History Characters / SnowbreakContainmentZone

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: He seems to believe in the positive messages of the Adventists, as an organization that looks after those with Juvosis. He comes into conflict with Heimdall simply because he needs Baldr Inhibitors for his charges. Later, in ''Gradient of Souls'', he tries to set up a benevolent version of the Adventists known as the Blessed Ones, which is focused on providing aid, but ultimately serves

* NobleDemon: He genuinely wants to help his comrades, and is also familiar and friendly with Enya. Ultimately, his conflict with Heimdall is that he's unknowingly stolen rare Prototype Baldr Inhibitors and is unwilling to relinquish them to greedy corporates.

* FeaturelessProtagonist: Not entirely. Though lacking a name and any notable features, his 3D model in the Base reveals he's a male brunette, at the very least.

* BadassNormal: He doesn't have superpowers like a Manifestation, but his quick thinking and combat skills let him trick his enemies and survive fights even without his loyal cadre of Operatives.

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: He seems to believe in the positive messages of the Adventists, as an organization that looks after those with Juvosis. He comes into conflict with Heimdall simply because he needs Baldr Inhibitors for his charges.

* ActuallyADoomBot: Makes frequent use of mechanical doubles to appear in multiple places. He gets the drop on Heimdall in Chapter 7 by forcing them to split up and chase different lookalikes.

* HolierThanThou: Sartre is in love with how he's the Exarch, which lets him rule the Towers with a self-deluded holy, enlightened fist.

* MissingStepsPlan: While ω details his plan to an underling, the "steps" of it are so vague and so dependent on perfect, imaginary conditions that it's obvious that he's desperately trying to regain the trust of his troops. In ω's mind, if he can take over Eatchel's body, he'll magically become a god, sweep over his opposition with convenient Titagen powers, and establish an eternal empire afterward. Somehow.

Following the First Descent, many people began banding together as the "Adventists", led by High Presbyter Kegaard, Exarch Jean Súrion Sartre and the Emissary. Claiming that the Titans are gods, and Titagen is a blessing, these fanatics have roped in various desperate scavengers and survivors with the illusion that Titagen is not the end of the world, but the beginning of the next.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:How he meets his end, as Katya kicks him across the room into a far wall, and then uses him for target practice with her crossbow. For an extra dose of {{Irony}}, he dies against the portrait of Gustav, who he once boasted to Tatiana that he'd get a portrait of equal size to place beside him. Instead, he dies as a small and pitiful shadow of his dead colleague.]]

* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: ω brings his downfall on his own head by picking a fight with Yggdrasil, apparently unable to resist the idea of getting one over 𝜏 by baiting her into a witch hunt. While he succeeds on that account, he also winds up exposing his whereabouts, allowing all his enemies to band together and hunt him down. Even worse, his attempts to assassinate the Adjutant instead [[spoiler:turns him into a Titagen hybrid who's perfectly designed and highly motivated to destroy the Titagen tree ω had been cultivating]]. Every clever plan ω attempts only winds up shooting him in the foot in the long term.

* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler:When she finally chooses to ally with Heimdall for real, and trust them with stopping the Titagen tree growing around the Suzdal Launch Center, a Khwarenah sniper shoots her with a Titangen-laced bullet, jumpstarting a long festering corruption that transforms her into the chapter's boss, Lament of Yehrus, which forces the Heimdall force to kill her.]]

* TheGhost: Rozan is never seen from himself, but his influence is felt throughout Yehrus by providing all the enemy NPCs Heimdall faces.

* GodhoodSeeker: He claims to be desiring godhood by taking over Eatchel's body, but it is [[Subverted|Trope]] in how his plan sounds like he's grasping for straws, believing that all of the dominos will fall into place neatly and grant him the power to forge a new empire, and coincidentally take revenge against Yggdrasil for ousting him.

* SmokingIsCool: Figuratively speaking. Tatiana is revealed to use a medical nebulizer to assuage her artificial lungs, giving her a high-tech take on a high-class lady's smoking habits. [[spoiler:And then it is [[Subverted|Trope]] when it's revealed that saboteurs have laced the device with Titagen, slowly poisoning and corrupting her into a Titan.]]

* HateSink: Players have little to like about him, and little more to mourn about his defeat, as ω ruins lives all around him, betrays people he trusted, and abuses Titagen for shallow goals of hedonistic immortality and material power, culminating in his abuse of Eatchel, the granddaughter of one of his colleagues, and his plans to take over her body.

!!!Checker Squad
[[folder:In General]]
A unit that once served Yggdrasil's Security Department. Several years before the First Descent they were sent to the Fifth Research Institute and then disappeared. As it turns out they became trapped as "phantoms" half existing in reality, within the confines of the yellow fog.

* AndIMustScream: They've been trapped in time, dislodged from reality, and isolated in the fog surrounding the Fifth Research Institute. The only thing keeping them going is a desire for revenge.
* ArcVillain: Of ''Fogbound Dream'', as they plot to activate the Resonator again and recreate the same incident again on a greater scale to get back at Yggdrasil.
* BestServedCold: They've spent their immaterials years plotting to dish out poetic justice
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Their state is the result of a betrayal by the Yggdrasil Board, who knowingly sent them to die when the Resonator activated and covered the whole area in the Fog, in order to hide their secret experiments on Titagen that predate the First Descent.]]
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: The Checker Squad, while described as "phantoms" are really just men and women out of joint with the flow of time, though this gives them the ability to fight and retreat by appearing and disappearing in an instant.
* {{Retirony}}: Before their doomed final mission, the whole squad had been planning to take a vacation after their last job. Instead, they're all in a state arguably worse than death.
* ThemeNaming: The faceless Checker Squad mebers that turn up in cutscenes and data logs all have callsigns based on insects and arachnids, ie, "Gnat", etc.

