Hypnotize



Hypnotize is the BioShock 2 Plasmid successor to Hypnotize Big Daddy and Enrage from BioShock. The key difference is that it allows the player to "befriend" Splicers as well as Big Daddies by "charging up" the plasmid by holding in the left trigger for a few seconds until the plasmid turns green.

Upgrade Path

 * Level One: Targeted Splicer or Big Daddy attacks the nearest enemy. If no other enemies are in sight, Delta will be attacked. - Found in the Limbo Room in Pauper's Drop.
 * Level Two: Charging the plasmid allows the user to befriend targeted Splicers (excluding Brute Splicers), who become temporarily friendly to the player and will fight by their side for a certain amount of time before reverting to normal. - 120 ADAM at a Gatherer's Garden, first available in Siren Alley.
 * Level Three: Charging the plasmid also allows the player to befriend Big Daddies, Brute Splicers, and Alpha Series. - 160 ADAM at a Gatherer's Garden, first available in Fontaine Futuristics.

Strategy

 * Only one enemy at a time can be befriended. If a second enemy gets hit by a charged Hypnotize plasmid, he will become befriended and the first one will revert to being hostile. As such, always befriend the most powerful enemy, and switch if a better one comes along.
 * However, firing a non-charged Hypnotize plasmid at an enemy will not change a befriended enemy's status, and there is no limit to the number of enemies one can Hypnotize in this manner.
 * Befriended enemies won't attack each other, but they will attack Hypnotized enemies (who also attack each other). As such, avoid using this plasmid too frequently over the course of one battle, as it would be uneconomical. (Since it is not possible to befriend more than one enemy at a time, this should not be a problem.)
 * Befriended enemies will revert to normal behavior after a few minutes (three minutes with Hypnotize Two, five with Hypnotize Three). If a long enough period of time has passed, or if the player simply feels their ally's usefullness has run its course, the best solution would be to kill the enemy (which should have been weakened after battling alongside Delta) before the plasmid's effects stop working.
 * Big Sisters can be Hypnotized in the last level where there are two sisters. They can be made to attack each other.
 * Befriending a Big Daddy will cause the Little Sister it's protecting (if any) to run away.
 * Attacking a Hypnotized or befriended enemy will cause them to attack the player. Avoid firing in an ally's direction.
 * If an enemy is closer to an ally than the player, they will focus their attention towards the former. This can be used to cause a distraction, attack from afar, or simply create breathing space in the midst of a heated battle.
 * It is best to befriend an enemy in preparation for the following events:
 * A Little Sister ADAM gathering session.
 * A Big Sister attack.
 * Attacking a Big Daddy.
 * A major battle of any kind.
 * The following subsection will cover the advantages and disadvantages of using this plasmid on each enemy type, as well as how recommended it is to befriend them:
 * Thuggish Splicers: Disappear early on in the game, and thus cannot be befriended. They are also inferior in every aspect to Leadhead Splicers, so it's usually not worth Hypnotizing them.
 * Leadhead Splicers: Recommended. These enemies are designed to deal damage, which is usually what the player needs. They can also take on foes in cover and soak up enemy fire. Befriend Shotgun Leadheads in close-combat environments and Machine Gun Leadheads in large and/or vertical portions of the map.
 * Spider Splicers: Moderately recommended. Although they are capable of dealing damage, they don't inflict as much as Leadheads. However, they can reach enemies much more rapidly. Their main use would be to distract enemies, as they have a high amount of health.
 * Houdini Splicers: Not recommended. Their combat strategy involves them disappearing for long amounts of time, and as such they serve practically no purpose, apart from occasionally setting an enemy on fire. They are also rather hard to target anyway, so it's no use even trying to Hypnotize them. (Opposing view: Houdini Splicers are easily befriended by charging up the plasmid in advance and aiming it when their red mist indicates they are about to appear, then hitting them with it. They deal out much more damage than other Splicers, and once befriended, have NOT been found to "disappear for long amounts of time", though they do go invisible to get to other enemies.)
 * Brute Splicers: Highly recommended. They are not only capable of taking severe punishment before dying, but can also deal large amounts of damage at any range. Good for taking out enemies in large numbers or attacking other high-level targets, such as Big Daddies, Big Sisters, other Brutes and boss characters (such as the Wales brothers).
 * Big Daddies: Highly recommended. Although slower than Brutes, they are much tougher and deal more damage. Rosies have the best ranged capabilities, Bouncers are the most potent when fighting very powerful enemies one-on-one while Rumblers are best suited versus crowds. Although since the Level 3 plasmid is only acquired during or after Fontaine Futuristics, Rumblers are the only Big Daddies available for hypnosis.
 * Alpha Series: Highly recommended. These enemies have the highest damage output in the game, and are faster (although far less resilient) than their Big Daddy counterparts (although befriended Big Daddies have been seen to routinely defeat Alpha Series). Their potency increases if the player has upgraded either the Gatling Gun, Double-Barreled Shotgun or Launcher. Gatling Gun Alphas are best suited for ranged combat, Double-Barreled Shotgun Alpha Series are more potent in close quarters and Launcher Alphas are best at taking out groups of enemies, or foes with high amounts of health.

Trivia
It is revealed in Bioshock 2 that the bulbs that appear in the players hands are the fruit of a plant that produces hypnotic polyps. These plants can be found in Fontaine Futuristics.