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Welcome to Rapture

"Welcome to Rapture."

Welcome To Rapture—Opportunity awaits
― Sign before exiting the Lounge.


The first real area of the game, Welcome to Rapture is a tutorial where the player receives their first weapon, and Plasmid. Also, this level introduces a few of the game's enemies, such as the Splicers, Little Sisters and their Big Daddy protectors, and Rapture's automated security (Security Cameras, Security Bots, and Turrets). Also, "Welcome to Rapture" introduces the player's guide Atlas, and Rapture's creator, Andrew Ryan. Evidence of the impending conflict that led to the final downfall of ordered society is seen in the form of many protest signs outside the closed Bathysphere Station. Once the player leaves, they cannot return to this area.

History

Welcome Bathysphere Lounge-04

The Bathysphere Station building.

This entry area is the gateway to a new life in Rapture. The Welcome Center complex was originally designed to acclimate newcomers to the underwater utopia after they arrived from the surface. It consisted of orientation facilities, several eating establishments and luxury leisure areas, including the Kashmir Restaurant and Footlight Theater, but also a Gatherer's Garden at the Lounge to introduce the "Power of Plasmids." The purpose of this locale was to impress upon new residents the wealth and splendor of Rapture. It is also where parts of the 1958 New Year's Eve Riots took place, during celebrations organized at the Kashmir.

BioShock

Main article: BioShock

Bathysphere Station

This station was where new people from the Surface arrived via the bathysphere, coming from the Lighthouse, to become residents of Rapture. Here, Jack first comes into contact with Atlas, and has a startling encounter with a Splicer Rose who kills Atlas' man Johnny. When bathysphere travel was closed off to most citizens, many came down to the station to protest. After Jack arrives, he can see many of the protest signs scattered about.

Lounge

Welcome-Bathysphere-Lounge-03

The Bathysphere Lounge.

This lounge is adjoining the Bathysphere Station. Here people could relax before or after their journey, or wait for other members of their party to arrive. It is where Jack fights his first Thuggish Splicer. When Jack takes his first Plasmid - Electro Bolt and passes out. He wakes up and gets a glimpse of a Little Sister and a Bouncer Big Daddy investigating him.

Tunnel

From the Lounge, an enclosed glass tunnel takes newly arrived citizens to other parts of Rapture. Just as Jack traverses the tunnel, the airplane tail section of Apollo Air Flight DF-0301 crashes into the tunnel, causing it to flood. Water pouring through the breach immediately triggers the bulkhead door from the Lounge to seal. Fortunately, Jack can climb into the tail section and escape through the plane's rear exit. While the damaged tunnel's glass begins to crack under the sea's pressure, the previous section of tunnel collapses, and the structure begins to buckle. Jack escapes through the flooding tunnel to another door leading to the Atrium.

Atrium

Welcome-Atrium01

Ascendancy, Liberty, Creativity, etc.

Beyond the tunnel is a small public waiting room. Jack encounters a Thuggish Splicer who has taken up residence and another one who arrives shortly after. Past the waiting room is the Atrium, one of the tallest interiors you see in Rapture. A series of elevators once conveyed visitors to several establishments in the building complex, but on Jack's arrival, only one is in operation and remains passable. As Jack rides the elevator up, Atlas pleads with him to save his family in Neptune's Bounty. When Jack reaches the top, a Thuggish Splicer is seen talking over a baby carriage, in which lies a Pistol. Beyond her is the entrance to the Kashmir Restaurant.

Kashmir Restaurant

Kashmir Restaurant Inside

Party's over.

An intimate high class restaurant in the Welcome Center of Rapture, where customers were entertained with fine dining, singers, and dancing. It was also where many newcomers to the city were welcomed. Brenda, who owned the establishment, can be found arguing with Charlie as Jack arrives. Because of their addiction to ADAM, Brenda apparently has locked herself in the kitchen to keep Charlie away from hers. Jack has a choice to kill them or not.

Cocktail Lounge

A bar located on the bottom floor of the Restaurant, where beer and wine was served to the Kashmir's customers.

Footlight Theater

A mini-theater owned by Steve Barker, where plays were presented and other live entertainment performed. The theater was especially popular with working class citizens from Neptune's Bounty and other parts of Rapture. A Little Sister and a Bouncer Big Daddy is found here and is where Jack learns what happens if someone tries to attack a Little Sister.

Transit Hub

Welcome-Transit Hub02

Decadence meets devastation.

