Bloodborne

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VladimirPutin said:
Do you have Game of the Year Edition? DLC is great in this one. I highly recommend it, but only when you have high enough level ( 70 )

The Old Hunter's DLC is an fantastic addition to the main game, but I think it's cruel of FromSoft to allow the player to enter those areas at level 70; you should be at least around level 100 - 110, with a +9 weapon if you're to have a good shot of making it through them without your t.v ending up halfway out the window. :mozgus:
 
VladimirPutin said:
Do you have Game of the Year Edition? DLC is great in this one. I highly recommend it, but only when you have high enough level ( 70 )

It's not a bad idea to go into it early though, if only to suicide rush to all the new weapons and attires in the first area. Love me that Beasthunter Saif...and that Whirlgig Saw...and that Bowblade (though you have to be an asshole to get that particular item early). :slan:
 
I made the Bloodstarved Beast into a bloodspilling beyoch on the first try! :guts: Ok, full disclosure, while it technically was MY first try, I did scope him out a couple times as a phantom, just to get a peek (after hearing how scary he was and visiting Old Yharnam, I really didn't want to get bogged down fighting him over and over). It's not like I learned much that I used in my more methodical solo approach, anyway. My instincts were actually good in this fight for once: continually backing up gave me enough distance to keep him largely de-aggro'd so I could size him up, switch items and bomb him in the face with Molotovs (I even had to go into the proper menu because for all my prep I forgot oil jars on my quick select :puck:), and simply walking backwards was effective for avoiding many of his forward attacks, even when he went right past/through me. Once I got him down to about a third/quarter life I figured I'd blow it like always (I'm the best first try Souls player you've ever seen... at initially taking 75% of a bosses' life then regressing terribly in subsequent attempts =), but that's when I felt comfortable enough with his moves to switch to Blunderbuss parries and nailed him with a couple Visceral attacks to put him on his last legs. I even stayed disciplined when he was just one hit away; that's usually when I panic, go "Fuck it!," charge in to blindly attack and die, but this time I kept playing defensively and waited for the right opportunity and the deed was done. Good feeling!

VladimirPutin said:
Do you have Game of the Year Edition? DLC is great in this one. I highly recommend it, but only when you have high enough level ( 70 )
Zeke said:
The Old Hunter's DLC is an fantastic addition to the main game, but I think it's cruel of FromSoft to allow the player to enter those areas at level 70; you should be at least around level 100 - 110, with a +9 weapon if you're to have a good shot of making it through them without your t.v ending up halfway out the window. :mozgus:
Cyrus Jong said:
It's not a bad idea to go into it early though, if only to suicide rush to all the new weapons and attires in the first area. Love me that Beasthunter Saif...and that Whirlgig Saw...and that Bowblade (though you have to be an asshole to get that particular item early). :slan:

I got the regular edition bundled with my used PS4 (along with Horizon Zero Dawn!), but I'm planning on just buying the DLC electronically. I wasn't quite sure when the right time or best opportunity to start the DLC was though. Obviously before I beat the game, but I don't know if I'm missing out on other changes along the way besides the new areas/items? From what you guys are saying the later the better, but I'm not potentially missing a window on some event or quest in the interim, right (I'd look it up but am trying to avoid spoilers)? I want to experience as much of the game as possible in this playthrough...

Which is why I semi-abandoned my pure Skill build to get enough strength to wield Ludwig's sword when I unexpectedly got his patch! Worth it though, my new main, the charge attack is a game changer, and I put it to +5 so the Threaded Cane +3 (4 when I get 1 more Twin Shard) is indeed my change of pace weapon now. Also happy to see that Ludwig's scaling is identical to the Saw Spear, so I really didn't have to break my build to use it effectively either. Skill is already at 25 so I'm going to focus on endurance again now that I need to swing that greatsword around.

