(S)Shock,(A) swarm, (A)mind control, (A)sonic blast, (S)security bullseye, (A)target dummy. Flames(B), Rage(F), telekinesis (A) you can grab things through walls like meds and stuff. Summon Eleanor(S)
I honestly found that with the proper caution exercised, once you have the launcher and 6 Prox grenades TK is raised to the No Gods or Kings Only Me Tier. Through rigorous testing on all difficulties, I discovered that one of the tall pressure tanks (with 6 Prox grenades stuck on it) can be thrown with TK at any Big Daddy (even a late game Rosie at max HP) for a one hit kill.
Yes, this. Throw dead enimes for full effect. Also in later levels you can tell if enimes are dead or pretending, if they don't move using telekinesis then they are alive!
I use enrage on that very level to make two BDs with little sisters take each other on for a slim victory which I rain on with a few shots from the electric buck. Otherwise, it's more useful for having splicers kill each other in combat while you take pictures for research.
One detail about security bullseye that not many people know about is that you can throw the bullseye back at the camera so that the security bots attack the camera rather than you. Giving you any easy way to shock and autohack security bots while also taking care of that pesky camera. I found it extremely useful in my wrench build when trying to deal with hard to reach security cameras.
Just finished my survivor playthrough. Died a lot, especially early game, but I'm going to try it without Vita Chambers next. My most useful plasmids were Electro Bolt, Security Bullseye, Hypnotize Big Daddy, Target Dummy, and Insect Swarm. Hypnotize Big Daddy + Security Bullseye is time consuming but it just absolutely shreds Big Daddies in the early/middlegame before you get the crossbow
You putting Telekinesis in B tier while I finished the game yesterday killing Fontaine with almost only throwing stuff at him. I only used grenades and bolts for the final run. Fav plasmid
the thing about cyclone trap is so wrong, i'd mark it at least an A tier. not only is it great for the situations where you know enemies are gonna be coming from certain directions, but you can also input most of the plasmids into them and it will basically be a combination of the two. i found it very useful and pretty cool. i wasn't able to see all of the plasmids used in CT. but i was able to see the usefulness in using the ability.
Sonic Boom can AOE knock down dudes and you can kill them with a wrench and gain eve/health per hit and never take damage or consume resources. Cyclone Trap is a more complicated version that is single target of Sonic Boom.
Generally speaking you can 1 shot an enemy with a corpse for most of the game using telekinesis. It catches projectiles, and can be used to make a shield. Any object thrown will do more damage than a signal bullet from most but not all of the guns, so it saves ammunition. Stacks well with all weapons and is useful the entire game. DEFINITELY S TIER Edit: Also there's a ton of items hidden in out of reach places throughout the entire game that can only be obtained through the use of telekinesis.
@@IcedCoffeeGaming Ya dude I've played and beat every difficulty too and platinumed the game and there was never a time telekinesis wasn't useful. Bioshock works with a lot of different play styles and rewards experimentation. It's obvious from the video you are not very familiar with telekinesis as you were jumping between S TIER all the way to B TIER several times. Just because Telekinesis is a plasmid you under utilized doesn't mean it's any less useful. The point I was making with all the items place around in out of reach places, is the fact the developers placed these around with the assumption the player would always have telekinesis in an active slot. Much of the world design had telekinesis in mind, from the enemies that throw explosives, to all the explosives barrels littered around the entire game, to yes the items to be grabbed as a reward to keen eyed players. So I feel pretty comfortable in my assumption that the game developers would agree with me that telekinesis is one of the better plasmids. Like I said dude, you're under utilizing one of the most versatile plasmids in the entire game.
@@IcedCoffeeGaming telekinesis is bad in a fight but the game rewards you for having it,theres a bunch of stuff around that you can only reach with it,bummer that there isnt alot of giant props that deal alot of damage though. In a fight: D Finding resources: SS+
@@IcedCoffeeGaming I respectfully disagree, kill a big daddy, Grab it with telekinesis, now u can literally use this as a shield and you gonna be doing lots of damage to splicers, turrent's, cameras, I have finished the game on survivor, telkenis is works well even end game, so many people say its broken so I was surprised on why it was a B tier , most people say its actually the best.