[[folder:Will Anderson]]
[[quoteright:701:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/willanderson.png]]
[[caption-width-right:701:''"Without an anchor, my memories were swept away with the tide, leaving nothing but a bitter husk. And there I sat, drawing aimlessly in the wet sand."'']]
The commander of Checker Squad.

* ApocalypticLog: Documents scattered around the map of the "Chasing Light and Shadow" mode detail his thoughts as he struggles to make sense of his new phantom state, and eventually swear revenge against Yggdrasil.
* ArchEnemy: By the end of Chapter 11, he develops a particularly bitter feud against both Naruse Haru and her father, who both wind up being instrumental in defeating him.
* ButThouMust: The Adjutant can optionally agree with Anderson and allow him to set off the Resonator, though this only leads to a NonStandardGameOver that quickly sends the player back to make the canonical choice of rejecting him.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Anderson, to the last, did all his work in order to support his ill daughter.
* EvilCounterpart: Anderson compares himself to the Adjutant and Heimdall, seeing them as just more pawns sent in to be betrayed once more. Unlike Anderson, though, the Adjutant hasn't become so bitter as to doom everyone to disintegration and dematerialization.
* AFatherToHisMen: He was a good leader to Checker Squad, which is why they all take it so hard then he and the others realize all their hard work ended in their betrayal by their employers
* FinalBoss: Of Chapter 11, ''Fogbound Dream''.
* FlunkyBoss: As a boss, his more complex attacks take the form of him summoning his phantom squadmates, who become the sources of his projectile attacks, or {{Mooks}} who fill the boss arena.
* GracefulLoser: After his final defeat, and the recognition that his ploy failed, Will resigns himself to disappearing for good, still conscious but forever locked out of reality.
* LongGame: He has been waiting for years for someone to return to the Fifth Research Institute, and more importantly [[spoiler:bring a Baldr Inhibitor]] that he can use to become corporeal long enough to reactivate the Resonator and take revenge.
* ManipulativeBastard: He makes his appearance before Heimdall, knowing he would be their only guide to the Fifth Research Institute. Despite their misgivings, they warily trust his weary persona, allowing themselves to drop their guard. This eventually lets Anderson steal a [[spoiler:Balder Inhibtor]] that lets him move forward with his own plan.

[[folder:Katya Klein '''(spoilers)''']]
[[quoteright:765:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/katyaklein2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:765:''"Have any fun misisons for me? Dangerous, difficult -- you know, the ones perfect for me."'']]
[[quoteright:729:[[labelnote:Click here to see NPC appearance]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/katyaklein.png ''"Regardless of the reason you came here... This deep hatred... time to settle it."''[[/labelnote]]]]

->'''Voiced by:''' Danni Pan (CN) Creator/MariyaIse (JP) \\
'''Date of Birth:''' November 8 \\
'''Age:''' 25
->'''Height:''' 5'8 \\
'''Weapon Class:''' Crossbows
\\
A former external security expert for Yggdrasil Enterprises and fragmented phantom of the Fifth Research Institute. Now this enigmatic woman serves as a mercenary and has reunited with the Adjutant following ''Ballad of Chaos''.\\
\\
Katya's Exosuit is ''Blue Bolt''.

