$250 to unlock
The Duke and Dimwit Theater map resembles a portion of the Soldier’s Field boardwalk amusement park. The only difference is that many of the waves here take place across the rooftops, connected by a Sky-Line. Other waves don’t feature a Sky-Line and take place in the open area between the buildings, at lower ground. You’ll find a Sniper Rifle Tear atop the tower. Some of the waves also feature an enemy Mosquito that, while not part of the enemy tally, does pose a threat. It’s worth taking Possession of the Mosquito during those challenges that aren’t nullified by a Friendly Fire kill or when you’re simply looking to complete the wave. Make use of the freight hooks to reach the upper levels during those waves without a Sky-Line.
Wave 1
Enemies Present: Soldiers, RPG Soldiers
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat all enemies with the Shotgun.
Open the Tear near the spawn point to claim a Shotgun if you don’t already have it equipped and swap to your Shock Jockey Vigor. Ride the Sky-Line to the highest point and take cover behind the building, so you aren’t targeted by any of the RPG Soldiers. The basic Soldiers will ride the Sky-Line to your position. Wait for them and hit them with the Shotgun as they dismount. If more than one attack simultaneously, hit them with Shock Jockey first to stun them, then open fire with the Shotgun. Keep an eye out for the Mosquito—you don’t need to destroy it, merely be aware it’s in the sky. Friendly Fire will void your efforts for a Blue Ribbon, so be careful about engaging basic Soldiers in front of the RPG Soldiers, as they may accidentally kill the basic Soldiers. Ride the Sky-Line to each of the elevated RPG Soldiers and finish them off with the Shotgun.
Wave 2
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Patriots, Firemen, Zealots
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat two enemies with a Possessed Patriot.
The key to completing this challenge lies in keeping the Patriot alive while you have him under the influence of the Possession Vigor. The best way to do that is to first lure the Fireman away from the Patriot and eliminate him one-on-one. Then, ride the Sky-Line to the Patriot and cast Possession on him. Continue hitting him with Possession whenever the effect wears off, so he can kill the basic Soldiers and maybe a Zealot when they arrive. Watch for the gondola to arrive with reinforcements and consider lending a hand with your Machine Gun to help soften up some of the attackers, so the Patriot can kill them easily.
Wave 3
Enemies Present: Firemen
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Force three Firemen to self-destruct while airborne from either Bucking Bronco or Undertow.
There are six Firemen on the map, which means you have ample opportunity to complete the challenge, but you’re also facing a significant hazard. Equip Bucking Bronco from the start, as well as the RPG, Hail Fire, or Volley Gun. Lure the Firemen down onto the larger open area in the center of the map and open fire on them. Cast Bucking Bronco to float them into the air and switch to your heavy artillery. Spam the Volley Gun or RPGs at them while continuing to cast Bucking Bronco whenever the Firemen are about fall back to the ground. Firemen trigger a self-destruct phase once they’re reduced to 15% of their total health. Keep them in the air and watch them detonate. Killing two or even three at once isn’t unusual.
Wave 4
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Volley Gunners
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Damage 5 enemies with Vigor traps.
This wave features 11 enemies, providing plenty of opportunity for you to catch five of them in a Vigor trap. Fortunately, you don’t need to use numerous Vigors. Consider setting up a Devil’s Kiss or Murder of Crows trap near the Duke and Dimwit statue, then back away to lure the enemies in your direction. Fire a few occasional shots to get their attention if they don’t seem to be attacking. Place additional traps as necessary and lure the enemies into it. The Vigor trap doesn’t need to kill the enemies for you to complete the challenge; it only has to injure them. The Murder of Crows trap is particularly useful, especially if upgraded, as the crows will disperse and attack enemies across a wide area.
Wave 5
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Snipers
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Complete the wave in under 0:45.
Equip an upgraded Shotgun and Undertow and immediately leap to the Sky-Line and ride it in a counter-clockwise direction. Sky-Line Strike the first enemy you see, then leap back to the Sky-Line to reach the upper platform where the next batch of enemies are. Knock them off with Undertow if they are near a ledge adjacent to open sky while blasting away at the others with the Shotgun. Continue in the counter-clockwise direction, using your Sky-Line Strike and Undertow on the remaining foes. It’s tempting to rush, but there are only six enemies and you’ll be able to reach them quite fast using the Sky-Lines.
