Bioshock:
Weapon/Plasmid/Enemy/Boss Guide
Document Started: January 04, 2008
by Alan Chan (joylock @ hotmail.com)
The Usual:
This document is mine. Please don't rip it off or take credit for it. If you
use any of the information provided in this guide in your own FAQ,
walkthrough, or guide, you must acknowledge that you obtained the information
from me, and give me proper credit.
That being said, feel free to post it on any site you want, provided you a)
don't make any changes to it, and b) don't charge money for it. You
don't even have to get my permission to post it (as long as it remains
unaltered), but it would be nice if you emailed me and let me know
(joylock @ hotmail.com).
Version History:
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*1.0: Initial Release                                                         *
*                                                                             *
*1.1: Assorted updates/corrections                                            *
*                                                                             *
*1.2: Minor corrections and updates                                           *
*                                                                             *
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The latest version of this FAQ can be found at www.gamefaqs.com.
CONTRIBUTOR AND RESOURCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
If you'd like to take a look at the game's files, use notepad or
wordpad to open the file Configini.IBF in your Bioshock folder.
Thanks to www.gamebanshee.com for listing the specific % effects of all
gene tonics. I don't know where they found this info, but it really
helps me that they did.
EMAIL CONTRIBUTIONS:
Martijn Gest wrote:
Firstly, my compliments. Your guide is the only document I've found so far
which lists the damage of weapons/plasmids and boost percentages of tonics.
I'm not sure if you're still updating it, or if you accept other people's
submissions. If you don't, feel free to ignore this E-mail entirely.
I found my favorite tactic. It's very powerful yet very economic. Just
slap on the Human Inferno tonics, fully upgrade the crossbow and get
yourself some Incendiary Bolts. They'll very rarely break and one-hit-kill
all late game splicers. With a full stockpile of these bolts you can get
through the last quarter of the game with ease (more or less depending on
luck, you might break 20 of them in no time if you're unlucky), and you
can always make/buy more if you want.
3 trap bolts kill Elite Big Daddies if you have the electrical damage
tonics equipped, too.
I just wonder how much and what type of damage a trap bolt does when shot
directly into the enemy, rather than used as a trap, since you can retrieve
it afterwards (contrary to traps). It might even be very helpful to shoot
a trap bolt into the first splicer of an oncoming group. The trap will still
shoot out of the corpse, and another splicer might run into it. Two birds
with one stone, basically.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
GAME MECHANICS:
WEAPONS:
- Wrench
- Pistol
- Machinegun
- Shotgun
- Grenade Launcher
- Chemical Thrower
- Crossbow
- Research Camera
PLASMIDS:
- Electrobolt
- Incinerate
- Telekinesis
- Enrage
- Hypnotize Big Daddy
- Security Bullseye
- Winter Blast
- Target Dummy
- Cyclone Trap
- Insect Swarm
- Sonic Boom (Downloaded Content Only)
USEFUL GENE TONICS:
- Combat Tonics
- Engineering Tonics
- Physical Tonics
ENEMIES:
- SPLICERS:
- Thuggish Splicers
- Electrified Thuggist Splicers
- Leadhead Splicers
- Machinegun Leadhead Splicers
- Nitro Splicers
- Molotov Nitro Splicers
- Spider Splicers
- Life Draining Spider Splicers
- Houdini Splicers
- Magic Houdini Splicers
- SECURITY DEVICES:
- Security Cameras
- Security Bots
- Gun Turrets
- Flamethrower Turrets
- RPG Turrets
- BIG DADDIES:
- Bouncers
- Rosies
- Elite Bouncers
- Elite Rosies
- Little Sisters
- MINI-BOSSES:
- Rose
- Magic Splicer
- Plaster Splicers
- Martin Finnigan
- Silas Cobb
- Hector Rodriguez
- BOSSES:
- *SPOILER WITHHELD*
- *SPOILER WITHHELD*
- *SPOILER WITHHELD*
- *SPOILER WITHHELD*
*****************
*GAME MECHANICS:*
*******************************************************************************
============
=DIFFICULTY=
============
On EASY difficulty:
- Enemies have 40% health (e.g. a default Thuggish Splicer has 40 health)
(e.g. a standard Bouncer has 1100 health)
- Enemies only do 17.5% damage (e.g. a pistol shot only does 3.5 damage!)
- Enemies are less accurate and less agile
- Plasmids cost 50% EVE (aka half as much) (e.g. Enrage! costs ~ 15 EVE)
- Random loot is more generous
On NORMAL difficulty:
- Enemies have 100% health (e.g. a default Thuggish Splicer has 100 health)
(e.g. a standard Bouncer has 2750 health)
- Enemies do 100% damage (e.g. a pistol shot does 20 damage)
- Enemies accuracy and agility is standard
- Plasmids cost 100% EVE (e.g. Enrage! costs ~ 30 EVE)
- Random loot is standard
On HARD difficulty:
- Enemies have 155% health (e.g. a default Thuggish Splicer has 155 health)
(e.g. a standard Bouncer has 4263 health)
- Enemies do 150% damage (e.g. a pistol shot does 30 damage)
- Enemies are more accurate and more agile
- Plasmids cost 130% EVE (e.g. Enrage! costs ~ 39 EVE)
- Random loot is less common
Honestly, it's practically impossible to die on EASY difficulty. You can
survive more than 50 pistol shots without even healing or using a first
aid kit!
HARD difficulty is a decent challenge; you die after 6 or 7 hits from
even the most basic enemies, firearm-wielding enemies are extremely
accurate and almost never miss, and the increased health of your
enemies makes them much harder to kill. Big Daddies are a real menace,
capable of killing you in only 2 hits, and requiring you to spend
most of your ammo to kill them. Intelligent use of plasmids,
hit-and-run tactics, and good use of resources and the environment
will be necessary for your survival.
