Despite no one wanting to live in Rapture, the setting introduced us to the Bioshock series with an underwater city full of mutated citizens. With the news a new Bioshock game is going to be released, fans might want to go back to play the other games in the series to hold themselves over until the release.

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Taking a trip down memory lane will remind players of Andrew Ryan and the powers they can develop depending on what plasmid they happen to take. While there are several different plasmids in the game, only one can be called the best.

Updated on June 1, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: BioShock is one of the greatest video games of all time. The atmosphere of Rapture is unmatched to this day, and even the brilliance of BioShock Infinite wasn't enough for many players to dethrone the first game as the best in the series. The gameplay of BioShock might be its most dated aspect but is still fun to play through in its own way, with both the weapons and plasmids carrying a serious punch that could easily decimate most of the powerful enemies in the game.

Speaking of plasmids, there's no denying that these newfangled forms of what is essentially steampunk magic played a huge role in making BioShock all the more memorable and exciting. Each of these plasmids can perform a variety of actions that allow players to get through tough encounters and beat enemies senselessly. However, the power and effectiveness of each plasmid in the game varies, and the ranking below will give a fair idea of how effective each plasmid really is.

12 Little Sister Antidote

Little Sister BioShock

Technically speaking, this isn't really a plasmid that most people will remember. After all, unlike the other plasmid-related abilities in the game, the Little Sister Antidote can't be whipped out at a moment's notice and is used for just one act in the game — freeing Little Sisters from their torment instead of harvesting them for ADAM like a savage.

This binary moral choice was the source of a ton of criticism in BioShock, with many people lambasting the idea of making such a simple and poorly-implemented moral choice in a game that was otherwise rife with quality writing and storytelling. As a result, not only is the Little Sister Antidote the weakest plasmid in the game, but it's also indirectly hated by the masses for being a sore spot in an otherwise flawless action-adventure title.

11 Target Dummy

Target Dummy is a plasmid that would spawn a hologram that could be used to distract enemies and allow the player to get away. Only one dummy can be placed down, so if the player runs into trouble quickly, they are out of luck. The player also only has ten seconds until the dummy disappears, leaving the player on their own.

The plasmid must be bought, so it is not likely the player will find a need for it. There are plenty of other plasmids that would be more useful for the player, such as plasmids that actually let the player fight against their enemies. The fact that enemies can be distracted by a host of other objects and powers means that the Target Dummy is nothing more than a novelty plasmid ability that players might just use once just to see what it does, before forgetting its existence for the rest of their run.

10 Insect Swarm

Insect Swarm is a plasmid that can be used to spawn a swarm of bees that will attack enemies, damaging and distracting them. Without being upgraded, the swarm will most likely go after just one enemy until they are dead. With the upgrade, the swarm is able to go after more than just one enemy, making them more of a threat.

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With the plasmid mentioned before, it just seems like there are more useful plasmids that can be used to fight enemies. A distraction is nice, but using EVE for this doesn't seem worth it. It doesn't help that the Insect Swarm ability takes too long to affect enemies, making it another power like the Target Dummy that players will use once just to see what it does before shelving it for the rest of their run.

9 Sonic Boom

Sonic Boom was not originally available in Bioshock, being added in a patch instead. The plasmid can be used to send a shockwave that knocks enemies down and pushes them back. Because Rapture is an underwater city, there is not a lot of opportunities to knock enemies off of ledges to kill them.

With this in mind, Sonic Boom seems to only be useful if a group of enemies is grouped together, and the player is feeling overwhelmed. It would make sense to use this Plasmid in Bioshock Infinite, but not really in the first Bioshock. It's still fun to knock enemies around with this power, but the allure wears off quick and players will definitely shift to other powers over the course of their playthrough instead.

8 Security Bullseye

This plasmid can be used to mark an enemy, causing security devices to go after the target. Even if the effect wears off, security devices will keep attacking the enemy until one of them are dead. This makes this plasmid pretty useful to keep one less enemy from fighting the player.

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Using this plasmid would also keep the security device from going after you, really keeping two enemies away. Those flying drones will leave you alone as long as you force them to go after someone else. While this power is definitely pretty great, its situational use does lead to its effectiveness being hampered somewhat.

7 Cyclone Trap

This plasmid forms a mini-tornado that will fling any Splicer that happens to step on it. Splicers are also the only enemy the trap effects, not doing anything to the security devices or Big Daddies found in Rapture. With an upgrade, this trap is able to damage the Splicers even more, possibly killing them.

Even if the Splicers do not die, it is amusing to see the enemies being flung around by a trap they did not see. Because it takes a few seconds for the Splicer to get up, players can easily kill them. It's just a shame that this power only affects one type of enemy... but that's s small price to pay for the sheer hilarity enabled by this power.

6 Enrage

The Enrage plasmid can be used to cause Splicers and even Big Daddies to attack any enemy close by, possibly causing a confusion as enemies fight amongst themselves for survival. Again, it is really entertaining to watch enemies fight against each other and see which one comes out on top.

Even after the plasmid wears off, a target who damaged another will still fight, making sure at least one enemy dies because of the effects of the plasmid. It's a great ability to draw enemy attention away from the player and let them pick their shots during this infighting.

5 Winter Blast

Winter Blast is a plasmid that will freeze a Splicer for an amount of time, depending on how upgraded the player has the plasmid. When frozen, Splicers can be damaged until they fall apart due to the ice, which never gets old even after shattering these foes for what feels like the umpteenth time.

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The plasmid can also be used to freeze security devices and turrets, letting the player take their time in dispatching their foes. Even if an enemy is thawed from the ice, they will still be a little damaged from their time being frozen. As a result, the Winter Blast is one of the better plasmids in the game that the player can use all the way to the very end!

4 Telekinesis

Telekinesis is a useful plasmid that allows that player to pick up objects that they might not normally be able to reach. This includes getting keycards to locked doors that have collectibles or supplies behind it. Players are also able to pick up explosives they can throw at enemies.

Having a combat and exploration function, Telekinesis is an important plasmid in Bioshock. Reaching supplies during a desperate time or using a chair to knock over enemies makes it a great plasmid to have. It's the multi-purpose nature of this plasmid that nets it a respectable rank on the list.

3 Incinerate!

Incinerate allows the player to light objects on fire, burn enemies, and melt ice that might block their path. The thing about being in an underwater city, though, is that water has gotten into parts of the city. Enemies who catch on fire are able to run into the water to extinguish themselves.

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Despite this fact, the plasmid is still useful to damage enemies and surprise enemies who might be standing next to a barrel. The plasmid also can help the player unblock a door that might hold a collectible.

2 Hypnotize Big Daddy

This plasmid allows the player to hypnotize Big Daddies and make them allies. When they are hypnotized, the Little Girl that is with them will either run to a wall vent or find a new Big Daddy. That means this plasmid cannot be used to interact with the Little Girls, but it is a good way to avoid a fight on higher difficulties.

The Big Daddies who are hostile cannot be hypnotized, so players must watch out if they have angered them. Either way, this plasmid will give the player a bodyguard for a little bit, making it easier to fight enemies.

1 Electro Bolt

The Electro Bolt plasmid allows the player to shoot a bolt of lightning at enemies. In a city that has large puddles inside of it, this power can be a lot of help. Early in the game, the player can see the power of this plasmid if they shock a Splicer that is standing in a room full of water. The Splicer will be killed instantly.

The plasmid might be simple, but it works very well for the setting. Using puddles to your advantage, groups of Splicers can be killed very easily.

Bioshock is available on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.

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