To recruit Ramses in Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, find his houseboat on the beach south of the Quisach Roundabout and finish his task, “Help Ramses Anchor Himself”: bug Dr. Gonza’s office to find his drug supplier, call that supplier from a Party Alley payphone at night, and get Ramses his seizure medication. When it is done, tell Ramses you want him on the team and he joins as your Fool for the final operation.
Ramses, cryptonym RADIAN, is the old crew’s “resident circuit-surgeon,” as ZA/UM’s Meet The Friends You Left to Die post puts it, and “the closest thing you had to a true friend.” Below are the steps, the checks that trip players up, and the fixes ZA/UM has patched in.
Before You Start
Ramses’ task opens after the main tasks Contact the Secret Prisoner and The Unassigned Assignment. His houseboat sits on the beach below the Quisach Roundabout. On your first visit, a businessman named Reno is inside, paying Ramses for something you will not like. Speak to Ramses after Reno leaves.
Ramses has epilepsy, and the medication he needs is not something he can get on prescription. That is the whole task: find someone in Portofiro who sells it.
Things that help:
- A decent Records skill lets you memorise a phone number on the spot instead of breaking into an office twice.
- Shadowplay for slipping into Dr. Gonza’s office unseen.
- A gun is optional. The night deal can be settled with words, and our guide on how to make a gun covers the other option.
Step-by-Step: Help Ramses Anchor Himself
- Take Ramses’ wiretap from the houseboat. He gives you the gear to bug a phone.
- Talk to Dr. Gonza in Party Alley. Gonza confirms the drug exists, but you cannot afford it and he will not name his supplier.
- Bug Gonza’s office phone. Slip into his office when he is out. The morning is the best time, because he works late into the night.
- Wait, then listen with Ramses. Ramses says he needs half a day to work his magic, so pass some time before you go back to him. Our guide on how to pass time helps here.
- Get the supplier’s number. The calls reveal Gonza reaches his dealer from a payphone with a passphrase. Check Gonza’s desk again for a new option to read his paper: with high enough Records you memorise the numbers there, otherwise break in during the day and take it.
- Call at night from the payphone on the northeast stairs of Party Alley. Use the passphrase, and the supplier sends someone.
- Deal with Goat Eyes. The courier turns out to be Goat Eyes, the bootleg clothes dealer west of the Roundabout, arriving in a tuk-tuk. You can rob him, shoot him or talk him round, and convincing him you are not there to rob him gets Ramses a long supply of medication for free.
- Tell Ramses you want him. Back at the beach, agree with his wish to help and he joins. That unlocks the RADIAN achievement, held by 21.6% of Steam players as of November 2, 2026.
If you turned him down, you can ask him again at the Fogged Mirror any time before the final operation starts.
The Director’s Cut Roundabout and a Softlock to Avoid
The Director’s Cut added a new Dramatic Encounter built on this task. ZA/UM’s Director’s Cut announcement describes Hershel and Ramses “stoned out of their minds, behind the wheel of a hijacked tuk-tuk and seemingly unable to escape the Quisach Roundabout late at night.” It triggers if you steal Goat Eyes’ tuk-tuk with Ramses near the end of his task. Fail to take the right exit and “things might get existential. And possibly fatal,” so save first.
One combination used to break the task. ZA/UM’s October 9 patch “fixed a softlock in ‘Help Ramses Anchor Himself’, which occurred if players refused the joint from Ramses and then robbed Goat Eyes with the gun.” If you are on an older console or PC build and hit a dead end, update the game.
After You Recruit Ramses
Ramses keeps paying off once he is on the crew:
- Wiretapping help. He is part of the side task “Pump-and-Dump the Junior Negotiator,” where his wiretapping comes in, and ZA/UM fixed a blocker in that task in its June 26 patch.
- New Director’s Cut talk. ZA/UM says the update lets you “discuss L-Pop with Ramses.”
Spoiler warning: the next section describes the finale.
Ramses in the Final Operation
Ramses fills the Fool, the same role as PSEUDOPOD, so you bring one or the other. The Fool is the most dangerous job on the aero-tram. In a gunfight, you can help only one of two wounded squadmates, your Cupbearer or Ramses, and the one you do not help dies. On the red disc route, Ramses hands his headphones to Karolina, which is why she survives the song.
If you want your whole crew home, read our Z rank guide before you commit, since the Opera’s favourite ending is the ruthless one, and see our guide to how many endings there are. Every guide is on our Zero Parades hub, and our list of who you can recruit covers the rest of the squad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ramses in Zero Parades? On his houseboat, on the beach south of the Quisach Roundabout. After he joins, he waits at the Fogged Mirror.
What role does Ramses fill? The Fool. PSEUDOPOD is the other candidate for that role.
Why is Ramses not talking after I bugged Gonza’s office? He needs time with the recordings. Ramses asks for half a day, so pass some time, then talk to him again.
Do you have to kill Goat Eyes? No. You can talk him down, which also gets Ramses his medication for free.
How do you trigger the Quisach Roundabout encounter? It starts if you steal Goat Eyes’ tuk-tuk with Ramses near the end of his task, in the Director’s Cut.