Wave 6
Enemies Present: Handyman
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the Handyman while he’s electrocuting a Sky-Line.
With only one enemy to deal with, this wave isn’t as hard as those with lesser enemies. The trick to completing the Blue Ribbon Challenge is to weaken the Handyman enough while he’s on the ground, without killing him, so that you can finish him off while he’s on the Sky-Line. You can do this by hitting him with Devil’s Kiss (there’s an oil slick Tear that can help) and the Volley Gun, or use the RPG while he’s on the ground. Leap to the Sky-Line to lure him up onto it. Ride slowly and leap back to solid ground near him as soon as he grabs hold of the rails. Hit him with Undertow and the Volley Gun, or other preferred weaponry, to kill him while he’s electrocuting the rails. Pay close attention to his health meter and do not attack him while he’s on the ground once his health has been reduced below 20%, because you don’t want to accidentally shoot him in the heart for heavy damage.
Wave 7
Enemies Present: Soldiers, RPG Soldiers, Patriots
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat five enemies with Undertow.
Stand in the open on the gondola you start on and wait for the first enemy ship to pull alongside. Don’t shoot the enemies here (and definitely don’t open the Tear for the Gun Automaton). Blast the Soldiers and RPG Soldiers with Undertow as soon as the ship arrives to knock them off. The first ship has five enemies and the second ship has six, including a Motorized Patriot. Unload on the enemies aboard the second ship from afar with the Volley Gun and the Gun Automaton. Cast Possession on the Motorized Patriot to cut down on the incoming gunfire.
Wave 8
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Volley Gunners
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat two enemies with a Possessed rocket turret.
This is a really tricky challenge to complete because all of the enemies are initially aboard the very same zeppelin that has the rocket turret you must Possess. Though it’s possible to eventually lure some of the enemies off the ship, the best way to do this is to use the Undertow Vigor’s “grab and pull” alternate attack. Ride the Sky-Line up to the roof above the Duke and Dimwit Theater and pull several of the enemies off the zeppelin onto the rooftop. Ride the Sky-Line across the map to get away from them, then turn and Possess the zeppelin’s rocket turret from across the map. Continue casting Possession as many times as it takes until the Blue Ribbon Challenge is completed. At that point you only need to finish off the other enemies. Then, turn your attention on the rocket turret—your final enemy. Open fire with the RPG or a Machine Gun.
Wave 9
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Zealots, Patriots
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat every enemy with a different weapon or Vigor.
The fact that there are eight different enemies means you’re going to have to get a little creative. Fortunately, you only need to ensure that the fatal blow is different for each enemy. Start the wave by firing the RPG or Volley Gun down at the cluster of enemies near the Motorized Patriot to weaken them all, then stop firing immediately as the Soldier is killed. With any luck the Zealot will pursue you on the roof. Finish him with Devil’s Kiss or Shock Jockey, then open fire on a Soldier down below with the Carbine. Kill the Motorized Patriot with either Charge or Return to Sender and use its Crank Gun against one of the distant Soldiers. Retreat from the Motorized Patriot to recover Salts and Health near the ice cream store and grab the RPG from the Tear behind it. Save the RPG for the second Motorized Patriot. First finish off the other Soldiers using Charge, a weapon you hadn’t used before (dropped by an enemy) or Possession. Possessed Soldiers kill themselves, so this will count—just make sure there are no enemies nearby for them to attack.
Wave 10
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Volley Gunners
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Complete the wave using only Charge, Return to Sender, and Shotguns.
Ride the Sky-Line in a counter-clockwise direction to the roof opposite the theater and use a combination of Charge and the Shotgun to one-two each of the enemies here. A Shotgun blast alone isn’t enough to kill a Volley Gunner, but using Charge first weakens them enough for the Shotgun to finish them off. Return to Sender is also effective, but a bit riskier tactic because it slows you down and makes you more vulnerable to enemy fire. Stay on the move, using Charge to fly across the gaps from one gondola to the next. You can use both the Shotgun and Heater for this challenge.
