A Guide to Surviving BioShock

Published August 21, 2007

Surviving the perils of Rapture in BioShock is no mean task as you rip through Splicers, outwit Big Daddies, and generally improvise your way through countless dangers. Your path to success is also largely dependent on the combination of Plasmids and Tonics you employ. And we're going to help you out with a few additional tips and tricks that should help you to uncover the mysteries of Rapture. Good luck.

You've made him mad now.

Conquering Big Daddy
Dealing with Big Daddies is tricky, and while there are any number of ways to take on these formidable foes, try to remember these handy tips:

• Use the environment: It's no use just launching an attack on a Big Daddy in a random location. Scope out nearby hallways and rooms for useful elements. Lure a Big Daddy into a room with a rocket turret you've hacked previously. Or you can do battle in a room filled with propane tanks and explosive barrels, or find areas filled with water to help channel electricity.
• Hit 'em hard: Your first attack on a Big Daddy should be intense. From frag grenades to explosive shotgun shells and even tossing propane tanks with telekinesis, hit them first with your most potent weaponry.
• Strike quickly and run away: Once you've launched an attack on a Big Daddy, it's time to flee the scene momentarily. Look for places to hide, or simply run as far as you can until the Big Daddy gives up. Once they've targeted you, it's too dicey to try and dodge their onslaught.
• Keep them distracted: Whether it's using a turret you hacked, or using the Enrage or Target Dummy Plasmids to make them attack something else, keeping the Big Daddy distracted is your best bet for survival after your initial attack.
• Where's Little Sister?: Make absolutely sure the Little Sister is present when taking down a Big Daddy. It's common to make your initial assault, only to come back and find the Little Sister has crawled into a vent. If they do, just wait until the Big Daddy summons them again. After all, the only point in taking down a Big Daddy is to collect Adam from the Little Sister.

Ummm … I was just leaving.

Electric Wrench
There may be no better combination for dealing with a single enemy than a shot from the Electro Bolt Plasmid to stun your opponent, followed by a knock upside the head with the wrench. It's a quick, easy and powerful combination made even better by using the Wrench Jockey Tonic for extra melee damage and upgrading to Electro Bolt 2 as soon as possible. This tactic remains effective throughout the game, so keep it in your arsenal.

Resource Preservation
Unless you're playing on Easy difficulty, hold on to all the First Aid Kits, EVE Hypos, and precious ammunition you can. If you find yourself in an impossible combat situation, such as when security bots join an already intense battle, just give up without using any of your items. You'll revive with all your gear intact at the nearest Vita Chamber.

Explore
Careful exploration is vital to uncovering helpful items, including audio-diaries (collect them all for an Achievement), equipment such as ammunition and First Aid Kits, and new Plasmids and Tonics. Make sure you've fully explored each and every room, hallway, nook and cranny of a map before loading into a new section.

Someone's a little cranky.

Shock and Melt
The Electro Bolt and Incinerate Plasmids are great for combat, but they can also unlock sections of the world. The Electro Bolt Plasmid will short-circuit door controls to unlock doors, and Incinerate will melt ice-blocks barring your path. Consider keeping them in your standard rotation so you don't have to backtrack to a Gene Bank to get access to a room.

Research Again
Taking photographs to research enemies is a multi-step process. You gain information and tactical advantages with your first picture, but there are additional tiers for each enemy, so keep shooting pictures of Splicers, Little Sisters, Big Daddies, turrets, and other enemies until you unlock their respective Fully Researched achievements. This gives you increased Gamerscore and some extra Tonics as well.

A Word on Hacking
Hacking turrets, safes, security cameras, and other machines is a big part of BioShock. Here are a couple of suggestions for consistent hacking success:

• Use the Engineering Tonic: It's worth spending some Adam early on at a Gatherer's Garden for an extra Engineering Tonic slot. Each hacking-based Tonic goes a long way to reducing the stress of the mini-game, and consequently, saving your health from being electrocuted away after a failed attempt. Also, the mini-games get progressively more difficult as the game goes on, so the Tonics will come in handy.
• Clear the tiles quickly: Your first task when beginning the hacking mini-game should be to clear as many of the tiles between the start point and end point as you can. This will give you a good indication of the parts you have to work with, and the obstacles you must confront.
• Auto-hack the safes: Save your auto-hack items for safes. They're by far the hardest items to hack and provide the biggest rewards.
• Use the cameras: Instead of shooting down security cameras on sight, take the time to dodge underneath them. Then, when you're standing in their blind spot, hack the camera. Not only will they turn to your side and summon security bots to deal with enemies, but the alert notices will help keep you informed of enemy movements.

Say hello to my little friend.

Rescue Her
Power-gamers will be mighty tempted to harvest the Little Sisters to mine more Adam at a time, but you may want to reconsider that path. Yes, choosing to rescue a Little Sister gives less Adam, but you'll be periodically compensated with "gifts" containing extra Adam to help make up for the loss. Plus, you'll be working your way towards a hundred-point Achievement if you choose not to harvest a single Little Sister, and well, it's the nice thing to do.

Weapon Considerations
From the chemical-thrower to the classic shotgun, your guns play as important a role as your Plasmids and Tonics and require nearly the same amount of thoughtful strategy. Consider the following:

• Aim high: Headshots are a plus in any shooter, but they're particularly effective in BioShock. Take careful aim when first targeting an enemy as a couple of well-placed headshots can do the work of two full clips of body shots.
• Keep the big guns for Big Daddy: Though you can make short work of a group of enemies with a few blasts from the grenade launcher, your more potent weapons are best kept in reserve for Big Daddies and other boss fights.
• Upgrade your favorites: Your first consideration when upgrading a weapon should be how often you use it. The shotgun and machine gun are your faithful standbys, so make them your first upgrade priority. It may be tempting to go with the grenade launcher, but the Big Daddy fights are just too infrequent to make it worthwhile at the beginning.
• Conserve ammunition: Ammunition doesn't grow on trees, even in Rapture. While it may be a touch more fun to blast a Splicer in the face with a shotgun round, it's often just as easy to use Electro Bolt and a wrench. Use your guns only when necessary.

Map Use
Consulting the map is good not just when you're lost, but also for finding key locations in a hurry. For example, if a camera spots you and sends a fleet of security bots your way, it's better to track down the nearest Bot Shutdown kiosk rather than fight it out. Unexplored locations are grayed out on your map, so that will help clue you in where to go next.

BioShock is one of those games that has it completely figured out, an immersive storyline, tense moments, and just overall great gameplay. With the tips mentioned above, you should be well on your way to surviving the rigors of the underwater world of Rapture.

Article by Ryan Treit