For an added challenging, in the 1.1 version of Bioshock (after
downloading the PC patch or the Xbox 360 DLC content) you can turn
off the Vita-Chambers, preventing you from respawning after death.
Some tips for beating HARD difficulty without using Vita-Chambers
(in other words, getting the "Brass Balls" achievement).
- Get WRENCH JOCKEY as soon as possible. Without it, trying to wrench
Leadhead Splicers and possibly even the basic Thuggish Splicers will
only get you killed.
- Use Telekinesis. In the early to mid game, it's still your best
way to kill most Splicers in 1 hit.
- Once you get the crossbow, try to snipe enemies in the head with
it as much as possible. Even on HARD difficulty, the toughest
Splicers still die after a single crossbow headshot.
- Never fight a Big Daddy directly. Use indirect methods to kill them;
i.e. use Security Bullseye to get Security Bots to fight them, use
Hypnotize Big Daddy + Enrage to get them to fight each other, or
set up boobytraps using explosive barrels or electric trap bolts
from the crossbow.
=================
=Health and EVE:=
=================
You start the game with 200 health and 200 EVE. To increase your
maximum health and EVE levels, you can purchase health upgrades and EVE
upgrades at Gatherer's Gardens. Each upgrade costs 80 ADAM. There are a
total of 8 health upgrades and 8 EVE upgrades throughout the game. Each
upgrade increases your maximum health or EVE by 40.  You also receive a
small boost to your maximum health and maximum EVE for each research
level of the Little Sisters you achieve with your research camera. With
all upgrades from Gatherer's Gardens and Little Sister research, you'll
have a total of 560 health and 560 EVE.
On Easy and Normal difficulty, you won't die instantly from a "fatal"
injury; instead your health will be reduced to 1, and you'll only
die if you take 1 more hit. For example, if you only have 20 health,
and take 30 damage, instead of ending up with -10 health (i.e. dead),
you'll still be alive, with 1 health.
In Bioshock, the main methods of restoring your health are first aid
kits and health stations. You can carry a total of 9 first aid kits at
any given time, and can use them instantly with the quick-heal key.
Each first aid kit restores about 150 health, although the MEDICAL
EXPERT gene tonic can be used to increase the amount of health they
restore. Health stations are stationary healing dispensers that restore
you to full health, but which cost money to use ($16 if unhacked, and
$10 if hacked).
The main method of restoring your EVE is the EVE hypo. You can carry up
to 9 EVE hypos at once. Injecting a EVE hypo takes a second or so,
during which you cannot fire a weapon or use plasmids. Using an EVE
hypo restores your EVE level to maximum. You can inject yourself
manually at any time by pressing the "reload" key when you have a
plasmid equipped, and you'll inject yourself automatically whenever
your EVE meter reaches 0.
You can also snack on discarded food items strewn throughout the ruined
cityscape of Rapture for various effects. Eating potato chips or creme-
filled cakes restores a very small amount of health, drinking coffee
restores a moderate amount of EVE, smoking cigarettes restores a small
amount of EVE (but costs you a small amount of health), drinking
alcohol restores a small amount of health (but costs you a small amount
of EVE), and eating a Pep Bar restores a small amount of both your
health and EVE. You can also equip the BOOZE HOUND gene tonic to gain
EVE after drinking alcohol instead of losing it, or the EXTRA NUTRITION
gene tonic to increase the amount of health you get from eating snacks
(although even the highest level of EXTRA NUTRITION still doesn't
restore much health at all).
===============
=ENEMY DAMAGE:=
===============
Bioshock uses a simplified hit-location damage system.
Splicers take extra damage from headshots, but only from certain
weapons. Otherwise, shooting a Splicer in the leg, arm, or chest does
the exact same amount of damage. Splicers take 4x damage from pistol
headshots, 2x damage from shotgun headshots, and 10x damage from
crossbow headshots.
Big Daddies (and also the final boss) do not take extra damage from
headshots. Also, they take reduced damage if they are shot in the arms
or legs instead of the main body. Big Daddies take 60% damage from arm
shots, and 80% damage from leg shots.
**********
*WEAPONS:*
*******************************************************************************
"Do unto others before they can do unto you." - On Altruism
Bioshock's gameplay involves a degree of inventory management and ammo
conservation. Ammo is less common than in more action-oriented shooters
like Quake or Doom, and you can run out if you use firearms too much.
HOWEVER, Bioshock is actually more forgiving than other FPS-RPGS like
Deus Ex or System Shock or survival horror games like Resident Evil.
Ammo pickups (as well as cash to buy ammo at vending machines) are
actually reasonably common if you explore throughly. Still, it's useful to
keep in mind that Bioshock isn't like standard shooters such as Halo or
Call of Duty 4, where you typically get ammo faster than you can spend
it.
Each weapon in Bioshock (except the wrench) have 3 different types of
ammo that can be loaded into it. Each type of ammo has a significantly
different effect. Each weapon features a standard ammo, an uncommon
ammo, and a rare ammo. The standard ammo is the easiest to obtain. The
uncommon ammo is harder to find, either lying around or for sale in
vending machines. The rare ammo is much harder to find, can almost
never be purchased at vending machines, and can usually only be
obtained by manufacturing it at a U-Invent station. Additionally, you
can only carry half as much uncommon or rare ammo as you can standard
ammo.
Bioshock has no inventory system, and uses the simplified "pocket-
dimension trousers" approach taken by most simpler action-based first-
person shooters. Thus, you can carry all useable weapons at once,
instead of having to chose between them like in games such as Deus Ex
or Halo.