Wave 11
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Patriots
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the Patriot with a Possessed enemy.
Remain on the initial gondola while the others come into view and ready the Undertow Vigor as the first several armored Soldiers make their way toward you. Knock them off the gondola with Undertow and take cover. There are still too many other enemies on the distant gondolas to risk advancing beyond the first or second gondola. Use the Carbine or Sniper Rifle to pick off a few other enemies, until there are only four enemies remaining, including the Motorized Patriot. Now take aim on the Motorized Patriot with the Machine Gun or a rifle to weaken it. Keep your distance and conserve your Salts for the final attack. Watch the Motorized Patriot’s health carefully and continue attacking until it has only a sliver of health remaining. Then, turn and cast Possession on the remaining Soldiers. With some luck, they’ll be able to kill the Motorized Patriot before it kills them.
Wave 12
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Snipers
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat all enemies with Vigor traps.
Ensure that you have fully upgraded the Murder of Crows Vigor before starting this wave. Leap to the second gondola and place multiple Murder of Crows traps on the floor of the gondola and also place one on the third gondola. The Soldiers will leap from gunboat to gunboat and trigger the traps. Once tripped, a Murder of Crows trap unleashes a flock of crows in all directions, leaving you free to watch as the birds peck your enemies to death. The enemy corpses will become traps themselves, ensuring that Murder of Crows chains from one victim to the next, all from a single trap.
Wave 13
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Volley Gunners
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat five enemies with a single Devil’s Kiss blast.
Make sure to have fully upgraded the Devil’s Kiss Vigor before starting this challenge. The enemies all begin atop the gazebo and the only way to get five of them huddled up close enough to kill at once is with Undertow. Pull them down to the ground near the starting point, then put some distance between you and your foes. Replenish your Salts either from Elizabeth or via the Tear beneath the gazebo and switch to Bucking Bronco. The only way to stay alive while you have this many Volley Gunners in one place is to hold them aloft with Bucking Bronco. Use the Vigor repeatedly to keep them in the air, then toss a charged-up Devil’s Kiss attack at them. The combo of Bucking Bronco and Devil’s Kiss should burn at least five of them to death.
Wave 14
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Handyman
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the Handyman with a Tesla Coil.
This isn’t a particularly difficult challenge to complete, provided you are patient and purchase an extra life before you begin. Equip the Carbine and Shotgun and use them to eliminate the three Soldiers before you engage the Handyman. It’s important to get them out of the way early, in order to focus on evading the Handyman’s attacks. Once the other enemies are defeated, open the Tesla Coil Tear in the gazebo and get the Handyman’s attention. The Tesla Coil inflicts very minor damage to the Handyman, so you’re going to have to weaken him substantially on your own. Do this by using the Machine Gun, Hand Cannon, or Vigors like Devil’s Kiss or Charge. Stay on the run to bait the Handyman toward the gazebo. Run and jump repeatedly to avoid some of the Handyman’s ground-pound attacks while you lure him through the gazebo, down the stairs, and back up toward the Tesla Coil. Use the Sky-Line to reach the Medkits atop the theater if you take too much damage.
Wave 15
Enemies Present: Soldiers, RPG Soldiers
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Complete the wave in under 1:30.
This challenge is easier than it sounds at first because you don’t actually have to kill all of the enemies on the gondola and in the zeppelin under the time limit to complete the wave. You actually only need to destroy the zeppelin’s engine and then run out of the door to the right. Use the Sniper Rifle and Undertow to rid the gondolas of the Soldiers. Pull them toward your position with the Undertow alternate attack, then blast them with standard Undertow to send them to their death. Take a moment to make sure you eliminated all of the Soldiers on the gondolas, then use the hooks to Sky-Hook from gondola to gondola and up to the zeppelin. Switch to Bucking Bronco and sprint down the walkway to the interior. Cast Bucking Bronco repeatedly at the enemies inside the zeppelin to incapacitate them while you sprint toward the rear of the ship. Destroy the engine (follow the on-screen prompt), then turn to the right, and leap out of the door to finish the wave.