Weapons

You get a wide variety of different weapons, from Plasmids to guns. In BioShock anything and everything can be a weapon.

Ranged weapons can be upgraded at a Power to the People station.

Plasmids
Genetic alterations called Plasmids can be used as devastating offensive weapons when more mundane options fail you. Some favorites are:

Electro Bolt: An electric plasmid that stuns the enemy, and is acquired for free at the beginning of the game. The higher the level, the longer it stuns. It does more damage if the enemy is in water. However, later in the game with electrofied splicers, it is less effective for stunning. A favorite of wrenchers, because it increases damage of the wrench when stunned.

Telekineses: This plasmid gives you the power to lift objects at will with your mind. It's good for grabbing far off objects and mainly used for throwing objects at enemies. The bigger the object, the more damage. However, small, heavy objects are just as good. It is also found for free, and is a very fun and useful plasmid. It can catch grenades, RPGs, but not bullets.

Incinerate!: This is a fire type plasmid that can start a fire with a snap of Jack's fingers. Also found for free, it can set things on fire, like splicers, or objects to do extra damage when thrown with Telekineses. The higher the level, the more damage to splicers. An effective and funny tactic is to get a splicer near water, set them on fire, and when they jump in the water, shock the water. It can be used to melt ice, but is usually replaced be Napalm from the Chemical Thrower.

Wrench


The only melee weapon Jack acquires in the game.

There are a large number of Physical and Combat Tonics that cater to Jack's combat ability with the wrench. With the proper mix of tonics, it can be a devastating weapon, to the point where the only time guns will be necessary is to deal with a Big Daddy. A very strong weapon when used correctly, but you all know you do it just to hear that nice splat or crack.

Chemical Thrower
Sprays a stream of chemicals at short range.

The chemical thrower is not only excellent at decimating groups of Splicers at once, it can also be used in conjunction with other weapons. The napalm is good for just about any enemy, more napalm means more heat and more periodic damage. A short burst of liquid nitrogen will freeze an enemy and allow it to be killed with the wrench or the shotgun. A continuous stream of electric gel will force a big daddy to become extremely submissive, as well as taking him down a considerable amount of life. After you get this, Incinerate! and Winter Blast can be traded for different plasmids, although it is recommended that you keep Electro Bolt since electric gel is a very rare ammo, and can usually only be obtained by inventing. Without the reduced consumption upgrade from a Power to the People station, this weapon will chew through all available ammo in a matter of seconds.

Ammo


 * Napalm - A moderate amount of heat damage. Has the ability to set enemies on fire.
 * Liquid Nitrogen - Moderate amount of freezing damage. Has the ability to freeze enemies.
 * Electric Gel - Shoots out electrified gel. Shocks enemies and causes heavy damage, particularly against Big Daddies.

Crossbow


Fires highly accurate crossbow bolts. Its zoom, accuracy, and higher head-shot bonus makes it an excellent sniping weapon. It is the equivalent to a bolt action sniper rifle in most other FPSs.

The crossbow's headshot capability makes it a powerful weapon to use at long ranges and, suprisingly, is also good for close quarters if used correctly. It is great for taking out unaware splicers at range. However, be careful, as sometimes the bolts take a while to reach it's target, so try and anticipate where the splicer will walk. Its reload cycle is somewhat on the long side, but when using the crossbow, you should try to take cover. The trap bolts it fires are an excellent way to damage a charging Big Daddy. The incendiary bolt is great for those pesky Rosies. Another good thing is that if bolts don't break on impact, they can be reused and save money.

Ammo


 * Steel-tip Bolt - A standard crossbow bolt.
 * Incendiary Bolt - Sends a large amount of heat damage.
 * Trap Bolt - Creates an electric wire which when triggered, does a large amount of electric damage.

Grenade Launcher
Launches a variety of grenades and rockets.

The high damage dealt by this weapon makes it ideal against bosses, Big Daddies, and large groups of splicers. By tagging a movable object (preferably an explosive object such as a gas tank or explosive barrel) with multiple proximity mines then grabbing it with telekinesis, a player can deal a massive amount of damage in one shot, if not killing your enemy all together.

