Even though much of the gameplay centers around combat, your survival—and understanding of the deeper story elements—relies heavily on your ability to navigate the city and find that which is hidden. The various districts in Rapture are large, multi-level complexes with lots of nooks and crannies to get into. It’s important to understand that as time went on in Rapture, and people became addicted to ADAM, they became incredibly protective of their belongings and went to great lengths to hide them. Finding hidden stashes of ammunition and money, hacking into safes, and locating tonics and Audio Diaries that have been secreted away is a major part of the gameplay.
Nearly every container that you think an item can be hidden in has in fact been used as a container in Rapture. Approach every desk, storage crate, locker, suitcase, briefcase, and refrigerator you encounter and press the Inspect button to see what contents it contains. Some are empty, but the vast majority contains money, ammo, and possibly a snack, an EVE Hypo, or a First-Aid Kit.
Tips for Exploring
Listen for Security: Security Cameras and Turrets both make a distinct noise that betrays their presence. Listen for danger (and keep your eyes open) for the back and forth whirring of the Security Camera as it pans across a room. Turrets make the sound of a small internal combustion engine starting up right before they spring to life and begin attacking. Pause before entering any new area and listen for these sounds and look for a telltale red light sweeping back and forth, then draw your Hack Tool and hack the devices to bring them to your side before they spot you. Lastly, if you consult the maps in this guide you will always know where the nearest Security Bot Shutdown Panel is located—just in case you fail a hack or trip an alarm.
Stay Healthy: First-Aid Kits are your best friend. You can carry up to five of them at once (initially), and it only takes one to fill your health meter. It’s important to always carry as many First-Aid Kits as possible, especially when going up against Big Daddies and Big Sisters. Search containers and loot corpses to find additional First-Aid Kits. Another good source for First-Aid Kits are the Circus of Values machines—hack these to get lower prices. Lastly, hack a Health Station and get a blue zone bonus to get a free First-Aid Kit, then destroy the station to get another one. Never let your character’s Health Meter empty completely, or you’ll be sent to a Vita-Chamber where you’ll begin anew with just one EVE Hypo and one First-Aid Kit.
Can’t Take It with Them: It might seem like an obvious thing to say, but it’s easy to get caught up in the action and forget to search the corpses you leave in your wake. The sheer volume of ammunition, items, and money (and sometimes ADAM) that can be gained from thoroughly searching the corpses of your victims cannot be overstated. Additionally, be sure to employ the Scrounger tonic as soon as you can, since the ability to “re-roll” a search of a container or corpse frequently results in more valuable items than the preliminary search would (it also sometimes reduces the items you’ll find, so beware). There are also a couple of Audio Diaries that can only be found by killing and searching the bodies of very specific enemies.
The Audio Trail: The story of BioShock 2 is a lot deeper than many players may realize. Though each and every Audio Diary in the game has been transcribed within the walkthrough portion of this book, it’s still recommended that you find and listen to them firsthand. Not only is the voice-acting superb, but you’ll really get a feel for the emotional turmoil so many of the Rapture citizens were under when they recorded their stories. There are over 120 Audio Diaries in Rapture, some of which reveal information critical to your progress. But even the diaries that aren’t essential still add a significant depth to the story (and the many side-stories of characters you may never meet) and really help you understand what life in Rapture was really like before and after Ryan’s demise.
Got the Munchies?: First-Aid Kits and EVE Hypos aren’t the only way to replenish your life force. There are tons of snacks and beverages scattered throughout the city, ranging from potato chips to thermoses of coffee. The majority of these snacks restore a small amount of health and/or EVE. Keep in mind, however, that alcoholic drinks replenish some health, but only at the expense of EVE (unless you equip the Booze Hound tonic). Also, if you drink two or more alcoholic beverages in quick succession, you become drunk and your vision blurs. Continue drinking alcohol, and the effects become even more pronounced and last longer. This isn’t recommended, especially if there are enemies are nearby.
Status Check: The Status and Map Screens give you insight into everything you come in contact with in Rapture. Press the Map button to call up this screen and inspect the map, to re-listen to radio messages, and to read notes about various gameplay systems and weaponry. You can also check on your research progress (using the Research Camera) and evaluate your current goals.
Keycode Memory: Be assured that any doors requiring keycodes to open them really do hide some valuable items. One new feature in BioShock 2 is that you no longer have to actually memorize or write down a given keycode. Simply listen to the correct Audio Diary or point the camera at the keycode where it may be written to have the game automatically memorize the code for you. So long as you discover the code in the game, you see a piece of paper appear on-screen with the keycode when you approach the door. Be on the lookout for four-digit codes, and make sure to look closely at any you encounter.
Relaxed Swimming: Though you will surely spot the occasional Big Sister through the glass swimming around the exterior of the city, you can find comfort in knowing that you won’t encounter any threat while you are in the open ocean. You cannot use your weapons or Plasmids while on the seafloor, and enemies do not attack in these areas. These sea-going interludes are brief, and even though you occasionally find a corpse to search or an ADAM Slug to collect, your trips between airlocks offer respite from the danger that lurks around every corner within the city.
