered the house claiming there were looking for enemy informants. They took my father and sister to the garden and shot them. The neighbors said that they didn't even bother to interrogate anyone."
A former lawyer, Emilia views everything logically and coldly, making it hard to get her depressed. Is a coffee drinker and has a somewhat small backpack size (10) and unremarkable combat skills. She is bad at guarding the shelter.- Amoral Attorney: Implied. Her standard behavior is viewing everything through a cold, logical lens, and there's no indication she was any different back when she was still employed.
- Crusading Lawyer: In her best ending, she returns to her law career and brings war criminals to justice.
- Cynicism Catalyst: Her sister and father were robbed and murdered by soldiers. As a result, Emilia doesn't bat an eye at the deaths of soldiers or criminals.
- Does Not Like Men: In her bad ending she ends up doing this when she gets back to practicing law.
- Foil: She is one to Zlata. She's cold, cynical, decent in combat, and has a small-ish backpack size. Zlata is the opposite as she is upbeat, empathetic, weak in combat, and has a normal-sized backpack.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: While "zero soul" is certainly an exaggeration, Emilia can commit more atrocities before they weigh down on her.
- Lack of Empathy: This is what probably contributes to her resistance to depression. Her diary entries are rather selfish when she's sick or wounded.
- Must Have Caffeine: She loves coffee and can become content more easily if she has a steady supply.
- Quirky Bard: Aside from being resistant to mood swings, she's not too useful. At least she has more than 8 slots in her backpack!
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Zlata's red in their scenario.
- Riches to Rags: She comes from a wealthy family and was well-off herself. The war, however, robbed her of everything.
- Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Has this reaction when a boy named Yosyp shows up with medicine, asking the survivors to keep them in case his sickly friend shows up."Naive boy. His Anna is probably dead. He should've kept the meds for himself."
- Sole Survivor: She's the only member of her family who is still alive.
- The Spock: Her logical outlook makes it harder for her to get depressed, so she is less affected by killing and stealing in general.
- Not So Above It All: It is not impossible for her to become depressed, and things must be very bad to get her to that point.
- This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: In one of the scenarios where she, Boris, and Marin are the starting group, she's this for Sniper Junction, as Boris can't outrun the sniper's bullets there.
- Unscrupulous Hero: Like Roman, she doesn't have many qualms about robbing civilians, but still frowns upon murdering them.
Henrik
An elderly man whose son went off to fight soldiers, now he must take care of his grandson, Ivano. He makes cigarettes in greater quantities. Is a smoker and has a somewhat small backpack size (10). He moves a bit slower than other survivors, but his combat and guarding skills are slightly above average despite his age.- Ascended Extra: In the vanilla game, he only appears as a neighbor who gives you free wood in some of the more difficult scenarios. The Little Ones makes him playable as a guardian of Ivano.
- Cool Old Guy: Despite his age and slow movement, he's inexplicably somewhat better at fighting than most of the survivors.
- Must Have Nicotine: He capitalizes on this, having the ability to create more cigarettes than usual. He also eats into his own product as a smoker.
- I Will Find You: Wonders what has happened to this son, while he never learns the truth in the good ending. He finds his son is dead in either the abandoned or sad ending.
- The Load: He doesn't offer much in terms of scavenging or combat and he easily gets wounded when put on guard. His special skill is the ability to make more cigarettes than the other characters can, but this isn't very helpful when that isn't the commodity you plan on trading. It's even discussed in-universe.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. He shares his name with a neighbor who helps out in more difficult scenarios.
Irina
A gardener who's left to take care of her niece, Lydia, after being separated from her brother. She can grow plants using less water. She has a modest backpack (10) and no substance addictions. She fares poorly in combat and is bad at guarding.- Green Thumb: She specializes in growing plants more efficiently.
- Karma Houdini: Compared to other survivors who ends up becoming bitter and jaded at the end of their ending. Irina suffers the least of them all.
- Utility Party Member: Much like Bruno and Marin, she's more effective at staying in the shelter than going outside it.
Katia
"I used to be friends with everybody. Now, if I smile to a stranger I'm taken for a fool or a prostitute or, worse still, a snitch."
A reporter trying to find her parents, Katia is able to get better deals from merchants than other people. Addicted to coffee, she has a medium backpack size (12), but low combat and guarding skills. Moral and immoral actions can strongly influence her mood.- Celebrity Survivor: She's a well known reporter. This helps her in regards to trading with merchants, letting her get better deals.
- Damsel in Distress: She's saved from a thug by Roman during their partner scenario.
- Damsel out of Distress: She quickly returns the favor when they run into a military picket by showing them her press badge.
- Do You Want to Haggle?: Her unique trait allows her to strike better deals when bargaining with any traders.
- Dub-Induced Plot Hole: One of her journal entries explains that she had to negotiate with an army commander to release a girl in custody, in English. Obviously this becomes redundant in the English translation.
- I Should Write a Book About This: As most of the endings reveal, she was writing a war diary the whole time, which gets published if she dies, leaves the shelter, or gets the sad/good endings. In the worst ending, however, she defies the trope by burning her notes and refusing to write about the war.
- Must Have Caffeine: She's a coffee addict, so keeping a supply of it will keep her in good moods.
- Nice Girl: She is very caring towards her group and her neighbors and will be happy to help them if she can. Watching her group suffer can easily depress Katia, and she does not approve of stealing from the innocent or weak.
- Non Action Girl: She's not too good in combat.
- Personal Effects Reveal: If she dies while scavenging and another scavenger inspects the body, they will find her war diary, and remark that her parents should get it.
- The Social Expert: Her job as a news interviewer has given her lots of experience with this. Combined with her recognizably, she can leverage better deals when bartering items.