Test dummy is the most overlooked plasmid I have seen. It's a must for my playthroughs and you can max out research on security bots in Neptune's bounty using it.
Honestly I used to rate winter blast as d at best however I learned that you can use it on security systems and and it will reduce the speed on the hacking mini game by a lot
Security Bullseye is borderline S-Tier. 1] Doesn't Aggro Big Daddies. 2] Security technology is too abundant. 3] Combos well with Bomb Turrets, Natural Camouflage, and Target Dummy -Form a triangle between you [optionally with Natural Camouflage and a camera], a Target Dummy, and a Bomb Turret. -Leave the Big Daddy in the middle of the triangle. -Replace the Dummy as it's about to disappear. -The Big Daddy dies without damaging any of the other two. 4] Lure him under a Security Camera via Hypnotize, or just finding one that Big Daddies frequent and hit him with Bullseye.
Hypnotize Big Daddy is A-Tier, and might even be S-Tier, but you have to make certain safeguards. 1] No grenades near Big Daddy. 2] No Static Discharge 3] No Insect Swarm. You don't have to get hit to get the Big Daddy to attack something. If you attack the enemy, The Big Daddy will also attack them.
Some plasmids I find hard to rate, Hypno big daddy and Telekinesis / Security bullseye are basically free gift plasmids that everybody gets so it really doesn't matter how much you do or don't make use of them compared to plasmids that cost adam to invest in, don't want to waste it early with bad picks. I'd still call Hypno BD S-tier as you get it before better big daddy killing options are widely available Aside from strategy BD are one of the most iconic videogame creations ever and being able to be befriend them is worth its weight in gold. Sonic boom is a fantastic panic button at close range, telekinesis requires you to pull the object and then target your throw (big delay in action to payoff) but with boom if any enemy just suddenly gets in your face you can just instantly blast them away. Target dummy is my favourite way to trick spider splicers into electric trap bolts since if i move into the area i'll set them off. Winter blast is garbage, other plasmids do damage and give loot, freeze does zero damage and leaves no loot, frankly terrible.
Telekinesis A tier. Has very low plasmid consumption, no need upgrade and you can setup rooms with explosives for big daddy fights and with some minor kitting should be easy. Ye sure there may be more effective ways to deal with them that involve ammo consumption or cheese. I like the versatily of it blocking and nuking things back. I find hypnotize big daddy and security bullseye to be a cheesy way to deal with big daddies or splicers in general. Effective but cheesy. Is like using phantoms in dark souls. I never use them. I agree with the rating on other plasmids.
I think my issue with Telekinesis is that weapons up to the crossbow are generally better to use, why throw a body when you can shoot things accurately at range, once you get the crossbow its just not worth it to throw a body a few feet for damage. Cheap ammo, 1 shot headshots, recoverable ammo, thing is the most optimal damaging weapon in the game. I think people overvalue this ability because in starter levels it can 1 shot weak splicers, but a lot of things can. In survivor difficulty it falls off fast around Neptune's Bounty, so you can have some fun with corpses for a level or two?
the list is pretty good if you play on higher difficultys but if you would make the list for achivment hunters flame needs to bo on A or S because you can just insta kill enemies from lvl 1-3 or even 4 with it on low difficulty for the achivments
You said sonic boom doesn't work on machines, and I understand that you mean it doesn't work on turrets or cameras, but I wanted to point out that I found it pretty useful to keep drones from dealing too much damage while I scrambled around to find the deactivate alarm lever thing. But ig most people aren't dumb enough to set off the alarms in the first place, except me :( Good video though, I already beat the game a bunch of times but I wanted to hear someone else's opinion on the plasmids. Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates freezing enemies to kill them
I deem Telekinesis as A and possibly S Tier, but not for any real good reason. I can grab items from a distance and add them to my inventory -enemies die easily to thrown objects. Most of the time there are really bad things to get hit with around. -They actually nerfed it in Bioshock 2 because it was too good.
