Oberstgruppenführer Viktor Zetta is the tertiary antagonist of Wolfenstein, one of four bosses in the game and one leading figure in research of the Black Sun Dimension.
Background
General Zetta is a mysterious individual who unnerves subordinate officers and soldiers with his own presence. Indeed, even the various Resistance groups remark on his unusual behavior. He has no problem with using civilians for the testing of new developed weapons and technologies.
When B.J. Blazkowicz confronted Zetta in the Cannery, the evil general was eager to defeat the man who ruined his plans and unleashes his own Veil Powers. To B.J.'s surprise, his own weapons are ineffective against Zetta. On entering the Veil, Zetta is seen to be a huge wyrm-like monster; according to B.J. in the level outro, this is a mutation as a result of exposure to the Veil.
After a fierce battle, Zetta was killed and the Cannery left in ruins, prompting the SS Paranormal Division to replace the general with Blazkowicz's old enemy, Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse.
Personality
Viktor Zetta was a brash, sadistic, ruthless, strict, By-the-Book commander whose ruthlessness was so fierce, even his subordinates were afraid of him. He is very secretive of his bodily changes and is hinted to act as if he is still human in front of his subordinates, trying to keep up appearances, revealing his monstrous form only when and if he feels it absolutely necessary. He speaks with a low, gruff voice.
Locations
Zetta is encountered near the end of the Cannery mission. A cutscene precedes the fight, in which B.J. attempts to kill Zetta by firing a barrage of bullets from his MP 40, only to have them pass straight through him, unharmed. He fires another volley, which prompts Zetta to utter, "You really don't understand, do you?", and then he raises his hand, and destroys the catwalk B.J. is on, forcing a confrontation. Before attacking, he states "You, of all people, should know you cannot trust what you see".
Strategy
- Zetta primarily uses melee attacks. He initially attempts to close with B.J. to deal damage with his gargantuan claws. To defeat Zetta is easier than it may seem, however, once you are aware of the correct approach. Note that you must enter the Veil to see Zetta in his true form in order to damage him. Don't waste your ammo when you are in the real world (you should see what will happen during the cutscenes). First, fire at Zetta until the pieces of his armored carapace are knocked off (The Flammenwerfer works really well against him) . Surprisingly enough, both him and the ceiling conduits (described below) absorb more damage from the physical bullets of the MP 40 and the MP 43 compared to the (normally) more powerful energy weapons like the Particle Cannon. Thus, it is better not to expend the ammunition of your powerful weapons here. You can also use Empower to blast his carapace apart more quickly. Zetta moves at average speeds, but might occasionally catch you due to his huge reach, so use Mire in short bursts to escape him if he comes too close.
- Once his carapace is blown off, he will go to one of the three Veil energy conduits, which re-forms his carapace and heals him. This is the moment to strike and do some real damage, but not by firing at him: when he jumps onto the platform, fire at the conduit on the ceiling above Zetta. The target area can be seen highlighted in red when B.J is in the Veil. The conduit will explode violently and damage Zetta. Enraged, and his carapace re-formed, he will attempt to attack B.J. again.
- After the destruction of each conduit, Zetta will fire off Veil energy attacks in some form, that causes serious damage, but can be evaded. First is a solid ring of expanding energy at chest level, which you can duck under. The second is a solid ring of energy that runs along the ground this time; jump over this one. The third are scatterings of energy projectiles fired in a diagonally tilted ring; you can predict their path and jump to the side to evade it. Using Mire is not necessary, but can make these attacks easier to recognize dodge. Once familiar with the enemy's various attack patterns, it is possible to score a perfect victory over this boss.
- Repeat this sequence, destroying each conduit in turn while fighting Zetta in between, and you will destroy the beast.
- Note that the same active Veil conduits that heal Zetta will also recharge your Veil bar extremely quickly, faster than a normal Veil pool. After a conduit is destroyed, the platform will still recharge your Veil, but only at the same speed as a normal Veil pool. The best time to replenish your medallion is when Zetta crawls to a platform to heal; you can quickly move to a different platform while firing at Zetta's conduit from there.
Quotes
- "Finally I get to meet the man who has caused us such so much trouble. But I'll put a stop to that now."
- "You really don't understand, do you?"
- "You of all people should know you cannot trust what you see."
Notes
- If Zetta is fought in the real realm, it looks like his human form is on puppet strings. However, B.J. cannot harm Zetta in the real realm; he must use his Thule Medallion to enter the Veil.
- Before Zetta goes to one of the generators that you have to destroy, once he's damaged, if you go out of the Veil, you will still see a ghost-like form of his slug appearance, and the human body is full of holes, suggesting that those generators help him to maintain his human appearance outside of the Veil, and once you kill him and the death animation starts, you can see the slug perfectly outside of the Veil.
- Zetta was heard long before you meet him. He was mentioned in many mission by his own men as well, most of their topic was about his unusual behaviors and legends. You have to be sneaky to listen to these conversations though.
- In the game, Zetta is an extraordinary human character and the only one that possesses unique Veil powers due to his exposure to the Black Sun.
Behind the scenes
- Viktor Zetta's English voice actor was the late Jack Angel, who also provided the voices for Ultra Magnus and Astrotrain in the 1980s Transformers cartoon.
Gallery
| Humans | Drache Trooper · Elite Guard · Heavy Trooper · Rocket Trooper · Scribe · Soldier (Wehrmacht · Sniper · SS) · Wolfgang Statz · Veil Assassin |
|---|---|
| Creatures | Despoiled · Geist · Sniffer |
| Machines | Keiler · MG42 · Portable shield · Tiger tank |
| Bosses | Altered · Viktor Zetta · Queen Geist · Hans Grosse |
| Allies | BJ Blazkowicz · The Director · Jack Straw |
|---|---|
| Kreisau Circle | Anton Kriege · Caroline Becker · Erik Engle · Stefan Kriege · Agents |
| Golden Dawn | Leonid Alexandrov · Sergei Kovlov |
| Nazis | Hans Grosse · Richter · Viktor Zetta · Wilhelm Strasse · Wolfgang Statz · Max Greiner · Kroner |