- “Need some peace and quiet? Splice in Natural Camouflage, stop moving, and just fade away. Remember, not seeing is believing!”
- ― Natural Camouflage Tonic caption
Natural Camouflage is a Gene Tonic which renders the user invisible. The invisibility is nullified by moving, jumping, using weapons (including the Research Camera) or Plasmids. Invisibility is not broken by looking around, crouching/standing, toggling zoom on weapons, reloading, looting bodies or containers, Hacking or operating machines. Enemies that are already aware of or hostile to the player will also nullify the invisibility effect. The player can be detected if an enemy walks into him/her, but Security Bots do not seem to notice, this effect does not extend to Big Daddies, who will slowly walk towards the player until making contact with them, therefore nullifying the effect with a melee attack to re-initiate combat.
BioShock[]
- Main article: BioShock
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 Natural Camouflage
Effect: Causes the player to become invisible while remaining stationary. Location: Received at research level two for Houdini Splicers.  |
Strategy[]
- This Tonic is useful for hacking as it eliminates any danger from hostile Security Devices when an alarm tile is activated. If the player stands still for long enough Jack will turn invisible by the time the Security Bots arrive and will avoid any damage. This can also help during research, since standing still after taking a picture will allow the player to avoid detection.
- This Tonic allows one to trigger alarms intentionally to bring Security Bots for hacking purposes. Simply remain stationary until the alarm is almost over, then use Electro Bolt or Winter Blast, as the bots pass by for the final time and hack them to gain a useful ally.
- If there are hacked Security Devices in nearby area, the player may use the tonic to lure Splicers towards them, by first baiting them with a couple of shots, then leading them towards a hacked Camera or a Turret, becoming invisible, and waiting for the Security Devices to get rid of the opposition without fighting it themselves.
Gallery[]
Bugs / Glitches[]
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If the player has the Pistol with the Damage Increase upgrade, the transparent camouflage effect will not be applied to the red cylinder and its metal mount. The player's hand and the rest of the weapon will fade when the player stands still, but the upgrade will not. - Using it in the final level will make Fontaine search for and find the player, but he will not attack. He will just stand and wait until the player moves.
BioShock 2[]
- Main article: BioShock 2
Natural Camouflage cannot be purchased, but can be earned as a Research Reward for pursuing Houdini Splicers. However, players will not encounter Houdini Splicers until the Dionysus Park level, which is about two-thirds of the way through the campaign.
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Natural Camouflage
Effect: Causes the player to become invisible while remaining stationary. Location: Received at research level four of Houdini Splicers. |
Minerva's Den[]
Found in a small, flooded, Turret-guarded room on the lower level of Air-Tite Archives' Warehouse, in Minerva's Den. Unobtainable in later levels.
Strategy[]
- Unlike its Bioshock counterpart, Natural Camouflage takes about twice as long to engage once the player is standing still. Players used to the timing should be wary of "disappearing" from enemies and security in this manner.
- This Tonic can eliminate the fear of hitting the alarm slots, just like in the original BioShock as long as the player waits for the effect to engage prior to attempting a hack.
- The Fountain of Youth tonic pairs well with Natural Camouflage to heal without the fear of being ambushed in the process; conversely, with preparation the player can use this same combination to be an effective ambusher when protecting Little Sisters during gathering missions as an unseen final defense.
- It is perhaps most useful when used in conjunction with the Scout Plasmid, as the player's body will be undetectable, which would otherwise still be spotted by patrolling enemies.
- Idle Splicers can still bump into players and discover them while invisible, so be careful to choose a spot out of the way before letting the Tonic take effect.
- When gathering with a Little Sister, if the player stands still, the normal waves of Splicers do not show up to attack. Only the first few do.
Gallery[]
Bugs / Glitches[]
- This Tonic may stop functioning in the Fontaine Futuristics or Persephone levels. This is especially true when acquiring Elemental Vampire in Solitary Confinement of the Holding wing of Inner Persephone: If the player does not kill all three Houdini Splicers who appear after the Tonic is acquired, the game will assume the survivors still see the player, nullifying Natural Camouflage.
- This Tonic seems to carry over to the controllable Little Sister in the outer level of Persephone, as the appear and disappear sound can be heard if the player stands still for any length of time.