Zealot of the Lady

"And so, the Prophet led us into Peking, where we demonstrated to the Sodom Below the true mission our Founders had given us. And when the Mandarins and hypocrites of Washington betrayed him, our Prophet did not heel. He did not come crawling for their forgiveness... Like our fathers broke from the Great Apostate, our Prophet broke with these so-called "patriots"... and today is the day we celebrate the secession..."

- Zealot of the Lady, during a meeting

The Zealot of the Lady, also referred to as the Crow, is a Heavy Hitter enemy featured in BioShock Infinite. Elite members of the Fraternal Order of the Raven and former devotees of the sainted Lady Comstock, Zealots are encountered occasionally in the game and fought alone or with several other regular enemies.

Appearance
Dressed entirely in soot-black robes, and pointed black hoods concealing their faces, Zealots primarily resemble the birds which their order worships, namely ravens and crows. Chained to their backs are large coffins which represent their failure at preventing the death of Lady Comstock. A sword is detailed onto the front of their masks, symbolizing their role as soldiers and "purifiers" for the Founders, as well as representing the swords which they wield in combat. In combat, Zealots will usually be seen as a moving flock of black birds as they rarely remain in one place unless stunned or unaware of the player's presence, making them indistinct and more difficult to focus on than their slower Fireman counterparts.

Gameplay
Zealots are encountered across Columbia, becoming rarer towards the end of the game. Booker first encounters one in a temple dedicated to the Fraternal Order of the Raven early in the game, accompanied initially by regular cultists. They fight exclusively with melee attacks, their swords causing a lot of damage if they connect. They are capable of breaking through lower shields in one hit. To offset their relatively low health compared to certain other Heavy Hitters, Crows teleport short distances frequently in combat, usually aiming to move behind the player to land a melee attack. They usually remain as a flock of crows unless stunned by Booker or attacking, making them immune to damage but unable to attack until solidified again. They are completely immune to the Murder of Crows Vigor.

When fighting Zealots, the player's main concern will be avoiding being caught off-guard and allowing the Zealots to move behind them, and land a powerful blow. It is advised to use stun them with an appropriate Vigor, such as Shock Jockey and Bucking Bronco, to stop them from dematerializing and to allow the player to cause a lot of damage while they are defenseless. Additionally, close range weapons such as the Shotgun can be very effective against Zealots, since they are usually encountered in close-quarter environments, and are rarely in human form at a distance, forcing the player to time their shots once they materialize, usually at point-blank range. It is also heavily advised to use the trap functions of various Vigors due to the difficulty to land shots on them, as suggested in the gameplay tutorial when the player is instructed to use Devil's Kiss traps. When defeated for the first time, Booker can acquire the Murder of Crows Vigor from this enemy. Health kits and Salts can also be commonly found on defeated Crows later in the game.

Attacking the Player

 * "She tests us!"
 * "Guide me, Lady Comstock!"
 * "No mercy for us or you!"
 * "We're sinners! All of us!"
 * "No mercy for anybody!"
 * "I shall not fail again!"
 * "You defile her name!"
 * "Lady, let me pass your test!"
 * "Goddamn deceivers!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "You knew all along!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Enough of your lies!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Kill them all!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Feast on their lies!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Fraud! Fraud!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "The liars will suffer!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "String up the liars!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)

Attacking the Player (Sword)

 * "Your death!"
 * "Away!"
 * "Fool!"
 * "Back!"
 * "Die!"
 * "Unworthy!"
 * "Deceivers!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Liar!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Trickster!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Impostor!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Charlatan!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)

Idle

 * "We can't help contain this weight on our back. Lady, forgive those who deserve not your forgiveness!"
 * "Pardon me, Lady. Please take this weight off my back, because I can't stand it!"
 * "Our Lady's blood stains our hands red as much as the one who killed her."
 * "No rest. No rest until the Lady's killer is in chains!"
 * "Owe for the death on your part, dear Lady. My back! Please remove my burden!"
 * "She watches me, even from the grave! Her eyes, her eyes!"
 * "The lies. He betrayed us. The False Prophet. False." (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Lies and deceit! He knew! He knew!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "My only penance is revenge!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Played for a fool. Played by the False Prophet." (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "The False Prophet shall hang on a gallow tree." (Vox-aligned Zealot)