* ArtificialLimbs: Her playable form comes with a visibly artificial left leg, which shows off a hardened yellow skeleton encased in transparent plastic.
* AutomaticCrossbow: Her primary weapon is a bowgun that can unleash a nonstop barrage of crossbow bolts.
* BottomlessMagazines: Unlike other characters, Katya's crossbow can fire nonstop, and the reload command instead has her switch arrow types. If she has anything comparable to ammo, it's her Skill energy, which runs down as she fires in her Guidance III form.
* CantStayNormal: In her ''Blue Bolt'' Personal File, she tells the Adjutant after the events at the Fifth Research Institute, she went to Ulster to [[RefreshinglyNormalLifeChoice live the rest of her life in solitude, a quiet cabin in the woods]]. The Adjutant didn't believe her. Sure enough, she stayed for a month before getting bored and went to Yehrus for [[ThrillSeeker a mercenary's life]].
* CriticalHitClass: {{Inverted|Trope}}. Katya has a zero Crit Chance, meaning she benefits from boosts to raw damage. Her intended Logistics Squad, Eli, even has a SetBonus that triggers so long as the user causes non-crit damage.
* {{Expy}}: A confident, [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl sexily shameless]] FemmeFatale [[HiredGuns mercenary]] who is a bit of a ThrillSeeker and likes [[TheAlcoholic wine]]. She's the closest ''Snowbreak'' has to one [[VideoGame/GirlCafeGun Juno Emmons]].
* FemmeFatale: Her personality upon her return in ''Ballad of Chaos'' hews close to this. As a mercenary, she always has other agendas, and is mysterious, unpredictable, and seductive. She's also enjoys aggressively flirting with the Adjutant or resorting to sarcasm to catch him off guard (or hide her moments of vulnerability).
* FlashStep: Because she was once a phantom, she still is capable of temporarily becoming intangible. In gameplay, this makes her dodge a completely invincible dash that lets her move through obstacles.
* GatheringSteam: Her first Manifestation upgrade, "Oracle of Vigor", lets her stack up to 25% more fire rate the longer she attacks from her Guidance III stance, encouraging players to shoot as long as possible.
* AnIcePerson: Her damage type is Frost.
* IOweYouMyLife: [[spoiler:After the Adjutant and she save each other on different occasions throughout ''Ballad of Chaos'', Katya decides to ally with Heimdall more fully, since she knows they both share a common enemy: ⲱ.]]
* LockedIntoStrangeness: While she may have a regained a physical form, she's still capable of phasing out of reality at will.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Appropriately for a mercenary, her relationship with Heimdall swings back and forth between friend and foe, depending on her employers. [[spoiler:At the end of ''Ballad of Chaos'', she joins forces with Heimdall as a more permanent ally.]]
* MechanicallyUnusualFighter: Katya comes with no Crit chance, a gun with no reloads and an alternate fire, and a StanceSystem that completely changes how she fights, making her play dramatically different from other Operatives.
* MiniBoss: She becomes the boss of the 11-02 node. While she is a wholly designed boss fight, she's fought early and is not the final opponent of the chapter. [[spoiler:She returns yet again as the boss of node 12A-4, "Cunning Hare", and yet again is not the true villain of the arc.]]
* MsFanservice: Appropriate for a FemmeFatale, Katya relishes in her sex appeal, unafraid to pose provacatively in-game with her SensualSpandex that looks like she's wearing a high-hip leotard over top very sheer pantyhose.
* MythicalMotifs: Between her wing-shaped devices, her interest in music, subtle Caduceus symbols, and references to tricksters and the afterlife, it's strongly implied that Katya's Deiwos is Hermes, the messenger God of travelers and boundaries, and known {{Psychopomp}}.
* NoArcInArchery: {{Averted|Trope}}. Unlike other firearms, Katya's crossbow bolts has a notable drop after a certain distance, and her Aim Down Sights is even design to let players adjust for it.
* PromotedToPlayable: Formerly a side character and a boss early in the game, Katya joined the playable ranks upon the release of Chapter 12, ''Ballad of Chaos''.
* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Fogbound Dream'', the near activated Resonator is enough to return her, and only her, to a physical state, while the rest of Checker Squad phase out of reality.]]
* StanceSystem: Her skill "Death Traverser" puts her in the Guidance III form, which turns her into a stationary turret that massively ramps up her fire rate, allowing her to easily whittle foes down before repositioning, so long as her Skill energy holds up.
* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: In her Personal File, Katya relates the events [[spoiler:after her return to physical form]]. This included getting in touch with her parents, and though she was prepared to reunite with them, overhearing that they raised two sons while she was gone made her decide she had no place with them, pushing her towards mercenary work.
* RainOfArrows: Her Ultimate skill, "Eloquent Arrows", rains arrows in a large circular area on a certain enemy. Even better, it tracks the target, ensuring they can't escape, and with further upgrades, can increase its area of effect, reduce enemy speed and even freeze them in place, ensuring maximum damage.
* ThrillSeeker: Katya's mercenary work is partially motivated by boredom. In Yehrus, she eventually started asking for jobs that attack more dangerous targets, such as Yggdrasil and its clients purely for the challenge.
* TrickArrow: Katya has an alternate fire mode trades fire rate for an exploding bolt, allowing her to damage groups of enemies or any who are hiding behind cover.
* WeaponSpecialization: Katya's ideal crossbow is the 5-star Neptune Nova, which provides a buff to energy regeneration and damage while she's stationary, which "Death Traverser" enforces. Alternately her 4-star Alpine Gentian gives her stacking Ballistic damage for hitting targets, using a Standard skill, or dodging.

!!Enemy Factions
!!!The Coyotes
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:413:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/coyotelogo_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:413:''"The Alpha gives the signal and his call is answered, they cross the grasslands and deserts..."'']]

Within Containment Zone Aleph is this organized rabble of outlaws, comprised of Scavengers, Juvosis victims and other opportunistic drifters. They are a thorn in Yggdrasil's side, often raiding their shipments and causing trouble in the Camps, but in a lawless city, order is maintained from the barrel of a gun.

* TheApunkalypse: Even in a localized collapse of society, it didn't take long before gangs starting forming and oppressing hapless scavengers, or raid Yggdrasil for weapons.
* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Following Chapter 11, [[spoiler:when Edda unleashes Fimbulvetr and creates World Trees across the planet, the Ye's Coyotes fragment as the many Scavengers flee Aleph, leaving them to be exploited by other factions. ''Perilous Snowpath'' shows Joseph's group forced to work for the Yehrus military as mercenary meatshields in return for their limited protection.]]
* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The Coyotes are made up of multiple smaller gangs, and they don't all get along, in Nita's words. While Heimdall is tracking down the whereabouts of the stolen Brisingamen, Joseph is quick to argue that it could have been any other Coyote gang responsible (though the Adjutant also retorts that only Ye's group has the technical know-how to pull off the theft).
->'''Nita''': C'mon Adjutant, how many Coyotes are there? You think they all live here, inside Containment Zone Aleph, like one big happy family?

