Summary
Splicers are the most common enemies in the first two installments of the BioShock series, and in the DLC of its third. The remnants of Rapture's human population, they are the result of ADAM use during the violent conflict of the Rapture Civil War. In this war, and the chaotic days that followed, the Splicers apparently murdered most of the sane population of the city. Due to abusive ADAM consumption, their bodies and minds have been deformed beyond repair (though some of their physical deformities can be attributed to war scars or Dr. J.S. Steinman's plastic surgery). They have become dependent on the substance, both mentally and physically. Many of them still wear Masquerade Ball masks, perhaps, as Atlas suggested, out of shame at how ADAM has deformed their bodies. Although the term Splicer can be applied to anyone who has altered their genetic structure with ADAM, it has since become the term used only to describe those who have become addicted to the substance, and have lost their sanity and became physically deformed from the addiction.
In BioShock, Splicers wander the corridors and the tunnels of Rapture, searching for ADAM, usually in the form of Little Sisters, which often puts them at odds with their Big Daddy protectors. 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 ambush their prey.
Powers and Stats
Tier: 9-B, 8-C Brute Splicers
Name: Splicers
Origin: BioShock
Gender: Male and Female
Age: Varies
Classification: Genetically modified humans
Population: A few thousand
Technology: Firearms and explosives
Industrial Capacity: None
Holdings: Most of the city of Rapture
Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Strength, Speed, and Durability, Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, Skilled with firearms and explosives, Some Thuggish Splicers have immunity to electrical attacks, Houdini Splicers can teleport and have Fire Manipulation and Ice Manipulation, Frosty Splicers have Ice Manipulation and immunity to ice attacks, Firey
Attack Potency: Wall level+ (Spider Splicers are among the weaker Splicer variants, and they are capable of ripping through steel that can withstand pressure 6 miles underwater), Building level Brute Splicers (Capable of fighting on par with Big Daddies)
Speed: Peak Human
Striking Strength: Wall Class+, Building Class for Brute Splicers
Durability: Wall level, Building level Brute Splicers
Stamina: High
Range: Standard melee range, Dozens of meters with ranged weapons and Plasmids (Depends on the Splicer)
Standard Equipment: Varies depending on the type
Intelligence: Below average (Splicers are completely insane, but they are still intelligent enough to use basic ambush tactics)
Weaknesses: Low intelligence and extreme aggression, Will become weaker and die if they are deprived of ADAM
Species:
- 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 is more often equipped with the Electric Flesh Gene Tonic, making them immune to all electrical damage such as Electro Bolt and the Static Discharge Gene Tonic.
- Leadhead Splicer: The Leadhead Splicer is still capable of wielding firearms and 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. Leadheads 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 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: These Splicers can crawl on the ceiling and throw hooks from afar. When on the ground, the Spider Splicer will get near enough to physically, then immediately jump to the ceiling or backflip away and attack 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 in the middle of combat, disappearing from one location and reappearing at another. They can be tracked through a cloud of smoke that appears around them whenever they do so. 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. In combat, the Houdini Splicer uses a hit-and-run strategy by appearing, firing an elemental attack, and then vanishing to repeat the cycle.
- Nitro Splicer: Nitro Splicers will attack by throwing Grenades and Molotov cocktails from a distance. At melee range, they will either throw a smoke bomb to the ground, temporarily blinding the enemy, or they will attempt to flee, tossing an explosive over their shoulder. Upon dying, they will drop a live Grenade, with the intent of damaging the enemy if they were at close range.
- Brute Splicer: A new Splicer type which makes its first appearance in BioShock 2. Brute Splicers are much bigger, more powerful and bulkier than any other Splicer, and is able to pick up and throw an array of items or debris strewn around Rapture such as large rocks and explosives. Brute Splicers can also perform staggering jumps several meters in length and height such as off of balconies or onto walkways above the ground.
- Fiery Brute Splicer: In BioShock 2's second DLC, Minerva's Den, Brutes have obtained new abilities. They are engulfed in a red/orange glow, and leave flaming footprints wherever they go. Also, when struck with a melee attack, Fiery Brutes expel a burst of fire from their bodies.
- Frosty Splicer: Covered in protruding, icy growths, Frosty Splicers can fire multiple projectile blasts, not only causing enemies to be temporarily stunned but freezing any enemy in the way as well. Their transformation is a result of an overdose of the new drinkable Plasmid -- Old Man Winter. The first Frosty Splicer is encountered at Jack Frost's Village. They are immune to ice-based attacks.
Others
Notable Victories:
Notable Losses:
Inconclusive Matches: