Lancer



The Lancer is a new Big Daddy type introduced in the Minerva's Den DLC for BioShock 2. Its main weapon is the Ion Laser, and it can use an Ion Flash Attack to blind opponents. According to The Thinker, the Lancer is the most technologically advanced Big Daddy in Rapture. Lancers have a much more stylized appearance than its brethren, its armor resembling a cross between Art Deco (its helmet is designed to resemble a Rapturian skyscraper) and the knights of the Middle Ages. Lancers have a cape attached to their upper torso, and save for a few clusters of barnacles their armor is in near-pristine condition. A gyroscope-like object serves as the valve on their oxygen tank, rather than the typical metal wheel.

Lancer "Moods"
The Lancer, not unlike its more rustic counterparts, has three "moods" that may occur when the player encounters them. These moods appear as the color of the portholes on the Lancer's helmet.
 * Green light: A Big Daddy under the effects of Hypnotize will produce a green light from their portholes. These Big Daddies are friendly to the player, and will protect them as if they were a Little Sister.
 * Yellow Light: A Big Daddy with yellow lights emanating from its portholes is neutral to the player, and will not attack them (if the player is in a neutral Big Daddy's path, though, he will knock the player away). By default, unscripted Big Daddies always start out in this mood. Some scripted Big Daddies spawn in other moods, but this is purely for the purpose of effect.
 * Red Light: A Big Daddy attacked by the player will produce a red light, and will immediately start attacking them.

Attacks
The Lancer has three types of attack:
 * Shoot: The Lancer's main attack, during which it fires its Ion Laser at the target.
 * Ion Flash: The Lancer's special attack, temporarily blinds all enemies looking in the Big Daddy's direction in a white flash. Before initating an Ion Flash, the Lancer will emit a high-pitched whistling sound, warning the player. Looking away from the Lancer during the Ion Flash will negate its effects.
 * Punch: At melee range, the Lancer will swing their Ion Laser at the enemy, dealing moderate damage and knockback.

Strategy
While many strategies may apply equally well to all Big Daddies, each type has their own particular characteristics worth noting, which may lead to specialized tactics.

General

 * Always ensure one has full Health, as well as a reliable supply of First Aid Kits, EVE and ammunition before fighting a Big Daddy, as these are one of the toughest enemies in the game.
 * It is recommended to study a Big Daddy's path and stalk them, so as to attack them where the player has the biggest advantage. Study the environment as well, so as to be able to formulate a winning strategy.
 * Always ensure one has complete control over the fighting area (i.e. the place is clear of Splicers and all Security Devices have been hacked). Loss of control might signify defeat in the later stages of a fight.
 * Never take on another enemy while dealing with a Big Daddy, except in some unique cases (see below). If the player is forced to fight another enemy, take it down first and come back to the Big Daddy.
 * Little Sisters always stop to drain ADAM from any nearby corpse they find. Corpses can also be moved by the player, enabling them to choose where they want the Big Daddy they're targeting to halt.
 * Piling up several explosives onto a Big Daddy's path (preferably on top of an oil slick) and blowing it up at the right moment is a cheap and effective way of killing, or at least severely injuring, a Big Daddy. If the enemy survives, they will be on fire, which will drain their health continuously.

Lancer

 * Listen carefully for a high-pitched whistling sound, as it's always the precursor to an imminent Ion Flash.
 * Take cover frequently, as the Lancer's main strength relies on being able to lay down continuous damage.
 * Although they have the potential to deal heavy damage, Lancers aren't as tough as most other Big Daddies. Launching a barrage of attacks at the beginning of a fight will allow the player to save up on First Aid Kits.
 * Security Bots are immune to the Ion Flash ability, and their relative commonness in Minerva's Den means that a pair of Bots is both an economic and effective way of boosting one's firepower against Lancers.

