Zero Parades: For Dead Spies

Hints and Tips:
---------------
Submitted by: David K.

-= What kind of game this is =-
You rebuild a broken spy network through conversation, not gunfights. Fifteen operant
skills split across Action, Relation, and Intellect faculties; Fatigue, Anxiety, and
Delirium stress meters penalize checks when high. Exertion can boost a roll but raises
the linked stress, so save it for route-changing checks such as recruitment or major
branches rather than optional flavor lines. Failed checks often open new branches, so
do not reload every miss the way Disco Elysium veterans might.

-= Safe house opening (missable) =-
The prologue safe house has a missable collectible and a hard gate. Do not talk to
Constance until you finish inspecting the room, because that ends free roam. Inspect
the Pseudopod, jacket purchase order, red disc from the stereo, trousers for the half
cipher in the bathroom, and the desk Rosetta cipher, then speak to Constance. The
Mysterious Red Disc gates later content permanently if you skip it.

-= Skills and stress =-
Pick one primary identity plus two support skills instead of spreading points across
every operant. Gear and outfit swaps can replace Exertion on minor checks. Cigarettes,
coffee, alcohol, and drugs can lower stress; watch meters before intense scenes.
Conditioning thoughts (a thought-cabinet-style system) patch weaknesses later, but
only take beliefs that match skills you already use because drawbacks can clash with
your build.

-= Action faculty =-
Coordination covers physical checks, surgery, and finale survival. Doppelgang handles
impersonation such as Septimus at the cinema. Instincts warn before ambushes. Sensors
highlight hidden objects and clues. Shadowplay supports stealth infiltration including
Gonza's office wiretap sequence.

-= Relation faculty =-
Blueprints maps city routes and grants +1 when tools are equipped in the operant
toolkit. Cold Read reads minds and enables Holocene's surgery shortcut. Nerve covers
intimidation and cipher brute force. Personalism drives recruitment dialogue and the
Pseudopod chase. Statehood handles faction politics, the Ultra Violeta trade, and
finale beetle checks.

-= Intellect faculty =-
Entanglement solves network puzzles and the Canopus shrine blessing. Grey Matter
analyzes codes and objects. Poetics handles lateral lore and Holocene's mind probe.
Records recalls facts and the Pseudopod imprint follow-up. Technoflex fixes the fax,
crafts the improvised gun, and can survive the Red Disc roll.

-= Early Portofiro =-
Bootleg Bazaar and Quisach Roundabout are the first hubs after the safe house. Fix the
Foto 24 printer to earn the screwdriver and operant toolkit from reception. Goat Eyes
at Quisach Roundabout sells tools and night-only gear; stay polite in dialogue. The
Boatman at Old Docks (west corner) is key for The Unassigned Assignment: tell the
truth about Hershel and the Pseudopod, and inspect dock cargo for a Tempo-brand smokes
modifier. Tempo's office sits northeast of The Boatman; check the window before
leaving.

-= Tools and Blueprints =-
Lockpick (30 sol from Goat Eyes) opens Animal Zone early; Technoflex helps and night
visits grant a bonus. Chain-cutters sit atop the pylon tower south of the Bazaar in
Old Docks (ladder climb). Prybar comes from Dr. Gonza's quest in Party Alley after
21:00. Screwdriver arrives when you fix the Foto 24 printer. Equip tools in the
operant toolkit before use; each equipped tool adds +1 Blueprints.

-= Gun procurement =-
Melita pays a 50 sol stipend; Goat Eyes sells a real gun for 100 sol at night if you
work Boatman and Lucy jobs for extra sol. The free improvised route uses Wang Guide
Vol. 2 at the book stand north of the bar, Foto 24 workbench around day three, and a
16 Technoflex check with scrap (1 sol coin, drink can, wolf cup or repaired train).
Stack Technoflex with Goat Eyes talk, full magazine read, checklist ready, repaired
train, and Vostatok Blendcoat plus Limpador hood/pants. Improvised pays 30 XP and 15
sol but is not a real gun for intimidation checks.

-= Build recommendations =-
Safe first-run spread: Coordination plus Sensors plus Cold Read for Action-led
awareness. Social runs favor Personalism, Cold Read, and Blueprints. Puzzle runs lean
on Grey Matter, Records, and Technoflex for the Foto 24 gun craft. Ramses (Radian)
cannot join if Holocene is your Astronomist, so plan finale roles early.

