Minerva's Den Any% Guide

[section=Introduction]

Hi, I'm KPC and throughout this guide, I will explain all of the tricks/glitches and fight set ups for the Minerva's Den speedrun. This guide is not going to explain the route. If you use this guide to learn the speedrun, I recommend you also have the world record run open so you can see the route. The tricks will be ordered on this guide in the same order they appear in the run.

**Original vs Remastered**

You can use this guide for the original or remastered version of the game. Everything in this guide works on original, if the trick does not work on Remastered, you will see "*Does not work on Remastered*" directly below the name of the trick. This guide is for PC version.

At the bottom of the guide, there is a section for remastered-only strats.

[section=Setting Up The Game]

**Save File**
We use a special save file in order to skip the intro cutscene. It's not required but it can be found on the resources tab here: https://www.speedrun.com/bs2md/resources
Save the file in Documents\Bioshock2\SaveGames

**Important Key Bindings**
There a few key bindings we use in the run that might not be obvious to someone who hasn't speedrun the game before. Make sure you know what key bind these all have:
• Quicksave + Quickload
• Play Newest Unread Diary
• Next Ammo

**Video Settings**
To help prevent the game from crashing, make sure to set texture detail to medium (NOT low, NOT high). I'm not 100% sure if other settings make a difference, but here's a picture of my settings. I play in windowed but you don't have to.

https://i.imgur.com/fggF9cf.png

**Livesplit In-Game Time**
In case you have never used an in-game timer before on livesplit, here is a picture to get the settings how they need to be.

https://i.imgur.com/I4auadC.png

[section=Minerva's Den]

[big]**__Jumping in Water[/big]**__
Jumping through water is faster than walking through water.

[big]**__Auto-Hack Darts 1+2[/big]**__
When you enter the central room, look up and grab the first auto-hack dart (see picture). Then as you are walking to get the audio diary, turn around and grab the second auto-hack dart (see picture).

https://i.imgur.com/A48Zk91.png

https://i.imgur.com/0ngtehW.png

[big]**__Full Level Audio Skip[/big]**__
*Does not work on Remastered*
Start by grabbing the audio diary (see picture).

https://i.imgur.com/gU3icNL.png

Next, grab this barrel while going up the stairs (see picture). We will be using this shortly.

https://i.imgur.com/YmAUk8U.png

After you grab the Ion Laser Gun, make a quicksave. Place your crosshair on the glowing console so you can see "E - Use". Press E and Play Newest Unread Dairy at the same exact time. If done correctly, the messages will start to skip. If you failed it, simply reload the quicksave and try again.

[big]**__Spider Splicer Fight[/big]**__
You can continue to ignore the leadhead splicers who are chasing and hitting you. Pressing Use on the glowing console will spawn 2 spider splicers, the next door will unlock when these splicers die. Grab the explosive barrel and jump on the railing of the balcony. I like to tap S (move backwards) because the splicers can push you off the balcony. Wait until the spider splicers are next to each other (see picture) and throw the barrel - this will kill both of the spider splicers. If you want to see this done correctly, watch any% WR.

https://i.imgur.com/nIcorLU.png

Sometimes the spider splicer on the right will spawn in a different spot. If this happens, still throw the barrel at just the one spider splicer. Then look to the right (see picture) and the second spider splicer should appear. Use Ion Laser Gun to kill him.

https://i.imgur.com/LPZyzIf.png

[big]**__Sports Boost[/big]**__
Pick up the sports boost tonic.

[big]**__Office Audio Skips[/big]**__
*Does not work on Remastered*
When you approach the office door, two message will play and get automatically skipped. After they get skipped, wait a few seconds and manually play the top radio message. This will open the office door.

When leaving the office, the door will be locked. Manually play the top radio message and the door will open.

[big]**__Auto-Hack Dart 3[/big]**__
When leaving the office area, be sure to grab the auto-hack dart (see picture).

https://i.imgur.com/xNR6AbH.png

[big]**__Death Warp and Rocket Spear Ammo[/big]**__
Make sure you grab both of the rocket spear ammo in the room next to the turret (see picture). After that, you can let the turret kill you.

https://i.imgur.com/sJoSPOz.png

[big]**__Drill Dash[/big]**__
Pick up the drill dash tonic. Also, make sure to grab the drill fuel next to the tonic in order to get to max drill fuel.

