From Software Bloodborne. Discuss or die!

[Talby]

Yeah, the first zone in the Old Hunters kinda sucks. The other zones are much better.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Oh dear lord I did not remember about the snakes bursting from the chests of the Nazgûl as well as the last one summoning giant fucking snakes. It's nice that I didn't replay this game to death when I got it otherwise I wouldn't have forgotten about these things.

 

[dukeofwhales]

I'm level 60 and didn't have an easy time with the DLC so not surprised it's a struggle at level 30.

 

[Silva]

Fuck, I must really suck at this game because I'm stuck and can't progress in any direction. Rom, Blackbeast Paarl, Cainhurst, Yahargul, DLC nightmare. All impenetrable walls of death.

I'm level 60 and considering abandoning the game in frustration. I suspect I botched my character by investing too much on Bloodtinge without realizing firearms is just for parrying in the game. I swear I thought a pistoleer was a viable build. Now my main attacking stat is a poor 26 skill with a threaded Cane +6 that makes enemies giggle.

The weird thing is that Im a vet Souls player whit a preferred style of Thief/Parrying-Dodging, so I should have adapted to this game easily. Perhaps my thirst for eldritch knowledge is the culprit here ? I'm 45 in Insight, and I heard it makes the game more difficult. Is this true ?

 

[Hobo Elf]

My first character was a Skill + Bloodtinge character and my current dood is the same, but with a more optimal build. Bloodtinge is very powerful and guns are amazing. The first thing you want to do if you wanna do damage with guns is to get Evelyn from Cainhurst. This is the go-to pistol when it comes to damage. The cannon does more, but it'll cost you 10 QS bullets per shot, Evelyn works better VS bosses that can be parried and is all around more elegant.
After getting your Evelyn you must discover the next best thing for people who focus on guns, which is the godlyness of Bone Marrow Ash. It buffs your next shot with your gun and boy does it pack a punch. I think I did 2.5k damage per shot with my Bone Marrow Ash'd Evelyn vs Amygdala. Against other bosses I was hitting for 1k+. It trivialized the whole game.
The last thing to know, if you didn't already, is that when you press Up on the D-Pad you will sacrifice about a Blood Vial's worth of HP to get an extra +5 QS Bullets. You can do this as many times as you want, but the limit is +5 QS extra stored per time, so you should spend up those 5 before doing it again.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I used the threaded cane as my starting weapon, but later purchased Ludwig's Holy Blade (you need a badge found in the Healing Church Workshop) and switched to it. At level 60, you should be able to defeat Darkbeast Paarl and even Rom. For the former, if you're having trouble,

Spoiler

try using fire paper. And also the summoned NPC ally makes things easier. For the latter, the summoned NPC ally gets killed quickly, and for a weapon you might want to try the Tonitrus found in the Hypogean Gaol.

I'm not sure how you opened up Yahargul before defeating Rom (and while Hypogean Gaol is still accessible), but if you allow yourself to be snatched by the amygdala in that large room where you're teleported, it will transport you to the first floor of the Lecture Building, which is a great place for grinding echoes and is connected to the Nightmare Frontier area.

 

[Hobo Elf]

To get to Yahagrul before killing Rom you need to

Spoiler

get killed by one of those bag carrying weirdos close to the Cathedral Ward (the same area where Eileen will be; the bag carrier will be in the corner where the crows are). I forget the time when he spawns, I think after killing the Blood Starved Beast?

And I didn't know that you can get to the Lecture Building that way. The more you know.

 

[Elwro]

The fight with Rom should be soloed and the experience should be cherished. You can beat it dealing even minimal damage if you manage to keep your nerves under control. For me it''s one of the most engaging fights in the Soulsborne series. If you're having trouble with it, remember to kill all the spiders in the first phase and then not to rush things. And when you realise he'll be shooting missiles, run kinda diagonally, there is a direction in whicn you'll be able to evade everything, but it takes a bit of practice.

 

[Silva]

I managed to get to the 3rd stage of Rom. But then shit got freaky and I was one-shot by one of those spiders. I think I'll invest more on Vitality/HP. It's 21 right now, perhaps getting it to 26 or something would help.

