So 1999 hasn't been hard so far & how long do I have left?

So 1999 isn't nearly as tough as I thought well.. at least so far. Who knows the last stretch could be a doozy but so far its actually been quite manageable. Although admittedly I do have some pretty sweet ass gear. I've got a pair of boots that makes me invincible every time I hop on and off a skyline. Which is super handy. As well as a pair of trousers that give me +50% damage to crits so headshots with the Carbine are almost always a instant kill. So, to anyone scared of 1999 mode honestly I'd say try it as long as you take your time and explore for supplies and for god sakes invest all your infusions on the shield until its maxed. The shield is really important in 1999. I'd also recommend that you just restart checkpoints if you die. You'll just be wasting more resources by respawning. Now as to where I am.....

So I just got past the part where Song Bird wrecks the Airship after they try to get away after Liz kills Daisy. Turned it off called it a night. Obviously without spoiling it for me about how much longer do I have? I'm guessing I have to be damn close.

You are not damn close at all, you've got a good deal left, several hours for sure.

It sounds like you just finished Act 7 of 11 (Chapter 26 of 39).

From watching other people play '99 mode, the back third of the game seems to be quite a bit more difficult than the rest of the game.

You are about 60% of the way through.

@demoskinos:

You're a little over half-way there. There will come a point in the game where 1999 mode might become more difficult and might become unfun. That's what happened to me on hard. Just a heads up.

I can't imagine doing the last 1/3 of the game on 1999. Good luck.

Well you're coming up on the part where your boots are completely useless, good luck!

The cool thing about 1999 is that there's no real 'one way' to beat it. I never even once used the shield in my playthrough and I got through it with less deaths than in any of my previous playthroughs. If you know what you're doing and know how to deal with the enemies, 1999 can be beaten by almost anyone.

Hmm, I wouldn't say that. Getting started in 1999 Mode can be hard since the big rule about "Once you run out of money you can't be revived" thing is the very hardest part about the very start of the game. You could buy something and accidentally put yourself into cash strapped state where you literally can't afford to die.

Is it the ghost mom part? I only have one achivement left(1999 mode without buying from 'Dollar Bill') and I want to know if that part is just BS. It was BS on hard.

Yeah, that part. Fuck that, well those, fights and that character just entirely. It, and she, was the worst part of the game.

Well, how about you don't die. It is a shooter with cover mechanics that requires enemy management, like almost every other shooter. You're not supposed to die and still progress. If you feel like you can't overcome the odds and will die anyway, you'll need to save money (which isn't really a problem if you search around). It's all about finding the best tactic for your playstyle.

That is the trick isn't it? :) I'm not saying it is impossible but at the start of the game you are at your weakest nor do I recall that rule being revealed until you have already died. It is just a little oversight in the game where it should have been very up front about that where I'm never surprised to hear that people screwed themselves at the start.

I finished 1999 Mode a few minutes ago. I had a ton of fun all the way through; the only remotely frustrating part involved a Handyman.

A few tips: upgrade Shock Jockey to allow chained bolts and use it on a certain character's minions. A headshot with a carbine, sniper rifle, or revolver puts them down for good if they're under the influence of Shock Jockey. And be sure to fully upgrade Return to Sender and use it at the end. It makes it too easy.

I think that the BioShocks are the only games I'm good at, because I sincerely hope they release a harder mode...

What's the point of playing it on 1999 mode apart from wanting a challenge?

That is the point. It's just a harder difficulty.

For extra-extra challenge, there's also the achievement for beating 1999 mode without buying anything from a Dollar Bill machine.

I was wondering if there is unique gear or something locked away in that mode. I found the combat somewhat frustrating on medium and can't really imagine wanting to experience it with the looming possibility of perma death and even more spongey enemies.

You're about to the point where shit gets real. I don't mean story-wise. I mean difficulty wise.

I don't think that there is any unique gear, weapons or collectibles in any of the difficulty modes.

There isn't really any permadeath though, you just restart from the last checkpoint rather than being revived by Elizabeth if you run out of money. The real downside is losing the money when you die, money and health seem much harder to come by in 1999 mode. It means that the more you struggle the harder it gets, the more you die the fewer weapon upgrades and items you can buy.

Umm, isn't 1999 mode only unlocked after you beat the game? So how do you not know at what point you are in the story?

