This post was last updated on September 12th, 2022
Hello, fellow Gloomhaveners (yes it’s Gloomhaven + players, well done guessing it right!).
After having described what basic monsters, such as Vermling and Giant Viper could do, it’s now the time to speak about the very much loved Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion Zealot class of monsters.
These fanatical humanoid figures, that wear red long sleeves dresses and hold a bleeding whip, are one of the monsters you will probably hate during the tutorial scenarios. And likely for the rest of the game.
There will be spoilers ahead, so if you arrived at this page by mistake I’d suggest you stop reading right now.
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Zealot
The Zealot is an enemy that appears for the first time in the 3rd tutorial scenario and it will never leave the game until the very last part of the campaign, as it is a story-related enemy.
They can deal both melee and ranged attacks, as well as inflict a plethora of different negative statuses, including wound with each attack.
Where you can find this monster? Scenario: 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15.
Zealot Stat Cards
Normal enemy (average values)
- Hit points: 10
- Base movement: 3
- Base attack: 3
Elite enemy (average values)
- Hit points: 15
- Base movement: 3
- Base attack: 4
Zealot’s stat cards aren’t too special.
Their average statistics are pretty normal, but the fact that this enemy can inflict wound with each of its attacks makes this foe on a different level.
As explained in my Monsters Overview article, this negative status makes your character suffer 1 damage at the start of each turn, until healed.
Their ability to wound against certain characters, such as the Demolitionist and the Hatchet, could be a game changer as those two classes don’t have many ways to heal themselves.
Zealot Ability Cards
Average Initiative value: 50.
At first glance I initially thought what the f**k?
There are melee and ranged attacks, AOE, curse, poison, muddle and they can even jump and heal themselves.
This is one of those well-rounded enemies that can do a bit of everything and in the right scenario they could really shine. Not good news for you of course.
If you manage to keep awake and not faint after the first look at their ability cards, you could have probably noticed how the outcome of a battle against them relies on lady luck. There are a few cards that are very powerful, while others are just normal.
And depending on the phase of a battle the importance of these cards will change.
At the beginning, when your moves count much more than in any other phase of the fight, the card they draw could possibly mean life or death.
If they pull Hasty Assault, Nothing Special, Calculated Strike, Vile Scourge, Drain Life and potentially Unholy Flame then there’s no need to worry too much.
On the other hand, Hex Whip and Boil Blood could be devastating for your characters.
When you have already started a battle, watch out for Drain Life, Hex Whip, Vile Scourge and Boil Blood. These attacks could make the pile of debuffs grow to the point where you won’t be able to win anymore.
Strategy against Zealot
- As often suggested for other enemies, try to fight them one at a time and try to kill them quickly before they can inflict too many debuffs on your character.
- Immobilizing and attacking them from distance could be a possible strategy, as they mainly have melee attacks.
- As they aren’t resistant to any status, hitting them with debuffs will help to increase your chance of winning.
That’s it, thanks for sticking around. Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion Zealot enemy is a nasty one to fight. They will be your “companion” for most of the story and by the end of it, who knows… you might end up loving them!
If you liked this post, you may also be interested in:
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion Classes – Overview & Rank
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion – Monsters Overview