- Utility Party Member: She isn't anyone's first choice to do combat missions, but her special skill is considered one of the best in game.
- Vigilante Man: Katia has no problem killing dangerous individuals like thugs and murderers, justifying that killing them will save countless more. She will always applaud if other members of her group do so.
Livia
A pregnant woman caught in the worst place possible. Like Bruno, she uses less materials to cook things. Her pregnancy flat-out prevents her from scavenging, being on guard duty, or even helping neighbors with manual labor. She cannot run, and has a tiny backpack (8), which she cannot use because she cannot scavenge. She also has very high moral standards and will get depressed if her fellow survivors commit atrocities. Even though she cannot be put on guard duty, she will wake up and defend the shelter if it is attacked (unsurprisingly, she's not good at it).- Imperiled in Pregnancy: A pregnant woman caught in the middle of a warzone.
- The Load: Is basically a poorer version of Bruno, and can do little to help out in the shelter.
- Non Action Girl: She's flat out incapable of leaving the shelter or watching guard. She can't even leave the shelter to help neighbors.
- Team Chef: Has the talents that Bruno has when it comes to cooking.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Has high empathy when it comes to events.
Marin
"They came for me when I was upstairs with my wife, fast asleep. I figure they couldn't force the shop door, so they just tossed a Molotov through the window. Our bedroom window."
A handyman, Marin is able to build items with less materials. He has a coffee addiction, regular combat and guarding skills, and a relatively small backpack size (10).- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: If he's severely ill, Marin will actually plead for someone to get him meds, arguing that you need him. In some ways, he's right.
- Apathetic Citizens: In general, unless it harms him directly, Marin won't have strong opinions on negative or positive actions performed by him or his group. As such, stealing is hardly acknowledged, as is helping most neighbors.
- Friend to All Children: He went out of his way to fix a boy's action figure in the past. He ends up finding the toy, but not the boy when the war escalated shortly after. Marin often writes of the boy in his diary, remembering the joy it brought to help him, which helps keep him going.
- Handy Man: His unique trait reduces the cost of materials for most items and upgrades by considerable amounts.
- Mr Fix It: He was a former workshop owner before the war.
- Must Have Caffeine: He's a coffee addict and has an easier time maintaining happiness with a steady supply of it.
- Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: He refuses to craft tools for thugs who would have certainly used them for burglary. Marin ends up regretting his decision when the thugs burn his workshop to the ground.
- Utility Party Member: Marin is great as a builder, but he is one of the worst potential scavengers. Besides his smaller backpack size, Marin has mediocre combat ability and has very bad stamina, as all it takes are some slight wounds, hunger and tiredness for Marin to be slowed to a crawl.
Marko
"My father told me I should choose one happy memory, and when the life becomes miserable, I just have to close my eyes and go back to that happy moment. But what do you do when your happiest memory brings you nothing but pain?"
A former fireman, Marko is an expert scavenger with a large backpack size (15) and faster scavenging times than anyone else. Has no substance addictions and is an empathetic, selfless man. He's average in combat and at guarding.- Beware the Nice Ones: Despite his very caring attitude towards others and his tendency to receive significant amounts of morale for helping others, his journal entries indicate that he holds little remorse for killing bandits.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Marko had the option of fleeing the city, but he chose to stay and aid his fire department. His journal entries further this, with Marko lamenting that he can never turn his back on those in need.
- Happily Married: He's married and has two daughters who all managed to evacuate while Marko chose to stay behind to aid the fire department.
- Happy Place: Marko discusses the importance of having such a place in his bio entries."Everyone should choose one happy memory. And it can't be good, it has to be grand. When it gets so bad you just want to sit down and cry, when your life seems forfeit, you close your eyes and go back to your happy moment. It's not easy, but you have to try."
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and Bruno have been friends for a long time and in one story chose to stick together to survive the war.
- Jack of All Trades: He's great at scavenging, decent at guarding, fighting and consoling others. Basically, what every player looks for in a survivor. The only thing he can't do well is play the guitar.
- Nice Guy: His thoughts are always of his group, often making declarations that he must do something to help them if they are hurt or distressed. He will also be happy to aid any neighbors that come asking for help.
- Nintendo Hard: Patch 1.2 introduced a very interesting "Lone Wolf" scenario where Marko is the only member of the party and no one else comes by to join him, requiring a completely different strategy than what you would normally use for managing a group.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Although he does not condone killing the innocent, Marko actually gains happiness if he should kill dangerous individuals like bandits, thugs or deserters. Purposefully committing mass killings in a row, however, can still make him sad.
- The Scrounger: His former fireman career lends Marko the strength and skill to dive into broken homes and secure resources. His above average backpack size (15) is bested only by Boris's (17), though Marko has superior mobility.
Pavle
"Who needs football players during war?"
A star football player, Pavle lives for his community and can run faster than anyone else. Has a relatively large backpack size (12) and no substance addictions. He can hold his own in a fight and while guarding the shelter.- Determinator: Even when critically wounded he can run at full speed.
- Celebrity Survivor: Was one of Pogoren's star football players pre-war.
- Fragile Speedster: The fastest runner, which makes him, like Roman and Arica, a good candidate for engaging hostiles. Combat-wise he's fairly average, but can still be done in just as easily as anyone else. If Pavle manages to get his hands on a Military Vest or Helmet, he can enter Lightning Bruiser territory.
- A Friend in Need: If his group is in distress, Pavle will declare that he must find a way to help them. He's also very good at talking people out of depressed states.