[big]**__Mag-Lock Door Skip[/big]**__
Fire a rocket spear onto the ceiling past the mag-lock door. Rocket spears will open these doors, the Gravity Well and Electrobolt plasmids are not used in the speedrun.

https://i.imgur.com/nN605dd.png

[section=Operations]

[big]**__Full Level Audio Skip[/big]**__
*Does not work on Remastered*
Start by walking up to the line in the picture (see below).

https://i.imgur.com/YViFM9d.png

Next, walk back towards the door. Make a quicksave. Press Play Newest Unread Diary at the exact same time you walk into the trigger (see picture). Note: the trigger is *not* a straight line; the closer to the wall you are, the sooner you will run into the trigger.

https://i.imgur.com/7IFGnoM.png

Lastly, after you get the skip, manually play the top radio message in the menu. This will start the fight sooner.

[big]**__Circus of Values Hack + Trap Spears[/big]**__
After you play the top radio message, immediately run over and hack the Circus of Values machine (see picture). We will come back and buy drill fuel later.

It is very important to grab the 2 trap spears in this area (see picture). We will use them to open a locked door instead of using electrobolt.

https://i.imgur.com/dP3aZp2.png

[big]**__Houdini Splicer Fight[/big]**__
Set down one of your trap spears (see picture). Kill the splicer with either Ion Laser Gun or a Normal Spear headshot.

https://i.imgur.com/TGoZvaK.png

[big]**__Rocket Spear to Open the Door[/big]**__
Fire a rocket spear at the splicer (see picture). This will open the door to the water area.

https://i.imgur.com/g9qeqGb.png

[big]**__Jumping in Water[/big]**__
Jumping through water is faster than walking through water.

[big]**__Auto-Hack Dart 4[/big]**__
On the way to Reed Whal's office, grab the fourth auto-hack dart (see picture).

https://i.imgur.com/w42xNfe.png

[big]**__Office Safe Hack[/big]**__
After you activate the glowing console in Reed Whal's office, hack the safe to the right of it. You need what is inside the safe. This does not lose time because you have to wait for the console anyway.

https://i.imgur.com/XttgBL8.png

[big]**__Thermal Cell Ammo + Circus of Values Hack[/big]**__
At the start of "part 2" of the level, you walk into the room and it gets frozen. Before your screen completely freezes, make sure to grab the thermal cell on the right side of the room (see picture).

https://i.imgur.com/08uKSmv.png

We will use this thermal cell ammo instead of the Incinerate plasmid to melt the ice wall (see picture). Note: You will also use the thermal cell ammo to melt more ice later in the level.
Use an auto-hack dart on the circus of values machine (see picture).

https://i.imgur.com/mpOX2at.png

[big]**__Mag-Lock Door Skip[/big]**__
Just like the previous level, use a rocket spear to destroy the mag-lock door.

[section=The Thinker]

[big]**__Fight at Start[/big]**__
Destroy the security camera using the Ion Laser Gun in order to prevent the alarm from going off. Swap to shotgun and load the Solid Slug Ammo (if you do not have the solid slug ammo, then you forgot to hack the safe in the secret room in Reed Wahl's office). This will kill the 2 splicers in one shot each. Reload and then kill the brute splicer with the shotgun Solid Slug Ammo.

[big]**__Big Daddy[/big]**__
Search this Big Daddy on the ground (see picture). He has ALOT of money that we will need for the fight later.

https://i.imgur.com/MKDRM8b.png

[big]**__Electrobolt Door Skip[/big]**__
Use your remaining trap spear on the lock (see picture) and the door will open after a second or two.

https://i.imgur.com/8RqLEbm.png

[big]**__Heat-Seeking RPGs[/big]**__
When waiting for the door to the fight room to open, make sure you grab the 2 heat-seeking RPGs on the ground on the right side of the room (see picture).

https://i.imgur.com/bF6GL9C.png

[big]**__Individual Audio Skip - Door Before Fight Room[/big]**__
Since we do not do a Full Level Audio Skip on this level, we have to skip messages individually. To this: when the radio message you want to skip is playing, make a quicksave, then quickload, then after the quickload is done, press Play Newest Unread Diary. For the rest of the guide, I will call this an "individual audio skip".

Wait for Porter's message and after he says "...metal daddies", do an individual audio skip. The door to the fight room will open.

[big]**__Circus of Values Hack + Buy [/big]**__
Hack the circus of values in order to reduce the price of everything. Next, make sure you have 10/10 rocket spear ammo, 150-200 Burst Cell Ammo for the Ion Laser Gun, and then you can spend the rest of your money on drill fuel.