I mean to be fair maybe it's a B, I just don't like how clunky it is vs just shooting an enemy in the head at range. It only really shines in early chapters anyways which aren't hard also IMO
I mostly just crossbow everything but water is legit. Trap bolt crafting is the easiest way to instant kill big daddies and base crossbow 1 shot headshots and has cheap/re-usable ammo so it's hard for me to not use it
I just finished bioshock 2 again and the made it through the story while scouring everything I possibly could on medium and got the brass balls achievement no vita chambers
When it comes to the highest difficulty tier list definitely need some min maxing i want a build with as little fat as possible even if it's boring in the beginning DPS AND SURVIVAL ARE PARAMOUNT lol
For Bioshock 1, Wrench build is absurdly broken. The wrench starts becoming OP after you get wrench jockey 1 in Medical, otherwise shotgun is OK, pistol ok until midgame, SMG is filler damage.
@@IcedCoffeeGaming I'm still making my way through Bioshock 1 again but I honestly remember the wrench becoming a overwhelming powerhouse if built properly including the chameleon and frozen wrench if I remember correctly it definitely makes sense to make a ninja wrench class when ammo is scarce lol
You can do ninja wrench but you can also just run up to people and beat them to death and there's nothing they can do about it: th-cam.com/video/stSqcsS_Mww/w-d-xo.html
Enrage is better than you think, but not by much. You put it in F Tier. I'd put it in D tier [still really bad BTW] due to the fact that it takes enemies so long to die. The longer the fight, the more research abuse to be done, and just think. The race is on, and the winner loses all.
Plasmids are very weak in this game, for the most part im just using guns. Like with telekinesis you can throw some explosive stuff but if you get shot while holding it you are screwed. With big daddy hypnotise you limiting yourself and playing carefully not to trigger him, and he isnt all that helpful anyway since he dont attack first. And that flamethrower gun, why even adding it to the game, it takes away plasmids use and does it much better. There is too much stuff in this game. And i think they noticed it and in infinite they went in the other opposite extreme, and didnt make enough stuff.
Incinerate is F Tier. Literally the worst plasmid in the game. Cyclone trap is better than this, as is Enrage IMO. 1] Enrage, you only carry it around if you are going to encounter 2 or more enemies, but when it happens, it's literally free research and thus more Gene Tonics 2] Cyclone Trap can be placed in doorways while you're in the room ruining ambushes, and can be planted at mandated enemy spawn points giving you the advantage. It also doesn't trigger attacks on you in unwanted circumstances, and you can more easily deal with it when it doesn't. I literally map out where the Ice is in the entire game so that as soon as I no longer need it it is gone. When determining if a Plasmid is S-Tier, or in any tier at all, an important factor is if the thing will put you at risk while the enemy is under its influence. Let's list all the detriments. 1] They can hit you and will still attack you directly while lit on fire 2] The Incinerate is obstructed by falling water 3] You can be burned by your own fire if its on an enemy 4] Big Daddies will attack you if lit on fire by enemies you hit with it, and unlike with Security Bullseye, will seek vengeance. -You WILL die here because you are being attacked at a time you aren't prepared by an enemy that demands preparation and planning to defeat. -This is also why I hate and won't use Static Discharge, and even though I rate them highly, Hypnotize Big Daddy and Insect Swarm.
Insect Swarm is too unstable. It's best saved for the last areas, or when you don't care if a Big Daddy is out for your blood. This Plasmid is literally the "Honeymoon Cycle" 1] Hmm, would it be nice to have the near equivalent of Electro-bolt, but slower and homing so it telegraphs and stuns enemies. -Electro-Bolt also can't kill enemies unless they're standing in water. -That would be awesome for Houdini Splicers and everyone else for that matter. It would be nice if it can also kill enemies unlike Electro-Bolt. 2] Hey, wait, that's Insect Swarm! 3] I'm taking it for a ride. 4] That saved my life, over and over again. Thank you Insect Swarm, you're so awesome! 5] Oh Crap, that swarm is going for that Big Daddy!! NO, STOP!!! 6] Dammit, that Big Daddy just killed me! 7] This Plasmid sucks because it got me killed! -I'm removing it. 8] Back to Line 1 If you don't have the resources to fight a Big Daddy, and one's on screen or in the area, Insect swarm is F-Tier. There's no debate here. Otherwise it's S-Tier.
