Handyman (Enemy)

"Stop moving! Every sound hurts!"

- A Handyman

The Handyman appears in BioShock Infinite as an archetypal armored enemy in Columbia. Their mechanized forms were created by Bettermen's Autobodies to help disabled, sickly, or severely injured citizens of Columbia to not only be able-bodied, but to regain their vitality and technically "live forever." However, the procedure came at the price of having to live with a large and highly disproportionate body and a high amount of unintended side effects. At the Columbian Annual Raffle and Fair, a Handyman is on display, and appears fearful and distressed by the watchful crowd. Combat quotes from Handymen suggest that some live in great pain and cannot sleep, showing that the Autobody doesn't work as effectively as advertised, or even that they were forced into the Autobody against their will. The sadness of living encased in a machine and the intense physical pain that many experience often leads to outbreaks of psychotic rage, during which, they are inconsolable and will harm anything and everything that represents a threat to them.

Characteristics
Like the Big Daddies of Rapture, the Handyman is a human artificially bonded to a mechanical suit. However, unlike the Big Daddy, Handymen are dressed in a patriotic uniform (with the exception of the Vox Populi variant) and have a gorilla-like posture and build. They also have exposed human body parts, particularly their head and heart, the latter of which is kept in a fluid-filled glass tank on their chests attached to several hoses. Thick bundles of cables run from their limbs to a pair of conductors on their backs, which allow the Handyman to utilize electricity as a weapon. (Upon defeating a Handyman, the conductors will overload and send a blast of electricity around the area. This doesn't harm the player.) Their mechanical hands appear to be made of porcelain. Their feet are like hob-nailed boots, with some bent nails hanging out. Each Handyman's torso bears the label "AUTOBODY."

The Handymen possess great strength and speed and are capable of leaping great distances. In addition to their incredible physical attributes, they are completely free-willed, unlike the Big Daddies of Rapture. This makes them even more dangerous because they will not simply attack the player until Booker dies: they seek cover, exploit the environment around them to flank Booker (and other enemies), and even throw people at the protagonist if he's out of reach, but within their throwing range. They can close the distance between themselves and their target in fast charges. Moreover, they have the capacity to conduct electricity from their suits, including the ability to hurl balls of lightning as well as electrify Sky-Line rails with their hands. However, while in combat, they frequently pause in order to cough or to compose themselves before attacking again.

Even with their exposed heads, Handymen are extremely resistant to headshots; where shooting any other enemy in the head will instantly kill or severely injure them, the Handyman take the same amount of damage as with a normal blow. They are also very resilient when attacked with Vigors. The only real weaknesses of Handymen are their hearts. They appear to be in a state of constant pain and are extremely sensitive to loud noises.

Strategy
The key to fighting the Handyman (especially on Hard and 1999 Mode) is:


 * It's not a good idea to use Possession on Handyman for an ally, because they are immune to the Vigor's effects.
 * Defeat as many other enemies as possible to eliminate distractions.
 * Stay near the Handyman on a Sky-Line (which are present every time a Handyman is encountered, excluding the first fight in Finkton), reversing back and forth as necessary. This behavior will frustrate the Handyman, and he will jump on the Sky-Line to electrocute it. As soon as the Handyman jumps up, immediately drop from the Sky-Line.
 * The Handyman will hang from the Sky-Line until the animation is complete, exposing his heart. Lay into his chest for as long as you can before he drops down again, then jump back on the Sky-Line as soon as the electricity wears off.
 * Repeat this to defeat the Handyman.
 * Defeating a Handyman by shooting him only in the heart will earn the Achievement/Trophy "Heartbreaker".

Recommended Weapons

 * Due to the chaotic nature of fighting in BioShock Infinite, accurately attacking the Handyman's weak points is a constant struggle. Explosive weapons are recommended when accuracy must be sacrificed for survival, due to the Handyman's large size.
 * Should the player be exceptionally skilled at accurate firing, a Carbine is suitable for combating a Handyman. Its high fire rate allows the player to easily score heartshots on Handymen if unloaded at close range; however, it is not as effective at medium range due to recoil, and the need to pace shots to retain accuracy.
 * A Hand Cannon is a fair substitute for a Carbine at medium range. In this case, fire rate and magazine size are sacrificed for a large increase in damage, especially when scoring critical hits, while retaining accuracy.
 * Although few situations present themselves as such, the player can easily topple a Handyman with a well-spent magazine from the Crank Gun.
 * A Shotgun is an effective secondary weapon, as after the Handyman electrocutes the Sky-Lines the Shotgun can be used to deal massive amounts of damage to the heart. It is important to escape the Handyman's striking range before he drops from the Sky-Line, as their melee strikes can easily deal critical damage.

Recommended Vigors

 * Murder of Crows is a highly recommended Vigor, as it not only distracts the Handyman, but he will try to hit the crows away, exposing his heart.
 * Shock Jockey achieves the same stunning effect, except the Handyman will use his hand to cover his heart within the second he is shocked.
 * The second variant of Undertow is recommended for Handymen fights as the watery tentacle will restrain his arms, leaving an open view of his heart for several seconds. In addition, since the majority of his body is machinery, he will take electrical damage from the use of Undertow.
 * Devil's Kiss deals minor damage to a Handyman, but is easy to use due to the Handyman's large profile.
 * Charge with the invulnerability upgrade can cause some damage and quickly recharge Booker's shield, which can help when there are other threats with the Handyman nearby.
 * Return to Sender can absorb the damage dealt by a Handyman attack, filling it in an instant. It can then be sent right back at the Handyman to return the damage, making it very effective.