-= Mid-game crew and finale roles =-
After Contact the Secret Prisoner and The Unassigned Assignment the map opens for
recruitment. Final mission Zero Out The Grand Lich needs a Cupbearer, Astronomist, and
Fool with one pick per role. Kaleidoscope (UV trade) or Yo-Yo (Yana), Holocene or
Kindred (Karolina), and Ramses or Pseudopod each change tram outcomes. Z Rank requires
a specific seven-step path documented in Solutions; lower ranks (Y, X, W) trigger if
Reyes lives, the finale turns into a loud gunfight, or steps are skipped.

-= Economy and sol =-
Currency is sol. Early income includes quest payouts such as The Unassigned Assignment
(+15 sol), improvised gun craft (+15 sol), and side jobs for the Boatman or bar work
toward the 100 sol firearm buy at Goat Eyes.


Secrets:
--------
-= Conditioning thoughts =-
Inner beliefs work like a thought cabinet: they patch weaknesses after you commit, but
drawbacks can fight your build. Only install conditioning that matches operants you
already lean on; swapping skills mid-campaign does not refund bad picks.

-= Z Rank versus gunfight finale =-
Perfect Z Rank needs the Ultra Violeta-for-Dante trade, killing the real Reyes at
Pitol Tract, a reconstructed Red Disc if the stripper stole yours, a procured gun,
three locked squad roles before the Ginkyo shed, the Canopus shrine blessing, Red Disc
in the tram jukebox, and surviving the disc with Kaleidoscope headphones or a
Technoflex roll. Skip steps and you drop to Y, X, or W ranks with a bleaker loud
gunfight ending instead of the quiet Z path.

-= Final squad tram outcomes =-
Cupbearer Kaleidoscope (Z path) or Yana Yo-Yo trades UV escape; Kaleidoscope dies on
the disc in the Z setup. Astronomist Holocene needs surgery success; Kindred
(Karolina) survives with Ramses sacrificing headphones so she can hear the disc. Fool
Ramses or Pseudopod always dies on the disc. Gunfight finales lean on Coordination
plus Cupbearer to kill agents and force hard choices about who to save.


Solutions:
----------
-= Safe house inspection order =-
1. Inspect the Pseudopod before anything else flags the room complete.
2. Check the jacket for the purchase order clue.
3. Take the red disc from the stereo (missable; gates later content).
4. Inspect trousers in the bathroom for the half cipher.
5. Read the desk Rosetta cipher.
6. Only then talk to Constance to leave free roam.

-= The Unassigned Assignment =-
1. After Bootleg Bazaar opens, meet the Boatman at Old Docks (west corner).
2. Tell the truth about Hershel and the Pseudopod when questioned.
3. Inspect dock cargo for the Tempo-brand smokes modifier before leaving.
4. Enter Tempo's office northeast of the Boatman and check the window.
5. Use Shadowplay for infiltration where the quest demands stealth (check around 11 on
   hard branches).
6. Manual-save before major branches; completion pays +15 sol per GameSpot
   walkthrough.

-= Tool locations =-
1. Buy the lockpick from Goat Eyes at Quisach Roundabout for 30 sol.
2. Climb the pylon tower ladder in Old Docks south of the Bazaar for chain-cutters.
3. Start Dr. Gonza's Party Alley quest after 21:00 for the prybar.
4. Fix the Foto 24 printer to receive the screwdriver from reception.
5. Equip each tool in the operant toolkit before checks that need it.

-= Improvised gun at Foto 24 =-
1. Pick up Wang Guide Vol. 2 at the book stand north of the bar.
2. Wait until roughly day three and use the Foto 24 workbench.
3. Gather materials: 1 sol coin, drink can, wolf cup or repaired train.
4. Stack Technoflex bonuses (Goat Eyes talk, full magazine, checklist, train repair,
   Vostatok Blendcoat, Limpador hood/pants).
5. Pass the 16 Technoflex check for 30 XP and 15 sol (not a real gun for
   intimidation).

-= Cupbearer - Kaleidoscope or Yo-Yo =-
1. Finish In Defiance Of All Known Laws to learn Yana hides Ultra Violeta.
2. Meet Kaleidoscope at Fogged Mirror and trade UV for Dante (EMTERR prisoner).
3. Use Statehood to convince Yana to accept the swap; finale happens at Pitol Tract.
4. For Z Rank, take the UV-for-Dante trade (Kaleidoscope) and kill Dante at the swap
   (real Reyes, not a double).
5. To recruit Yana (Yo-Yo) instead, help UV escape; Kaleidoscope-only path makes Yana
   leave and blocks the Z Rank trade route.