Other odds and ends: I've been exploring the Unseen Village, which was pretty intimidating before I got Ludwig's Sword (it also didn't help that to get there I had to leave over 10,000 souls echos out in the wind), but may have seen all there is to see there for now. I discovered a couple of bosses I've got on the docket for tonight: Darksomething Paarl I think, and some praying woman that turned into sort of a white werewolf with antlers (I bought the damn handkerchief =) whose name I didn't even catch. It was late and I wasn't feeling it when I found them, and I was again running five figures in Blood Echoes, so I didn't want to try my luck.
 
:ubik: Congrats on killing the Bloodstarved Beast on your first try! I'm one of those poor bastards who still has nightmares of the first encounter with him, so hearing someone turn him into a bloody little bitch brings a smile to my face.

Griffith said:
I got the regular edition bundled with my used PS4 (along with Horizon Zero Dawn!), but I'm planning on just buying the DLC electronically. I wasn't quite sure when the right time or best opportunity to start the DLC was though. Obviously before I beat the game, but I don't know if I'm missing out on other changes along the way besides the new areas/items? From what you guys are saying the later the better, but I'm not potentially missing a window on some event or quest in the interim, right (I'd look it up but am trying to avoid spoilers)? I want to experience as much of the game as possible in this playthrough...

The Old Hunters doesn't change or add anything to the base game. All the new stuff is accessed via the new areas. You won't be losing or missing anything if you put off buying it for the time being. Well, technically, they did add a few new things to the base game when it was released (a new NPC, a new "covenant" of sorts, and a bunch of new phantoms to summon), but those were all implemented via a patch and can be used without the DLC.
 
Cyrus Jong said:
:ubik: Congrats on killing the Bloodstarved Beast on your first try! I'm one of those poor bastards who still has nightmares of the first encounter with him, so hearing someone turn him into a bloody little bitch brings a smile to my face.

Thank you! :guts: Vicar Amelia and Darkbeast Paarl have been slaughtered as well. Amelia got me a few times but wasn't bad once I stopped fucking around trying to be cute with items and shit and just dodged and countered her to death, the exception to that being the use of Numbing Mists when she went for her big heal spell, which then became charge attack/visceral punishment time. For me it was one of those fights where after you've wasted all your resources and are probably gonna die you buckle down and actually "git gud" fighting them with nothing to lose and know you'll win next time.

Paarl was surprisingly fun for how scary it looked, I didn't even go back to buy Henryk's gear, because I realized early it was a "get under them" boss and Ludwig's was powerful enough to almost always stagger them before they could perform their lightning explosion to counter. I felt like a Hunter rather than the hunted for once because it's a boss that's actually trying to get away and create distance from you. :ganishka:

Actually, all these bosses are fun, even the hard and intense ones are a lot of fun. Bloodborne emphases the fun of Souls-style combat quite a bit. I also like some other subtle tweaks they make to the formula. Simple stuff like not making the Lamposts warp-anywhere devices and encouraging you to get around the world via through-ways and shortcuts. It definitely adds a level of immersion that hadn't been a feature since the first half of Dark Souls. Right now I'm exploring the Forbidden Woods and a little village of traps I found there (the first one on the bridge got me too, thought I'd make it =).

Cyrus Jong said:
The Old Hunters doesn't change or add anything to the base game. All the new stuff is accessed via the new areas. You won't be losing or missing anything if you put off buying it for the time being. Well, technically, they did add a few new things to the base game when it was released (a new NPC, a new "covenant" of sorts, and a bunch of new phantoms to summon), but those were all implemented via a patch and can be used without the DLC.