- Happily Married: Pavle has a wife and son he adores. They both made it out of Pogoren safely, but Pavle was forced to remain behind.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: Pavle thinks he's The Load, seeing as how nobody plays sports in the middle of a warzone. As the presence of Anton and Cveta and Pavle's ability can attest, he's far from this.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Pavle will usually be able to shrug off killing dangerous individuals like thugs, bandits and deserters, and will be understanding if other survivors do the same.
- I Will Find You: Pavle is determined to survive the war and reunite with his wife and son.
- Jack of All Trades: He's average at everything: scavenging, combat, guarding, consoling his fellow survivors, and playing the guitar. Even his fast running speed slightly boosts his scavenging speed and combat performances.
- My God, What Have I Done?: His failure to protect his son's soccer team after leading them into a dangerous situation is still a painful memory for Pavle. Gameplay-wise, stealing from or killing innocent survivors is an easy way to make Pavle sad.
- My Greatest Failure: In one of the two variations of his backstory, Pavle and his son formed a football team amidst the war and even managed to get a Pogoren cup going. While leading them to the sports hall to play their first game, thinking they were safe if they moved at night, Pavle's team of children were spotted by snipers and gunned down. Though he and his son at least survived, Pavle still lives with the guilt.
- Nice Guy: Despite his desperate situation, Pavle still loves his community and is always happy to aid others.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: While he's a decent survivor for most part because of his speed and backpack size, he seems useless when stuck with Marko and Bruno.
- Super-Speed: A more mundane example.. He easily leaves everyone in his dust with his fast speed, thanks to his career as a football player.
- Vigilante Man: Believing that they are too dangerous to be left to do as they please, Pavle will actually gain happiness if thugs or murderers are killed.
Roman
"I aimed over their heads. Others didn't."
A former militia soldier, Roman quit after seeing the horrors in the army. As a trained soldier, he can fight (and guard) better than any of the other survivors, although he is a heavy smoker and tends to pick fights with others. Has a relatively small backpack size (10) and is frequently cynical and/or temperamental.- Ax-Crazy: When he gets depressed, he's the most likely survivor to lash out at the others, verbally and physically. It makes any playthrough with him absolute hell too, as he brings down the mood of everyone when he's feeling antsy.
- Back Stab: Roman, along with Arica and Boris, can stealth-kill flawlessly without alerting nearby guards to his presence.
- Big Damn Heroes: Rescues Katia from a thug in the beginning of the scenario with just the two of them. She returns the favor by getting them out of trouble with a military picket.
- The Big Guy: With the highest combat proficiency and an increased amount of health, he's the obvious candidate for guarding and combat missions.
- Defector from Decadence: Left the rebels after seeing them commit atrocities.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Even if Roman is kept in a fine mood, there is still a chance he may throws fists with another survivor.
- Hot Guys Are Bastards: Is a handsome young man but, as detailed by the other entries, isn't as nice as the other survivors.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Will give this justification for killing and stealing, though not without a degree of remorse.
- Jerkass: If he gets sad he'll take out his frustration on other survivors, namely Bruno.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Becomes apparent when he approves of helping Nenad get medications for his sick mother, and in his good ending where he becomes a pillar of his community.
- Lack of Empathy: Is the least affected by killing, and isn't too much in favor of helping neighbors (with some exceptions). Though going on multiple killing sprees will wear him down, even if the victims are all soldiers or bandits.
- Lightning Bruiser: Roman has the highest damage output in the game, and his high health pool is only surpassed by Boris's. His movement speed is average, but more than enough for him to maintain his good mobility.
- Minmaxer's Delight: He's got a Lack of Empathy paired with the highest combat ability in the game, which lets him steal things from people with little consequence. As long as morale at the base if kept high enough and he has enough cigarettes (which are pretty cheap), he's decently able to keep calm.
- Neck Snap: The only character in the game capable of killing an enemy with bare hands, though he can only do this on an unaware enemy passing his hiding spot.
- Pet the Dog: Due to his fighting skills he is the best choice to do "dirty work", like cleaning out the brothel and hotel which results in saving lives. He also saved Katia from marauders in one scenario.
- Scarf Of Ass Kicking: He wears a scarf, while also being the game's combat specialist.
- Sociopathic Soldier: If sufficiently traumatized, he'll become extremely aggressive, caring little for killing anybody (even unarmed civilians), attacking fellow survivors, and wishing death on anybody he dislikes.
- Tragic Bromance: One of the civilians he and his unit were assigned to interrogate and kill was his childhood friend, Leon. After Leon was executed, Roman deserted.
- Unscrupulous Hero: It is very difficult to make Roman content through performing heroic actions. Furthermore, he has no reservations about killing and robbing, but will still get sad if the victims are innocent civilians.
- World's Best Warrior: One of the best survivors in combat, who also stands miles above the soldiers you may meet while scavenging.
Zlata
"I had to explain to my brother that they were gone. Can you imagine losing your parents at the age of six?"
A musician, Zlata has a medium backpack size (12) and is able to cheer others up far better than any other and her very presence improves the overall comfort level of the shelter. Has no substance addictions and low combat and guarding ability.- Foil: She is one to Emilia. Zlata is upbeat, empathetic, weak in combat and has a normal-sized backpack. Emilia is the opposite as she's cold, cynical, decent in combat, and has a small-ish backpack size.
- The Heart: Just having Zlata in the group makes everyone much happier, and makes it harder for the group to become depressed. Furthermore, Zlata is the most effective at pulling others out of depressed states, almost always succeeding. Having an instrument improves the effects as she can play it well.
- The Pollyanna: The most optimistic survivor in the group.
- Jack of All Trades: She has no glaring weaknesses. Having a good backpack size and mobility, she makes for a dependable scavenger, though not the most ideal.