I don't find aggroing big daddies happens that often nor are they a significant threat when you get Insect Swarm. Big daddies are only really a serious threat on Medical and Neptune's Bounty when you don't have good weapons yet. Arcadia Bouncers are at best moderately difficult and anything after that isn't really that difficult to kill. The game is divided into small rooms, so accidental aggro shouldn't happen often, you also don't need to spam plasmids almost ever and should be mostly headshotting things anyways.
My guy... that mechanical keyboard is like a spider crawling on my skull
BUGS IN YOUR SKIN BUGS IN YOUR EYES BUGS IN YOUR WALLS TEAR THEM OUT BURN THEM ALL
Lol I didn't mind it until you said that, dude why
I love how everyone has different opinions on which is the best. Just shows how good bioshock is and the loads of different builds.
(S)Shock,(A) swarm, (A)mind control, (A)sonic blast, (S)security bullseye, (A)target dummy. Flames(B), Rage(F), telekinesis (A) you can grab things through walls like meds and stuff. Summon Eleanor(S)
Bioshock is a masterpiece. Change my mind
@@IcedCoffeeGaming nice
Prey (2017) is better :)
I can't
No.
I honestly found that with the proper caution exercised, once you have the launcher and 6 Prox grenades TK is raised to the No Gods or Kings Only Me Tier.
Through rigorous testing on all difficulties, I discovered that one of the tall pressure tanks (with 6 Prox grenades stuck on it) can be thrown with TK at any Big Daddy (even a late game Rosie at max HP) for a one hit kill.
Easily telekinesis is S tier. You one shot kill all thuggish and lead splicer with a corpse. And as you tested many props to decent damage.
Yes, this. Throw dead enimes for full effect. Also in later levels you can tell if enimes are dead or pretending, if they don't move using telekinesis then they are alive!
@@danclifford1027 is a thrown corpse the most deadliest, or there is something more powerful?
@@MrScarabey gas cylinders are best but are a rare item.
@@danclifford1027 right, explosives!
@@MrScarabey Big daddy corpses instantly kill anything (except other big daddies of course)
I use enrage on that very level to make two BDs with little sisters take each other on for a slim victory which I rain on with a few shots from the electric buck. Otherwise, it's more useful for having splicers kill each other in combat while you take pictures for research.
One detail about security bullseye that not many people know about is that you can throw the bullseye back at the camera so that the security bots attack the camera rather than you. Giving you any easy way to shock and autohack security bots while also taking care of that pesky camera. I found it extremely useful in my wrench build when trying to deal with hard to reach security cameras.
Thank you for the advice! I just picked up this game on sale and I love it so far! Thanks for explaining what all of them do!
Thanks, this is just what I needed before I play this again. Fun game, always loved hacking all the security cameras and letting bots kills my foes.
Just finished my survivor playthrough. Died a lot, especially early game, but I'm going to try it without Vita Chambers next. My most useful plasmids were Electro Bolt, Security Bullseye, Hypnotize Big Daddy, Target Dummy, and Insect Swarm. Hypnotize Big Daddy + Security Bullseye is time consuming but it just absolutely shreds Big Daddies in the early/middlegame before you get the crossbow
Cyclone Trap I find is good in certain situations but not always since defending something is more situational in BS1.
In the early years I never used sonic boom but I’m now seeing just how good it is! Great video.
You putting Telekinesis in B tier while I finished the game yesterday killing Fontaine with almost only throwing stuff at him. I only used grenades and bolts for the final run. Fav plasmid
the thing about cyclone trap is so wrong, i'd mark it at least an A tier. not only is it great for the situations where you know enemies are gonna be coming from certain directions, but you can also input most of the plasmids into them and it will basically be a combination of the two. i found it very useful and pretty cool. i wasn't able to see all of the plasmids used in CT. but i was able to see the usefulness in using the ability.
