Spider Splicer

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Spider Splicer
Health	300 (Default), 600 (Neptune's Bounty), 250 (Fort Frolic), 600 (Silas Cobb's kittens), 400 (Hephaestus) 520 (after Hephaestus), 1200 (Point Prometheus and Proving Grounds).
Damage	60 (Slash), 80 (Leap and Dropkick), 35 before and during Hephaestus, 100 after (Hook Throw).
Location	Neptune's Bounty to the end of the game.

BioShock Research Rewards
Spider Splicer

1	+ Damage Vulnerable to antipersonnel rounds
2	Spider Organs can be used like health kits
3	++ Damage
4	Physical Tonic - Extra Nutrition 3
5	+++ Damage

Spider Splicers are Splicers that have gone to an extreme: unlike most Splicers which seem to have used their ADAM for practical reasons, Spiders act in such a way that suggests they do it so they can be better at killing. Able to stick on to the ceiling, perform acrobatic feats impossible to a "pure" human, and twirl red-hot hooks from afar at Jack, Spiders are one of the most difficult Splicers Jack will encounter.

The first Splicer encountered by Jack that Atlas remotely scares away with his bot returns as an unmarked "boss" enemy in Neptune's Bounty. She is a Rosebud with unique dialogue, donning a red jumpsuit. Other Spider corpses are present throughout the level, with what looks like her eating the first encounter. Like all of the other Splicers, she is insane, singing and dropping pink rose petals over Jack. She first attacks outside Peach Wilkins's hideout, where Wilkins himself tells Jack that he is "well and truly fucked" before she drops from a hole in the ceiling. Due to the fact that she has to return after the three splicers have been photographed, she cannot be killed on the first encounter. It is possible to lower her health to zero but she will still not die. After photographing the three Spiders for Wilkins, she returns at the Gatherer's Garden, more powerful than a normal Spider. However, this battle is entirely optional, as it takes place only if the player chooses to pick up the Wrench Lurker Gene tonic placed as a trap.

To the right, the first Spider Splicer encountered in the game

Cannon Fodder? - Considering that these suckers are still a bit of a challenge on the Easy setting, one can only imagine what they're like on Hard. Fast and ruthless, they'll force the player to waste ammo just getting a bead on them. They can even be scary at times for their ability to come from just about anywhere. However, using the correct strategy will make them much easier to kill. This Splicer is the only type which doesn't upgrade their fighting capabilities throughout the game.

Notable Behavior - The first thing a player must know when tackling a Spider Splicer is that they always try to approach from the ceiling, so check frequently. If the player hears the sound of crackling plaster, then it means there is a Spider Splicer in their vicinity (and on the ceiling). When tackling White Splicers in Fort Frolic, this is the only way a player can anticipate an attack. When in combat, these Splicers will first get into melee range, attack the player, then quickly retreat, climb onto the ceiling, throw a hook at the player, and repeat the process.

Tips and Tricks:

When badly injured, Splicers will attempt to use a nearby Health Station, if available. This can be used to the player's advantage if they had previously hacked the Health Station. After they have dealt a good amount of damage to the Splicer, it will run to get health and be poisoned to death by the hacked Health Station.
A dead Spider Splicer usually yields a Spider Splicer Organ which, if the player has conducted enough research, can be used as a First Aid Kit. This means the player can top up their health before fighting this Splicer type.
Always aim ahead of a Spider Splicer, as by the time the player lines up a shot they will have moved away from the line of fire. By anticipating where the Splicer will go the player can conserve precious ammunition.
A Spider Splicer hook counts as a projectile, and as such it can be thrown back with Telekinesis or Sonic Boom. It is also relatively easy to dodge the projectile if the player has enough space.
Apart from the fact that these Splicers can climb on the ceiling and throw hooks, they fight in a way very similar to Thuggish Splicers. This means melee combat also works against these Splicers.
Traps and other stationary threats are useless against these Splicers, as they can easily dodge them. However, incapacitating the Splicer in some way or using attacks not requiring a great deal of aim will yield a significant advantage against them.
Another stategy is to hack Security Bots to help in the fight, since they will fire at them if they attack the player, and can easily show where they are. Don't let the Bots do all the fighting themselves, though, as the Spider's hook throw can destroy them in two hits each.
This Splicer, as scary as it might be, doesn't actually deal more damage than the other Splicer types. They are more effective at ambushing and evading the player, but only rarely do they actually attack them. Staying calm and aiming well will easily win the fight.