- Music for Courage: More or less is implied to provide this if a guitar is made available for her use.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: She's the red to Emilia's blue in their scenario.
- Quirky Bard: She's able to at least decrease the chances of a survivor becoming depressed, possibly through her musical abilities. Her backpack size isn't too bad, unlike Anton's and Cveta's.
- Takes a more literal meaning when there's a guitar around.
The Children (Iskra, Ivano, Kalina, Lydia, Misha and Sergei)
These are the children introduced in The Little Ones DLC. Unlike the other playable characters, the children don't have any predisposed roles or skills, can't scavenge or defend or even talk to neighbors. However, they can learn to do simple tasks to let the other survivors rest, need to eat a single meal to go from hungry to well fed and their very presence raises the group's morale, provided they are doing well.- Affectionate Nickname: Your survivors will call them "dear" when they don't refer to them by name.
- Big Brother Instinct:
- Kalina is very close with her older brother, Grozdan. He leaves her behind with good people because he has to look for his uncle.
- Sergei once threatened to maim a kid who was bullying his brother.
- Break the Cutie: While your survivors desperately try to avert this, the children may get so fed up that they leave.
- Children Are Innocent: They do have some knowledge of what's going on around them, but the survivors try sheltering them from really bad things. They may even muse about becoming a sniper when they grow up. Subverted with Oleg and Ivano who have seen their share of violence up close and personal before the war started.
- The Cutie
- Dad's Off Fighting in the War: This is the case with Ivano. Much to Henrik's dismay, Ivano wants to be a soldier like his dad.
- Enfante Terrible: Sergei and Ivano. Sergei grew up in an orphanage and physically threatened someone for hurting Oleg, his adoptive brother, and Ivano planned to become a revolutionary for his father's sake.
- Foregone Conclusion: Misha mentions his dog in his journal intro. Attentive players might notice that Roxy is the name of the dog buried behind the church even before getting all of Misha's diary entries.
- Flat Character: The children don't have any gameplay characteristics that make them different from one another (given that they can't guard or scavenge whatsoever), and the only thing that can make them different is which adult survivor they can be imprinted on.
- Improbable Infant Survival: None of the children can actually die. They just leave the shelter when things get too harsh.
- Karma Houdini: Sergei. His Karma ending is much less tragic than some others.
- Meaningful Name: In Polish language, Iskra means ember or spark. The connotations of Iskra in Polish are mostly positive, with 'Iskra nadzieji'(Ember of hope) being equivalent to 'Glimmer of hope' in English.
- Morality Pet: Orphans can be imprinted on survivors, resulting in them being this. Even the most bitter survivors such as Roman can get content easily as long as their imprinted child is doing well.
- Parental Abandonment: Barring Iskra, who's with her dad but without her mom, none of the children have any parents to stay with them in the shelter. Kalina is even referred to as a "War Orphan" by the game.
- Protectorate: The survivors vow to protect them from everything going on.
Custom Survivors
Police Officer
A cop with an average backpack size (12). More accurate with guns than most survivors. Has no substance addictions.- Cowboy Cop: The Police Officer has no problem killing thugs or murders or doing what is necessary to survive.
- The Cynic: They can be rather negative at times. If you donate food to the neighbor's children, the Police Officer might muse that even with the help the children probably won't survive.
- Expy: Of Roman, having a similarly hardened personality and high combat skill (minus Roman's flawless backstab and with a slightly higher empathy).
- The Gunslinger: At least compared to most survivors. Their accuracy meter fills at a slightly faster rate while aiming firearms.
- Heel Realization: In their bad endings, the Police Officer is haunted by the terrible things they have done to survive, and even if they reunite with their spouse, it's never the same and they cannot go back to being normal knowing what they've done.
- Never Found the Body: Their former home was burnt to the ground with their spouse inside. However, the Police Officer never found their body, which gives them hope that somehow they are alive. In their good endings, the spouse is found alive and the two are reunited.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: If bandits succeed in looting the group's home or injure someone, the Police Officer's diary entries may have them declare they will kill them if they ever return.
Forester
An unemployed lumberjack with an average backpack size (12). Harvests more wood and fuel from chopping furniture. Has no substance addictions and is satisfactory in combat.- Homeless Hero: Being homeless, they have adapted to living off in the wilderness, occasionally visiting soup kitchens.
- Hunter Trapper: Like Anton, their traps take much less time to capture animals, only needing 1-3 days rather than the usual 1-5.
- Mountain Man: In their best ending, they fully embrace nature as their new home, choosing to venture into the Canadian wilderness and live peacefully with minimum contact with civilization.
- Nice Guy: Generally, the Forester cares for their group and will want to be the one to find supplies if their group members are in need of anything. They also love to help others and gain happiness from doing so.
- The Scrounger: When it comes to harvesting wood and fuel.
- Vigilante Man: While stealing from and harming the innocents are frowned upon, the Forester will applaud if someone kills bandits or other dangerous individuals.
Computer Specialist
A computer geek with an average backpack size (12). Uses less electronic parts when building things. Has no substance addictions and isn't too good in combat.- Expy: Of Marin, needing much fewer electric parts only when building.
- Insufferable Genius: Doesn't care much for the company of the other survivors.
- Utility Party Member: Like Marin, they don't offer much in terms of combat and they have a decent backpack size but their worth comes from saving on electric parts, which is the rare construction material in the game.
Insurance Salesperson
A sales pitcher with an average backpack size (12). Theorized to be better at trading. Has no substance addictions and sucks in combat.- The Cynic: Doesn't think too much of helping neighbors.
- Do You Want to Haggle?: Shares Katia's trading abilities, albeit to a lesser degree.
