Drill

The Drill is a weapon used by Big Daddies in Rapture. All Bouncers have drills affixed to their suits, and playable Alpha Series such as Subject Delta can use Drills in BioShock 2.

BioShock
The Drill is the main weapon used by the Bouncer, and is capable of shredding any unfortunate Splicer in a matter of seconds. Drills are directly welded into the Bouncer's suit, and with one exception no Drill can be seen separated from its Big Daddy. Drills carry no loot and cannot be interacted with by Jack.

BioShock 2
The iconic weapon of the Bouncer, the Drill is the melee weapon for Subject Delta in BioShock 2. To be able to function to its fullest potential, it must be supplied with Drill Fuel. This is the first weapon available to the player, and is on Delta's person at the start of the game.

Attack Types
Delta can use the Drill to perform three different attacks:


 * He can bore directly into an enemy until they die. This consumes fuel, but it quickly depletes the enemy's health with a speed similar to an improved fire attack. Additionally if the player has the Drill Vampire tonic equipped, the Drill will quickly replenish Health and Eve. If the player has Freezing Drill tonic equipped then each "hit" by this Drill attack will have a chance to freeze and re-freeze the enemy, making even the toughest opponents into drill-bait.


 * Alternatively, he can perform a quick-melee attack, dealing an uppercut with the Drill. Although this does not consume fuel, it deals less damage than by direct boring and leaves Delta momentarily defenseless. With the Drill Lurker tonic equipped, this melee attack will kill virtually any unaware Splicer in the game in one hit, and also deal significant damage to larger enemies.


 * "Drill Dash": This is used by combining a rev up with a quick-melee attack. This not only gives Delta a speed boost, but it also finishes the charge with a powerful slam (to the point where it can kill Splicers in one shot). This attack is not immediately available to Subject Delta; he must research the ability off of Brute Splicers first.

Basic Upgrades
Augers on the side of the Drill increase the damage.
 * Side Augers
 * This upgrade increases the Drill's damage output.

Cooling nozzles lubricate the Drill, reducing the speed of fuel consumption.
 * Lubricating Nozzle
 * This upgrade decreases the Drill's fuel consumption rate.

Final Upgrade
A large electromagnetic dynamo is powered by the Drill's rotation.
 * Reflector Plate
 * This upgrade causes every shot and projectile to be reflected back at the attacker when spinning the Drill.

Ammunition Types - Drill

 * Drill Fuel - Base Ammo: Drill Fuel is the resource consumed by the Drill. It comes in the form of gas cans which can be picked up or bought by the player.

Strategy

 * No weapon in the game will consume ammo faster than the Drill, even with the Lubricating Nozzle upgrade. For this reason it's recommended that players try to avoid wasting Drill Fuel on cannon-fodder enemies who will easily die with one or two melee attacks (e.g.: Thuggish Splicers or Leadhead Splicers); instead saving it for moderate or strong enemies, or for situations when the player is fighting hordes of enemies (i.e. protecting a Little Sister during a gathering session).
 * If possible, avoid fighting out in the open with this weapon, especially against Leadhead Splicers. Use corners or bottlenecks to one's advantage. If caught unaware in an open environment, use a Drill Dash to quickly close the distance.
 * The Drill's Side Augers upgrade will allow the player to kill enemies faster, thus consuming less ammunition. As such, it is advised to take it before the Lubricating Nozzle upgrade.
 * Use the winter blast 2 or 3 plasmid to freeze the splicer and then smash him/her to bits

Why Specialize?
''Unlike the original game, it is impossible to fully upgrade every weapon through the course of the campaign. Each upgrade choice will affect the player's experience, and may or may not be suited to their combat style. The following is a brief guide to the strategic advantages and disadvantages associated with this weapon:''

Advantages

 * The Drill has the highest damage output of all weapons in the game.
 * Most of the game takes place in small enclosed spaces, favoring melee combat.
 * The Reflector Upgrade grants the player total immunity to frontal ranged attacks.
 * In addition, the same upgrade deflects enemy attacks back at them, granting the Drill ranged capabilities.
 * Even Big Daddies cannot survive for more than ten seconds from continuous drilling, making this an ideal last-resort weapon.
 * Drill Fuel is one of the most common forms of ammunition in the game, compensating somewhat for the weapon's high ammo consumption rate.

Disadvantages

 * The Drill is by far the most ammo-hungry weapon in the game, even when fully upgraded. Do not specialize in this weapon if continuouslly low on cash and ammunition.
 * Drill combat is hard to master, and inexperienced players may find themselves forced to buy First Aid Kits on a regular basis.
 * The Drill is the most limiting weapon in the player's arsenal, forcing one down to melee range.
 * Drill combat usually requires heavy use of Plasmids (especially Electro Bolt), which may force the player to constantly buy or scrounge for EVE Hypos.
 * The Drill's final upgrade consumes ammunition during use, and is hard to exploit to full effect.
 * The Drill is ineffective against large crowds, as the player must navigate towards each individual enemy at a time.

Summary
The Drill is the most polarizing weapon in the game: a skilled melee player with a fully-upgraded Drill will be able to kill any enemy within seconds, as well as become completely immune to ranged attacks. On the other hand, most other players will be desperate for First Aid Kits, EVE Hypos and Drill Fuel in under an hour of combat. If the player doesn't engage often in melee fights, then any upgrades spent on the Drill will be completely wasted. In short, purchasing all of the Drill's upgrades is recommended only for melee specialists, but in the right hands it becomes the deadliest weapon of all.

Recommended Plasmids

 * Electro Bolt is the best Plasmid to use in conjunction with the Drill, as it will multiply any damage it deals by a factor of four (This is known as the One-Two Punch). Stunned enemies also count as unaware.
 * Winter Blast will freeze the enemy for even longer, although killing a frozen enemy will yield no loot (unless the player is using version 2 or 3).
 * Insect Swarm will temporarily distract enemies at the start of its effects, during which they will count as unaware.
 * Decoy can draw away the enemy's attention, allowing the player to approach the target. This is especially useful with Drill Lurker, as it will instantly kill certain distracted enemies even with a quick-melee attack.
 * Telekinesis allows the player to use objects as shields while approaching distant enemies. Even with the Reflector Plate upgrade this Plasmid is still useful for this purpose considering that it takes less EVE (none if one doesn't throw the object) than the Reflector Plate consumes fuel in its use.

Recommended Tonics

 * The Drill Power line of tonics greatly increases Drill damage.
 * Freezing Drill gives each Drill hit a chance of freezing the target, as well as increasing freeze times.
 * Damage Research increases the effects of damage bonuses earned through research.
 * Drill Vampire partially refills the user's health and EVE with each successful Drill attack.
 * Drill Specialist, while not having any direct effect on the Drill, is a useful tonic for a dedicated Drill user. Although it greatly limits the player's weapon selection, it allows the player to use Plasmids at 50% normal EVE costs.
 * Natural Camouflage will render the player completely invisible, increasing the chance an enemy might approach Delta and turn their back on him.
 * Drill Lurker will greatly increase the Drill's power against any unsuspecting enemy. Especially useful when combined with Natural Camouflage, Decoy, or Insect Swarm.
 * Sports Boost will allow the player to approach enemies more quickly, as well as dodge projectiles and melee attacks with greater ease.
 * In Minerva's Den, equipping the Drill Dash Tonic is the only way of being able to perform said attack.

Behind the Scenes

 * In the 'Hunting the Big Sister' demo, Subject Delta was able to scare off enemies by revving the Drill. When done, it would not consume fuel. This functionallity was never included in the game.