===============================================================================
Wrench:
Rate of Fire: ~ 88 "rpm"
Damage: 20  (5 vs Big Daddies)
DESCRIPTION:
Gordon Freeman has his crowbar, Doomguy has his chainsaw, you've got
your wrench. The wrench is pretty simple, really. You swing it, and it
whacks enemies standing in front of you. You swing the wrench
reasonably quickly, although (initially) not nearly as fast as Gordon
swings his crowbar around, and also not as quickly as you can pull a
trigger on a gun.
When you start the game, the wrench doesn't do much damage, and using
it forces you to get close to enemy Splicers, putting you in the path
of their own melee attacks. On the plus side, the wrench uses no ammo,
which is good if you're concerned about conserving ammo since ammo
supplies are less common in Bioshock than in most other first person
shooters.
The Wrench can also be used in combination with Plasmids to do more
damage. Notably, using the wrench on an enemy that has been stunned by
Electrobolt will do 4x normal damage.
Although the wrench is initially the weakest weapon in the game, you
can obtain Gene Tonics that increase your strength and speed and thus
allow you to do significantly more damage as well as swing the weapon
much more quickly.
IMPORTANT GENE TONICS:
WRENCH JOCKEY: Adds an additional 350% damage (70 damage) to your
wrench, so that it does a total of 90 damage. This should allow you to
smack down most Thuggish and Leadhead Splicers with just one or two
hits in the first few levels. You can get this tonic VERY early in the
game in the Medical Pavilion, and it's one of the best ones out there.
WRENCH JOCKEY 2: Adds an additional 550% damage (110 damage) to your
wrench. As a plus, this STACKS on top of the 350% damage increase given
by the original Wrench Jockey (as long as you equip both), for a grand
total of 200 damage per wrench strike. First available in Fort Frolic,
as a level 2 research reward for photographing Bouncer Big Daddies.
SPORTSBOOST: Sportsboost lets you run faster and swing quicker; it
increases your movement speed by 10%, and the speed at which you swing
the wrench by 25%. This allows you to run up to enemies faster, and
inflict multiple wrench strikes more quickly.
SPORTSBOOST 2: The improved version of Sportsboost increases your
movement speed by 20%, and the speed of your wrench swings by 50%.
Stack this on top of Sportsboost 1, and you can run 30% faster and
swing the wrench 75% more quickly.
WRENCH LURKER: Wrench Lurker quiets your footsteps, allowing you to run
up behind unaware Splicers without alerting them to your presence. It
also increases the damage your wrench strikes do against unaware foes
by 150%. This can often allow you to run up behind unaware Splicers,
and bash them to death with a single strike. Note that the Wrench
Lurker damage bonus is also applied to enemies who are stunned by
Electrobolt.
WRENCH LURKER 2: Similar to the original Wrench Lurker, Wrench Lurker 2
quiets your footsteps, and also increases the damage of your wrench
strikes against unaware foes by 200%. The effects also stack atop those
of Wrench Lurker 1, increasing the damage you do against unaware foes
by 350%.
OTHER RELEVANT GENE TONICS:
FROZEN FIELD: Besides giving you 15% resistance against cold attacks
and increasing the effectiveness of your own cold attacks, Frozen Field
also gives you a chance of freezing your enemies with each wrench
strike. This can immobilize enemies and allow you to shatter them with
a couple more strikes. On the down side, shattered enemies leave no
corpse to loot.
FROZEN FIELD 2: Besides giving you 30% resistance against cold attacks
and increasing the effectiveness of your own cold attacks, Frozen Field
also gives you a chance of freezing your enemies with each wrench
strike. This can immobilize enemies and allow you to shatter them with
a couple more strikes. On the down side, shattered enemies leave no
corpse to loot.
BLOODLUST: Bloodlust can be manufactured at a U-Invent Station in Fort
Frolic or later, using glue, enzyme samples, and empty hypos (enzyme
samples can be obtained from Houdini Splicers. The other items are
commonly found on slain enemies). It restores a small amount of your
health every time your strike an enemy with a wrench. The amount of
health restored is very, very small, although it can add up to a decent
amount after several wrench strikes.
EVALUATION:
With the proper Gene Tonics equipped, the wrench can be the very best
weapon in the game. Wrench Jockey allows you to kill early enemies with
just 1 or 2 wrench strikes, and Wrench Jockey 1 and Wrench Jockey 2
combined with damage research bonuses can allow you to kill even the
toughest Splicers with only a few whacks from the wrench. Sportsboost
and Wrench Lurker can increase your speed and silence your footsteps,
allowing you to run up to armed Splicers and bash their heads in before
they can retaliate against you with firearms. Wrench Jockey, Wrench
Lurker, and Sportsboost combined will make you a deadly ninja armed
with a plumbing instrument. Best of all, the wrench uses up no ammo,
allowing you to conserve ammo for your firearms for major shootouts or
use against Big Daddies (Big Daddies are, unfortunately, highly
resistant to melee attacks, so the wrench is fairly ineffective against
them).