- Expy: Of Katia, being able to strike more favorable deals when trading.
- Non-Action Guy: Down there with Cveta in terms of fighting ability.
Psychologist
A therapist with an average backpack size (12). Resistant to depression and can console survivors better. Has no substance addictions and is okay in combat.- Composite Character: Of Emilia and Zlata, having Emilia's stronger resistance to depression and Zlata's ability to cure others of it.
- The Fettered: Performing morally questionable actions can make the Psychologist sad.
- The Heart: Like Zlata, they are highly effective at pulling others out of depression.
Photographer
A picture-taker with an average backpack size (12). Can spot loot areas that would otherwise be hidden (i.e. doesn't have to do favors or read messages to loot specific piles). Has no substance addictions and is average in combat.- Jack of All Stats: With standard combat ability, speed, backpack size and a balanced personality, the Photographer has no particular flaw, but also no particular strength.
- Quirky Bard: They have the ability to find loot without having to complete missions first or finding notes to uncover them.
Pharmacist
A pharmacist with an average backpack size (12). Uses less components to make medicine. Has no substance addictions and has average combat skills.- Decomposite Character: Of Bruno, inheriting his ability to craft medical supplies with less ingredients.
- The Medic: They have the ability to craft medical supplies and pills using less materials than others.
Traders
Franko
The trader who comes to the player's house every few days.- Determinator: Neither snow nor rain nor snipers will stop Franko from coming to your house.
- Hero of Another Story: It's implied he has his own group he's looking after and always makes sure he hurries back to them.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's understandably never in the best mood, having traversed sniper-infested streets to trade with your group. Even so, if you make plenty of trades with him, he will give more pleasant responses, even wishing the group good luck before leaving. In Father's Promise he goes out of his way to bring Adam meds if asked, although he charges an arm and a leg for them.
- My Rules Are Not Your Rules: All of the playable survivors have a limit on how many items their backpack can carry at a time. Franko's backpack can seemingly hold an entire flea market.
- Traveling Salesman: He's basically a warzone survivor equivalent of one, implicitly trading useful wares and supplies with whoever he finds.
- We Buy Anything: Except snow, for obvious enough reasons. Though you might not get as much as you would hope for it.
Location-based Traders:
Bojan
The trader at the Military Outpost.- Arms Dealer: Due to being a member of the military, he has ready access to weapons and is willing to trade them for the right price.
- Determinator: Unless he is brought down to the absolute smallest sliver of health, Bojan will almost never surrender in a fight.
- Jerkass: He even treats his patrons like dirt, much like his colleagues.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Even though Bojan only guards the entrance to the Military Outpost, his affiliation still holds him culpable for all the destruction and suffering in the city.
- We Buy Anything: Though he pays best for cigarettes and moonshine, and won't give much for military equipment. Even if you can scrounge up a boatload of Cigarettes and Alcohol to pay for his highway robbery rates, it's generally recommended for players not to waste a night of scavenging on trading with Bojan unless they really want weapons, food, and medicine.
Jefimow
The only doctor who is in charge of Pogoren City Hospital. He manages to stay calm despite the shelling and shortage of medical supplies and will gladly trade other things in exchange for them. Because the hospital is under rebel control, Jefimow becomes distraught when the hospital gets shelled again by the military.- Defrosting Ice Queen: Initially he's not too cooperative in trading his supplies, even for the first aid supplies he's looking for. When the hospital gets bombed again he's in a much more desperate situation and is willing to fork over his trade goods much more easily.
- Dr. Jerk: Unless you're giving him medical supplies, he'll demand you not waste his time.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's kind of a dick, but he's a doctor going out of his way to heal and protect people that come his way, and very obviously cares about his staff and patients.
- Knight in Sour Armor: Jefimow and his nurses understand that they're fighting a hopeless battle by saving people and have all considered giving up, but they continue to work because it's the right thing to do.
Matey
The son of the father-and-son pair at the Garage. He is willing to trade, wanting medical supplies.- Disc-One Nuke: The Garage is an easily accessible location. One can easily find herbal medicine in the first starting locations. Put two and two together (and exaggerated with Katia).
- Parents in Distress: He desperately needs medicine for his dad. This includes the otherwise useless herbal medicine. Trading him these yields a lot of precious things in exchange, such as a hatchet before obtaining the second level Metal Workshop.
Olek
The priest of St. Mary's Church. Father Olek is caring for several refugees who are living under the church.- Berserk Button: Don't disturb his flock in his basement. It's considered trespassing.
- Good Shepherd: He remains dutiful at his church and even houses and protects the homeless and weak under his chapel.
- Magikarp Power: He doesn't have much to trade since his church got robbed recently. Visit him again after a few weeks and he'll have a lot of goods to trade.
- Killed Offscreen: Ambiguous. When the church gets shelled by the military, a bandit who searches the altar for more ammunition comments on how difficult it was to get rid of Olek after his group moved in to claim the place afterwards. The possible interpretation to this is that Olek resisted enough to force the bandits into either killing him or viciously beating him into changing his mind about leaving. Averted in the scenarios without shelling where he's open for trading and is thus alive.
Pyotr
The trader at the Brothel.- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: He surrenders more quickly than most NPCs, only needing to be brought down to about a third of his health before he starts pleading for his life.
- Asshole Victim: You can choose to kill Pyotr and set the Brothel's sex slaves free and no one will feel sorry for him or his buddies.
- Faceless Goons: Pyotr wears a ski mask to conceal his identity. Possibly because he knows that what he's doing is very criminal and doesn't want to be identified and put on trial after the war.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Pyotr is considered morally evil since he guards a Brothel that has two women held in sexual slavery.