[big]**__Individual Audio Skip - 2nd Floor[/big]**__
When you get to the 2nd floor of the fight room, a message will start "You're in the Thinker's core...". Do an individual audio skip on this message and the door will open.

[big]**__Individual Audio Skip - Inside Locked Room[/big]**__
This individual audio skip is slightly different than the rest. Do a individual audio skip for Tenenbaum's dialogue "H...Her Sigma! It is Dr. Tenenbaum...". However, after the quickload, you have to wait until Tenenbaum says "Sigma". If you skip this message too quickly, the fight can softlock and no enemies will spawn.

[big]**__Fight Set Up + Spawns[/big]**__
**Wave 1**

**Placing the Mini Turrets**

**Wave 2**

**Reeh Wahl**
Jump down to the first floor to the door you enter the area. The radio message "Your moment has come old friend..." will play. Do an individual audio skip on this message and the door will open.

Next, use burst cell ammo for the ion laser gun to kill Reed Wahl. You will need to charge up the burst cell shot to make it do more damage.

[big]**__Console Activation Skip[/big]**__
Instead of going inside the room, you can activate the console from outside of the room (see picture). After this, you will need to jump backwards.

https://i.imgur.com/4YEOl2T.png

[big]**__Individual Audio Skips - Final Locked Door[/big]**__
After you activate the console from the outside of the room, 2 messages will play "Mainframe reactivated..." and "C. M. Porter: Welcome back Milton...".  Do an individual audio skip for BOTH of these messages. The final locked door will open.

[big]**__Book Strats[/big]**__
During the final walk, you cannot jump or anything. There are 2 places you can use books on the ground as a ramp to save a second (see pictures).

https://i.imgur.com/EoTKnwT.png

https://i.imgur.com/OMYg1Qa.png

[section=Remastered Strats]

[big]**__[READ ME] Original vs Remastered[/big]**__
The only differences between the two versions are that the Full Level Audio Skips on all 3 levels as well as the Sequence Break on The Thinker do not work. Since Full Level Audio Skips do not work on Remastered, we have to skip the messages one by one. To this: when the radio message you want to skip is playing, make a quicksave, then quickload, then after the quickload is done, press Play Newest Unread Diary. For the rest of the guide, I will call this a "Mini Audio Skip".

[big]**__Minerva's Den (first level)[/big]**__

**Individual Audio Skip - Porter's Office**
When you enter Porter's office, a very long radio message will play. Do an individual audio skip and the box underneath the desk will start to glow and let you search it.

[big]**__Operations[/big]**__

**Individual Audio Skip - Central Room**
At the start of the level, a radio message will play as you enter the central room "Sigma, you show such loyalty to a proven traitor...". When this message plays, do an individual audio skip in order to start the fight faster.

**Individual Audio Skip - Reed Wahl's Office**
Activate the glowing console in the secret room and hack the safe. If you are fast, right when you finish hacking the safe a message from Porter will start "Good, it's all hooked up...". Do an individual audio skip on this message. This will let you grab the Hacked Signal Beacon sooner.

[big]**__The Thinker[/big]**__

**No Sequence Break**
This trick does not work on Remastered. Instead, just go through the level without making the sequence break saves. There will be some waiting around for messages.

**Individual Audio Skip - Door Before Fight Room**
This is the same as Original. Wait for Porter's message and do a individual audio skip after he says "...metal daddies". The door to the fight room will open.

**Individual Audio Skip - Outside Locked Room**
When you approach the locked room on the 2nd floor, do a individual audio skip. This will unlock the door.

**Individual Audio Skip - Inside Locked Room**
This individual audio skip is slightly different than the rest. Do an individual audio skip for Tenenbaum's dialogue "H...Her Sigma! It is Dr. Tenenbaum...". However, after the quickload, you have to wait until Tenenbaum says "Sigma". If you skip this message too quickly, the fight can softlock and no enemies will spawn.

**Individual Audio Skip - Final Locked Door**
After you activate the console from the outside of the room, 2 messages will play "Mainframe reactivated..." and "C. M. Porter: Welcome back Milton...".  Do an individual audio skip for BOTH of these messages. The final locked door will open.

KPCzombie

BioShock 2: Minerva's Den (DLC)

SerSanju

BloodThunder

Gulch2

Console

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BioShock

BioShock 2: Minerva's Den Discord Server

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