[[folder:Ye, Coyote Alpha]]
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yecoyotealpha2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:''"The Coyotes aren't my army. They are simply a group of people unable to survive, huddling together for warmth."'']]

Of the disparate Coyote gangs running amok in Containment Zone Aleph, Ye's is growing in influence, putting the young leader on the map.

* CruelMercy: When confronted with the members of Esther's group who broke away from him, Ye simply cuts ties with them. Without the support of his faction, their odds of survival are much slimmer.
* EscapedFromTheLab: [[spoiler:The "Juvosis Experimental Subject" files indicate that Ye may have escaped Yggdrasil while he was experimented on for his Juvosis in an attempt to create an "artificial Titan".]]
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: The Adjutant, when first meeting Ye, is secretly surprised that such a young man is the leader of the Coyotes, rather than some scarred, grizzled warrior.
* NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters: Ye's group of Coyotes are growing in popularity because he doesn't lead them like a group of thugs. Nita notes that his Coyotes don't extort local scavengers.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Ye is more focused on finding a way for the Aleph's people to survive, as such he's searching for something in a lab in the Drowned Sections to use as leverage when negotiating with Yggdrasil.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:Ye disappears in the chaos of Fimbulvetr, causing his organization to fragment.]]

[[folder:Joseph the Bison]]
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jospehthebison.png]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:''"Operatives of the Heimdall Force. Coyote Alpha is the law here."'']]

Joseph Sokolov Alexander, known as "the Bison", serves as the Coyotes' armor instructor. Little is known of him, besides that he's likely a migrant from a northern state. His armor is pieced together from various scrap discarded by the Coyotes. Despite his advanced age, he has no qualms following the younger Ye. Perhaps he's given up all hope in adults.

* {{BFG}}: Joseph starts his boss fight hauling a large cannon that can drop all sorts of artillery on the player, if he doesn't just bludgeon them when they get up close.
* BrokenArmorBossBattle: The name of his Hardened form is no joke -- his improved armor in this state makes him completely impervious to damage until enough of his external armaments have been dismantled, forcing the player to slowly chip away at his rocket pods and cannons while dodging the head-spinning MacrossMissileMassacre he frequently unleashes.
* FromCamouflageToCriminal: He was a former officer of Yehrus, but went rogue and eventually fell in with the Coyotes. This is played sympathetically, as he's AFatherToHisMen trying to help keep some ill people alive for longer, forcing him to go crawling back to the Yehrus military that is all to happy to take advantage of them.
* DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler:At the end of Perilous Snowpath, Li Qiuxue takes command of the area. She finds Joseph still alive after Heimdall attacks him, and falsifies his death to protect him from the Military.]]
* GroundPound: Makes liberal use of this in both of his forms, typically once his main weapons have been disabled, though the telegraphing is generous enough for Operatives to dodge out of the way of him crashing into the floor.
* HornsOfBarbarism: The helm of his armored boss form comes with large horns, emphasizing his intimidating brutish form.
* ClippedWingAngel: Joseph's armor falls apart as the fight goes on, and by the end is forced to use a pair of machine guns in his one remaining gauntlet, as well as close -range strikes.
* FinalBoss: Joseph is the boss of Chapter 3, Acquire Runes. His Hardened version is fought later on at the end of Special Chapter, Perilous Snowpath.
* HuskyRusskie: He is a migrant from the north with a Russian surname, so of course he's the largest member, who wears the heaviest armor, and wields the largest weapon.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: His Hardened version fought at the end of Perilous Snowpath is this taken to its logical conclusions, with numerous missile pods and artillery units installed on his PoweredArmor, plus a pair of rocket drones that frequently blankets the arena in explosives which can easily shred through a max level Operator's health in seconds.
* PoweredArmor: Wears one in both of his forms, though "Joseph - Hardened" is much less of an "armor" and more of a MiniMecha in form and function.
* {{Superboss}}: The abovementioned Hardened version is available as a challenge boss just in case you didn't think his story mode incarnation was hard enough, with ''even higher'' difficulty levels to really test your mettle.
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: One of his tricks is the ability to release pylons that fold out and erect barriers. While they can be quickly destroyed, they can still cut the stage in half in the mean time, allowing Joseph to fire on you with impunity. Near the end, he fires out a ring of them to hem in the player before he tries a DeathFromAbove attack.

[[folder:Esther the Vulture]]
[[quoteright:495:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/estherthevulture.png]]
[[caption-width-right:495:some caption text]]
The Coyotes' notorious Vulture got her name from the way she claws into her enemies and never lets go. She's cruel and ruthless in everything she does, and gets revenge for even the slightest insult. She's an old friend of Nita, but something caused them to become estranged; Nita won't go into detail, either. Among her allies, Esther's reputation is quite polarizing.