Viktor
The rebel trader at the Shelled School.- Berserk Button: Don't go past him or he'll shoot you.
- Good Counterpart: To Pyotr. Both occupy a large building and are willing to trade, but are hiding some dark secrets and are in a gang of heavily-armed thugs. The difference between the two is that Viktor's team's secret is using leaflets to discourage civilians from using aid drops (thus being able to use them for themselves), while Pyotr runs a brothel where the women are forced to do their work against their will. The rebels' motivation is on the grey side and up for Alternate Character Interpretation, while the brothel thugs are obviously and undeniably evil.
- Punch-Clock Villain: He and his mates are a bit on the shady side.
Vanya
The trader at the Semi-Detatched House.- Magikarp Power: He's very stingy, starting out with very little trade goods. Given enough time his wares will grow and his trade rates will become a bit more reasonable.
Ciorba
The trader at the Hotel.- Must Have Nicotine: He takes advantage of this by selling a lot of cigars.
Central Square Traders
Mateo, Petar, Bojana, and Juro are the traders at the Central Square.- We Buy Anything: Except whatever they sell of course. They charge higher than the average trader though, so don't have the highest expectations...
Neighbors
Agata
An activist who helps people in need. She requests some manpower to help people from a broken shelter as well as bandages later on to help an injured man. The daughter of said man donates jewelry as a reward.Blago
A man who asks for help in getting his brother to the hospital who was shot by a sniper.- Dude, Where's My Reward?: Aside from a potential boost of satisfaction for helping, there's no reward.
- Ungrateful Bastard: He doesn't return to thank you whatsoever.
Nenand Brothers
Two children who need to help their sick mother.- Pet the Dog: Even the most cynical members of your team can't deny that helping these kids is the better thing to do.
Valter
A survivor who notices a care package not taken by the rebels or the military. In exchange for some help this task yields a few supplies. Some rebels snoop around asking about his doing and provide a reward for finding the culprit.- Shout-Out: He is likely named after the popular Yugoslav war movie Walter Defends Sarajevo
, especially since it is set in the same city that Pogoren is based on (Sarajevo) and involves stealing supplies from the military (Nazi Germany's in this case). - Video Game Cruelty Potential: There's no stopping the player from snitching on him for the rebels' reward, but it lowers morale, since you're backstabbing a potential friend.
Voyt
A man who comes to your shelter asking for help getting into various places. If you do so, the character who helped him will return the next day with some supplies.- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: The first time he visits he asks you to help explore an abandoned house for looting. Agreeing to help him has no moral penalty and yields supplies. The second time he asks you to help him rob a rich family. If that wasn't enough, if you agreed to that he'll return yet again to propose robbing a hospital. Needless to say doing the last two tasks decreases your team's morale.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can choose to rob the rich family to get much needed food and water or the hospital for medical supplies. This, however, would result in a morale drop and you lose karma, the latter doesn't matter if your sole goal is to reach the end.
Zora
A woman whose husband was "taken by the rebels" towards the beginning of the war and has not returned. She has been living with her daughter since, near the house where the player's group lives. She asks for help boarding up her house, then asks for help a few days later for defending against thugs; doing the latter earns you ammunition and a happiness boost. Agreeing to help both times means she will arrive a third time and reward you with a broken shotgun and some ammunition before leaving with her family.- Shotguns Are Just Better: She has one to defend her daughter and herself during the war. Completing her arc has her donating it to you (in a not exactly usable state. Having an upgraded workshop will allow you to fix it).
Zyhu
He and his wife provide plenty of help. They donate some vegetables to the survivors initially, but then need help fixing their shelter. The third and last time they visit, they donate some alcohol in gratitude.- Good Samaritan: They're considered the best neighbors to make a visit. They donate twice and only ask for help once (even then that in itself yields yet another reward). That's a good deal!
- Hero of Another Story: They have their own shelter, and have their own herbal garden.
Gift Neighbors
Kliment, Henrik, Augustin, and Yosyp donate various supplies to the player when playing on the more difficult scenarios.- Anti-Frustration Features: These neighbors exist solely to make the player's life easier because they know the starting situation is absolutely abysmal (either by starting out with two of the worst survivors in the game, starting out with two non-spectatular survivors, or starting out with just Marko).
- Good Samaritan: Why do they risk their lives and supplies for the player survivors? Because it's the right thing to do, and they can't stand leaving others to suffer.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Yosyp's friend, Anna, never finds her way to your shelter to get her medicine. It's even referenced in the epilogue.
Other NPCs
Alsekey
A young man living in the Small Apartment, protecting his elderly parents. He is exceptionally well-armed, with military-grade weapons and armor.- The Drag-Along: He appears to be this with regards to protecting his parents, but is willing to because no one else will.
Bartel
A deserter who lives in the Ruined Villa along with two unnamed deserters. Unlike his fellow deserters, who use shotguns, he has an assault rifle.- Asshole Victim: He and his lackeys killed their hostage when demanding ransom. Killing them feels good.
Bozena
An inhabitant of the semi-detached house, acting as a guard. Bozena will shoot but not kill whomever you send scavenging.- Crazy Survivalist: She and her roommates aren't evil, but they will shoot anyone else on sight.
- Monster Is a Mommy: Maybe not her roommates' mother, but they clearly care for her and will be absolutely devastated if she's killed. They won't make an effort to fight back.
David
The father of an infant son named "Jakob", found in Sniper Junction. If you help him he will lead you to his apartment and give you five jewelry. Killing him gives you the medicine and cans of food he is carrying.- Video Game Caring Potential: If you clear the blockage in the underground passage to his apartment, he will reward you.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can choose to kill the already injured David, loot his body of food and medicine, and effectively doom his infant son.