===============================================================================
Pistol:
Clip Size: 6
Rate of Fire: 180 rpm
Damage:
Pistol Rounds: 40
Armor-Piercing Pistol Rounds: 40  (80 vs Big Daddies)
(160 vs Machines)
Antipersonnel Pistol Rounds: 40  (240 vs Splicers)
Max Ammo:
Pistol Rounds: 48
Armor-Piercing Pistol Rounds: 24
Antipersonnel Pistol Rounds: 24
Ammo Cost:
Pistol Rounds: $4.16; $25 for 6
Armor-Piercing Pistol Rounds: $10; $60 for 6
Antipersonnel Pistol Rounds: $10, $60 for 6 (CAN'T ACTUALLY BE BOUGHT)
DESCRIPTION:
A .38 Webley Mk IV revolver, the pistol is the first firearm you pick
up, as well as the weapon of choice for the game's Leadhead Splicers
for the first 1/2th of the game. The pistol has decent stopping power,
good accuracy, and a decent rate of fire. Although it needs to be
reloaded after every 6 shots, the reload time is reasonably quick since
Jack can manage to load all 6 bullets at once.
Early on, the pistol can kill most Splicers with just a few shots.
Headshots from the pistol are particularly lethal; a pistol headshot
does 4x damage against Splicers, and will kill most early Splicers with
just one hit. However as the game progresses, Splicers become
increasingly tougher, making the pistol less effective. In the mid-
game, you'll have to make 2 to 4 headshots to kill enemies with the pistol.
In the late game, only antipersonnel pistol rounds will do significant
damage to Splicers; use antipersonnel ammo and go for headshots if you
want to kill late-game Splicers effectively with the pistol.
AMMO TYPES:
PISTOL ROUNDS: Standard ammo for the pistol is reasonably common; you can
find it laying around Rapture or looted from dead enemies. Also, many enemies
carry pistols, and you can usually get 1 to 3 pistol bullets from every
slain enemy's pistol that you pick up. You can carry up to 48 rounds of
standard .38 ammo; early on, this is sufficient to kill many Splicers,
but later in the game it's not enough ammo to do significant damage.
ARMOR-PIERCING PISTOL ROUNDS: The pistol's uncommon ammo,
which do 2x damage against Big Daddies and 4x damage against security
machines. Armor-piercing ammo still isn't very effective against Big
Daddies; even using all 24 rounds you can carry will only bring a Big
Daddy's health down to about 50%. Armor-piercing ammo is reasonably
effective against turrets and bots, although it's generally better to hack
machines rather than destroy them outright. Armor-piercing ammo can
occasionally be found lying around Rapture, and you can also purchase
it at a few Circus of Values or Ammo Bandito vending machines.
ANTIPERSONNEL PISTOL ROUNDS: The pistol's rare ammo, which do massive
damage against Splicers (antipersonnel rounds do 6x damage against
Splicers). A single shot from an antipersonnel round should kill most
Splicers early in the game, and they do significant damage even against
many late-game Splicers. Unfortunately, antipersonnel pistol ammo is
quite rare; you'll rarely find it laying around Rapture, and will
usually only be able to obtain it by manufacturing some at a U-Invent
station. You can also only carry 24 rounds at a time.
EVALUATION:
Overall, the pistol is good for killing Splicers at range early in the
game, but is fairly ineffective in the game's last few levels. The
pistol really doesn't do enough damage to compensate for later
Splicers' drastically improved health. Also, the amount of ammo you can
carry for the pistol is somewhat limited, which is a problem when you
start meeting enemies that require many pistol shots to bring down.
Antipersonnel rounds do significant damage against Splicers, even late-
game Splicers, but you can only carry 24 rounds of antipersonnel ammo
at a time.
WEAPON UPGRADES:
PISTOL DAMAGE INCREASE: Increases the pistol's damage by 25%. I.e.
standard pistol rounds do 50 damage after the upgrade.
PISTOL CLIP SIZE: Increases the pistol's ammo capacity from 6 bullets
to 24 bullets.
===============================================================================
Machinegun:
Clip Size: 40
Rate of Fire: 350 rpm
Damage:
Machine Gun Rounds: 40
Antipersonnel Auto Rounds: 18  (108 vs Splicers)
Armor-Piercing Auto Rounds: 30  (60 vs Big Daddies)
(120 vs Machines)
Max Ammo:
Machine Gun Rounds: 360
Antipersonnel Auto Rounds: 180
Armor-Piercing Auto Rounds: 180
Ammo Cost:
Machine Gun Rounds: $1.5; $60 for 40
Antipersonnel Auto Rounds: $2.5; $100 for 40
Armor-Piercing Auto Rounds: $2.5; $100 for 40 (CAN'T ACTUALLY BE BOUGHT)
DESCRIPTION:
A Tommy Gun that fires .45 ACP rounds, and can first be obtained inside
the Security Office at the beginning of the Medical Pavilion. This
"Chicago Typewriter" machinegun has a good rate of fire (although it's
about 1/2 that of a modern assault rifle), and a relatively large drum
magazine that allows you to fire 40 rounds before needing to reload.
The machinegun suffers from moderate recoil when fired in long bursts;
prolonged fire causes the weapon's barrel to swing upwards, interferring
with your aim. The machinegun also has below average accuracy; the rounds
tend to drift somewhat off course instead of hitting at the exact center
of the crosshair. Because of the weapon's recoil and inaccuracy, it's best
used for close-to-medium range combat, and ineffective for long range
combat.
The machinegun is reasonably powerful; it can kill most early Splicers
with just a few bullets each, and can bring down mid-game Splicers with
about a dozen rounds or so. Unfortunately, in the last few levels enemy
Splicers receive a significant health boost, making the machinegun
rather ineffective against them (although antipersonnel rounds still
work well, and can bring down many late-game Splicers with less than a
dozen shots). The machinegun doesn't do locational damage, so don't
bother trying to score headshots with it. Just aim for the body and
fire away.
