Proving Grounds

BioShock
Originally known as the Memorial Museum, with the discovery of ADAM and creation of Little Sisters and Big Daddies, the entire location was converted into the Big Daddy Proving Grounds, where the Protectors are trained in the defense of the gatherers. The building is topped with a dome and is the highest building in Rapture.

The winding hallways are spotted with fresh corpses from which Little Sisters gather ADAM while Big Daddies protect them. Jack must follow a Little Sister to proceed through specially locked doors to get to Fontaine. To Tenenbaum's chagrin, the Little Sisters remember their training well, and stop to harvest ADAM three times before leading Jack on. This stopping to gather forms the main focus of the mission in this area: escorting them safely through the Proving Grounds' linear route. The Little Sisters are no longer implanted with a slug, and are therefore physically vulnerable to attack. As you and the Sister progress through the Proving Grounds, she stops to gather ADAM from multiple corpses placed there for that purpose. The player must defend her from Splicers, turrets, and finally a rogue Bouncer. When the player first enters the lower portion of the Central Atrium, the Bouncer can be seen up on a balcony opposite, staring momentarily (and menacingly) at the player, then doing an about-face and charging through a door. Towards the very end of the Proving Grounds route, this Big Daddy breaks through a wall and angrily charges the player.

The Museum is one of the most powerful visuals demonstrating Rapture's fall. A grand establishment where citizenry could come to be educated and view splendors has now been reduced to a corpse-ridden training gauntlet for the gruesome pairs that roam Rapture. As such, it is even more damaged and in greater disarray than the other parts of the city. It is especially noticeable when the player first enters the Atrium area: gunfire, explosions, and the rumbling roars of Big Daddies can be heard in the distance. If the player looks over the balcony railing, he can witness a Big Daddy fighting with a splicer, and in the process wrecking a large skeleton, part of yet another doomed museum display.

Basics

 * Your job is to protect the Little Sister while she gathers ADAM.
 * Individual splicers will attack as you walk.
 * She will stop to harvest 3 times.
 * Each time, a large wave of splicers will attack.
 * The new gold Health Bar is hers.
 * If LS dies, you get a new LS, but try to keep one alive the whole way.
 * Turrets are friendly to you, but not to her, so hack them in advance.

Here We Go

 * Start with a machine gun with anti-personnel ammo.
 * Go through two doors and around a corner.
 * Step ahead of LS to kill a splicer around the next corner.
 * Within seconds, a spider splicer will come, so watch the ceiling.

First Stop

 * You will soon reach a sign "Test Subject" at a u-turn in the hall.
 * Little Sister will stop to feed in front of the sign.
 * Before she gets there, run ahead to set Cyclone traps blocking the far side.
 * Go back to face the hall you just came down with napalm ready.
 * You will see splicers coming from a distance. Just keep napalming them.
 * When done, switch to frags (Grenade Launcher).

Once More Into The Abyss

 * As you continue down the hall, a splicer-bot pair appears. Frag him.
 * Switch back to napalm.
 * Continue to the next corner.
 * Run ahead to hack a Security Camera on the left.
 * Hack a flame-throwing turret down the hall.

Second Stop

 * LS will stop opposite the camera.
 * Facing the camera, set up Cyclone traps to the left.
 * Stand a few steps to the right with the turret behind you.
 * Exploding buck makes a nice backup here.
 * As splicers come, try to keep the traps set.
 * Watch for when LS is done and starts moving.

On The Road Again

 * Run ahead of her and hack a machine gun turret.
 * Through the next door, you may have to struggle to get past her.
 * Go around a couple of corners to hack an RPG turret on the left.
 * LS has to open another door for you.
 * A sunken part of the hall is filled with water with splicers in it. Kill 'em. Electro Bolt will work wonders as all of them are standing in the water.
 * LS will take off running while you are stuck sloshing through the water.
 * Another splicer-bot pair are ahead. Two frags takes him out, then keep running.

Third Stop

 * A machine gun turret is ahead on the left, just opposite her next stop.
 * Run past her to hack it, then jump on the platform to its right.
 * Run back and hack the Security Camera.
 * Switch to napalm or auto anti-personnel rounds as you run back.
 * A splicer or two may already be on LS, but hacking the camera pays in the long run.
 * Kill any splicers and set several Cyclone Traps around LS.
 * If you are lucky, most of the splicers will come from behind the turret.
 * On Hard and/or if you are unlucky, they may come from different directions.
 * Just keep resetting the traps and using your weapons.
 * Help out the turret because if they destroy it, your job gets a lot harder.
 * (This is more of a problem on Hard than on Medium skill.)

Last Move

 * When LS moves again, jump ahead and kill an evasive splicer.
 * As soon as she is dead, switch from napalm to Electric Gel.
 * A rogue Big Daddy will break through the wall. Gel him.