Emil
A man who lives with a female survivor in the Ruined Villa. He is usually sleeping when you scavenge.- Disproportionate Retribution: If Emil is told by his friend that they saw you, he will proceed to search the entire villa to find you. He really doesn't want to take any chances with your trespassing, even if you never stole any of their private property.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Emil's friend's diary reveals that Emil took her in when she had nowhere else to go. She then nursed the wounded Emil back to health and the two have stuck together since.
- Neutral Female: His friend will call for help if she sees you, but will not otherwise put up any resistance.
- Replacement Goldfish: A diary reveals that Emil was heartbroken over the death of his wife, but his friend has helped give him the strength to carry on.
Grisha
A homeless man who can be encountered at the Decrepit Squat while scavenging. He asks for food, and leads the scavenger to a stash of moonshine, pure alcohol and jewelry.- Starving Artist: He's a painter whose ambitions were crushed when the war broke out and he was reduced to a literally starving homeless man.
- Timed Mission: If you decline or fail to give him food, you will find him starved to death after two days.
- Video Game Caring Potential: Forking over a little raw meat could save a man's life (and get you some incidental loot).
- Worthless Yellow Rocks: While pure alcohol is useful for medical purposes, moonshine is good for drinking and jewelry is pretty, neither has much value to a starving man.
Hotel Lunatic
A man who can be encountered at the Hotel all alone. He wanders around the place saying random things, but is generally harmless.- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: It's very clear he's unhinged. Some of his notes scattered around the Hotel describe crackpot theories and grandiose ravings.
- Conspiracy Theorist: His dialogue reveals he suspects the government is up to something and the war is just a means to that end.
- Talkative Loon: He babbles to himself constantly.
Karel
A man at the Port who owns a boat and makes a salary off of evacuating people out of the city. He can get your survivors out (thus ending the game earlier than normal) in exchange for a hefty fee.- Anti-Frustration Features: Think of Karel as a way to end the game earlier than normal instead of having to wait for the ceasefire. Better have 8 gems though...
- Noodle Implements: The 8 gems he demands will be used as a way to "distract" the border guards.
Quiet House Residents
An old married couple living in the Quiet House.- Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can just walk into their house and take anything you like (which includes large amounts of food, medicine, and supplies); they won't resist. You can even kill them!
- Video Game Cruelty Punishment: Killing them causes a big morale penalty, however. And if you return after stealing all of their food or medicine, they will be dead.
Robert
The insane man who still lives in the Old Town, a house surrounded by sniper fire and constant danger. The Conduct Pass item was made for his use, suggesting he has connections with the military.- Ax-Crazy: He won't hesitate to attack you if he catches you rummaging through his house.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Finding someone breaking into his home immediately sends him crying for blood.
- I Can Still Fight!: He will insist on hunting down the player even when he shows up already wounded and unarmed. If he's brought into critical health he will finally back down.
- Self-Disposing Villain: If you manage to hide long enough from Robert while he's hunting for you, he'll eventually wander into sniper territory and has a chance of being injured or even killed.
Sniper
The sniper at Sniper's Junction.- Cold Sniper: Presumably. The sniper will mercilessly gun down innocent civilians just as eagerly as any rebel.
- Determinator: He shoots constantly, all night, every night.
- No Name Given: His identity is never revealed.
- Puzzle Boss: Of a sort. You will hear gunshots at regular intervals, and need to run to cover between shots.
- The Unfought: Well, unless you count being shot at. Or believe that the sniper is part of the sniper team at the Construction Site.
This War of Mine: Stories
Father's Promise
Adam
A father who promised to protect his daughter Amelia at all costs, since his wife died from illness during the siege. Has a large backpack size (15) and is addicted to coffee.- Action Dad: He will go to any length to protect Amelia, even if he has to fight the military to equip himself and find information on where she's gone.
- Ambiguously Trained: Although all we get to know is that he worked at the airport, it's hinted that he used to be in the military, as he has the same combat proficiency as Roman (who is known to have been a soldier), and also benefits from a large carrying capacity.
- Back Stab: He's as good at it as Roman.
- Composite Character: Gameplay-wise, his abilities merge those of Marko and Roman, as he has a 15-slot backpack while also being top-tier in combat.
- Determinator: Has a "Determined" modifier to his morale which prevents him from getting the Broken status no matter how bad things get for him... and no matter how much he has to steal, how many people he has to kill, or how many other people in need he has to abandon.
- I Did What I Had to Do: If you fail to save Dr. Jefimow from the soldiers in the Toy Store, he justifies this in the epilogue by saying that Amelia was his priority.
- The Insomniac: Refuses to sleep because he has to watch over Amelia. Unlike Christo, he won't even power nap.
- Must Have Caffeine
- Mysterious Past: In contrast with the base game where the survivors gradually reveal their pasts, he has other things to think about, so he says little about his pre-war life other than that he used to work at the airport. Which hardly explains how he combines Marko's carrying capacity with Roman's combat skill.
- Papa Wolf: He's not shy about using violence to protect Amelia."Listen to me carefully. You touch her, I'll kill you."
- The Teetotaler: Refuses to drink, again because he has to take care of Amelia.note
- Interface Spoiler: Some of his dialogues when refusing to drink allude to Amelia going missing, even before the third night.
- Trauma-Induced Amnesia: As the ending reveals, him passing out was actually a missing chunk of memories, as the trauma of Amelia's death caused him to suffer dissociative amnesia.
Amelia
Adam's daughter, who used to love drawing and daydreaming until her mother died and she fell ill.- Angst Coma: Became withdrawn after her mother died, even before she fell ill. She can only nod and shake her head in response to Adam.