Sonic Boom can AOE knock down dudes and you can kill them with a wrench and gain eve/health per hit and never take damage or consume resources. Cyclone Trap is a more complicated version that is single target of Sonic Boom.
@@IcedCoffeeGaming At least a high B xb
Charged plasmid traps are exclusive to bioshock 2
Generally speaking you can 1 shot an enemy with a corpse for most of the game using telekinesis. It catches projectiles, and can be used to make a shield. Any object thrown will do more damage than a signal bullet from most but not all of the guns, so it saves ammunition. Stacks well with all weapons and is useful the entire game. DEFINITELY S TIER
Edit: Also there's a ton of items hidden in out of reach places throughout the entire game that can only be obtained through the use of telekinesis.
@@IcedCoffeeGaming Ya dude I've played and beat every difficulty too and platinumed the game and there was never a time telekinesis wasn't useful. Bioshock works with a lot of different play styles and rewards experimentation. It's obvious from the video you are not very familiar with telekinesis as you were jumping between S TIER all the way to B TIER several times. Just because Telekinesis is a plasmid you under utilized doesn't mean it's any less useful. The point I was making with all the items place around in out of reach places, is the fact the developers placed these around with the assumption the player would always have telekinesis in an active slot. Much of the world design had telekinesis in mind, from the enemies that throw explosives, to all the explosives barrels littered around the entire game, to yes the items to be grabbed as a reward to keen eyed players. So I feel pretty comfortable in my assumption that the game developers would agree with me that telekinesis is one of the better plasmids. Like I said dude, you're under utilizing one of the most versatile plasmids in the entire game.
@@IcedCoffeeGaming telekinesis is bad in a fight but the game rewards you for having it,theres a bunch of stuff around that you can only reach with it,bummer that there isnt alot of giant props that deal alot of damage though.
In a fight: D
Finding resources: SS+
@@IcedCoffeeGaming I respectfully disagree, kill a big daddy, Grab it with telekinesis, now u can literally use this as a shield and you gonna be doing lots of damage to splicers, turrent's, cameras, I have finished the game on survivor, telkenis is works well even end game, so many people say its broken so I was surprised on why it was a B tier , most people say its actually the best.
Test dummy is the most useful plasmid for combat in the game imo. It turns a wrench only hard play through into a breeze.
Test dummy is the most overlooked plasmid I have seen. It's a must for my playthroughs and you can max out research on security bots in Neptune's bounty using it.
The bamboozle decoy is a def S tier
Ah yes the masterpiece yet lives
Watching this makes me want replay Bioshock and only use the worst plasmids
Honestly I used to rate winter blast as d at best however I learned that you can use it on security systems and and it will reduce the speed on the hacking mini game by a lot
Weird thing about enrage is it doesn't actually cause aggro when the enrage wears off they'll go back to yellow neutral mode.
You don't have to get hit to have the Big Daddy attack. If you attack something, so will the Big Daddy.
Security Bullseye is borderline S-Tier.
1] Doesn't Aggro Big Daddies.
2] Security technology is too abundant.
3] Combos well with Bomb Turrets, Natural Camouflage, and Target Dummy
-Form a triangle between you [optionally with Natural Camouflage and a camera], a Target Dummy, and a Bomb Turret.
-Leave the Big Daddy in the middle of the triangle.
-Replace the Dummy as it's about to disappear.
-The Big Daddy dies without damaging any of the other two.
4] Lure him under a Security Camera via Hypnotize, or just finding one that Big Daddies frequent and hit him with Bullseye.
With bots and cameras winter blast will slow the flow of the hack down while electro bolt only disables them
Hypnotize Big Daddy is A-Tier, and might even be S-Tier, but you have to make certain safeguards.
1] No grenades near Big Daddy.
2] No Static Discharge
3] No Insect Swarm.
You don't have to get hit to get the Big Daddy to attack something. If you attack the enemy, The Big Daddy will also attack them.
Awesome, the power of plasmid! I chose the Impossible!
I agree that Enrage is F tier, but I'm glad its in the game, because I love the audio diary.