* AllForNothing: Despite attacking the containment wall with a number of railguns, ultimately all Esther has to show for it is the destruction of her faction and minimal damage to the walls.
* ArcVillain: Of Chapter 9, "The Coyote's Howl".
* AppealToForce: She gets fed up with Ye's search for a diplomatic solution with Yggdrasil, and gathers a force to attack the containment wall and break their way to freedom -- or just take revenge on the world by letting the Titagen seep out.
* {{Expy}}: The design of her flying rig, with its large circular units and sharp fingers, broadly resembles a similar flight system used by the Vulture in ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming''.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: Most of her attacks try to bombard you with a dizzying array of projectiles, whether they're shaped like missiles, feathers, or done as a barrage from her two autoguns.
* RenegadeSplinterFaction: Esther starts showing her true colors when she starts trading with Sartre behind Ye's back. By Chapter 9 she's in full revolt, taking a group of Coyotes with her to attack Yggdrasil against his orders.
* SoleSurvivor: While she survives her boss fight, she realizes all the others she led were killed by Yggdrasil and Heimdall. Since she's also been cut loose by Ye, all she has is herself and her vow of revenge.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: She used to be friends with Nita, but Esther now has no interest in associating with her.

!!!The Adventists
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adventistlogo_07.png]]
[[caption-width-right:320:''"The Titans bless us, rich and poor alike. We pray, and in praying offer them our heartfelt thanks. We come together, and in our union open ourselves to their grace."'']]

Following the First Descent, many people began banding together as the "Adventists", led by High Presbyter Kegaard, Exarch Jean Súrion Sartre and the Emissary. Claiming that the Titans are gods, and Titagen is a blessing, these fanatics have roped in various desperate scavengers and survivors with the illusion that Titagen is not the end of the world, but the beginning of the next.

* ApocalypseCult: Pretty much. They want to spread Titagen far and wide, so as many people as possible can become Changed, which sane people would object to.
* {{Expy}}: A group of humans worshipping extraterrestrial beings believing they will be empowered? Using mass-murder to accomplish said goals? Called [[VideoGame/XCOM2 ADVENT]]ist? About the only difference is that the Adventists are lacking authority, instead split into cells that operate underground like terrorists or cults.
* TranshumanTreachery: For these people, if Juvosis and Titagen are actually the key to transcendence, rather than a disease with an expensive cure, then becoming Changed should be a good thing, other people's opinions be damned.

[[folder:Mads Kegaard]]
The leader of the Adventists and Cherno's father

* TheChessmaster: Kegaard has always managed to come out on top with his dealings with Yggdrasil, despite their men fighting each other. [[spoiler:He first collaborated with ⲱ and Patrick Kent at the Fifth Research Institute, supplying them human subjects. Years later, he cuts a deal with 𝜏, giving her the access key she needs to access the Institute, in order to oust the other directors. Either way, Kegaard's managed to protect his organization and weaken Yggdrasil through infighting with minimal effort.]]

[[folder:Gavin]]
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bishopgavin2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:some caption text]]
A Purificant of the Adventists who has accompanied the Emissary for years like a living, breathing, believing statue. Those who fight Gavin describe the act as feeling sinful and blasphemous. With every action he takes, Gavin seems to sacrifice his entire self.

* FinalBoss: He serves as the boss of Chapter 5.
* CloseRangeCombatant: He wields two massive swords and chases after the player to tear them a new one, while tossing in {{Sword Beam}}s and {{Ground Wave}}s for a bit of variety.
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: He seems to believe in the positive messages of the Adventists, as an organization that looks after those with Juvosis. He comes into conflict with Heimdall simply because he needs Baldr Inhibitors for his charges.
* KingMook: Of Adventist Judges, with whom he shares most of his basic moves.
* NobleDemon: He genuinely wants to help his comrades, and is also familiar and friendly with Enya. Ultimately, his conflict with Heimdall is that he's unknowingly stolen rare Prototype Baldr Inhibitors and is unwilling to relinquish them to greedy corporates.

[[folder:Jean Súrion Sartre]]
[[quoteright:802:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sartre2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:802:''"The teachings of the Titans are inviolable rules that cannot be broken. An "inviolable rule" implies that there are no exceptions. Rules are the walls that surround people's hearts..."'']]
The "Exarch of the Towers". Scion of Hilbert-Arthur Ltd., Sartre was moved by High Presbyter Kegaard's sermons and joined the Adventists, where he eventually was chosen to be an Exarch due to his "high capacity for enlightenment". The Beauvoir System was also made in his image, granting him a series of AI-controlled robot bodies. Sartre worships the High Presbyter as the light of his life, and no one else matters in his eyes.