My first character was a Skill + Bloodtinge character and my current dood is the same, but with a more optimal build. Bloodtinge is very powerful and guns are amazing. The first thing you want to do if you wanna do damage with guns is to get Evelyn from Cainhurst. This is the go-to pistol when it comes to damage. The cannon does more, but it'll cost you 10 QS bullets per shot, Evelyn works better VS bosses that can be parried and is all around more elegant.
After getting your Evelyn you must discover the next best thing for people who focus on guns, which is the godlyness of Bone Marrow Ash. It buffs your next shot with your gun and boy does it pack a punch. I think I did 2.5k damage per shot with my Bone Marrow Ash'd Evelyn vs Amygdala. Against other bosses I was hitting for 1k+. It trivialized the whole game.
The last thing to know, if you didn't already, is that when you press Up on the D-Pad you will sacrifice about a Blood Vial's worth of HP to get an extra +5 QS Bullets. You can do this as many times as you want, but the limit is +5 QS extra stored per time, so you should spend up those 5 before doing it again.

Thanks for the bone marrow ash tip, I had totally ignored it, weirdly. I'm fucking Billy the Kid now, doing lots of damage with my repeater pistol. Is there a way to increase the bone marrow limit ? Perhaps some rune ?

About this Evelyn gun, is it too deep into Cainhurst ? Because if it is, then no way man. I can't pass even those balls of blood mosquito men from the very beginning.

By the way, talking about mosquito men, I think I had the most scary encounter in the game so far. I was in a chalice dungeon and had just found the lever and was running back mindlessly to the door, since I've already cleared the rooms from all enemies. Then suddenly, in a pitch black room, I saw this bizarre silhouette in the dark, above a dead fatty corpse. Then I realized it was that fucking mosquito men. Dude I got so dreaded that I must have wasted all my items on that shit in a way I didn't do in any boss until now, I began by arming my gun with bone marrow, then fire-papered my Cane, then threw a fucking oil urn followed by Molotov and shot the shit out of that thing.

Why da hell that mosquito appeared over there and right over that fatty corpse ?

 

[Hobo Elf]

Evelyn is about 3 minutes away from the Cainhurst lamp, if you ignore everything and leg it. It's very easy to get as the enemies you need to deal with getting there are zero risk. The mosquito women are awful enemies and I always avoid them. Just run past them, they shouldn't follow you to the castle, if they even aggro you. They usually don't if you keep your distance.

 

[Dyskolos]

Anyone know at what stat point Arcane begins paying dividends with Ludwig's at +10. The scaling is an A but since I started as lone survivor and have been full physical skill/strength quality build the whole way through I'm only at 7 Arcane right now. I'm around level 80 and done with everything but Chalice dungeons and Gehrman so it's not like I'll have a bunch of points to play with.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Anyone know at what stat point Arcane begins paying dividends with Ludwig's at +10. The scaling is an A but since I started as lone survivor and have been full physical skill/strength quality build the whole way through I'm only at 7 Arcane right now. I'm around level 80 and done with everything but Chalice dungeons and Gehrman so it's not like I'll have a bunch of points to play with.

Ludwig has Arcane scaling but it doesn't actually do any Arcane / Bolt / Fire damage. You'll need to gem it to specifically do any of those damages, but that will remove the physical damage it does, making any Strength and Skill investments beyond the required amount to wield the weapon useless. I'd leave it for another character who is focused on the Arcane stat.

Edit: Holy shit fuck Ludwig. Worst boss fight ever. This asshole has practically no cooldown between his attacks. If there was ever a boss fight that was going to make me flat out drop the game, this is probably it.

 

[Dyskolos]

Ludwig has Arcane scaling but it doesn't actually do any Arcane / Bolt / Fire damage. You'll need to gem it to specifically do any of those damages, but that will remove the physical damage it does, making any Strength and Skill investments beyond the required amount to wield the weapon useless. I'd leave it for another character who is focused on the Arcane stat.

Thank you. I don't know how I hadn't pieced that together - somehow so many of Bloodborne's systems remain obscure even though two seconds of thought should give the 'souls but slightly changed' answer.

 

[Silva]

Thanks for the help folks. I've finally found the secret for successful dodge - roll straight to the opponent or under him. If you try to dodge away, most bosses/giant enemies weapons will reach you. Also managed to kill Rom after I approached in a more patient, methodical manner. Also ran past Cainhurst mosquitoes and managed to get Evelyn (also killed Logarius). I also found a rapier like weapon call Rieter-something but didn't find its move set that interesting. Maybe I give it another chance later.