Lost the Player

 * "You won't hide long from her! She knows no blindness!"
 * "Her eyes are open even in the grave! You will not escape!"
 * "My Lady won't forgive me! You'll be no different!"
 * "I don't see you, but she does! She does!"
 * "Come on, don't make me fail her again!"
 * "Run and hide!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Run from your lies!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Face the truth!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "You cannot run!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Coward! Coward!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)

Searching for the Player

 * "I can't hide, and neither can you!"
 * "I will shine her light on you!"
 * "Ask her forgiveness!"
 * "Show yourself!"
 * "She sees in channels! Yes, she does!"
 * "What compel you to hide?" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Where is the deceiver?" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Expose what is concealed!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Reveal yourself!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Only cowards hide!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)

Suspicion

 * "Shh! do you hear that, Lady?"
 * "Shh! Lady, do you hear it?"
 * "I hear you. She will reveal you."
 * "She whispers in my ears! Beware!"
 * "No trespasser is forgiven!"
 * "Who is it?" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Someone's here?" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "I know you're there." (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "You reek of deception!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Intruder?!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)

Taunts

 * "Do not torment me!"
 * "No mercy for anybody!"
 * "I won't fail her!"
 * "My blood disdains!"
 * "Lady, end this!"
 * "I'm waiting!"
 * "Useless!"
 * "Why keep going?"
 * "Failure, failure!"
 * "End this torment!"
 * "Betrayal!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Kill the liars!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "No mercy for frauds!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Lies! Lies! Lies!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Death to pretenders!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "God hates a liar." (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "He betrayed us!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "Liars! Liars!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)
 * "I want the truth!" (Vox-aligned Zealot)

Behind the Scenes

 * The Zealots of the Lady are voiced by T. Ryder Smith, who voiced Sander Cohen in BioShock and Burial at Sea - Episode 1.
 * Although the Zealots of the Lady predominantly wear soot-black robes, there are several instances where this is not the case. The first example is in the Hall of Heroes, in which a couple of Slate's Soldiers exhibit the abilities of a Crow, with the addition of black chains painted all around them. The second instance of changed attire appears in the Bank of the Prophet, with a Zealot of the Lady in red robes and red marks on his coffin (possibly a Vox-aligned Zealot) appearing once the player approaches the Tear. The third instance is at Comstock House, where a Zealot can be found wearing white robes.
 * A bug occurs in which the player kills a Zealot of the Lady with the Sky-Hook. Should the player finish off the Zealot with the Sky-Hook, the game will not register the Zealot as dead and will act as if it is still alive.
 * In The Art of BioShock Infinite, the Crow's Zealot of the Lady appearance was one of three concepts for the Splicer-equivalent "Vigor Junkies". The other two concepts were versions of Charles.
 * Using "teleportation", the Zealots of the Lady served as the Columbia equivalent to Rapture's Houdini Splicers.
 * The caskets worn by the Zealots of the Lady have Lady Comstock's image on them, along with the words, "First Lady - Mrs. Comstock".
 * Only one Vox-supporting Zealot is found in the game (located in the Bank of the Prophet), which is odd considering Zealots of the Lady usually support the Founders, due to their self-enrollment into the Order. Furthermore, the purpose of the Zealot is to avenge Lady Comstock, so serving her "killer" would be hypocritical. This is unlike Firemen, of which many Vox Populi supporting are seen; this would make sense because the Firemen are appointed to a more painful position. Although, this Zealot could have discovered, or been informed, of how Lady Comstock really​ died, which was not by Daisy Fitzroy as believed, but by Comstock himself, which would explain the Zealot's words.
 * Others like this one are encountered in Clash in the Clouds.
 * Considering that fact, a Vox-aligned Zealot would ironically be able to truly fulfill their pledge to avenge Lady Comstock, at the cost of compromising their beliefs of racial purity.
 * The Crows' extreme zealotry behavior could be one side-affect of using the Murder of Crows Vigor, which they use in combat frequently.