* ActuallyADoomBot: Makes frequent use of mechanical doubles to appear in multiple places. He gets the drop on Heimdall in Chapter 7 by forcing them to split up and chase different lookalikes.
* BerserkButton: The only time his haughty attitude is pierced is when the Adjutant notes that Sartre is not as irreplaceable as he thinks he is, saying that his elimination would just have "another Sartre" take his place in the organization. The idea that his devotion would not be rewarded enrages Sartre.
* BulletHell: His boss battle employs many more slow-moving projectiles that fill the arena to disorient the player, far more than any other boss at this point.
* FinalBoss: He serves as the boss of Chapter 7, "Into the Mud".
* FinalBossPreview: His "Beauvoir 13" is fought earlier in the game, and while it shares some basic attacks with him, Sartre's boss fight is ultimately far more complex in scope.
* FlunkyBoss: Several of his attacks have him summon robotic copies to assist him, serving as meat shields, distractions, or sources of traps.
* HolierThanThou: Sartre is in love with how he's the Exarch, which lets him rule the Towers with a self-deluded holy, enlightened fist.
* KarmaHoudini: Despite being defeated and captured by Heimdall, Caroline notes that if he really does have connections, he'll likely be released back to the Towers to maintain order there.
* KickTheDog: After catching Simona, a young girl, stealing food, he declares that AllCrimesAreEqual and prepares to force feed her Titagen as "purification". After Dianthus vouches for her, he instead forces them into a SadisticChoice where either both of them can be exiled from the Towers together, or one of them has to leave.
* KnightTemplar: He's convinced that HumansAreBastards who'd eat each other alive if given free reign. His "enlightened" rule, consisting of harsh rationing, martial law, and severe punishments, is what keeps the peace in his eyes.
* RefugeInAudacity: When questioned by the Adjutant about his Beauvoir System, Sartre claims they're just mechanical aids to help him, since he's naturally sickly. All those lasers and Titagen? Think nothing of it.
* VillainHasAPoint: Sartre's iron grip on the Towers is a terrible one, but even then was how peace was kept in one of the few livable places in the Containment Zone. Sadly, when he's removed, it doesn't take long for the long simmering powder keg to explode as locals and Coyotes go to war with one another, which furthermore lets Titans and Changed to pour in.

!!!The Light Chasers
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:358:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lightchaserlogo_7.png]]
[[caption-width-right:358:''"The viewers on the livestreams clearly don't have any problem with the "Hunts". Do you know how many followers we picked up during a single Hunt? Half a million!"'']]

At best charitably described as "spoiled brats", the Light Chasers are the children of Yggdrasil's higher ups. Despite their pledge to "seek brilliance", they ultimately use the company's resources and connections to indulge in violence, with the Containment Zone their sandcastle, and the populace within the unfortunate toys.

* AristocratsAreEvil: As children of corporate leaders, they're basically the new aristocracy of ''Snowbreak''. Unfortunately, any ''noblesse oblige'' they have is the obligation to kill their lessers for sport.
* BadInfluencer: They delight in livestreaming their attacks on Scavengers, an unfortunately they seem to have an audience for it.
* BlueIsHeroic: Subverted. Despite choosing a heroic shade of blue as their faction color, they're clearly anything but enlightened warriors or heroes.
* DirtyCoward: They're happy enough to open fire on unarmed civilians, but they scatter like rats when Heimdall comes for them.
* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: They treat Containment Zone Aleph as their personal safari, though they're too cowardly to do anything except bully the helpless.
* KarmaHoudini: Thanks to their families, Yggdrasil is forced to treat them with kid gloves, and their punishments are slaps on the wrist.
* KillThePoor: They certainly amuse themselves slaughtering the desperate scavengers of Aleph for sport.
* LightIsNotGood: Though they call themselves "Light Chasers", and use bright blue as their colour schemes, they embody the worst of corporate wealth, being a bunch of entitled children with all the power and none of the responsibility.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: They're able to get away with most of their crimes because they can run to their parents for help.

[[folder:Dietrich Adams]]
[[quoteright:909:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dietrichadams.png]]
[[caption-width-right:909:''"People? These Juvosis-soaked dregs count as people in your eyes? Those Titagen-corrupted cow-things are people?"'']]

One of the co-founders of the Light Chasers, he embodies the group's identity, as a self-absorbed, attention-seeking, bigoted murderer.

* AssholeVictim: Once the Adjutant gets ahold of him, he dispenses some frontier justice, beating Dietrich bloody, before tossing him over to Nita to get her own licks in, safe in the knowledge that Dietrich will be able to heal it all up within a day thanks to Yggdrasil's healing pods. [[spoiler:At the end of Chapter 8, 𝜏 sends armed men to kill him and tie up loose ends.]]
* CutHimselfShaving: [[spoiler:At the end of Chapter 8, 𝜏 has him shot to silence him. The Adjutant later sees a news report that says he suffered from internet bullying in the fallout of the chapter's events and attempted suicide. The Adjutant rightly suspects the veracity of the story.]]
* DirtyCoward: In chapter 3, Heimdall tracks down the Light Chasers. Rather than put up any real fight, Dietrich is found cowering under a tarp, and throws a tantrum while threatening the Adjutant with his family's name.
* HateSink: He's a bigot who happily flaunts his unearned wealth and influence to make life more inconvenient for everyone around him, when he's not stealing technology and killing innocents. At least Ye and High Presbyter Kegaard have some charisma to them, while Dietrich is a petty bully.
* MoneyIsNotPower: Despite Dietrich's money and influence, he finds himself at the mercy of the Adjutant, who is willing to punish him in any way he can, all else be damned.
* PsychopathicManchild: His greatest calling in life is to livestream massacres for clout and views.
* ItIsDehumanizing: As his quote indicates, he doesn't even want to register the scavengers as human beings. Since they're dying of Juvosis and Titagen anyways, they might as well find some use as target practice.
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:At the end of Chapter 8, Dietrich is shot, and afterwards reported in the news as hospitalized. Given how much media manipulation was occurring, it's vague whether his survival was intentionally misreported or not.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:After footage is leaked showing 𝜏 hiring him to cause a fight between Tower occupants, 𝜏 sends men to kill and silence him.]]