How do I reach the 2nd floor of Lecture building ?

How do I get to Blackbeast Paarl now ? After I killed Rom the moon gets red, and I can't travel to Hypogean Gaol lantern anymore.

Oh, and I'm really liking the bosses in this game. Gascogne, Blood starved beast, Vicar Amelia, Shadows of Yharnam, Rom, the hunter duels. Pretty fun and flavorful bunch.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Ludwig has Arcane scaling but it doesn't actually do any Arcane / Bolt / Fire damage. You'll need to gem it to specifically do any of those damages, but that will remove the physical damage it does, making any Strength and Skill investments beyond the required amount to wield the weapon useless. I'd leave it for another character who is focused on the Arcane stat.

Thank you. I don't know how I hadn't pieced that together - somehow so many of Bloodborne's systems remain obscure even though two seconds of thought should give the 'souls but slightly changed' answer.

No problemo. My second char was a STR / Arcane dood who was using Ludwig's and obviously it ended up being a trap since I didn't realize how the Arcane stat quite worked. It's really powerful if you come properly prepared, but it's a pain to get to that point. To get the most bang out of your buck with the Arcane stat you are going to have to grind chalice dungeons for the right blood gems, which is pretty gay.

Thanks for the help folks. I've finally found the secret for successful dodge - roll straight to the opponent or under him. If you try to dodge away, most bosses/giant enemies weapons will reach you. Also managed to kill Rom after I approached in a more patient, methodical manner. Also ran past Cainhurst mosquitoes and managed to get Evelyn (also killed Logarius). I also found a rapier like weapon call Rieter-something but didn't find its move set that interesting. Maybe I give it another chance later.

How do I reach the 2nd floor of Lecture building ?

How do I get to Blackbeast Paarl now ? After I killed Rom the moon gets red, and I can't travel to Hypogean Gaol lantern anymore.

Oh, and I'm really liking the bosses in this game. Gascogne, Blood starved beast, Vicar Amelia, Shadows of Yharnam, Rom, the hunter duels. Pretty fun and flavorful bunch.

I'm assuming you mean how do you get down? There's a ladder close to a the giant.

To get to Yahargul again: at the fork where you can go left to Hemwick Charnel Lane, up to Vicar Amelia and right, you go right.

The bosses are really fun in Bloodborne base game, but this Ludwig gaylord in the DLC is making me lose interest in this game. Fuck this guy. Fuck this guy so bad. If I replay this game after this dood I do not want to fucking touch the DLC again.

 

[Dyskolos]

]The bosses are really fun in Bloodborne base game, but this Ludwig gaylord in the DLC is making me lose interest in this game. Fuck this guy. Fuck this guy so bad. If I replay this game after this dood I do not want to fucking touch the DLC again.

I feel like he's the response to the valid complaints that a lot of the bosses in the base game were too passive. I just scraped by using the Henriett summon as a distracting ragdoll and overhead L2 stunning him from behind. She died by the end of the first phase but once you get him transformed he becomes a lot more manageable.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Never did I think that any of the Bloodborne bosses were too passive, for the most part. The Chalice boss fights, sure, they felt like they were slightly souped up normal enemies rather than actual boss fights. As for Ludwig it feels like he is a bit overtuned as he doesn't seem to have any weaknesses. High damage, high mobility, excellent reach on his attacks and very aggressive. It's a bit too much. This guy feels more like a stat check than anything else. If you're able to trade blows then you probably will be able to handle him. Dodging doesn't seem to have much value in this fight since he's relentlessly on the offense. I'll try summoning NPCs and see how that works.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Phase 1 of Ludwig is pretty cheap overall, he has two attacks which literally oneshot you and at least two combos which can kill you in under 2 seconds if you don't dodge out of them. There's no real trick to it, you dodge into his attacks and mash R1 at him from the side, he's relatively easy to stagger. When he jumps to the ceiling, wait until he screams before dodging, watch out for the charge attack, and dodge through his breath attack for some free hits. Phase 2 is pretty fun, and you just have to learn his combos. Be aware of his ranged attacks and just run sideways when he does the huge laser slash.