Recommended Gears

 * Using the Gears Winter Shield (Shirt) and Fire Bird (Boot), the player can take advantage of the Sky-Lines in combat. Winter Shield will provide temporary invulnerability, while Fire Bird will cause 400 damage over 5 seconds. All the player must do is continuously jump off the Sky-Line near the Handyman to repeatedly deal damage.
 * Urgent Care will reduce the recharge rate of Booker's shields if they happen to to be depleted.
 * Handyman Nemesis will deal more critical damage to a Handyman.

When Player is on a Sky-Line

 * "Get off that thing!"
 * "Get down!"
 * "Get off!"
 * "That's my line! Mine!"
 * "Get down from there!"

When Injured

 * "Go away. Please, go away."
 * "Stop, every sound hurts!"
 * "Stop tormenting me!"
 * "I'm supposed to be dead!"

In Combat

 * "Every step is like burning coal!"
 * "I want to sleep!"
 * "Wanna feel like me?"
 * "You're making so much noise!"
 * "Making me angry!"
 * "Break your legs!"
 * "Why are you doing this?"
 * "You're supposed to die!"
 * "Stop making so much noise!"
 * "Look at me...look at me!"
 * "Turn me off, please!"

Searching For Player

 * "Where did you go?!"
 * "Come out here!"
 * "No hiding!"
 * "I'll find you!"

Finds the Player

 * "I know where you are!"

Sees the Player Run

 * "Stop running!"
 * "Slow down!"

Vox-Aligned Handyman

 * "Comstock took my body! Wasn't even sick!"
 * "You're not Dewitt! Liar!"
 * "Comstock... gonna pay!"
 * "Give me back my body Comstock! Give it back to me!"
 * "Impostor! Impostor!"

Miscellaneous

 * "Pummel you to bits!"
 * "Do to you what they did to me!"
 * "My heart...it hurts!"
 * "You're making so much noise!"
 * "So loud!"
 * "I didn't do nothing...and they did this to me!"
 * "Every step is like coals!"
 * "Everything hurts!"
 * "See how you like it!"
 * "I miss my old body. It was so...so warm!"
 * "Cut it out of you!"
 * "Gears are turning in my head! And they hurt!"
 * "My heart feels like a block of ice...heavy..."
 * "The pain! The pain!"
 * "Teeth are chattering...but don't have teeth no more!"
 * "The gears are grinding my skin!"
 * "False Shepherd!"

Behind the Scenes

 * Before the name "Handyman" was revealed, this type of enemy was referred to as an "Alpha" by the Irrational Games team.
 * The October 2010 issue of GameInformer featured three different BioShock Infinite themed covers. One of the covers showed a full-body artwork of a Handyman.
 * In The Art of BioShock Infinite, Handyman conceptually originated as art for a rejected "Claw Daddy", a normal looking man that wore a Art Nouveau styled exoskeleton suit with large claws. the art concepts also depict how this enemy would grab and rip his foes in half.
 * An early concept for Merged Citizens and enemies would have also included the Handyman. Two art versions from the Merged concepts were made: one having a distorted face with a unique Auto-Body (as seen in the Gallery above), and the rejected "Claw Daddy", which would have had a Art Nouveau styled scarred face.
 * In a office on the Finkton Docks, a Voxophone recorded by Hattie Gerst reveals that her husband Samuel developed stomach cancer after several years of work at Monument Island. She then claims that Comstock provided her husband with a new body "through his servant, Fink."
 * During the scene where Daisy Fitzroy is giving her victory speech in Shantytown, the player can encounter several Vox Populi members posing for pictures alongside a defeated Handyman near the Graveyard Shift. In his hand is a Voxophone containing a comforting message from his wife.
 * A photo of one particular Handyman is placed under the "pacifist" heading on a board in the Comstock House entrance, when Columbia is under an alternate Elizabeth's control.
 * The Handyman was the first known enemy for BioShock Infinite, as it appeared in the game's first trailer.
 * There are three different styles of Handyman:
 * The most common one encountered is bald and wears a tattered blue suit.
 * A single Vox Populi Handyman is fought at Fink Manufacturing; it wears a red hood and no clothing on its arms or torso, and has red or blood-splattered hands. Others like this one are encountered in Clash in the Clouds.
 * The final Handyman wears patriotic clothing and sports a mustache; this variant only appears in early screenshots and in the 2010 demo gameplay and is not seen in the final game, with the exception of an unlockable model in the DLC Clash in the Clouds.
 * Handymen only appear eight times over the course of BioShock Infinite, only four of which are actual enemies.
 * The Handyman makes an appearance in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale in the stage "Stowaways".
 * Due to the enormous scale of the Handyman models, their heads are disproportionate to, and larger than, any other human model in the game.