Vending Machines
Nearly every corner of Rapture contains either an El Ammo Bandito or Circus of Values vending machine. This is where you spend your money on items ranging from snacks and drinks to First-Aid Kits and ammunition. Circus of Values machines typically carry your basic necessities: First-Aid Kits, EVE Hypos, basic ammunition, and maybe a few snacks and a Hack Dart or two. El Ammo Bandito vending machines don’t carry First-Aid Kits or EVE Hypos, but they do carry a wealth of ammunition, including the hard-to-find alternative ammo (provided you have encountered it at least once in the environment).
There are numerous tonics available that provide a discount at these vending machines. Hacking a vending machine also lowers the price and gives you the chance to earn a free item for each blue zone you stop the needle in. These vending machines both also occasionally contain an item or two that are only available in hacked machines.
Gatherer’s Garden
Your money is no good here! The Gatherer’s Garden machines only accept ADAM in exchange for the Plasmids, tonics, slots, and health and EVE Upgrades they contain. These machines aren’t as common as the others, but you’ll find one in close proximity to most Little Sister encounters, so you won’t need to go far to spend the ADAM you acquire. There are new Plasmids and tonics available in each area you visit, so always check the entire list of available upgrades before purchasing your item.
Though it’s tempting to spend your ADAM on health and EVE Upgrades, it’s not a great idea to do so. Consider purchasing just one Health Upgrade early in the game and see how long you can go without needing another one. You should be able to live off the readily available First-Aid Kits at least until things start to get a bit more difficult in Dionysus Park. Similarly, refrain from purchasing too many Plasmid Slots until you find yourself branching out and using more than just three or four. Tonic slots are a better investment early on.
Power to the People
Power to the People machines are the rarest of all in Rapture, since there are only 14 in existence. These weapon upgrade stations are typically far off the beaten path, but are certainly worth seeking out. Power to the People machines offer a one-time, free-of-charge upgrade to the weapon of your choice. Each weapon, excluding the Hack Tool and Research Camera, can be upgraded three times. Each weapon’s third upgrade is an especially potent upgrade that can only be selected after both of the other upgrades have been applied. These upgrades typically enhance the damage the weapon can inflict, reduce its limitations, or enhance its carrying capacity.
It only takes some basic math to realize that there are four fewer Power to the People machines than total available upgrades. Knowing that you are not going to be able to fully upgrade every weapon, it’s important that you consider each upgrade carefully. For example, don’t upgrade the Drill unless you are going to make an effort to use it. The same goes with the Rivet Gun—its effectiveness quickly begins to pale once you get used to using the Shotgun and Machine Gun.
The upgrades you choose are entirely up to you, and any combination can be successful if you are committed to using the weapons you focus the upgrades on. That said, if there are two weapons that you may want to fully upgrade, they would be the Shotgun and the Launcher. It is hard to overstate how valuable these weapons are late in the game.
Gene Banks
There’s a Gene Bank on every corner in Rapture, and for good reason. The only time you can make changes to the selection of Plasmids and tonics you have spliced is when acquiring a new one by visiting a Gene Bank. These machines allow you to swap out any Plasmid or tonic with another. You probably won’t make too many changes to your set of equipped Plasmids given their cost, but you will surely see your needs for certain tonics change over time. Early in the game, your focus should be on self-preservation and improvement. This likely shifts to a focus on getting the most out of your Research Camera and making hacking easier in the middle portion of the game. Then, ultimately, you’ll need to splice those tonics that make you as big and bad as possible!
Vita-Chambers
Should your Health Meter be completely drained, you’ll be brought back to life in these tall cylinders of pulsing light. Vita-Chambers are scattered throughout Rapture, and if you die, you’ll appear in the nearest one that you have discovered thus far. Although the presence of Vita-Chambers reduces the importance of saving your progress frequently, you must know that you revive in a Vita-Chamber with just a single First-Aid Kit and EVE Hypo, no matter how many you were carrying when killed. For this reason, you should save regularly and reload your last save file whenever you are killed. Vita-Chambers can be disabled in the Options menu. We recommend doing this when striving for the “Big Brass Balls” Achievement so you don’t inadvertently use one and forget to reload your last game save.
All is not lost when you have to use a Vita-Chamber. For one thing, the battle that you were engaged in is still ongoing. And though Big Daddies are partially healed by their Little Sisters while you are away at the Vita-Chamber, they do not get all of their health back. The same goes for Big Sisters, who drain the ADAM from nearby corpses to refill their health. Lastly, you still maintain possession of an adopted Little Sister that was in your care when you ran out of health—she’ll be standing outside the Vita-Chamber when you exit it. Don’t forget to pick her up!
Security Bot Shutdown Panels
These panels can only be accessed after an alarm has been sounded and Security Bots have been called to attack you. Instead of fighting back or finding a hiding place, simply run up to one of these panels and pull the lever to disable the alarm and shutdown the Security Bots. The Security Bots fall to the ground, at which time you can hack them to make them work for you! Alarms can sound any time you fail a hack (stopping the needle in the red zone) or are spotted by a Security Camera.
Health Stations
Health Stations can be found throughout most of Rapture and are a great source for a quick pick-me-up. Surprisingly, there are actually several things you can do with a Health Station. Though the Health Station is designed to provide an inexpensive health refill, this is the one thing you shouldn’t ever do. Only suckers pay full price! Instead, hack the machine and try to stop the needle in a blue zone for a free First-Aid Kit. Even if you miss the blue zone, you’ll at least be able to get your health refilled for a much lower cost. Also, hacked machines release a deadly poison whenever a Splicer tries to use it, thereby adding yet another trap to your arsenal! The other thing you can do, either before or after you hack the machine, is destroy it. Take out your Drill or Shotgun and wreck it to gain a free First-Aid Kit. Vandalize Health Stations in areas that you won’t be returning to after getting a blue zone bonus, and you’ll take two free First-Aid Kits with you when you go!