On the topic of the DLC in general, it's pretty good. Level design in the first area is just ok, but it's great in the Research Hall and very good in the Fishing Hamlet. New weapons are great and putting them somewhere early in the base game would've improved it massively. Those two fuckers in the well can go fuck themselves, Tanimura was like "let's design an enemy that will anally rape them unless they parry the charge attack", that asshole.

Lady Maria is basically the epitome of Bloodborne bosses, really cool looking and with great music, but really vulnerable to parry fishing and dumb R1 spam. Orphan, on the other hand, is a great boss, really fun to fight, aggressive and mobile, threatening without hitting for 80% of your hp and unpredictable without randomly flailing around too much. He's basically the reverse of the majority of BB bosses in that he's fun, challenging, quite elaborate, and hard to cheese or zerg, while looking rather plain, relatively speaking. Laurence is kinda boring, seems like he goes against the core premise of the game by punishing aggression a fair bit.

 

[Dyskolos]

Passive is probably the wrong word for what I meant, which was - much as I think Cowboy Moment said a page or so ago - that they generally weren't aggressive at closing the distance you made to heal yourself or regather. And even the ones who did moreso - like blood starved beast - were pretty easy to dodge in their lunges. Whereas Ludwig has insane side-to-side reach on his lunges and you just have to eat the hit if he goes for one and you aren't close enough to dodge forward through it.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I managed to beat Ludwig on my first try by joining the Confederate and using the two NPCs that the covenant unlocks for this fight. This time it was a lot more doable and fair. Seems like this fight was designed with co-op in mind? Anyway, I'm kinda tired of the Simon's Bowblade by now. Thinking of starting over now with a Strength build and going for the Beast Cutter. The move set on that weapon just looks boss.

 

[Silva]

I'm glad you managed to kill Ludwig, Hobo Elf. Do you think you ended up appreciating the boss after it ? I hated Rom at first and almost threw the game but then I ended up liking it him later.

Oh, and I've found the Chikage. It's a beast. What do you think of it ?

One thing I've noticed about gems is that the ones that raise attack straight by a % ends up stronger than the ones that raise stat scaling, at least in the level I'm. Am I right to deduce that when my stat get really high (50+) this will change, and stat scaling gems will get more worthy then ?

 

[Villagkouras]

No, I never found a gem that gives better boost via scaling. And I did many Chalice Dungeons too that have the most powerful gems.

Assuming that you raise your weapon's appropriate stat that is.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Nah, I don't think I found any appreciation in that fight. It's just an over tuned piece of crap with nothing special going on for it. The 2nd phase is certainly more interesting, but not by much. The only thing memorable about this fight is how much of a cunt he is during the first phase.

As for the Chikage, it's a beast. Great move set, great damage and it has some innate poison build up so you can apparently gem it for poison damage if you want. It's my secondary weapon with my Bowblade Skill + Bloodtinge character. I use the Chikage + Evelyn for melee and parries and the Bowblade for ranged damage. The important thing to know about Chikage is that the alternative mode does damage that scales only with Bloodtinge and the normal mode does physical damage that scales only with Skill, so keep that mind if you plan to use it. I left off my Skill at 30 since I don't really need the stat too much. Simon's Bowblade is the same, the melee mode does damage that scales with Skill and the Arrows you shoot with the bow-mode do Blood damage only.

 

[Dyskolos]

One thing I've noticed about gems is that the ones that raise attack straight by a % ends up stronger than the ones that raise stat scaling, at least in the level I'm. Am I right to deduce that when my stat get really high (50+) this will change, and stat scaling gems will get more worthy then ?

Can't say for over 50 stats but I've got skill around 45 now and there's still a good 30point AR difference between the +18% gem I'm using and the skill scaling (+12, I think) that would knock my ludwig's sword to an A. But it would make sense if it were like other souls games where there are invisible differences within a certain scaling grade so maybe finding like a +20 skill scaling gem (if it exists?) would make much more of a difference.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Apparently the stat scaling gems become good after the +25% point, otherwise they are worthless.

Edit: I've rolled up a new character and for my starter I chose the Hunter Axe and felt compelled to write about it after playing with it for a good few hours. I think this weapon might be one of the best weapons in the game. There's nothing bad about it. It hits like a truck, the weapon animations feel good and like there's some major weight behind each hit, it hits fast with both modes and has a diverse move set that covers all possible ranges and distances, both one handed and two handed mode have excellent move sets and has a really high rally potential to top it off. This weapon is simply amazing.