[[folder:Beatrice]]
[[quoteright:726:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beatrice_64.png]]
[[caption-width-right:726:''"Where's the brilliance in hunting people for sport? The Heimdall Force are off fighting Titans and we're striving for brilliance by killing people at random..."'']]

The other co-founder of the Light Chasers.

* AccompliceByInaction: While the Adjutant isn't unforgiving, he's still relatively cool towards her due to still being partially responsible for the Light Chasers, as little as she did to help beforehand. He lets her know she has a long way to go to make up for her crimes when they meet again during ''Verdurous Holiday''.
* TheAtoner: Following the events of the first 10 chapters, Beatrice surrenders herself and is in prison. During ''Verdurous Holiday'' it's revealed she's rejoined Yggdrasil to find a way to make up for her crimes.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Beatrice announces she's left her own organization during her reappearance in ''Verdurous Holiday'', and is working in Yggdrasil directly even during her prison sentence.
* ImYourBiggestFan: She says she's Fenny's biggest fan, and her adoration of her was partially the reason she dreamed up the Light Chasers, as a way to shine like her idol. After all that's passed, Fenny encourages her to find her own way to be a "light chaser".
* GameShowHost: During ''Verdurous Holiday'' it's revealed the Heimdall Island Games were actually being secretly recorded by Beatrice and other producers for a RealityTV show Yggdrasil could use to test audience interest in reviving the Valkyrie Games. The surprise gets spoiled by Mauxir, and the Adjutant and the rest of Heimdall agree to help Beatrice by pretending they didn't find out.
* OnlySaneMan: She realizes what the Light Chasers have become, and regrets it. While trapped following the group, she still tries to help Heimdall by leaking their location where possible.
* VillainyFreeVillain: She's the closest thing to an antagonist in ''Verdurous Holiday'', as she's orchestrating the games and commanding the harmless robots to keep the secret game show on track. Amusingly, she asks one of her assistants to turn off the ominous background music when the Adjutant confronts her.

!!!The Titans
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ymir_9.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:Ymir, the Original Titan]]

On October 4, 2057, a gigantic figure smashes onto a stadium, and then disappears, leaving behind clouds of polluting substances that forced the entire city to be sealed off. Ever since the "First Descent" changed the course of history, the Titans have remained a mystery, with their smaller brethren reappearing amidst large concentrations of Titagen. Whatever they are, they are an existential threat to reality itself.

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Whatever size they take, it is big. Even the smallest are the size of a truck, while Ymir is the size of a skyscraper.
* EldritchAbomination: Seemingly mechanical, yet composed of exotic, toxic matter, the Titans take all sort of bizarre shapes, many of which resemble parodies of humans.
* RealityWarper: Titagen just causes them to appear from nowhere, can disappear at will, and even the smallest Titan is capable of flight with no indication how.

[[folder:Ymir]]
[[quoteright:862:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/untitled_731.png]]
[[caption-width-right:862:Defeated (?) Ymir with Heimdall Force]]

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The biggest known Titan with tremendous size towering as high as skyscrapper.
* FirstContact: Ymir was the first Titan to descent on October 2057 in amidst of Valkyrie Games when Lyfe and Fenny were sparring. Its descent caused casualties including Lyfe's parents and her right eye. Siris' parents were also among the casualties
* GiantHandsOfDoom: It has a pair of giant levitating hands bigger than its actual hand and is used to smash its enemies
* MythicalMotifs: Its name and size are obvious references to Ymir, an ice giant and ancestor of all Jötnar in Norse Mythology

[[folder:Fiend]]
[[quoteright:537:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2023_10_30_164113.png]]
[[caption-width-right:537:Fiend's Foehn form]]

* DualityMotif: It has 2 stage fight that change its form and have different fight pattern from one to another. One is thermal form called Foehn and when damaged enough turns into ice form called Frostwind
* FinalBoss: Fiend is the final boss of Mingdeng Ritual event

!!Other characters
[[folder:The Younger Sister]]
[[quoteright:521:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/youngersister.png]]
[[caption-width-right:521:some caption text]]

After the Adjutant develops Empathic Ganglia, he starts receiving visions of a young girl, as seen through the memories of her unnamed older brother. Her relation to the Adjutant and other characters becomes one of ''Snowbreak'''s mysteries.

* ConnectedAllAlong: [[spoiler:She's 𝜏's estranged daughter.]]
* MouthOfSauron: [[spoiler:Edda, for some reason, has taken her appearance, and now uses it to speak to both the Adjutant, and manipulate the Adventists.]]
* NoNameGiven: The brother's memories never provide her name, only identifying her as her younger sister.
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:According to Edda, the sister's consciousness still exists in Vahalla, apparently living in bliss, judging by Edda's taunts at 𝜏.]]
* PostHumousCharacter: She only exists as flashbacks, and more ominously, visions caused by Ymir.
* {{Reincarnation}}: [[spoiler:When Edda is mimetically infected with the Adjutant's humanity, it emerges into the real world with the body she first imitated. Fittingly, Edda considered itself another of 𝜏's children, given it was originally created by her.]]

[[folder:Patrick Kent]]
[[quoteright:681:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/patrickkent2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:681:''"Without me, you'll all just be tiny specks of ash in the seas of history -- a pile of insignificant, cremated remains on the endless shelf of time!"'']]