Connecting via two airlocks going to Neptune's Bounty and the Medical Pavilion, this is where Jack is trapped due to a security lockdown. He has no choice but to fight off Splicers and escape to the Medical Pavilion. Andrew Ryan communicates with Jack, warning him that he and his men will come after Jack for intruding into the city, accusing him of being an agent from the CIA or the KGB.

Map

This map is interactive. Click on an icon to find out more about it, or choose a tab to see a different map.
Healthstation
Health
Station
Icon vending
Vending
Machine
Icon gathergard
Gatherer's
Garden
Genebank
Gene
Bank
Botshutdown
Bot Shutdown
Panel
Icon uinvent
U-Invent
Station
AudioDiary
Audio
Diary
Plasmid
Plasmid
Genetonic
Engineering
Tonic
Physical Tonic
Physical
Tonic
Combat Tonic
Combat
Tonic

New Discoveries

New Weaponry

New Plasmids and Tonics (Found)

New Enemies

Audio Diaries

  1. Diane McClintock - New Year's Eve Alone
  2. Steve Barker - Hole in the Bathroom Wall

Walkthrough

Extended Walkthrough
File:Bioshock 2009-01-09 04-43-59-78.jpg

"No Gods or Kings. Only Man."

A plane went down and exploded somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Take control of the only survivor, Jack, the main protagonist and player character of BioShock, and guide him through his journeys ahead. The first thing one needs to do is get out of the water. Swim forwards, through the flaming wreckage and head to the right, to a large lighthouse. Swim to the steps and ascend them. The entrance is directly to the left of the stairs. Traverse inside and head down the steps and into the submarine-like craft, the Bathysphere. Enter it, and pull the lever. As the Bathysphere descends, a screen will rise from the floor, allowing the player to learn of Andrew Ryan, and his motives for the creation of his city, Rapture.

Get to higher grounds

Rapture

A view of Rapture from a distance.

Midway through Andrew Ryan's speech, the screen will slide away, and Rapture will be revealed. As the Bathysphere draws closer to the docking point, two men, Atlas and Johnny, can be heard speaking to one another. Johnny heads down to meet Jack at the Bathysphere dock. Once the Bathysphere emerges above the water's surface, the player will quickly notice that things in Rapture have gone sour, along with its inhabitants. Johnny made it to the Bathysphere station, but is immediately confronted by A particularly vicious Splicer. The player can do nothing but watch as the Spider Splicer quickly dispatches the would-be ally. Take the shortwave radio off the Bathysphere wall near the door to speak to Atlas; Jack's new tour guide. He will be leading the player to higher ground, and will hopefully help one stay alive in this forsaken, underwater city.

Welcome to Rapture Door

The entrance doorway to Rapture.

After some exploring further in, Atlas will ask Jack to grab a melee weapon. A Wrench can be found in the middle of the room. Once it's in Jack's hands, head over to the flight of stairs. Here the player will engage in their first fight, which happens to be against a Thuggish Splicer. Continue forwards, and Jack will end up in a room with a malfunctioning door lock in front of him. Head up the set of stairs, and there one will discover the first Gatherer's Garden in the game. There, Jack will receive a Plasmid, Electro Bolt. Pick it up, and a cutscene will play. During the cutscene, the player is introduced to several Splicers, a Big Daddy and a Little Sister. After the cutscene ends, open the broken door by zapping the malfunctioning handle with Electro Bolt. Head through into a glass walkway. Part of the plane's fuselage will break though the ceiling of the walkway, allowing water to flood through. Climb into and out the other end of the plane segment to move on. Keep moving forwards, and the hallway will end in another lounge. Search everything in the area for more items. The bodies, the trashcans; anything may hide valuable (if slightly unsanitary) loot. In the case of edible items, they will replenish some of Jack's health.

In this area, a Splicer will attack. Get used to the process of taking them down with Atlas' method, the "One-Two Punch". Hit them with an Electro Bolt to stun them, then whack them with the Wrench. This will kill any Splicer in one hit in the first few levels on Easy or Normal difficulty. If any more Splicers appear in the area, simply repeat the process. Keep moving and enter an elevator.

During the ride in the elevator, Atlas will give the player their first real goal: he wants Jack to go to a place called Neptune's Bounty and find his family. Kill the crazed Splicer nearby and take the Revolver from the baby carriage that she is guarding. This is the first ranged weapon in the game, but it doesn't hold enough ammo to be used yet.

