BioShock Infinite: A Guide To All the Gear Bonuses

Ever since its arrival late last month, BioShock Infinite has shaken up the game world.  Its exquisite design pairs a compelling story with combat that features powerful Vigors and plenty of gunplay, making it a truly remarkable experience.  It’s also a lot deeper than you might think.

Along with all the weapons, Vigors, voxophones and other collectibles you’ll find throughout the game, clothes actually play a major part in it.  You’re not playing “dress up” for appearance purposes; the gear changes up how the way you play by providing perks that can help you out when you need them the most.  Some are unlockable only through pre-order bonuses while others randomly pop up throughout the game, but all worth checking out.

The cool part about BioShock Infinite’s gear is that you can’t really pick and choose what you get, aside from what’s unlocked as a pre-order bonuses.  It’s found at random and if you don’t like what you find, you can go back and restart an earlier point in the stage tl try again.  We think it’s better to just go through and collect everything, seeing what you change with each new acquired item.

Gear is divided into four categories – Hats, Shirts, Pants and Boots.  Some rely on a certain percentage for success, but the odds are usually in your favor.  Others unlock bonuses for you that can easily increase your inventory.  But no matter what you find, Booker’s going to be looking like quite the dapper fellow.

So let’s get started and break down the Gear in each category!

Hats

Ammo Cap: Empty clips can fill up without the need to reload (40 percent chance)

Burning Halo: You’ll be able to set your targeted enemy on fire with a melee attack, with 300 damage over four seconds. (70 percent chance)

Electric Punch: You can leave an enemy stunned with a charged melee attack, leaving them vulnerable for four seconds.  (This one’s part of the Early Bird Special Pac, though likely to be offered as DLC later on.)

Electric Touch: Leaves an enemy stunned after a melee strike. (50 percent chance)

Extra! Extra!: Voxophones are able to provide Silver Eagles for you to collect.  (Offered as a Collector’s Edition exclusive bonus.)

Gear Head: Makes it more difficult to be detected by certain enemies in the game, such as automotons, zeppelins and Motorized Patriots.

Hill Runner’s Hat: Though it breaks your shield, it gives you a faster running speed over five seconds by about 50 percent.

Quick Handed: Makes your reloading of weapons quicker by about 30 percent pace.

Rising Bloodlust: Allows your weapon strength to increase with each successive kill, up to five.  (Resets after about ten seconds back to a singular count.)

Sheltered Life: While collecting health (either through food or pre-set kits), you have a few seconds of invulnerability.

Spare the Rod: Allows you to turn an enemy into a Possessed one that fights for you for a few seconds.  (30 percent chance, through melee strikes.)

Storm: Increases the possibility of Devil’s Kiss, Shock Jockey and Bucking Bronco Vigor effects to spread to surrounding enemies (after striking the first one).

Throttle Control: Gives you better control over your Skyhook steering, both in acceleration and braking.

Shirts

Ammo Advantage: Enhances the size of your clip in weapons by 75 percent.  (Released as part of the Early Bird Special Pack.)

Blood To Salt: Defeating enemies will force them to drop helpful Salts. (40 percent chance.)

Bullet Boon: Increases the size of your weapon’s clip by 50 percent.

Coat of Harms: Gives you stronger strength for melee executions.

Drop Cloth: Lets you gain speed on Sky-Lines after landing off one, with a 50 percent increase over five seconds.

Executioner: Perks up the melee damage you do to enemies by 25 percent, with a 60 percent chance of landing a critical hit.

Nitro Vest: Significantly boosts the radius surrounding your explosive weaponry.

Pyromaniac: Increases likelihood of burning attacks to spread to other enemies by 50 percent, with those hit taking 400 damage over a three-second span.

Scavenger’s Vest: Fallen enemies drop ammunition.  (40 percent chance)

Shock Jacket: 50 percent increase on the possibility of hitting enemies with shock attacks, with 50 damage for up to two seconds.

Sky-Line Accuracy: Helps your weapon accuracy when riding the Sky-Line.

Sugar Rush: Get a speed boost after eating something, up to 50 percent for three seconds.  (Part of the BioShock  Infinite Industrial Revolution pack.)

Winter Shield: Gain brief invulnerability after launching off a Sky-Line.

Pants

Angry Stompers: Lets you do two times the amount of damage when your health is low.

Brittle-Skinned: Makes enemies vulnerable to melee strike for two times the damage for up to five seconds.

Bull Rush: Knocks your melee targets back with greater ferocity.  (Exclusively part of the Collector’s Edition pack.)

Deadly Lungers: Increases your melee strike range by three times.

Fire Bird: Jumping from a Sky-Line lets you burn an enemy with ease, with up to 400 damage over three seconds.

Ghost Posse: Taking down an enemy with a Vigor trap turns their weapons into an ally for a few seconds.  (50 percent chance.)

Ghost Soldier: Same effect as Ghost Posse, but with a 70 percent chance.  (Only available as part of the Early Bird Special Pack DLC.)

Head Master: Increases critical hits by 50 percent.

Health For Salts: Allows you to use health to activate vigors when you’re low on salts.

Last Man Standing: Grants you health after you kill someone (if you’re low on it).

Sky-Line Reloader: Gives you an automatic reload of your weapon after jumping off a Sky-Line.

Spectral Sidekick: Gives you a ghostly ally to help out for a few seconds after you drop a weapon.

Urgent Care: Helps with shielding, increasing shield build-up by one second and doubling the recharge rate.

Boots

Betrayer: Turns a Possessed human into a grenade, with nearby enemies taking 360 damage from the blast.  (Included as part of the Collector’s Edition pack.)

Death From Above: Increases the power of your weapon by 30 percent while riding Sky-Lines.

Eagle Strike: Gives you 50 percent increased weapon damage on Sky-Lines.  (Part of the Early Bird Special Pack DLC.)

Fit As a Fiddle: Gives you full health recharge upon revival.

Fleet Feet: Gives you movement speed upon evasion, including side strafing and back pedaling.  (Part of the Industrial Revolution DLC pack.)

Handyman Nemesis: Gives you 50 percent increased damage against Handymen.  (Part of the Industrial Revolution DLC pack.)

Kill To Live: Executing someone with a melee attack gives you health.  (65 percent chance.)

Newton’s Law: You can knock back certain enemies by landing off a Sky-Line.

Nor’easter: You gain brief invulnerability after killing an enemy from a Sky-Line.  (50 percent chance.)

Overkill: Causing a kill with excessive damage can stun nearby foes.

Tunnel Vision: Increases damage through aiming by 25 percent, and also decreases hip firing by 25 percent.

Vampire’s Embrace: Gain health through melee kills.

Happy shopping!

BioShock Infinite is available now for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.