AMMO TYPES:
MACHINE GUN ROUNDS: Standard machinegun ammo can be found throughout
Rapture. At first, machinegun ammo is less common than pistol or shotgun
ammo, but you'll find more of it as the game progresses. Machinegun ammo
can be found in drum magazines laying around, and you can obtain machinegun
ammo from destroyed security turrets. Ammo can also occasionally be looted
from slain Splicers. Although Leadhead Splicers will drop machineguns later
in the game, you'll only find 1 to 8 rounds in their clips, making
enemy firearms an inefficient source of ammo. You can carry a LOT
of ammo for the machinegun (a maximum of 9 full drum magazines),
allowing you to get a lot of use out of it before running low.
ANTIPERSONNEL AUTO ROUNDS: The machinegun's uncommon ammo, these rounds are
normally very weak (only doing 18 base damage), but do significant damage
against Splicers (antipersonnel ammo does 6x damage against Splicers).
Antipersonnel rounds can kill early-game Splicers with only a few shots,
and even late-game Splicers will usually go down after a dozen or so hits.
Antipersonnel ammo can occasionally be found laying around Rapture or
purchased from certain vending machines, and you can carry quite a lot of
it around (4 and a half full drum magazines, a.k.a. 180 rounds of ammo).
ARMOR-PIERCING AUTO ROUNDS: The machinegun's rare ammo, these rounds
are slightly weaker than regular machinegun rounds (with a base damage
of 30 instead of 40), but do increased damage against Big Daddies (2x
damage vs Big Daddies) and security machines (4x damage vs security
machines). Armor-piercing rounds can destroy machines with only a few
shots, and can bring down a Big Daddy with a clip and a half of
constant fire (however, by the time you have reliable access to armor-
piercing ammo, you'll have much better ways of killing Big Daddies
available to you). Unfortunately, armor-piercing rounds are quite rare,
and can usually only be obtained by manufacturing them at a U-Invent
station.
EVALUATION:
The machinegun is a great weapon with powerful bullets and a large clip
size, allowing you to quickly mow through multiple enemies with it.
However, it has accuracy issues and should only be used for close to
medium range combat. The rate of fire is good, but not too high,
so the machinegun actually uses up ammo at a reasonable rate (also,
machinegun rounds become more common as the game progresses).
In the later levels, the increased health of enemy Splicers makes the
machinegun's normal bullets ineffective, so you'll want to use
antipersonnel rounds if you want to use the machinegun to fight
Splicers later in the game.
WEAPON UPGRADES:
DAMAGE INCREASE: Increases the machinegun's damage by 25%. I.e.
standard auto rounds do 50 damage after the upgrade.
KICKBACK REDUCTION: Reduces the machinegun's kickback, reducing recoil.
However, this upgrade does nothing to improve the machinegun's basic
inaccuracy.
===============================================================================
Shotgun:
Clip Size: 4
Rate of Fire: 48 rpm (120 rpm after upgrade)
Damage:
00 Buck: 35 x 8
Electric Buck: 35 x 8  + [70 x 8 if in water]
(105 x 8 vs Machines)
Exploding Buck: [49  + 1 ] x 8
(+ 6 dmg per sec )
Max Ammo:
00 Buck: 48
Electric Buck: 24
Exploding Buck: 24
Ammo Cost:
00 Buck: $9; $54 for 6
Electric Buck: $12; $72 for 6
Exploding Buck: $12; $72 for 6 (CAN'T ACTUALLY BE BOUGHT)
DESCRIPTION:
A pump-action shotgun that fires 00 buckshot, the shotgun can first be
acquired from a long deceased corpse inside the Medical Pavilion. The
shotgun fires a spread of 8 pellets per shot; as with most FPS
shotguns, the shotgun is powerful at close range, but the spread of the
pellets makes it less effective at long range since not all pellets
will strike a distant enemy. The shotgun can still do lethal damage
against enemies at a range of a couple dozen feet. Any pellets that
strike an enemy Splicer's head will do double damage. On the downside,
there's a slight delay between each shot as you pump a new round into
the chamber. The shotgun's greatest weakness is that it only holds 4
shells, forcing you to reload after every 4 shots (the shotgun takes
relatively long to reload, since each shell must be loaded
individually).
The shotgun is very powerful, and can drop most Splicers in just 1 or 2
shots. Even Big Daddies can be brought down with about 12 shots. Later
in the game, enemy Splicers receive significant boosts to their health,
but with the shotgun's weapon damage upgrade and research damage
bonuses, most late-game Splicers can still be brought down with only 2
to 4 shotgun blasts.
AMMO TYPES:
00 BUCK: Standard 00 buck is relatively common in Rapture; you can find
boxes of shells scattered around the levels, and you can also purchase
shells from Circus of Values or Ammo Bandito vending machines.
ELECTRIC BUCK: The shotgun's uncommon ammo. Electric buck fires
electrified pellets that inflict electrical damage on enemies. Enemies
hit by electrical buck will also be stunned for a couple seconds,
preventing them from moving just as if they had been hit by
Electrobolt. Electric buck also does increased damage against enemies
standing in water, or against machines. Early on, it is probably your
best option for taking down Big Daddies, due to the high damage and
stunning effect. It is quite uncommon, although it can be occasionally
found laying around Rapture, or purchased from certain vending
machines.
EXPLODING BUCK: The shotgun's rare ammo. Exploding buck pellets will
explode on contact, dealing significant damage to enemies. In fact, a
close-range blast from exploding buck is somewhat more powerful than a
direct hit from a frag grenade. Exploding buck can also set enemies
on fire, damaging them further. Best of all, the splash damage from
exploding buck won't harm you, so you can still blast enemies with it
at close range without taking damage yourself. Exploding buck is quite
rare, and can usually only be obtained by manufacturing it at a U-
Invent station.