@rebgav: I just thought that maybe because it had a unique name rather than HARDEST DIFFICULTY that there might be something more unique about it - well the dying is unique in a way. I know some people like playing games on hard but personally it has never been a thing for me. Just seems more irritating than anything - I beat Modern Warfare 2 on the hardest difficulty back in the day and I remember it not really being a challenge of skill as much as an intricate puzzle of where the next checkpoint is and how to trigger it without dying in the process.

I think there's a way of unlocking it beforehand. Like, the Konami code or something.

@winternet@icemo The Konami code is the way to go.

I'm interested if anyone is going for the 1999 mode no vending machines run. I'm 3 hours into mine and it's doable, fun even, but the final act kind of frightens me....

Im also doing no vending machines and its still been pretty okay. No need to buy anything from the dollar bill anyway. Then again I've hardly bought anything...Got like 4000 saved up. Should probably upgrade a weapon. Thinking about getting the last possession upgrade. Sweet sweet possession. :-D

I'm also in the middle of a 1999 Scavenger Hunt run. The first few fights are the worst but once you start getting some better weapons and vigors to play around with it's not bad at all. I'm still pretty early and just finished the Hall of Heroes section, but knowning which vigors I want to invest in and which weapons I want to upgrade makes me think it won't be too bad. I stumbled on a pretty good strategy for that end part that a lot of people seem to have a problem with and did it with a little over 50% health left on my first try. That's the only part that I can see maybe struggling on, but I guess I'll find out if that's true.

I am glad that I didn't do this from the start. I don't think I'd have enjoyed the game nearly as much.

I was really surprised when everyone was saying it was so terrible on hard. I'm sure it's because of all of the soldiers that she revives? Return to Sender upgraded saved me a lot of trouble since the shield soaks up all of the damage. You can also throw it at the ghost for additional damage, it was a cakewalk for me.

I got the last achievement a few days ago. I had no issue with the ghost fight at all. Biggest issue I had was running out of ammo and having to keep using the burstgun which I hated.

Can you explain to me how 1999 differs from hard apart from being more difficult and not respawning you when you run out of money? I just finished the game on hard, and was wondering if it was worth playing through again.

Dudes have more life. Hit harder. MORE life is restored when you die. They also are better at aiming.

@the_laughing_man: On the wiki it says about 1999 mode that 'This mode emphasizes player choice and almost turns Booker into a class-based fighter instead of free-wielding. Players will have to "specialize" with certain weapons.'

Does this mean anything to you? Is this true? It seemed a bit vague and I can't see anyone else talking about it anywhere.

@demoskinos: You have, in my opinion the best piece of gear in the game. You are also approaching a part where there's almost no skylines, and you will sorely note their absence. Luckily, they do return later on. The last 1/4th of the game could be a real exercise in frustration at certain points on 1999. But, I made it through, so you will too. :D

@leebmx: Enemies hit harder, you take more damage, if you die without money it restarts you at your last autosave, if you die any damaged enemy goes back to full health, it disables the navigation arrow, and enemies seem to be more accurate.

As for the whole bit about a "class based fighter", all I think it means is that non-upgraded weapons will be near useless, and you probably won't have the cash to upgrade them all, so you may need to stick with two or three weapons tops for the majority of the game. I ran exclusively carbine and shotgun, so I guess I subconsciously played into that.

OK, that sounds like a bit of a slog tbh and i'm not sure how much I would enjoy that. I played it on hard the first time and had an excellent time, but pushing up the difficulty without getting any real reward apart from the satisfaction of beating that difficulty - i'm not so sure.

I really like the Resident Evil style of giving you your second playthrough with all the stuff you collected on the first one, so the game's loads harder but you have load of cool stuff to match it with.

EDIT: I really thought Tomb Raider would have benefited from a mode like that. I only played in once because starting again meant just that.

I beat 1999 mode without using the Dollar Bills and I think I only upgraded one weapon. The final act is pretty tough.

@leebmx: I am of the opinion that 1999 mode only makes sense on your first run; it adds nothing extra to the experience, you garner no additional rewards (apart from achievements but ehhh), and you've already seen the story.

