Nikolai

*"You no worry, Nikolai strong!"* —Nikolai

*Nikolai* is an unlockable Investigator in White Noise 2.

## Description

Former army member, tasked with protecting a secret research laboratory.

Nikolai knows that conventional weapons won't be of any use in the next war, and is looking for something that will help him to survive.

### Appearance

*Nikolai* is a male of average height with a white complexion. He has blonde hair in what seems to be a buzz cut, but it is mostly obscured by his red hat, which has a grey trim on its brim. He has blue eyes. His face has what seems to be either wrinkles or scars both on his chin and underneath his left eye. Nikolai wears a grey undershirt with three visible buttons. Above that is a long-sleeved coat with faded red coloring and a patch stitched onto it. He wears black fingerless gloves. His pants are beige.

## Unlocks

* Nikolai (Character) and Rags (Skin): Reach Level 7.
* Colonel (Skin): Reach Level 13.
* Rancher (Skin): Reach Level 19.
* Siberia (Skin): Reach Level 27.
* Agent (Skin): Reach Level 36.

## Stats and Traits

Nikolai's Stats
 Endurance
 Exploration
 Flashlight

### Traits

* SURVIVOR: Nikolai's Stealth, Bravery, Flashlight, and Exploration increase by 30% each time he is grabbed by the creature. This trait is disabled in Classic Mode.
* BOASTFUL: Nikolai's Speed is decreased by 5% until he is grabbed once. This trait is disabled in Classic Mode.

## Tips

Nikolai, similarly to Yumi, is an easy Investigator to play as. He has a great stat total, which is only offset by his poor Stealth until he is grabbed. Due to his abnormally high Vitality, he won't be slowed down nearly as much as other Investigators when caught.

Nikolai's positive trait, SURVIVOR, is incredibly valuable. Nikolai's already high Bravery increases further, which, assuming he gets grabbed once or twice and combined with his Flashlight stat also increasing, allows him to caboose and guard extremely effectively. His Exploration will also dramatically increase, allowing him to scout effectively. Nikolai's primary weakness, his poor Stealth, which becomes the lowest in the game alongside Hannah if he uses his Rancher skin, is also increased when grabbed, which can assist his team greatly.

Nikolai's negative trait, BOASTFUL, will only harm him if he has not been grabbed. However, Nikolai should not rush to The Creature and deliberately get grabbed, as not being able to take as many hits may negatively impact his team over time. Nikolai, along with any Investigator for that matter, should only do this if The Creature is close to an Investigator who has already been grabbed twice or if the Investigator's effectiveness will severely worsen if they get grabbed, such as Jin. Nikolai's poor Stealth means that he will have trouble splitting early on and can generally do it after half of the clues have been collected, along with his team being spotted by The Creature from further away. Similar to Hannah, Nikolai should only run if necessary.

## Skins

Rags (Default)Colonel (+1 Bravery, -1 Exploration)Rancher (+1 Exploration, -1 Stealth)Siberia (+1 Endurance, -1 Flashlight)Agent (+1 Flashlight, -1 Exploration)
### Timed Skins

Big Head (April Fools' Day, March 31st - April 2nd)Masquerade (Halloween, October 22nd - November 2nd)Christmas (Christmas, December 4th - ???)
## Trivia

* Nikolai and Yumi are the first Investigators to be added after Santiago Orozco left Milkstone Studios.
	+ Nikolai and Yumi are also the last Investigators to be released without unique voices, as each Investigator was given a set of voiced lines by different actors in Update #6: Ancient Wisdom.
* Nikolai is the last Investigator to hold a Flashlight that isn't the Basic Flashlight on an update banner, instead holding the Firefighter Flashlight on Update #22: Northern Light's update banner.

## Gallery

Yumi and Nikolai on Update #5: Drenched in Fear's update bannerYumi, Nikolai, Kurt, and Anne Marie in various skins on Update #18: Witch Hour's update bannerNikolai and a Construct Idol on Update #22: Northern Light's update banner