EVALUATION:
The shotgun is an excellent weapon for delivering big damage in a short
period of time. Early in the game, it can kill Splicers with 1 close-up
blast, and is probably the only weapon you possess that can effectively
kill the first few Big Daddies you encounter. Later in the game, you'll
acquire more powerful weapons such as the grenade launcher and
crossbow, but the shotgun remains a good weapon for close-range combat.
WEAPON UPGRADES:
SHOTGUN DAMAGE INCREASE: Increases the shotgun's damage by 25%. I.e. a
full hit by all 8 standard buck pellets would do 350 damage after the
upgrade.
SHOTGUN RATE OF FIRE: Converts the shotgun from pump-action to semi-
automatic, increasing the weapon's rate of fire. You still need to
reload after every 4 shots, however.
===============================================================================
Grenade Launcher:
Clip Size: 6
Rate of Fire: 45 rpm
Damage:
Frag Grenade: 200  + 150
(30  + 30  to player)
Proximity Mine: 450
(60  to player)
Heat-Seeking RPG: 400  + 75  (400+450 vs Splicers)
(60  to player)
(+1 dmg per sec )
Max Ammo:
Frag Grenade: 12
Proximity Mine: 6
Heat-Seeking RPG: 6
Ammo Cost:
Frag Grenade: $20; $60 for 3
Proximity Mine: $25; $75 for 3
Heat-Seeking RPG: $20; $60 for 3 (CAN'T ACTUALLY BE BOUGHT)
DESCRIPTION:
This homemade bazooka is first given to you in Neptune's Bounty as a
present from Peach Wilkins, shortly after you first meet him. The
grenade launcher fires assorted explosive projectiles, and can hold up
to 6 rounds at a time. Grenades travel in an arc, and are pulled
downward by gravity. They have decent range, but unlike a bullet will
not travel in a straight line, limiting them to medium-range combat
only.
This weapon does lots of damage, but the amount of ammo you can carry
for it is very limited; grenade ammo is also relatively expensive. It's
best to save the grenade launcher for use against single, powerful
opponents such as Big Daddies or bosses. Because grenades do explosive
splash damage, you really shouldn't use it in close quarters or point-
blank range, or else you'll end up hurting yourself as well as your
enemy.
One advantage of the grenade launcher is that the explosive force of
a direct hit will knock Splicers to the ground for a few seconds,
allowing you to attack them while they're down. A direct grenade
hit will also stun a Big Daddy for a second, allowing you to land
another grenade hit without worrying about their counter-attack.
AMMO TYPES:
FRAG GRENADES: These are powerful homemade bombs made out of explosives
stuffed inside old tin cans. They travel a couple dozen feet when fired
out of the grenade launcher, and will either bounce off surfaces and
explode after a few seconds, or detonate immedietely upon impact with
an enemy. It's uncommon to find frag grenades just laying around the
levels, although you'll occasionally find caches of them squirreled
away. You can also buy them at some vending machines, although they are
rather expensive.
PROXIMITY MINES: These are fired out of the grenade launcher just like frag
grenades, but instead of bouncing off surfaces, they will stick onto
whatever they land on, be it the floor, a wall, or even an object like
a trash can or barrel. When an enemy gets close enough to the proximity
mine, it will detonate, dealing significant damage to them. For an
extremely powerful attack against Big Daddies or bosses, you can attach
all 6 of your proximity mines to a explosive barrel, then pick up the
barrel with Telekinesis and hurl it at an enemy to inflict massive
damage (a corpse or trash can will also work as a projectile if no
explosive barrel is available). Proximity mines are even more rare than
frag grenades, although you can find a few laying around Rapture, and
they can also occasionally be purchased at vending machines.
HEAT-SEEKING RPGs: These are self-guided rockets. Unlike grenades, they fly
in a straight line, and will home in on enemies. They can track an
opponent and chase them regardless of any attempts to dodge or run
away. Rockets do antipersonnel damage, so they inflict particularly
harsh damage against Splicers. However, they are very powerful, and do
lots of damage against all enemy types. Rockets are quite rare, and can
usually only be obtained by manufacturing them yourself at U-Invent
stations.
EVALUATION:
The grenade launcher is a good weapon for taking on particularly
powerful opponents; it's one of your better options for taking out Big
Daddies in the earlier levels. Once you get the crossbow, however, you
might prefer it over the grenade launcher, since crossbow ammo is
significantly less expensive than grenade launcher ammo. The amount of
ammo you can carry for the grenade launcher is also extremely limited,
so it's best to save it for special situations.
WEAPON UPGRADES:
GRENADE LAUNCHER DAMAGE INCREASE: Increases the weapon's damage by 25%.
GRENADE LAUNCHER DAMAGE IMMUNITY: You are immune to the splash damage
from your own grenades, allowing you to blast enemies with grenades at
close range without fear of harm.
===============================================================================
Chemical Thrower:
Clip Size: 100
Rate of Fire: 1200 rpm
Damage:
Napalm: 30  + (1.2 dmg per sec )
Liquid Nitrogen: 0
Electric Gel: 25  + [25 if in water]
(75 vs Machines)
Max Ammo:
Napalm: 400
Liquid Nitrogen: 200
Electric Gel: 200
Ammo Cost:
Napalm: $0.75; $75 for 100
Liquid Nitrogen: $1; $100 for 100
Electric Gel: $ 1.25; $125 for 100 (CAN'T ACTUALLY BE BOUGHT)
DESCRIPTION:
Cobbled together from assorted pipes and plumbing parts, the chemical
thrower is a rather non-standard weapon that you first obtain in
Arcadia from Julia Langford. The chemical thrower is similar in
function to a flamethrower, only it has the capacity to fire multiple
liquid chemicals instead of just napalm. The weapon fires a pressurized
stream of dangerous liquid up to almost 20 feet. Sustained streams from
the chemical thrower constantly consume fuel, and without a fuel-saving
weapon upgrade, you can burn through a cannister of fuel very quickly.