Nurse?
Hold him down!
NNUUURRR-
Some plasmids I find hard to rate, Hypno big daddy and Telekinesis / Security bullseye are basically free gift plasmids that everybody gets so it really doesn't matter how much you do or don't make use of them compared to plasmids that cost adam to invest in, don't want to waste it early with bad picks.
I'd still call Hypno BD S-tier as you get it before better big daddy killing options are widely available
Aside from strategy BD are one of the most iconic videogame creations ever and being able to be befriend them is worth its weight in gold.
Sonic boom is a fantastic panic button at close range, telekinesis requires you to pull the object and then target your throw (big delay in action to payoff) but with boom if any enemy just suddenly gets in your face you can just instantly blast them away.
Target dummy is my favourite way to trick spider splicers into electric trap bolts since if i move into the area i'll set them off.
Winter blast is garbage, other plasmids do damage and give loot, freeze does zero damage and leaves no loot, frankly terrible.
Telekinesis A tier. Has very low plasmid consumption, no need upgrade and you can setup rooms with explosives for big daddy fights and with some minor kitting should be easy.
Ye sure there may be more effective ways to deal with them that involve ammo consumption or cheese. I like the versatily of it blocking and nuking things back.
I find hypnotize big daddy and security bullseye to be a cheesy way to deal with big daddies or splicers in general. Effective but cheesy. Is like using phantoms in dark souls. I never use them.
I agree with the rating on other plasmids.
I think my issue with Telekinesis is that weapons up to the crossbow are generally better to use, why throw a body when you can shoot things accurately at range, once you get the crossbow its just not worth it to throw a body a few feet for damage. Cheap ammo, 1 shot headshots, recoverable ammo, thing is the most optimal damaging weapon in the game.
I think people overvalue this ability because in starter levels it can 1 shot weak splicers, but a lot of things can.
In survivor difficulty it falls off fast around Neptune's Bounty, so you can have some fun with corpses for a level or two?
I wanted to love enrage this playthrough but it just doesn’t work when the game rarely throws groups of enemies.
the list is pretty good if you play on higher difficultys but if you would make the list for achivment hunters flame needs to bo on A or S because you can just insta kill enemies from lvl 1-3 or even 4 with it on low difficulty for the achivments
You said sonic boom doesn't work on machines, and I understand that you mean it doesn't work on turrets or cameras, but I wanted to point out that I found it pretty useful to keep drones from dealing too much damage while I scrambled around to find the deactivate alarm lever thing. But ig most people aren't dumb enough to set off the alarms in the first place, except me :(
Good video though, I already beat the game a bunch of times but I wanted to hear someone else's opinion on the plasmids. Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates freezing enemies to kill them
I deem Telekinesis as A and possibly S Tier, but not for any real good reason.
I can grab items from a distance and add them to my inventory
-enemies die easily to thrown objects. Most of the time there are really bad things to get hit with around.
-They actually nerfed it in Bioshock 2 because it was too good.
Man went from a to f tier so fast on tele lol
I mean to be fair maybe it's a B, I just don't like how clunky it is vs just shooting an enemy in the head at range. It only really shines in early chapters anyways which aren't hard also IMO
good vid i liked it
How are you not electriciting them in water. On the harder difficulty I put the electric eel tonic on and basically live in the water till late game 😂
I mostly just crossbow everything but water is legit.
Trap bolt crafting is the easiest way to instant kill big daddies and base crossbow 1 shot headshots and has cheap/re-usable ammo so it's hard for me to not use it
My favorite is telekinesis
I think someone should make a hard or survival weapon upgrade and plasmid tier list because it really is survival mode lol
I just finished bioshock 2 again and the made it through the story while scouring everything I possibly could on medium and got the brass balls achievement no vita chambers
When it comes to the highest difficulty tier list definitely need some min maxing i want a build with as little fat as possible even if it's boring in the beginning DPS AND SURVIVAL ARE PARAMOUNT lol
For Bioshock 1, Wrench build is absurdly broken. The wrench starts becoming OP after you get wrench jockey 1 in Medical, otherwise shotgun is OK, pistol ok until midgame, SMG is filler damage.
