Big Daddies were created for one reason and one reason only: to ensure the safety of their Little Sisters by any means necessary. Big Daddies come in a variety of styles—Bouncers, Rumblers, Rosies, and Alpha Series—and each have their unique attack capabilities, but you are different. You aren’t just any old Big Daddy. You are Subject Delta, and as such, you are capable of dual-wielding a variety of Plasmids and weapons and in this you have no equal. You must master the art of this unique style of combat if you are to ever reunite with Eleanor.
WEapon Mastery
Despite the emphasis on a well-told story, BioShock 2 is ultimately a first-person shooter. As with any other game in this genre, you can expect access to a number of different weapons, along with the need to squeeze off thousands of rounds of ammunition by the time you reach the end of the game. Unlike other games, however, each of the weapons (and especially their ammunition) used by Subject Delta are so different that you can experiment with different techniques and play styles quite easily. Consult the “Big Daddy Weaponry” chapter for a complete description of each weapon, its ammunition types, and its available upgrades.
Tips for Weapons use
Reload Often: This goes without saying for experienced gamers, but if you’re new to this particular genre, then this advice is for you. Don’t ever advance down a hallway or enter a new room without first reloading your weapon.
Ammo Collector: There’s no such thing as carrying too much ammunition, and it only takes a second or two to search containers and corpses for ammo. Your Big Daddy weapons may be a lot larger than the ones that Splicers use, but you can still replenish your Machine Gun and Shotgun from weapons dropped by Splicers. Raid the corpses of fallen Big Daddies and Alpha Series to find ammo for your heavy firearms.
Right Gun for the Job: Weapons like the Speargun and Launcher are specialty weapons that are best left for specific situations. Switch to the Shotgun, Rivet Gun, or Machine Gun when you are navigating a new area and making your way down an unexplored corridor. These weapons are better suited for a variety of situations and should be your go-to weapons for most situations. They also have the most abundant ammunition.
Prioritize Upgrades: There are 14 Power to the People weapon upgrade stations in Rapture, and finding these machines is paramount to your survival. You won’t be able to fully upgrade each and every weapon as you were in the original game—each of the six weapons now has three upgrades—but this only means you must be more selective in your upgrades. Be sure to look at the accompanying maps in this book for their locations and read each of the upgrade strategies outlined in the “Big Daddy Weaponry” chapter.
Paper, Rock, Bullet: The base ammunition works fine early in the game, but you’ll eventually need to rely on each weapon’s two alternative ammo types if you’re going to survive. All three ammo types can inflict damage against any enemy, but each enemy is markedly more vulnerable to a specific type of ammo. Remember that fleshy enemies are vulnerable to Anti-Personnel Rounds and Solid Slugs, whereas armored enemies and machines are more susceptible to Armor-Piercing Rounds and Heavy Rivets. You can only carry half as much of these specialty ammunition types as you can the standard ammo, so always switch back to basic ammo once a major skirmish is over.
Think Defensively: A key difference in your role as a Big Daddy is that you play the role of defender far more often. Remember that ADAM Gathers and Big Daddy confrontations are started on your mark, so wait to initiate them until you have laid down plenty of traps. Trap Rivets, Trap Spears, and Mini-Turrets (along with Cyclone Traps) are invaluable for helping you fend off an incoming ambush.
Use Cover: Just because you have a Big Daddy suit on doesn’t mean you won’t take damage from enemy attacks. Move in and out of cover to avoid incoming gunfire, and avoid using the first-person “zoom” mode if you can help it, since this prohibits you from using Plasmids and forces you to move slower.
Benefits of ADAM
What truly sets BioShock 2 apart from other first-person shooters are the Plasmids. These gene-altering powers enable Subject Delta to unleash myriad special attacks. These range from the ability to hurl fireballs, to summoning Security Bots, to unleashing swarms of stinging insects! Through ADAM, Subject Delta can absorb a collection of genetic modifications in the form of Plasmids (active) and tonics (passive) that yield a bevy of surprising powers. The “Evolve Today!” chapter contains a full description of each and every Plasmid and tonic, along with strategies for finding and using each of them.
Tips for Plasmid Wielders
Strike First: Years of playing other games has probably conditioned you to react to an enemy’s appearance with a squeeze of the trigger. It’s time to break this habit. Unless you are preparing for a special encounter, you should always have an immobilizing Plasmid like Electro Bolt or Winter Blast equipped. Use the Plasmid as soon as you see an enemy to instantly render that foe into a harmless sitting target for you to shoot.
Inject Regularly: Plasmids consume a serum known as EVE, which must be refilled through the use of EVE Hypos. Subject Delta automatically injects a new EVE Hypo when the EVE runs out, but this can create an opening for enemy attacks. Watch the amount of EVE available and force replenishment whenever it nears the empty mark. Hold open the Plasmid Radial and press the Reload button to use an EVE Hypo.
Needle Collection: You can only carry up to five EVE Hypos at once (initially), and although more can be purchased at most Circus of Values machines, it’s far more cost-effective to collect them from the environment. Look for the telltale blue glow of an EVE Hypo and use Telekinesis to get it—many are on ledges and hidden behind objects, so look around. You can also find them stuck into chairs, under beds, and in all sorts of containers. Corpses sometimes carry an EVE Hypo as well, but these fallen foes are not a reliable source.
Trust the Basics: It’s always fun to test drive a new fanciful Plasmid, but don’t discount the versatility and reliability of the ol’ standbys. Plasmids like Electro Bolt and Incinerate! never really go out of style and never lose their effectiveness! Be sure to switch back to either of these Plasmids (or Winter Blast) when moving on into a new area.
Upgrade Wisely: There’s no denying the raw firepower of Level 3 Incinerate! and Electro Bolt. But these Plasmids cost a truckload of ADAM to purchase from the Gatherer’s Garden machines, and that ADAM could be better spent. Consider only upgrading Incinerate! and Electro Bolt to Level 2, and instead, spend that extra ADAM upgrading Security Command and Hypnotize to Level 3. This still allows you to attack with plenty of elemental damage, but also grants you the ability to befriend Big Daddies and summon Elite Security Bots.
Influence Enemy Behavior: Look for opportunities to influence enemy behavior and take advantage of it with your Plasmids. For example, place Cyclone Traps near doorways where you expect enemies to originate; set them on fire with Incinerate! and electrocute them when they head for nearby water; set up a decoy near Proximity Mines to bait enemies to their doom; and consider freezing an enemy with Winter Blast and, instead of shooting, use Telekinesis to throw this foe at the others.
The Silent Killer: Tonics may not carry the obvious powers of Plasmids, but their behind-the-scenes effects often have the most profound impact on your success. You’ll find many tonics in the environment, but you’ll need to purchase others—and extra Tonic Slots—from Gatherer’s Garden machines. Make sure to splice tonics that either boost the effects of your Research Bonuses, increase your elemental abilities, or damage enemies who strike with melee attacks. Also, remember that the effects of tonics can be “stacked” to effectively double their effects. For example, having both Armored Shell and Armored Shell 2 spliced simultaneously makes you much harder to defeat.