General

 * Hypnotize is, obviously, a prime choice when faced with a Big Daddy, as it turns the hulking creature into the player's bodyguard. It can also be used to pit two Big Daddies against each other, which is both an entertaining and effective way of killing them.
 * Incinerate! is recommended against Big Daddies, as a single cast will drain a significant portion of their health over time.
 * Telekinesis may come in handy if there are explosives lying around. It can also help the player formulate various different strategies (see above and below).
 * Electro Bolt will temporarily stun the Big Daddy, as well as deal increased damage (especially in water).
 * Insect Swarm will distract the Big Daddy as well as deal continuous damage, allowing the player to take potshots at it.
 * Winter Blast can help the player quickly dispatch a Big Daddy, as it stuns them and reduces the amount of damage needed to destroy them. However, their corpse will shatter, leaving no loot.
 * Security Command can singlehandedly take down a Big Daddy if the player performs the following strategy:
 * First of all, hack a nearby Security Camera and stop the needle on a red zone.
 * Paint the target Big Daddy with Security Command (Note: as this deals no direct damage, this won't cause the Big Daddy to attack the player in any way).
 * By the end of the alarm, the Big Daddy will be either severely weakened or dead, without the player risking themselves at any point. Note: This strategy is more effective on Bouncers as they cannot destroy Security Bots unless they stray too low.

Lancer

 * Gravity Well will pin the Lancer in place, preventing them from breaching the player's cover and making it easier to turn away from them when they charge up an Ion Flash attack.

General

 * Armor-piercing ammo also deals increased damage against Big Daddies, although not as much as electric ammunition.
 * Upgrading the Drill so that it deals extra damage against foes makes this weapon a very palatable choice in a Big Daddy fight. Daddy Dashes are capable of tearing large chunks of a Big Daddy's health at a time, especially combined with Electro Bolt. The only downside to this is that is is both fuel-costly and brings the player to the Big Daddy's personal space, rendering one vulnerable.
 * Heavy Rivets, due to the fact that they deal more damage than standard Rivets, can be considered to be armor-piercing ammunition in this case.
 * Solid Slugs deal a very high amount of damage, and in this case count as armor-piercing ammunition. The size of Big Daddies compensates for the relative difficulty to aim with this ammo type, and also allows the player to fire from a longer distance than if they used any other ammo type for the Shotgun.
 * Phosphorus Buck deals a high amount of damage and sets the target on fire. This makes it an effective weapon against Big Daddies, especially if used at the beginning of a fight.
 * Standard Spears, due to their high damage output, can help in a Big Daddy battle, even though location-based bonuses do not apply.
 * Rocket Spears are extremely potent ordnance when it comes to disposing of a Big Daddy: the combined effects of the Spear hit, the fire, and the explosion will leave the enemy severely wounded, even if it was fired at him while he was at full health.

Lancer

 * Burst Cells for the Ion Laser will take a huge chunk out of the Lancer's health, allowing the player to kill them in four full bursts. Be careful, though, as this will completely drain the player's ammo reserves and requires one to have the maximum 200 units of Burst Cells.

General

 * The Armored Shell line of Tonics will significantly reduce damage received by a Big Daddy's attacks, making this a very useful Gene Tonic to have during combat.
 * The EVE Saver line of Tonics will reduce the cost in EVE when casting Plasmids.
 * Damage Research will significantly increase damage dealt against enemies researched using the Research Camera. The effectiveness of this Gene Tonic is entirely dependent on how much research the player has done.
 * Medical Expert will increase medkit carry capacity by one, thus allowing the player to endure longer battles.
 * EVE Expert will increase EVE Hypo carry capacity by one, thus allowing the player to endure longer battles.

Trivia

 * Judging from the striking similarities between the models, it appears that the Lancer Big Daddy is the finished version of the "Deco-Rosie" model used as a statue in the Outer Persephone level and also seen in concept art from Deco Devolution.
 * In the artbook, the developers mention the early design of this Big Daddy to be reminiscent of a knight, which would explain why it was nicknamed the "Lancer" (The lance was a medieval weapon used by cavalrymen; it is typically associated with knights as they used these weapons in jousting tournaments).