@@IcedCoffeeGaming I'm still making my way through Bioshock 1 again but I honestly remember the wrench becoming a overwhelming powerhouse if built properly including the chameleon and frozen wrench if I remember correctly it definitely makes sense to make a ninja wrench class when ammo is scarce lol
You can do ninja wrench but you can also just run up to people and beat them to death and there's nothing they can do about it:
th-cam.com/video/stSqcsS_Mww/w-d-xo.html
Enrage is better than you think, but not by much. You put it in F Tier. I'd put it in D tier [still really bad BTW] due to the fact that it takes enemies so long to die. The longer the fight, the more research abuse to be done, and just think. The race is on, and the winner loses all.
ya know i like this,
Hi
Plasmids are very weak in this game, for the most part im just using guns. Like with telekinesis you can throw some explosive stuff but if you get shot while holding it you are screwed. With big daddy hypnotise you limiting yourself and playing carefully not to trigger him, and he isnt all that helpful anyway since he dont attack first. And that flamethrower gun, why even adding it to the game, it takes away plasmids use and does it much better. There is too much stuff in this game. And i think they noticed it and in infinite they went in the other opposite extreme, and didnt make enough stuff.
Incinerate is F Tier. Literally the worst plasmid in the game.
Cyclone trap is better than this, as is Enrage IMO.
1] Enrage, you only carry it around if you are going to encounter 2 or more enemies, but when it happens, it's literally free research and thus more Gene Tonics
2] Cyclone Trap can be placed in doorways while you're in the room ruining ambushes, and can be planted at mandated enemy spawn points giving you the advantage. It also doesn't trigger attacks on you in unwanted circumstances, and you can more easily deal with it when it doesn't.
I literally map out where the Ice is in the entire game so that as soon as I no longer need it it is gone.
When determining if a Plasmid is S-Tier, or in any tier at all, an important factor is if the thing will put you at risk while the enemy is under its influence. Let's list all the detriments.
1] They can hit you and will still attack you directly while lit on fire
2] The Incinerate is obstructed by falling water
3] You can be burned by your own fire if its on an enemy
4] Big Daddies will attack you if lit on fire by enemies you hit with it, and unlike with Security Bullseye, will seek vengeance.
-You WILL die here because you are being attacked at a time you aren't prepared by an enemy that demands preparation and planning to defeat.
-This is also why I hate and won't use Static Discharge, and even though I rate them highly, Hypnotize Big Daddy and Insect Swarm.
Insect Swarm is too unstable. It's best saved for the last areas, or when you don't care if a Big Daddy is out for your blood.
This Plasmid is literally the "Honeymoon Cycle"
1] Hmm, would it be nice to have the near equivalent of Electro-bolt, but slower and homing so it telegraphs and stuns enemies.
-Electro-Bolt also can't kill enemies unless they're standing in water.
-That would be awesome for Houdini Splicers and everyone else for that matter. It would be nice if it can also kill enemies unlike Electro-Bolt.
2] Hey, wait, that's Insect Swarm!
3] I'm taking it for a ride.
4] That saved my life, over and over again. Thank you Insect Swarm, you're so awesome!
5] Oh Crap, that swarm is going for that Big Daddy!! NO, STOP!!!
6] Dammit, that Big Daddy just killed me!
7] This Plasmid sucks because it got me killed!
-I'm removing it.
8] Back to Line 1
If you don't have the resources to fight a Big Daddy, and one's on screen or in the area, Insect swarm is F-Tier. There's no debate here. Otherwise it's S-Tier.
I don't find aggroing big daddies happens that often nor are they a significant threat when you get Insect Swarm. Big daddies are only really a serious threat on Medical and Neptune's Bounty when you don't have good weapons yet. Arcadia Bouncers are at best moderately difficult and anything after that isn't really that difficult to kill.
The game is divided into small rooms, so accidental aggro shouldn't happen often, you also don't need to spam plasmids almost ever and should be mostly headshotting things anyways.
Yooooo