The weapon also takes a few seconds to reload, so try not to empty
your fuel tank in the middle of a firefight.
The chemical thrower has the capacity to inflict fire, ice, and
electrical attacks. The effects of these attacks mimic the plasmids
Incinerate, Winter Blast, and Electrobolt. You can use the chemical
thrower to achieve plasmid effects if you don't have those plasmids
equipped. For example, if you need to freeze a turret to hack it, but
lack the Winter Blast plasmid, you can freeze the turret with a stream
of liquid nitrogen instead. This is a good way to save on EVE, as the
chemical thrower generally consumes less fuel than plasmids consume EVE
to achieve the same effect.
AMMO TYPES:
NAPALM: This is the standard ammo used by the chemical thrower. As you
would expect, contact with napalm inflicts moderate damage, while setting
your enemies on fire. Besides the damage done by direct contact with
the napalm, enemies will also take additional damage from burning
alive. The chemical thrower has a very high "rate of fire", and a
steady napalm stream can burn down an enemy Splicer very quickly.
There's a modest amount of napalm laying around the game's levels,
and you can also loot it from enemy corpses or purchase some from
vending machines.
LIQUID NITROGEN: The chem thrower's uncommon ammo, liquid nitrogen
does no damage to enemies, but can be used to freeze them solid
just like the Winter Blast plasmid. The more liquid nitrogen you
spray an enemy with, the longer they will remain frozen. Frozen
splicers can be smashed to pieces with your wrench or other weapons,
and frozen machines can be hacked more easily. Liquid nitrogen can
rarely be found laying around the levels, and it can occasionally be
purchased at certain vending machines.
ELECTRIC GEL: The chem thrower's rare ammo, which inflicts
electrical damage onto enemies while stunning them at the same time.
Electrical gel essentially renders enemies helpless; they are unable to
move as long as you spray them with the gel, and they will take
constant damage as well. With the reduced ammo consumption upgrade,
about 3/4ths of a can of fuel should be sufficient to kill a Big Daddy.
Electrical gel is probably the easiest way to kill powerful enemies,
but it is also very rare. You're unlikely to find it through
exploration, and can only manufacture it at U-Invent stations.
EVALUATION:
Although the chemical thrower's range is limited to medium-range at
best, most of the game takes place in close-quarters, so the chemical
thrower's inability to hit enemies at long range isn't too much of a
handicap. However, the specialized nature of each of the chemical
thrower's ammo types makes it more suited for specific situations
rather than general use as your default weapon. Still, the chemical
thrower is nice in that it allows you to inflict elemental damage at
any time, instead of only when you have the proper plasmids equipped.
It is particularly useful in Olympus Heights and Apollo Square, when
your ability to use plasmids is crippled by plot occurances.
A steady stream of napalm actually does good damage, and can burn
down early-to-mid game Splicers in just a second or two. The chemical
thrower actually makes a better weapon than the machine gun; it
kills strong Splicers much more quickly (due to the higher "rate
of fire"), and the constant stream of fire means you don't need to
aim it quite dead-on accurately, which is helpful against tough-to-hit
enemies such as fast-strafing Leadhead Splicers.
Liquid nitrogen is useful for stunning turrets or bots so you can hack
them, especially if you don't have a plasmid like Electrobolt or
Winter Blast for stunning machines. Finally, electric gel allows you to
kill even the toughest opponents without giving them the chance to
fight back.
WEAPON UPGRADES:
CHEMICAL THROWER CONSUMPTION RATE: Reduces the rate at which the
chemical thrower consumes fuel. Very useful, as otherwise the chemical
thrower burns through fuel very quickly.
CHEMICAL THROWER RANGE: Increases the range of the chemical thrower's
liquid spray.
===============================================================================
Crossbow:
Clip Size: 5
Rate of Fire: 30 rpm
Damage:
Steel-Tip Bolt: 450
Incendiary Bolt: 600
Trap Bolt: 700
(175 to player)
Max Ammo:
Steel-Tip Bolt: 48
Incendiary Bolt: 24
Trap Bolt: 24
Ammo Cost:
Steel-Tip Bolt: $5; $30 for 6
Incendiary Bolt: $13.33; $80 for 6
Trap Bolt: $10; $60 for 6 (CAN'T ACTUALLY BE BOUGHT)
DESCRIPTION:
The crossbow is the last and most powerful weapon you'll acquire in the
game. You receive it as a gift from Sander Cohen in Fort Frolic, when
you bring him the 1st of the 4 pieces of his Quadtych. The crossbow has
perfect accuracy, as well as a long-range zoom that allows you to snipe
enemies from very far away. It is also extremely powerful, doing more
damage with a single shot than any other weapon in the game. Headshots
from the crossbow are absolutely lethal; Splicers take 10x damage from
crossbow headshots, and a single headshot will bring down even the
strongest Splicers in the game. The only downside to the crossbow is
its low rate of fire; there's a 2 second delay between each shot as you
re-cock the bow. The crossbow also needs to be reloaded after every 5
shots, although the reload time is average.
Besides being a powerful weapon, the crossbow is also economically
efficient. Standard ammo for the crossbow is very cheap. Also, crossbow
bolts are reusable; after you kill an enemy with the crossbow, you can
retrieve the bolts from their body (bolts sometimes break, though, so
you will gradually use them up).