- Tragic Keepsake: Her hoodie used to belong to her mother. Unusually for this trope, leaving it behind at the City Hospital is considered a kind act.
- Video Game Caring Potential: Just look at how Adam lights up when he finds a plushie or crayons to give her.
Adam's brother
A man who writes to Adam and later calls on him to tell him about an opportunity to escape the city. Adam hates his guts, describing him as a speculator who profits from other people's misery.- Lack of Empathy: His primary motive for asking Adam to bring Amelia with him is to increase his and Adam's chances of being allowed through the humanitarian corridor.
Borko
One of the homeless who hangs around the shelled school.- Kick the Dog: Borko extorts Adam in exchange for information about Amelia, and goes on to claim that he's being generous. You can also find a note implying that some of the homeless are willing to kidnap children to use as leverage to leave the city, although one of them may actually have been a victim. There is also evidence that at least one of them murdered Adam's brother and looted his pharmacy.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: In Classic Mode, you can safely scavenge around the shelled school hobos as long as you don't touch one clearly marked stash or the garden. Here, about half of them are defensive and rude when asked about Amelia's whereabouts, because that half is up to no good (see above).
The Last Broadcast
Malik
The man who broadcasts vital intelligence over the radio. He cannot go scavenging whatsoever due to his disability, but has a tiny backpack (8).- The Atoner: If he leaves with the rebels. He proceeds to help the rebels find justice by serving as a witness prosecuting the government in the UN at the cost of his familial ties
- Doomed Moral Victor: If Esma tells him the truth over the course of the story. He ends up killed by raiding soldiers, but Esma and Adem can carry on his legacy.
- Genius Cripple: Has managed to set up an entire radio station in a train station.
- Non-Action Guy: His reliance on crutches makes it impossible for him to venture out of the shelter, forcing Esma to go outside to scavenge and look for stories to report.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Doesn't take it well when he learns Esma was lying if she does after he's taken by the rebels.
Esma
Malik's wife. She does the scavenging while Malik stays at home. She also looks out for stories to relay over the wire. She has a medium backpack (12) and can sneak around quietly.- The Atoner: If Malik is taken away from the rebels as a result of her stretching the truth, she hopes to apologize over the airwaves.
- Expy: Of Arica, with a larger backpack.
- Heroic BSoD: If Malik is killed by the army because Esma told Malik every bit of truth to their chagrin, she becomes borderline cataconic and wants nothing more than to leave the city.
- I Did What I Had to Do: If Esma lies, she does it for these reasons, hoping innocent people don't get hurt from the army's wrath.
Adem
The son of Malik and Esma. Initially enlisted in the military, he returns to Esma after Malik is killed/kidnapped after realizing the error of his ways. He is a capable fighter and has a medium backpack (10).- Expy: Of Roman.
- Heel–Face Turn: Rushes to Esma's side after the climax in the story. Unfortunately, he was too late to see Malik again.
- Passing the Torch: If Malik was killed, Adem wants to continue on Malik's work, regardless of the consequences.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: If Esma lied, he's not too happy about Malik's desertion, and wants to leave the city.
- Shared Family Quirks: Is a smoker, just like his parents.
Fading Embers
Anja
An orphan who lives in the countryside. Granddaughter of a local artist, now forced to burn works of art to survive the winter war. She has a medium backpack (11) and can sneak around quietly.- Expy: Of Arica, with an extra backpack slot.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Is usually the one designated to sell works of art in exchange for some deals, as Zoran will absolutely refuse to compromise any artifacts, and Ruben certainly wouldn't want to hand over the Zohar for an escape route from the city.
- Starving Artist: Maybe not too poor, but she lives in a small house.
- We Cannot Go On Without You: If she dies, it's game over, as Ruben will leave and Zoran will commit suicide.
Ruben
A stranger who arrives at Anja's doorstep, shaken by the cold. He has a tiny backpack (8).- Action Survivor: He has survived an attack at a synagogue from the Grazni army, then got lost in the woods before Anja rescued him.
- Decoy Protagonist: The opening cutscene of Fading Embers starts with Ruben crawling through the snow, reaching at Anja's doorstep.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: If the Zohar is handed over to the guys at the Rail Yard, he'll abandon the party. He even tells Anja of this beforehand.
Zoran
The janitor at the city museum. He's determined to not compromise the museum's collection. He has the tiniest backpack (7).- Almighty Janitor: He's controllable like any other survivor, though he's best left at the museum.
- Book Burning: Defied. He'll never reduce even the lowest forms of art to fuel, and won't hand over the most valuable ones in deals.
- Non-Action Guy: He's clearly not meant to be used in scavenge runs, given his minute backpack that makes the likes of Cveta and Anton look good.
Melina
The administrator of the city museum. She'll update the team with various assignments and keep all tabs on their objectives.- Big Good: Not controllable, but moves the story forward significantly.
- Damsel in Distress: Her long absence her second time out is a result of being taken hostage by the army.
- Damsel out of Distress: Manages to escape the army-occupied warehouse with some inside help before the heroes arrive to bust her out in an Offscreen Moment of Awesome.
- Doomed Moral Victor: Pulls a Heroic Sacrifice to distract the army while the museum's inventory is secured and the main protagonists' lives are saved.
Colonel Markov
An officer in the Grazni army. He shows a particular interest in the museum's most precious painting.- Big Bad: The one of Fading Embers, and the only individual of such a status in the entire game.
- I Lied: He won't hold up his end of the bargain of sparing the heroes even if he's given the painting.
- Plot Armor: You can't attack him, though you can attack and kill his fellow soldiers.
