Splicer



Splicers are the most frequently-fought enemies within the BioShock series. The remains of Rapture's human population, they are the result of a planned attack by Fontaine on New Year's Day of 1959 to end the civil war between him and Ryan. They apparently murdered most of the sane population. Many of them still wear Masquerade Ball masks - Atlas asks, "Why do they wear those masks? Maybe there's a part of them that remembers how they used to be, how they used to look. And they're ashamed.". Due to abusive ADAM consumption, their bodies and minds have been deformed beyond repair (though some of their physical deformities can be attributed to Dr. Steinman's plastic surgery), and they have become dependent on the substance, both mentally and physically. Wandering the corridors and the tunnels of Rapture, they search for ADAM, usually in the form of Little Sisters, which often puts them at odds with their Big Daddy protectors—something which Jack can easily exploit to help him survive. The name "Splicer" is a reference to gene splicing, which happens upon injecting oneself with a Plasmid or a Gene tonic. Several of the splicers are based on soldiers from the First World War who sustained horrific facial injuries and subsequently underwent pioneering surgery to reconstruct their faces.

BioShock
Splicers tend to wear very little armor (if any), but they have advanced physical strength and tend to be extremely aggressive in contrast to the calmer Big Daddies. They will sometimes work in groups, use Plasmids and sometimes even play dead to get the advantage on the player.

Thuggish Splicer
The Thuggish Splicer attacks with melee weapons. They can be found throughout the game and are fairly weak, but make up for it by running fast and attacking in groups whenever they can. Later on in the game this Splicer type upgrades, making it immune to the Electro Bolt Plasmid and Static Discharge Gene tonic, so be prepared.

Leadhead Splicer
The Leadhead Splicer attacks with either a Pistol or a Machine Gun. They can also be found throughout the game, but are more dangerous than the Thuggish Splicer since they can attack from a distance and will almost always hurt a bit even if they are brought down easily. These will always keep their distance from the player whenever possible, but at very close range, they will attempt to pistol whip them. It is worth knowing that they have to reload their guns, just like Jack, and are defenseless when doing so. They also have more health than a Thuggish Splicer, making them harder to take down, especially if there are more than one.

Spider Splicer
The Spider Splicer is the first Splicer the player sees when they arrive in Rapture, although the player only starts fighting them in Neptune's Bounty. These Splicers can crawl on the ceiling and throw hooks at the player from afar, which can be caught and tossed back with Telekinesis. When on the ground, the Spider Splicer will get near enough to physically attack the player, then immediately jump onto the ceiling or backflip away and come at them from another angle. Their agility and ability to crawl on walls make them difficult to hit, and their modus operandi, which involves ambushing the player by crawling on the ceiling, can easily surprise anyone who is unprepared.

Houdini Splicer
The Houdini Splicer is first encountered when the player enters Arcadia. These Splicers have the ability to teleport from one place to another in the middle of combat. They can be tracked through smoke that appears around them whenever they disappear or reappear. This smoke becomes much more visible upon researching this Splicer to the fourth research level. The Houdini Splicer will most often attack by shooting balls of fire (and, in some cases, ice), but like the Leadhead Splicer, will attack physically when at close range. An easy way to track them is with Insect Swarm, which will follow the targeted Splicer even if (in the case of the Houdini) it is invisible. In combat, the Houdini Splicer uses a hit and run strategy by teleporting, attacking with a fire or ice attack, and then teleporting away to repeat the cycle.

Nitro Splicer
Nitro Splicers are found rarely throughout the game, mostly in Neptune's Bounty. The first one the player will encounter is in the Medical Pavilion. They will attack by throwing Grenades (and, later, Molotov cocktails) at the player from a distance. At melee range, they will either throw a smoke bomb to the ground, temporarily blinding the player, or they will attempt to flee, tossing an explosive over their shoulder or attempt to kick the player doing moderate damage. Upon dying, they will drop a live Grenade, with the intent of damaging the player if they were at close range. A common way of killing this Splicer type is by using Telekinesis to catch its grenades and throw them back at it. Researching this Splicer type will increase the chance that their explosives turn out to be duds.

BioShock 2
Splicers have returned as the game's base enemies. After ten years of splicing and surviving, they have become much more powerful than those who were encountered in the original game. They are far more deformed, with their faces often having conformed to the shape of their masks they often used to wear. Their limbs have heavily mutated, becoming lankier and, in some cases, the bone structure remodeling itself (such as the developing of extra fingers, toes, or even talons).

In an interview on Gametrailers.com with Jordan Thomas, he mentions that Splicers have split up into two factions: one representing the "good" ending in BioShock, and the other representing the "bad" ending. Some Splicer models seen in the first game are still present in BioShock 2, such as Leadhead Splicers and Spider Splicers, among other newer or evolved models, now unique to the second game. Splicers will also be able to throw grenades while firing their weapons at Delta.

Brute Splicer
A new Splicer type which makes its first appearance in BioShock 2. The Brute Splicer is much bigger, more powerful and bulkier than any other Splicer, and is able to pick up an array of items or debris strewn around Rapture, such as large rocks, and explosives, and throw them at the player. Brute Splicers can also perform staggering jumps several meters in length and height, such as off of balconies, or onto walkways above the ground.

Splicer Models
There are ten Splicer models in BioShock and eight in BioShock 2. Their names are not revealed in-game; instead, they are associated with the sound files used for their sound bites in the game data. The Pigskin, Plastered Splicer, Rosebud, and Waders only appear in the first game. The models that return in BioShock 2 have a more deformed appearance.


 * Baby Jane
 * Breadwinner
 * Brute (BioShock 2 only)
 * Crawler (BioShock 2 only)
 * Dr. Grossman
 * Ducky (In BioShock 2, they use Wader's voice from BioShock)
 * Lady Smith
 * Pigskin (BioShock only)
 * Plastered Splicer (BioShock only)
 * Rosebud (BioShock only)
 * Toasty
 * Waders (BioShock only; Voice used for Ducky in BioShock 2)

Trivia

 * Early in the design process of BioShock, Splicers were known only as "Aggressors"
 * Many if not all Splicers are seen wearing masks of bunnies, birds, and etc. Atlas over a radio message believes it has something to do with trying to remember how they used to be.
 * There are no pedestrians in Rapture (besides NPCs), as everyone has changed into a splicer or has been killed by them.