Welcome to Columbia! In Bioshock Infinite, your path through the floating city is shaped by your choices in combat, exploration, and upgrades. With dozens of combinations between weapons, Vigors, and gear, every playthrough can feel unique. But if you want to survive the early hours and gain momentum quickly, this guide breaks down the most important things to focus on right from the start.

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Scavenge Everything: Money Is Power

From the very beginning, make it a habit to search every corner, trash can, and cash register for silver eagles(Columbia’s currency). For reasons unknown, the citizens of this flying utopia love throwing money away—it’s not uncommon to find literal piles of cash in garbage bins.

The more money you collect, the smoother your journey will be. On harder difficulties, it becomes essential just to stay stocked on health kits, ammo, and salts (Vigor fuel). Weapon and Vigor upgrades aren’t cheap either, so hoarding your funds early will open doors to better combat options sooner.

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Smart Early Spending: Vigor Upgrades to Prioritize

Very early on, you’ll encounter a Veni! Vidi! Vigor! vending machine. While you won’t have much cash yet, there’s one key upgrade you should consider right away:

• Possession for Humans: This upgrade allows you to use Possession on enemy humans, not just machines. It’s extremely valuable early on when combat options are limited and turrets aren’t always nearby.

You might have heard that with the Season Pass, you can start the game with enough cash to buy Bucking Bronco immediately. But for most players, Possession is your go-to pick in the early game.

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Master the Skyhook Execution System

Skyhook kills aren’t just flashy—they’re practical. Using the Skyhook in melee combat gives you access to execution animations that not only finish off enemies in style but also synergize with specific gear:

• Kill to Live or Vampire’s Embrace: These gear items restore health after melee kills.

Start using melee executions regularly. When timed correctly, especially against staggered or isolated enemies, they can be both safe and incredibly rewarding.

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Gear: The Double-Edged Sword of Randomization

Gear in Bioshock Infinite can drastically alter your playstyle. It includes modifiers like:

• Vampire’s Embrace (boots): Restore health on melee kills.
• Bullet Boon (pants): +50% ammo capacity.
• Storm Hat (hat): Chains elemental Vigors like Shock Jockey or Bucking Bronco to nearby enemies.

However, gear pickups are randomized. You might find a powerful piece like Storm Hat… or something mediocre like Skyline Reloader, which automatically reloads your weapon after dismounting a skyline.

Pro tip: Gear is randomized upon checkpoint load, meaning if you die or reload a checkpoint before saving again, that gear drop might turn into something else. This can be used to your advantage if you’re willing to invest time reloading until you get a better drop.

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Explore Off the Beaten Path

A major rule of thumb in Infinite: keep exploring. Don’t just follow the waypoint. Behind locked doors, down staircases, or tucked away in corners, you’ll find:

• Hidden gear
• Infusion upgrades (boost health, shields, or salts)
• Silver eagle caches
• Voxophones (audio logs)

Ask Elizabeth to open locks whenever possible, and don’t hesitate to detour from the main objective. Columbia is filled with secrets and rewards those who look deeper.

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Final Thoughts

Whether you’re new to the series or jumping into Bioshock Infinite after loving the earlier games, remember that combat versatility and exploration are your biggest allies. Use your Vigors strategically, experiment with gear loadouts, and keep looting. Columbia may be a utopia built on lies, but it’s also full of opportunity—if you’re willing to dig.

For more on weapons, upgrades, and Vigor combos, stay tuned. Until then, explore everything and stay sharp.