A former scientist of the Fifth Research Institute, who was studying Titagen in the search for immortality and godhood.

* EarlyBirdCameo: His silhouette first appears in the ''Mingdeng Ritual'' event, where he unleashes the Fiend. It's only in Chapter 11 that his identity becomes clear.
* MadScientist: He was given an opportunity to use Titagen to surpass humanity, and killed countless people for experimentation. Even after the destruction of the Fifth Research Insitute, he's still creating new Titans in secret.

[[folder:Edda (spoilers)]]
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edda.png]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:''"What are 'myths'? And what are the 'gods' within them?"'']]
[[caption-width-right:1000:[[labelnote:Post Chapter 11 form]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edda3.png[[/labelnote]]]]

An AI aboard Mistilteinn Station. Having achieved some sort of sentience, it is manipulating events behind the scenes in order to achieve its pre-programmed objectives, which have become far more flexible in interpretation.

* GiantHandsofDoom: It has a pair of giant levitating hands bigger than its actual hand and is used to smash its enemies

* StanceSystem: Her skill "Death Traverser" puts her in the Guidance III form, which turns her into a stationery turret that massively ramps up her fire rate, allowing her to easily whittle foes down before repositioning, so long as her Skill energy holds up.

* TrickArrow: Katya has an alternate fire mode that gives her {{Multishot}}, which divides the damage among a fan of multiple arrows, presumably to take on multiple targets at once.

* {{Expy}}: A group of humans worshipping extraterrestrial beings believing they will be empowered? Using mass-murder to accomplish said goals? Called [[Characters/XCOM2ADVENT ADVENT]]ist? About the only difference is that the Adventists are lacking authority, instead split into cells that operate underground like terrorists or cults.

[[folder:Katya Klein (spoilers)]]

'''Weapon class:''' Crossbows

* FlashStep: Because she was once a phantom, she still is capable of temporarily becoming intangible. In gameplay, this makes her dodge a completely invincible dash that lets her move throgh obstacles.

* IOweYouMyLife: [[spoiler:After the Adjutant and she save each other on different occasions throughout ''Ballad of Chaos'', Katya decides to ally with Heimdall more fully, since she knows they both share a common enemy, ⲱ.]]

* MythicalMotifs: Between her wing-shaped devices, her interest in music, subtle Caduceus symbols, and references to tricksters and the afterlife, it's strongly implied that Katya's Deiwos is Hermes, the messenger God of travellers, boundaries and conductor to the afterlife.

* ThrillSeeker: Katya's mercenary work is partially motivated by boredom. In Yehrus, she eventually started asking to jobs attacking more dangerous targets, such as Yggdrasil and its clients.

* MythicalMotifs: Between her wing-shaped devices, her interest in music, suble Caduceus symbols on her outfit, and references to tricksters and the afterlife, it's strongly implied that Katya's Deiwos is Hermes, the messenger God of travellers, boundaries and conductor to the afterlife.

* FemmeFatale: Her personality upon her return in ''Ballad of Chaos'' hews close to this. As a mercenary, she always has other agendas, and is mysterious, unpredictable, and seductive. She's also enjoys aggressively flirting with the Adjutant, or resort to sarcasm to catch him off guard, or hide her moments of vulnerability.

* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: In her Personal File, Katya relates the events [[spoiler:after her return to physical form]]. This included getting touch in contact with her parents, and though she was prepared to reunite with them, overhearing that they raised two sons while she was gone made her decide she had no place "Ewith them, pushing her towards mercenary work.

* FemmeFatale: Her personality upon her return in ''Ballad of Chaos'' hews close to this. As a mercenary, she has a looser sense of loyalty, and is mysterious, unpredictable, and seductive. She's also enjoys aggressively flirting with the Adjutant, or resort to sarcasm to catch him off guard, or hide her moments of vulnerability.

[[quoteright:652:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/patrickkent.png]]
[[caption-width-right:652:''"Without me, you'll all just be tiny specks of ash in the seas of history -- a pile of insignificant, cremated remains on the endless shelf of time!"'']]

[[folder:Katya Klein]]
[[quoteright:729:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/katyaklein.png]]
[[caption-width-right:729:''"Regardless of the reason you came here... This deep hatred... time to settle it."'']]

A member of Checker Squad, she attacks Heimdall when they set up an outpost while preparing to seek the Fifth Research Institute due to being members of Yggdrasil.

* MiniBoss: She becomes the boss of the 11-02 node. While she is a wholly designed boss fight, she's fought early and is not the final opponent of the chapter.

* FinalBoss: Joseph is the boss of Chapter 3, Acquire Runes. His Hardened version is fought later on at the end of Chapter 12, Perilous Snowpath.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: His Hardened version fought at the end of Chapter 12 is this taken to its logical conclusions, with numerous missile pods and artillery units installed on his PoweredArmor, plus a pair of rocket drones that frequently blankets the arena in explosives which can easily shred through a max level Operator's health in seconds.

* HowTheMightyHavenFallen: Following Chapter 11, [[spoiler:when Edda unleashes Fimbulvetr and creates World Trees across the planet, the Ye's Coyotes fragment as the many Scavengers flee Aleph, leaving them to be exploited by other factions. ''Perilous Snowpath'' shows Joseph's group forced to work for the Yehrus military as mercenary meatshields in return for their limited protection.]]