[edit] Recommended Plasmids

Sonic Boom has the advantage of not only reflecting away a Spider Splicer's hook, but also knocking them off the clieling and stunning them, dealing significant damage. As such, it is a recommended Plasmid against this Splicer type.
Insect Swarm has the advantage of not requiring any aim at all, and dealing continuous damage to the Splicer throughout the battle. It can also distract it, preventing it from both attacking the player and dodging their attacks.
Incinerate! has a wide radius, and also deals damage to the Splicer over time, making it a useful tool in the beginning of combat.
Telekinesis is useful in that it can toss large objects at this Splicer and can also throw their koocks back at them for medium to low damage.
Target Dummy will distract this Splicer from the player, allowing them to hit the enemy at their leisure.
Winter Blast will allow this Splicer to be shattered with easy, although at the cost of not being able to loot this Splicer type.
Electro Bolt will stun this Splicer, allowing for an easy kill. However, it is rather difficult to land a successful shot with this Plasmid.

[edit] Recommended Weapons and Ammunition

Antipersonnel ammo will usually kill any Splicer in a couple of shots.
The Wrench is actually a good choice, because it doesn't require much aim and because these Splicers frequently get into melee range. Upgrading it will enable the player to kill any Spider Splicer before they have a chance of harming the player.
The Shotgun is recommended against this Splicer type as it produces a wide spread, requiring less aim. However, for full effect it is recommended to use either Electric Buck or Exploding Buck, as 00 Buck won't kill Spider Splicers effectively.
The Grenade Launcher is a very good choice against Spider Splicers, as it deals high damage with no aiming required. However, as Proximity Mines are useless against this Splicer type and Frag Grenades will fall to the ground, Heat-Seeking RPGs are the best ammo choice.
The Chemical Thrower is also an excellent choice against Spider Splicers, as it has a high damage output without needing to aim, as well as having a great ammo capacity. All ammo types are good, although it is recommended to save Electric Gel for Big Daddies.
The Crossbow is very hard to use against this Splicer type, although a single shot will kill or severely injure them. As such, it is recommended to use Incendiary Bolts, as one shot from that ammo type will usually kill any Spider Splicer. Don't consider headshotting, as it is impossible to perform one one this Splicer type, save if the player is incredibly lucky. As such, Steel-tip Bolts aren't recommended, although they do take out a significant chunk of health upon hit.

[edit] Recommended Tonics

Natural Camouflage will help the player ambush and escape from this Splicer type.
The Armored Shell line of tonics will significantly reduce damage received by a Spider Splicer's attacks.
The Damage Research line of tonics will greatly increase damage dealt against enemies researched using the Research Camera. This Gene tonic is dependent on the amount of research done by the player.
The Static Discharge line of tonics will stun Spider Splicers who hit the player, allowing them to perform a One-Two Punch with no cost in EVE.

[edit] Trivia

Spider Splicers were originally known as Ceiling Crawlers, revealed here.

Enemies in BioShock
Splicer	Thuggish Splicer · Leadhead Splicer · Nitro Splicer · Houdini Splicer · Spider Splicer
Big Daddy	Bouncer · Rosie
Machine	Security Bot · Security Camera · Turret
New Enemies in BioShock 2
Splicer	Brute Splicer
Big Daddy	Rumbler · Big Sister
Machine	Miniature Turret