Ammo


 * Fragmentation Grenade - Standard grenade that explodes on impact or a second later if it hits the ground.
 * Proximity Mine - A mine that does a large amount of damage when triggered.
 * Heat-seeking Rocket - A guided rocket that does a large amount of damage in within a large radius.

Machine Gun
Fires a rapid spray of bullets. Very effective against groups or at close range.

The machine gun remains an effective weapon throughout the game. Coupled with antipersonnel ammo, the machine gun can quickly kill any Splicer. It is also effective against Rosies when shot at a distance; however, Bouncers, with their melee attack, generally kill the player before enough shots are fired. Unlike most of the other guns, the machine gun does not pair well with Electrobolt or Winter Blast, as the gun's bullets are weak individually and the target quickly revives before much damage can be dealt. With its cons and pros, it's a great weapon overall, and gets the job done. That is, if your job is spraying lead death.

Ammo


 * Machine Gun Rounds - Standard machine gun rounds.
 * Antipersonnel Auto Rounds - Antipersonnel rounds that are very effective against unarmored targets, such as splicers.
 * Armor Piercing Auto Rounds - Armor piercing rounds that are very effective against armored or metal enemies, such as Big Daddies, Security Bots, and turrets.

Pistol
Never enter battle without your trusted sidearm!

The Pistol does a moderate amount of damage and is excellent at scoring headshots. It should be kept as a back up weapon late game if you're low on ammo or always keep it equipped with armor piercing rounds and use it to destroy cameras and turrets and even Big Daddies. Its small ammo capacity, the pistol's main weakness, can be quadrupled at a Power to the People station, making it a far more effective weapon. The damage increase upgrade makes it slightly more effective late game coupled with antipersonnel rounds. If you're careful, it can somewhat be used to snipe while using aim mode.

Ammo


 * .38 Caliber rounds - Moderate amount of piercing damage.
 * .38 Caliber armor piercing rounds - Armor piercing rounds that are very effective against armored or metal targets, such as Big Daddies, Security Bots, and turrets.
 * .38 Caliber antipersonnel rounds - Antipersonnel rounds that are very effective against unarmored targets, such as splicers.

Shotgun
Fires a wide burst of pellets, most effective at a short range.

The shotgun is highly effective when first picked up, but it loses some of its power as the game progresses and the enemies become tougher. It is highly effective against spider splicers and thuggish splicers since they have to get close to attack;however, it does little damage to tough leadhead and nitro splicers except at point blank range. The shotgun is excellent at killing splicers mimicking corpses. Its secondary weapons are powerful, but rare and expensive. A good strategy is to wait for thuggish splicers to rush at you, and while they're jumping, give em' a faceful of lead. Frozen splicers can usually be blown to pieces by a few shotgun blasts.

Ammo


 * 00 Buck - Moderate amount of piercing damage with a wide spread.
 * Electric Buck - Fires electrical rounds. More powerful than the Electrobolt. Very good at killing Big Daddys and security bots/cameras etc.
 * Exploding Buck - Fires large amounts of combined piercing heat rounds. Almost like Incinerate. Usually sends spicers up in flames and is also a good choice for Big Daddies.

Research Camera
Although the Research Camera does no direct damage, it is by far the deadliest addition to your arsenal. It is equipped the same way as a weapon, and can be used to take pictures that unlock hidden secrets about every Splicer, security system, Protector, and Harvester. In each research tree there are 5 levels that require increasingly more photos. On levels 1, 3, and 5, you get a free damage boost against that enemy with the exception of Little Sisters. At level 1, your attacks do 10% more damage. At level 3, your attacks do 25% more damage. At level 5, your attacks do 45% more damage. This passive bonus makes a significant difference with the Combat Tonic Damage Research increasing the benefits further. On top of that researching yields powerful Plasmids, Tonics, and secret abilities that are extremely useful and again, free.

Ammo


 * Film - You can carry up to 100 film at a time.