This completes the Proving Ground. If you were able to follow this guide, you should not have lost a Little Sister.

Also note it might be useful to quickly hack the Security Cameras along the way so they can summon the Security Bots to distract Splicers, winning you some more time to attack them.

You would like at least 75 units of Electric Gel for Fontaine. If Gelling the Big Daddy leaves you short, you are better off using something else to kill him. A U-Invent machine in this area may let you make some more Electric Gel.

Little Sister will leave you after giving you a hypo to use on Fontaine.

The room you are left in has a lot of EVE, First Aid Kits, and all kinds of ammo. Max out as much as you can.

A Gatherer's Garden has one last Health Upgrade and EVE Upgrade.

Finally, outfit yourself at the Gene-Bank for the "big battle". (This is really the easiest final big boss battle in history.)

All you need is less than 100 units of Electric Gel, plus Security Bullseye and the following Combat Tonics:


 * Human Inferno 2 (Resists damage from fire attacks.)
 * Frozen Field 2 (Resists damage from cold attacks.)
 * Electric Flesh 1 & 2 (Makes Electric Gel more effective.)
 * Static Discharge 2
 * Armored Shell

Of course, you can use any combination of plasmids, weapons, and strategy you wish. The upcoming strategy gets Fontaine to stand in one spot while you wipe him out with the above plasmids. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Make Security Bullseye your default plasmid and bring up the napalm.

Battle With Fontaine
Take the elevator up.

Fontaine will be on a platform up steps ahead of you.

The Quick-And-Easy Strategy
Here is the simplest strategy which uses maybe 3 First Aid Kits:

Round 1:
 * Run up the steps.
 * Press A to stick him with the hypo to drain his ADAM.
 * He will knock you back across the room. (This is how each round starts.)


 * Fontaine will hit you with fire (which you cannot catch).
 * He will charge and knock you around a little.
 * He stops, moves over to the left, and just stands there.
 * Empty 100 napalm on him.
 * He waits there patiently while you reload.
 * Empty 100 more. If a dab is left, switch to Electric Gel.
 * Finish him off. (Use very little Gel.)

Round 2:
 * If you have not already changed to Electric Gel, do so ASAP.
 * Start forward while the change is made and also hit B to up your Health.
 * Be sure the Electric Gel change is completed, then ...
 * Change to Security Bullseye.
 * You do not have a lot of time to get to him, so hustle over.
 * Run up the stairs, hypo, get knocked back.


 * This round, he calls bots.
 * Get up and hit him with Security Bullseye to get the bots off you.
 * When he charges and knocks you around, keep hitting him with it.
 * Bring up the Electric Gel.
 * Again, he will stay pretty much in one place while you Gel him.
 * Keep an eye on his Health because it goes quickly; don't waste Gel.

Round 3:
 * Change to Security Bullseye. Hit B to up your Health.
 * Repeat round 2 except that the bots from round 2 are already on him.
 * He probably won't charge you because of the bots, so start Gelling/RPG-ing him.

Round 4:
 * Run up and stick the hypo in him.
 * Little Sisters finish him off.

The end.

How easy was this? You never even had to move except to run up the stairs.

Trying For Perfection
Perfection would be not taking a single hit to your Health. This is possible by making Target Dummy your active plasmid. This requires perfect aim, timing and about 150 units of Electric Gel. No other ammo will hold him in place while you run down his Health.

Your timing on placing the Dummy must be perfect. Pull the trigger too soon and the Dummy will not appear, too late and Fontaine will launch his attack and you are worse off than the Quick-And-Easy plan.

Put the Dummy just in front of him so that you can keep aiming forward. If you put it to either side, he will move around and be hard to hit. If it is not too close to you, his attacks on the Dummy won't reach you.

Round 1:
 * Run up, hypo, get knocked back.
 * The instant you get control after Fontaine comes down, place a Target Dummy in front of him.
 * While he is attacking the Dummy, hit him with the Gel.

Rounds 2 & 3:
 * Hit reload and start for the stairs.
 * When the reload is done (as you are moving), switch to the plasmid.
 * Repeat round 1. Bots and splicers should also go after the Dummy.
 * When he is down, you may want to place another Dummy for the bots/splicers.

An alternative for round 1:

If you do not have enough Electric Gel for this strategy, you can accomplish the same thing by using proximity mines for the first round. Go up to where the shadow ends and there is a small ramp-up and place 6 proximity mines in a bunch there. Switch to heat-seekers and do the hypo.

After he knocks you back, get up and fire the heat-seeker at him. That should do it for round 1. In fact, just the mines may be enough, but why risk it? For rounds 2 and 3, switch back to Gel.