AMMO TYPES:
STEEL-TIP BOLTS: Standard bolts are difficult to find just lying around
the environment. They can, however, be purchased from certain Circus of
Values or Ammo Bandito vending machines. Trap Bolts are also very
cheap, only costing $30 for 6 (which is great value considering how much
damage each individual bolt does). You can also re-use bolts by retrieving
them from slain enemies.
INCENDIARY BOLTS: The crossbow's uncommon ammo type. Repeat after me:
MASSIVE BOLTS = MASSIVE DAMAGE. These red hot metal arrows do even more
damage than the standard steel-tip crossbow bolts. In fact, the
crossbow loaded with incendiary bolts becomes the most damaging single-
shot weapon in the game. With the weapon damage upgrade and research
damage bonuses, you can 1-shot-kill most Splicers, and can even bring
down a Big Daddy with only 4 incendiary bolts. You can increase the
damage done by incendiary bolts even more with HUMAN INFERNO and HUMAN
INFERNO 2, which increase fire damage by 30% and 50% respectively (with
HUMAN INFERNO 2 equipped, you can kill Big Daddies with only 3 shots!).
Incendiary bolts can be purchased at certain vending machines, or
rarely found in stashes or corpses. As with steel-tip bolts, you can
sometmes retrieve used bolts from the bodies of slain enemies.
TRAP BOLTS: The crossbow's rare ammo type. Trap bolts create an
electrical trip wire that will discharge and do electrical damage to
any enemy that walks through it. Trap bolts do lots of damage, and will
kill or severely injure most Splicers. Just be careful not to step on
them yourself. They're great for blocking off corridors from Splicers,
and you can also set up several trap bolts at once and lure a Big Daddy
into running through them all for massive damage. Just be aware that
you can only have 10 active trap bolts at any given time; setting up
more will cause your previous trap bolts to simply disappear. Trap
bolts are very rare, and normally can only be acquired by manufacturing
them at U-Invent stations. Unlike steep-tip bolts and incendiary bolts,
trap bolts are not re-usable.
EVALUATION:
The crossbow is the most powerful weapon in the game (you can tell by
how many times I've used the words "massive damage" in talking about
it), as well as one of the more useful weapons in the game's later
levels. A single headshot from the crossbow will bring down even the
most powerful of Splicers, and the long-range zoom lets you pick off
Splicers from a significant distance. The crossbow is also great for
killing powerful foes such as Big Daddies and bosses. Best of all,
standard ammo for the crossbow is very cheap, and bolts can even be
retrieved from slain enemies and reused.
WEAPON UPGRADES:
CROSSBOW DAMAGE INCREASE: Increases the crossbow's damage by 25%.
CROSSBOW BREAKAGE CHANCE: Reduces the chance of a crossbow bolt
breaking upon hitting a target. This allows you to reuse more bolts,
thus reducing your ammo consumption rate.
===============================================================================
Research Camera:
Max Ammo: 100 film
Ammo Cost: $1; $15 for 15
DESCRIPTION:
The research camera is a special camera for photographing and analyzing
Rapture's genetically altered inhabitants. As Atlas tells you, it
features the ability to "analyze genetic information, parse biological
structures, and lots of other five dollar words". By taking photos of
the game's various characters,you earn research bonuses, which include
increased damage against the characters in question, unlocking new gene
tonics, and various other rewards.
There are 5 different levels of research bonuses for each of the game's
characters. To earn a research bonus level, you need to earn a certain
number of points. The number of points required increases from one
level to the next. For example, you'll automatically earn the first
research level when you first take a picture of a character, but you'd
need to take dozens of pictures to earn the fifth research level.
SCORING SYSTEM:
The amount of points you receive from a photo depend on a variety of
factors. Each photo you take receives a grade from A to C (with A being
the best and C being the worst), indicating roughly how many points
you've scored.
POINTS AWARDED FOR:
CENTERNESS: The close a character is to the center of the photo, the
more points you'll earn.
DISTANCE: The larger the subject is in the frame, the more points you
earn. Thus, you get much more points for taking a picture of a
character at close range rather than long range. You can also zoom the
camera to get a bigger picture of a subject.
ACTION SHOT!: You earn more points for photographing characters that
are attacking you, or (in the case of Big Daddies) making threatening
gestures at you because you're too close to their Little Sister.
MULTIPLE SUBJECTS: You earn extra points if there are multiple
characters in a photo (i.e. Splicers, Bots, a Big Daddy, and a Little
Sister all at once).
POINTS SUBTRACTED FOR:
SUBJECT ALREADY PHOTOGRAPHED: Each time you take a photo of a
particular character, you get fewer and fewer points per photo.
SUBJECT DEAD: The subject must be alive, or else you'll earn almost no
points regardless of what else is happening in the photo.
EVALUATION:
It is a very good idea to research enemies and other characters as much
as possible, because the research bonuses you earn with the camera are
all very useful. Film for the camera is very cheap, and you can hold a
lot of it at once, so use it as much as possible.
To earn research bonuses quickly, always take multiple pictures of
every subject. You'll earn less and less points each time for
photographing the same subject, but you'll still earn points more
quickly than if you only took 1 photo of every new subject you meet.
RESEARCH BONUSES:
Every character in the game can be researched for research bonuses.
Level 1, 3, and 5 research bonuses allow you to inflict extra damage
against that enemy type. You can also earn enemy specific rewards from
level 2 and 4 research bonuses, such as special gene tonics or other
miscellaneous rewards.
RESEARCH BONUS 1: Damage+ (attacks do 10% more damage against this
enemy)
RESEARCH BONUS 2: Enemy Specific Reward
RESEARCH BONUS 3: Damage ++ (attacks do 25% more damage against this