Hangar Bay

Advance along the left-hand side of the ship to the airlock and pass through it to reach two small offices and staterooms. You can scavenge for ammo and Salts inside the belly of the ship and purchase additional weapon and Vigor upgrades from the vending machines. The interior of the lower deck is typically devoid of Founders, allowing you to explore the area without much risk. Cut across the center of the hangar bay by leaping across a docked police barge and exit on the far side. It’s a good idea to sweep across the deck in a zigzag pattern, making sure to knock out each of the Gun Automatons as you go.

Continue to the front of the hangar bay where a total of four Gun Automatons are located, two on the outer walkway and two on the inner. Use Shock Jockey and the Hand Cannon or Shotgun to take them out with a potent one-two combo attack! The curving walkway leads to a safer overlook if you need it, but you should be able to have Booker walk up to the controls and pull the lever to clear the Sky-Lines. This first Sky-Line clears quickly.

Main Deck

Travel on the Sky-Line long enough to spot a Tear for a Gun Automaton on the side of the zeppelin’s second deck, and have Elizabeth open it as you leap down. Ready the Return to Sender Vigor and proceed to the center of the ship, near the stairs leading up to the controls. Use the Hand Cannon or Shotgun along with Return to Sender to take out the soldiers atop the stairs.

The center of the main deck has a series of locked rooms, several of them sealed shut with airlock doors beneath ominous red lights. Start at the south end of the ship and have Elizabeth pick the lock on the door beneath the “Secure Area” sign (and another next to an “Engineering” sign). Make your way through the interior rooms to find a Voxophone and a piece of Gear, the final one you’ll find hidden in Columbia.

Climb the stairs and press the button to clear the main deck’s Sky-Lines. The pods drop very slowly this time around, allowing for a pair of Vox warships to approach near each wing. You’re going to have to hold them off while the Patriot Pods are deployed. Make your way toward one of the wings where the Vox are boarding, and hit them with your Volley Gun or RPG and a blast of Undertow.

Use the lower Sky-Line to quickly reach the Vox gunship, leap into a Sky-Line Strike, then Undertow them off the side if you have enough Salt. Leap back to the Sky-Line and make your way to the other side, where you can execute a repeat performance. Open the Tear for the Medical Supplies if needed; otherwise, try to keep the two Gun Automatons active. One of the Vox warships ultimately deploys two Motorized Patriots of its own. Listen for Elizabeth’s alert, and make your way over to it to put it down.

With the main deck Sky-Line cleared, it’s time to head to the third level. Leap to the Sky-Line near the controls and ride it onto the upper wing as it comes into view.

Engineering Deck

Dismount onto the upper wing and run up the walkway steps to the airlock door, pressing the button to go inside. Continue up the stairs and open the next door to enter the interior of the deck.

The Engineering Deck is essentially comprised of two rooms. The room Booker first arrives in has a small circular Sky-Line running around it near the ceiling, whereas the second room has multiple Rocket Automatons. Pick up the Volley Gun and its ammo, and instruct Elizabeth to open the Tear for the Gun Automaton.

Leap to the Sky-Line to get the attention of the Handyman in the distance. Ride the Sky-Line in a loop while firing the Volley Gun at it. The Handyman can’t help but give chase, so try to lead it back to the Gun Automaton, then leap down to avoid being electrocuted. Open fire on the Handyman’s heart to kill it. Several heavily armored Founders start attacking at this time, as well. Try to stay close to the Gun Automaton and use Murder of Crows or Bucking Bronco to immobilize the enemies so the Gun Automaton can fire away without taking damage.

Dual Rocket Automatons, one on each side of the ship, guard the second section of this deck. Use Possession and the Volley Gun to destroy them one at a time, then advance past the vending machine and out onto the Sky-Line that runs along the perimeter of the ship, just below the Command Deck.

Confront Comstock

Dismount the Sky-Line and follow Elizabeth through the door to the oasis Comstock has created for himself aboard the Hand of the Prophet. Walk with Elizabeth to the bird bath where Comstock awaits and stand by, opting only to intervene when prompted to do so. The meeting ends soon enough, and Booker and Elizabeth are then free to proceed to the exterior of the Command Deck. First things first: head up the stairs on either side of the garden and locate the final two Voxophones. One is on Comstock’s bed, the other in the office. Equip the Shotgun hanging on the gun rack.

Protect the Zeppelin

Head to the bridge and man the controls to steer the zeppelin, though you won’t get very far. Fortunately, Elizabeth discovers a way to control the Songbird and entrusts Booker to use the Songbird to protect the zeppelin from an unrelenting attack by the Vox Populi.

This final, epic battle takes place on the top deck of the Hand of the Prophet, an area ringed by a lengthy Sky-Line and two elevated walkways. The Sky-Line dips at the bow and rises several stories to a narrow observation deck in the stern, where you can find a Tear for a Sniper Rifle. The Vox are going to attack with an assortment of gunships and zeppelins of their own. The gunships have their own cannons, but their primary purpose is to ferry dozens of Vox Populi foot soldiers into battle atop the deck of the ship. These enemies ignore you for the most part, as their main purpose is to march across the deck and open fire on the energy core beneath the bridge. The meter in the upper right-hand corner of the screen alerts you to how much durability the zeppelin still has.

Defending the zeppelin is too hard for one person to do alone; not even Booker can do it. Fortunately, you have the Songbird. You’ll be able to command the Songbird to attack any of the red targeting circles that appear. These targets appear on Vox gunships, at different areas of the zeppelin’s deck, and eventually on the enemy zeppelins. Keep in mind that the Songbird has to regain its strength after each attack. The larger the target you assign it, the longer it takes to recover and be ready for another strike. Both Elizabeth and the on-screen Songbird Meter keep you apprised of the Songbird’s status.

There are several Tears available on the deck, including those for Medical Kits, which you’ll need. Equip Gear that boosts your capabilities while using Sky-Lines and that adds extra damage to your explosive weapons. It’s also worth equipping at least one piece of Gear that offers temporary invincibility, whether from leaping off a Sky-Line or by eating a consumable. The key to successfully defending the Hand of the Prophet is to be in constant motion firing the Volley Gun or RPG at groups of enemies, using Sky-Line Strikes and Undertow to knock them off the ship, and making efficient use of the Songbird.

Instruct the Songbird to attack a gunship bearing cannons or Vox Beasts whenever it’s available to strike. Try to take care of the foot soldiers on your own, saving the Songbird for larger targets. It’s also worth watching the sides of the zeppelin for inbound gunships—you can save yourself a lot of trouble by having the Songbird destroy a gunship before the Vox disembark.

Enemy zeppelins, Vox Beasts, and Motorized Patriots pose the largest threat to the Hand of the Prophet. Don’t be afraid to hit the Motorized Patriots with Sky-Line Strikes and attacks from Vigors. Once you engage one of the Motorized Patriots in battle, try to either cast Possession on the other one (they almost always attack in pairs), or (at the least) focus your attention on that one. It’s better to have one fully functional Motorized Patriot shooting the energy core than two half-damaged ones attacking it.

This is a lengthy, difficult battle to survive on your first try, but stick with it. Use the Sky-Lines to move about the deck quickly, and try to kill as many of the Vox as you can the moment they board the zeppelin—do not allow them to make their way all the way to the energy core! Use the brief breaks between gunships to grab a Medical Kit or Salt Phial (there are several Vigors and Salt Phials near the controls behind the energy core), and stay on the move. Switch to the RPG on the crate near the energy core if you run out of ammo for the Volley Gun, but save its limited ammo for groups of enemies. Don’t be afraid to scavenge ammo and weapons from enemy corpses.