Gameplay Fundamentals

Welcome to Columbia! While it seems like a pleasant place, you’ll soon find out that the skies are filled with danger. In this chapter, you’ll learn the ins and outs of living in Columbia, as well as how to defeat your enemies with the tools you’re provided!

Controls

BioShock Infinite controls from a first-person perspective, which should be familiar if you’re experienced with the genre.

Difficulty

There are four difficulty modes in BioShock Infinite, if you’re looking for additional challenge.

The game systems that are affected by increased difficulty are:

1999 Mode

1999 Mode unlocks after you’ve beaten the game on any difficulty or input a secret code that any true gamer should be familiar with on the main menu (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, /, /) and offers an even greater challenge than Hard difficulty, with an added twist: if you can’t afford your respawn, it’s game over!

If Booker dies in 1999 Mode with less than $100, you return to the Main Menu without the ability to respawn. To succeed in 1999 Mode, you’ll need to save as much money as you can and make sure Booker is in peak condition before you get into battles.

Aim Assist and the Navigation Aid are completely turned off in 1999 Mode, so you’ll need to work for each kill and know your way around Columbia. Also, once you’ve started 1999 Mode, you can’t change difficulty, so once you’re in, you’re in for the long haul!

To triumph in 1999 Mode, be sure to save your money—don’t buy upgrades for Vigors or weapons that you don’t use very often, and try to keep your health and Salts up by using items in the environment.

Fighting

In order to complete your mission and bring Elizabeth to New York, you’ll need to fight your way through Comstock’s army of Founders and Vigor-enhanced minions, all while civil unrest is reaching its peak on the floating islands of Columbia.

Booker has a variety of methods to meet these challenges and vanquish his foes, including firearms, fantastical Vigors, and the wonderous Sky-Hook.

You’ll do most of your fighting using the guns that can be found around Columbia that defeated enemies drop. Each gun has its own strengths and weaknesses, so be ready to switch your sidearm often to be prepared for any combat situation.

To pick up a weapon, hold / when close to it. If you already have the same weapon equipped as the one you’re trying to grab, you won’t be able to collect it, but you can walk over it to replenish the ammo for that weapon.

Booker can only carry two weapons at a time. If you want to change the equipped weapon, you’ll need to have Booker drop one first. Picking up a weapon while he has two equipped causes Booker to drop the weapon he’s currently using. It is very important that you don’t lose the weapon that you want to keep in the game. You certainly do not want to run into a group of Founders and find out you have been carrying two weapons without ammo!

When using a weapon, you can fire normally by pressing RT/R1, or aim down the barrel of your gun by pressing R/R3. Using Iron Sights increases Booker’s accuracy but slows down his walking speed and narrows the field of vision. If Aim Assist is turned on, Iron Sights will also quick-snap the reticule to an enemy’s head, allowing for quick and easy headshots. Try not to use the Iron Sights when enemies are close to keep from being taken by surprise.

You can knock back extremely close enemies by using Booker’s Sky-Hook and pressing /. The Sky-Hook does not require ammo, but after swinging it, you cannot fire or attack again for a brief period, so avoid using it if you are surrounded.

Sky-hook Data

When enemies are low on health, a skull icon appears and you can perform a special melee execution by holding down / for a brief period. These graphic executions can only be employed on normal enemies, Zealots of the Lady, and Beasts, so don’t waste your time trying these attacks on a Motorized Patriot or a Fireman.

Booker can also fight enemies using the fantastic Vigors found around Columbia, each of which has unique effects. Every Vigor is tied to an element or effect, and the effect of each has varying degrees of success against the different types of enemies. Check out the Enemies of the People chapter of this guide for more detail concerning the best attacks against each enemy type.

Vigors can only be used as long as you have the Salts to use them. To cycle between your Vigors, tap LB/L2 to quickly switch between your most recently used Vigor or hold down LB/L2 to open up the radial menu where you can freely select from all your collected Vigors. The game will pause while this menu is open, so use this command to take a breather and assess the situation while equipping the Vigors you’ll need.

Each Vigor has two modes of fire—a standard attack that is performed by pressing LT/L1 and a secondary attack that is performed by holding down LT/L1. For several Vigors, this will allow you to place a trap for foes on the ground—Possession, Devil’s Kiss, Murder of Crows, Shock Jockey, Return to Sender, and Bucking Bronco.

These traps trigger whenever an enemy comes close and can potentially hit multiple targets with one explosion or effect. It is advantageous to set up traps whenever you are fighting enemies in an enclosed space where they can’t avoid them. Foes will often blissfully run right over them, allowing you to stun your targets and take them out!

The other Vigors all have their own unique actions when you hold the Vigor fire button down. For more information on these miracles of science, check out the in-depth section of this guide that discusses the Vigors in detail.

Shielded from the Truth

Shortly after beginning the game, Booker receives a Shield Infusion from the mysterious duo that has been following him around. Once it is equipped, any damage that is taken will drain the Shield instead of Booker’s health as long as the Shield is charged.

When the Shield is drained, there is a short delay before it recharges again. This delay resets if you suffer any damage while the Shield is down. While the Shield is depleted, it is important to find cover and get to safety so it can completely recharge.

You can increase the potency of the Shield by finding Infusions that are located around the world, but you should choose these Infusions wisely, since this choice comes at the expense of increasing the capacity of the Salts or Health Meters!

Dying in Columbia

In most difficulty levels, death is only a temporary setback. When Booker’s health is depleted, he’ll be resuscitated and moved into a safe place, only suffering a slight monetary penalty of Silver Eagles. When you revive, your health won’t be fully restored and some of your enemies’ health will be, but you will be granted additional ammo and Salts.

Unless you are playing the game in 1999 Mode, Booker can still revive even if you don’t have the amount of Silver Eagles that the death penalty would drain. If you are having trouble in a particular encounter, don’t worry about it. It may be frustrating at first, but you can keep trying to complete the battle until you are able to overcome it.

Sky-hook Travel

Booker can travel quickly across the landscape of Columbia by using the Sky-Lines that are located around the floating city. To hop onto a Sky-Line, simply look at it until you see a green arrow indicating the direction that you would like to travel, then press /.

While Booker is on the Sky-Line, the controls for the game change slightly.

Sky-Line Controls

It’s important to constantly adjust Booker’s speed while on a Sky-Line—speed up when trying to get away from enemies, and slow down to fire on an opponent below. While he is on a Sky-Line, Booker won’t be able to use the power of Vigors, so make sure you’re not fighting an adversary that requires their use while Booker is riding a Sky-Line.

If you need to have Booker change directions while riding on a Sky-Line, press /, and he’ll quickly jump to a Sky-Line going in the other direction. You can use this kind of movement to keep an enemy targeted while also moving fast enough to avoid their attacks!

While on a Sky-Line, Booker has access to a powerful attack called the Sky-Line Strike, which allows him to quickly travel from a Sky-Line directly onto an enemy! The Sky-Line Strike deals massive damage, easily enough to instantly kill any normal foe.

You’ll also find many freight hooks located in the environment that you can jump to by pressing /. These hooks won’t let you travel, but you can most certainly use them to perform a highly-damaging Sky-Line Strike.