The player's next destination is the Kashmir Restaurant. One needs to go through the ruined venue as part of Jack's trek to Neptune's Bounty. There are plenty of enemies in the restaurant, with a number of them located in the downstairs dancing area. Head downstairs to find a pair of Splicers, Brenda and Charlie, and take both of them out. After killing the woman in the kitchen, explore the area to find another corpse with a decent amount of cash on him. Take it all, then head back to the dance floor and use Electro Bolt on the water to kill the enemies standing in it. An audio diary by Diane McClintock can be found on the table here; these diaries will reveal the story of BioShock. Be sure to listen to all of them as they come along.

There are two bodies containing ammo: one in front of an entrance, the other in the kitchen. The one in the kitchen will only have ammo if Jack has less than a full six rounds of ammo (for example, three). If either body is searched, the other one won't contain any ammo.

Upstairs, there are two washrooms. Entering the one to the right ("Dames") triggers a memory. At the end is an Audio Diary by Steve Barker. When heading back out, a Splicer will jump out of the closed washroom stall, so be prepared. There is a hole in the wall in the other washroom, which Steve Barker was talking about in his Audio Diary. Head through the hole and cross the next room on the lighting scaffold. Here, Atlas will warn Jack to lower his weapon, as both he and Jack spots a Little Sister idling below. Head downstairs to see what happens when one upsets a Little Sister.

Proceed through the Footlight Theater to the top floor of the Transit Hub. Zap the water to take out the two Splicers in the pool of water. Be sure to search the body of the Big Daddy, as these guys usually drop a significant amount of cash.

Head to The Pavilion

Only when approaching the open door on the right side of the room will the alarm be triggered and the area be locked down. The path to Neptune's Bounty is sealed, and a large number of Splicers are suddenly all too eager to greet Rapture's new visitor... violently. Stay away from the door that just closed, as a flame-throwing Turret has popped up there. Stay in view of the water pool at the bottom of the stairs and zap the Splicers as they enter it. Repeat this for the second wave of enemies. There are two bandages in the washroom if healing is needed.

Once the foes have been dealt with, head down the hallway towards the Medical Pavilion. Soon, a message will appear from Andrew Ryan. He is now aware of Jack's presence in Rapture, and declares that he is a threat. Just as Splicers begin trying to bash their way in through the windows, Atlas opens the bulkhead, allowing the player to make a quick getaway.

Continue to the Medical Pavilion.


Video Walkthrough (Hosted by mactiddy)
Fistfull of Lightning
To the Kashmir
Rocking the Kashmir
To the Medical Pavilion


Spoilers


BioShock Infinite

Weeplilsister

A Little Sister weeping over a defeated Big Daddy.

Main article: BioShock Infinite

After using the Songbird to destroy the rest of Monument Tower and the Siphon, Elizabeth uses her fully-released powers to open a Tear and transport herself, Booker DeWitt and the bird-like creature now charging at them to Rapture, trapping him underwater behind the glass windows of the Lounge. The high-pressure of the ocean's depths finally end Songbird's life. Then Elizabeth guides Booker towards the Bathysphere Station where they take a ride to the Lighthouse, while briefly explaining that the place is "a doorway, one of many."

The Lounge and Bathysphere Station appear as after Jack went through it (the exit glass tunnel is left broken down), with the exception of an additional glass tunnel outside the building. However, some elements do not inform when this event occurred and whether it takes place in the original storyline of BioShock or in a different one, such as Jack's broken bathysphere being missing, and Booker being able to use one, despite Ryan's lockdown over the Rapture Metro system.

Behind the Scenes

  • Interestingly, the player can use the "Ghost" console command to enter the room at the Footlight Theater with the Little Sister, and still be able to use weapons. The player can then move the corpse with the Wrench, but the Little Sister will still be harvesting ADAM from it. If the player attacks the Big Daddy or Little Sister, the Big Daddy will not fight back. Also, both seemingly disappear into thin air when leaving the room.
  • If the player glances outside when in the first few sections of the level, one can see debris from the plane crash sinking to the ocean floor, i.e. suitcases.
  • Two of the elevator shafts in the Atrium simply stop halfway up and don't seem to lead anywhere.
  • Props and areas such as the Transit Hub and parts from the Kashmir's lower floor have been reused during the introduction sequence of BioShock 2 as parts of the Adonis Luxury Resort (though these area are not actually seen in the aforementioned level). This is explained by the fact that the initial prelude level was to be the Welcome Center during the 1958 New Year's Eve Riots, with Sofia Lamb guiding Subject Delta in order to recover her daughter Eleanor and finally betraying him.

References


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