-= Astronomist - Karolina Kindred =-
1. Complete Contact the Secret Prisoner and The Unassigned Assignment.
2. Ask Dr Hugo to open Old Quisach Cinema.
3. Use Doppelgang or Cold Read past boyfriend Septimus; press Interface on the dream
   console.
4. Pass Personalism to view dreams; buy the monkey plush (5 sol) at Malen's Bazaar.
5. Trade Queen of Trade plush to King of Trade for the cosmonaut figure at Animal
   Zone.
6. Lower Fatigue, Anxiety, and Delirium before the Weeping Eye dream sequence.

-= Astronomist - Holocene =-
1. Fix the Foto 24 fax with Technoflex after the mid-game unlock; follow the fax to
   Pitol Tract silo.
2. Let the Metal Stripper steal the Red Disc in the silo (helps Z Rank reconstructed
   disc route).
3. Reach M.I.H.O. at the silo bottom; cipher paper needs Blood Type Hetacomb from
   Reno's apartment.
4. Crack the cipher through dialogue or brute force with Nerve; return via the hatch.
5. Use Poetics or Duchess Cold Read on his mind; pass Coordination surgery or Holocene
   dies. Do not pick Holocene if you want Ramses as Fool.

-= Fool - Ramses Radian =-
1. Finish Contact the Secret Prisoner and The Unassigned Assignment.
2. Visit the houseboat south of Quisach Roundabout after the Reno scene.
3. Take the wiretap from the boat; break into Gonza's office in the morning, tap the
   phone, wait, and listen with Ramses.
4. At night use the payphone northeast of Party Alley with the passphrase from tapped
   calls.
5. Talk Goat Eyes down (do not rob) for free anticonvulsants; affirm the mission at
   the beach. Incompatible with Holocene Astronomist.

-= Fool - Pseudopod =-
1. Finish Contact the Secret Prisoner and In Defiance Of All Known Laws (Luzian
   device).
2. Recharge the device: trade King of Trade for Pre-Breeder 6ZR (hair set or Ouroboros
   smokes).
3. Imprint at Foto 24; optional thought sacrifice; pass Records (Nerve makes later
   steps harder).
4. Chase location one: Boatman docks (Personalism or Shadowplay).
5. Chase location two: Housing Campaign UV sign; do not murder at the sign.
6. Pass Records to separate true spy from commercial-war delusion.

-= Z Rank finale - Zero Out The Grand Lich =-
1. Trade Ultra Violeta to Kaleidoscope for Dante, not the UV escape route.
2. Kill Dante at the Pitol Tract swap (real Reyes, not a double).
3. Use the reconstructed Red Disc if the stripper stole yours (Bagman route).
4. Procure a gun and lock all three squad roles before the Ginkyo shed.
5. Complete the shrine to Canopus blessing (Entanglement plus crew photo).
6. Place the Red Disc in the tram jukebox; order the Cupbearer to play it.
7. Survive the disc with Kaleidoscope headphones or a Technoflex roll.


Reference:
----------
-= Fifteen operant skills =-
* Coordination - Action; physical checks, surgery, finale survival.
* Doppelgang - Action; impersonation (Septimus at cinema).
* Instincts - Action; danger warnings before ambushes.
* Sensors - Action; hidden objects and clue highlights.
* Shadowplay - Action; stealth infiltration (Gonza office).
* Blueprints - Relation; city routes; +1 when tools equipped.
* Cold Read - Relation; read minds; Holocene surgery shortcut.
* Nerve - Relation; intimidation; cipher brute force.
* Personalism - Relation; recruitment dialogue, Pseudopod chase.
* Statehood - Relation; faction politics; UV trade, finale beetle.
* Entanglement - Intellect; network puzzles; Canopus shrine blessing.
* Grey Matter - Intellect; analysis, codes, object interpretation.
* Poetics - Intellect; lateral lore; Holocene mind probe.
* Records - Intellect; recall facts; Pseudopod imprint follow-up.
* Technoflex - Intellect; fax fix, improvised gun, Red Disc survival. 

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