I believe that 1999 mode is the only proper way to play the game; it removes the viability of my least favorite Bioshock tactic: progression through suicide. However, slinging around words like "proper" is tantamount to telling people how they should enjoy games, and I don't want to do that. I'll put it this way; if you felt your gameplay experience was negatively impacted by the ease of Hard Mode, play 1999. If you want to experience the story again, and maybe inject a bit of an extra challenge into the game to keep things fresh, play 1999. But, if you are hoping 1999 mode will bring something extra to the table on its own, don't bother. The changes from Hard are, unfortunately, minor, and I feel Bioshock is the kind of game that is far more magical on your first playthrough than any subsequent.

Yep. I agree I think 1999 is the way to play this game. Scavenging for stuff makes you explore every inch of every area and you see things you might have otherwise missed.

1999 Mode means money is way way way more important than other modes. The way the game works is the resources are capped to how many containers are in any particular area. Opponents are an expensive way to restock too.

Personally I wish 1999 Mode was a mode you enabled along side difficulty. There could be some interesting tactics and choices made just on Medium with 1999 Mode rules.

Well just beat M'dam Comstock in the graveyard. Despite what everyone else said 1999 mode and all I only retried like...3 times before I got it. I did end up dropping my Carbine for a crank gun to finish the job and now I lost my carbine and I'm super sad. Hopefully I can find a carbine somewhere. I put two dang upgrades into that thing! =( Carbine/RPG has been my loadout for awhile. Good lord the RPG has gotten me out of quite a few scrapes with heavies.

You're still aways from the end, maybe two hours (?). There will still be a few spikes in difficulty. I didn't play on 1999 but finished on hard. I didn't die very much until after the point you mentioned. It does get cheap a few times and I died a bunch because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Although I got lost in the section you just played as well since there's so much back tracking.

Same reason anyone ever plays a game on the harder difficulty I guess. The challenge and achievements if you care about that at all.

Okay so I've got a sure fire tactic to beat the boss at the bank without ever being hit or even seen. It requires you have the "Spectral Ally" equipment however. Now, assuming you have the spectral ally gear before you go out of the vault to face Lady Comstock for round 2 backtrack the way you came in. Jump up and sneak out into the main hall where she is and get over to the left hand balcony. There should be a sniper rifle propped up on the pillar. Equip Spectral Ally and simply pick up the Sniper then pick up your dropped weapon. The ghost bullets don't actually activate the fight but still damage her. You can beat her without the fight ever starting.

I think I'm going to give up on 1999 mode. Got to Ghost Mom and died like 7 times. Having to trudge down the hill in addition to watching that whole in-game cutscene wears on you pretty quick.

In the words of Roger Murtaugh, I'm gettin' too old for this shit.

Everyone's talking about 1999 and I'm sitting here thinking it's a year.

I don't quite own BioShock: Infinite yet....

@demoskinos: how did you get 1999 before actually beating the game?

@mano521: You unlock it with the Konami code.

@demoskinos: oh no kidding? why did i just hear about this haha. i guess whenever i saw something on infinite, i would just stay away from it.

Finally finished it up for the second time. Two things one that last scene always packs an emotional punch. Two Platnium is complete! So I guess I have an S Rank until they update for the DLC.

Though I never died I thought easy was frustrating at times.... No interested in playing through the game again.

I just platinumed it. It's challenging, but not at all difficult. Especially if you compare it to some other games on the hardest difficulty. For weapons I used the sniper rifle and shotgun. Vigors: Possession and Bucking Bronco. Sometimes Undertow, especially at the end while going to Comstock House and on the multiple levels of the airship. The Winter's Shield gear was great for skyline battles.

Like with most games with a progression/upgrading system, the game gets easier as it continues as you have a better arsenal and health. The siren battles are the only ones I found to be a little tricky. Also, it's funny: it took me three tries on normal difficulty to beat the final battle. I did it on the first try on 1999.

Everybody worried about the Lady Comstock fight should try spamming Charge with Charge Boost & Aid, Blood to Salts, Vampire's Embrace and Brittle Skinned. Even on 1999 Mode it's over in ten seconds.

It's funny because I suck at FPS, but the game is so much more about effective use of modifiers, space and opportunities that once I finished 1999 Mode, going back to Hard seemed too easy and I even managed to protect the Hand of the Prophet without it taking a single hit. I loved the game on my first run on medium but there's a lot of depth there that a lot of folks are missing out on.