Ah, good to know. I've done very little online besides Old Yharnam because I don't seem to get summoned with my bell elsewhere (which is annoying because the fucking message about it keeps perpetually appearing and taking up like 15% of the screen =), and I don't really want the help on my end, especially at the cost of Insight (so I don't get invaded either). Speaking of which and missing out, I know that things change partly based on events, like it got dark after I beat Amelia, and also depending on my Insight, which I've been keeping around 10 or so via the Insight Messenger shop. Should I just pump up my Insight and see what happens? I have like a dozen or so Madmen's Knowledge and I'd like to see whatever those black hole/beasts are that grab me in certain areas and don't know if I'm sparing myself unnecessary hardship or more fun sights to see/beasts to hunt? :carcus:
 
Griffith said:
Paarl was surprisingly fun for how scary it looked, I didn't even go back to buy Henryk's gear, because I realized early it was a "get under them" boss and Ludwig's was powerful enough to almost always stagger them before they could perform their lightning explosion to counter. I felt like a Hunter rather than the hunted for once because it's a boss that's actually trying to get away and create distance from you. :ganishka:

Especially since there's no real reason to kill him. You were just exploring this creepy place you got dumped in by a guy with a sack because why the hell not, bumped into this big skeletal dog, woke him up and made him cranky, and instead of just respecting his boundaries and getting back on your way (which he is most definitely not in), you slew him merely for ticking you off. The blood really is its own reward for a Hunter. :zodd:

Ah, good to know. I've done very little online besides Old Yharnam because I don't seem to get summoned with my bell elsewhere (which is annoying because the fucking message about it keeps perpetually appearing and taking up like 15% of the screen =), and I don't really want the help on my end, especially at the cost of Insight (so I don't get invaded either). Speaking of which and missing out, I know that things change partly based on events, like it got dark after I beat Amelia, and also depending on my Insight, which I've been keeping around 10 or so via the Insight Messenger shop. Should I just pump up my Insight and see what happens? I have like a dozen or so Madmen's Knowledge and I'd like to see whatever those black hole/beasts are that grab me in certain areas and don't know if I'm sparing myself unnecessary hardship or more fun sights to see/beasts to hunt? :carcus:

A number of interesting thing happens when you boost your insight, though having it too high can also make things potentially more difficult. Some enemies get access to new attacks for one thing, and the more insight you have, the more vulnerable to Frenzy you become, something you might have experienced at the hands of those two staff-wielding assholes guarding the entrance to the Grand Cathedral. It's your call.
 
Cyrus Jong said:
Especially since there's no real reason to kill him. You were just exploring this creepy place you got dumped in by a guy with a sack because why the hell not, bumped into this big skeletal dog, woke him up and made him cranky, and instead of just respecting his boundaries and getting back on your way (which he is most definitely not in), you slew him merely for ticking you off. The blood really is its own reward for a Hunter. :zodd:

Heh heh, he basically was just chillin' in his spot and I came and blew it up, though I'm finding that more and more to be the case where they're passive or outright ignoring me until I start shoving a sword in their ass.

Cyrus Jong said:
A number of interesting thing happens when you boost your insight, though having it too high can also make things potentially more difficult. Some enemies get access to new attacks for one thing, and the more insight you have, the more vulnerable to Frenzy you become, something you might have experienced at the hands of those two staff-wielding assholes guarding the entrance to the Grand Cathedral. It's your call.

I tried keeping it artificially low for a while since I didn't see the tradeoff, but even without using the Madmen's Knowledge you just gain too much of it and the Yharnam went even more to Hell anyway so fuck it! I think I've got like 50 something now.


So, I had to take Thursday off for my anniversary, but I more than made up for it this weekend. Here's the rundown:

Got through the Forbidden Woods of endless snakes to pretty easily defeat the three guys that inexplicably weren't snake-related (I used the whip instead of Ludwig's and forgot I could parry again with my other hand until halfway through).

Got past all the freaky shit at Byrgenwerth and beat Rom. That actually ended up being one of my most unique Souls encounters because as I killed him on the run and got the PREY SLAUGHTERED sign the baby spiders dive-bombed me to death and I died, not knowing if I got the credit or not. Well, when I went back Rom was indeed gone but then the blood moon cut-scene started and I reawakened elsewhere, went back again, and my echos were there, Rom's and all! Definitely a weird ending to that fight.

Next I did a lot of running from those nasty re-spawning townsfolk and took on The One Reborn, which I knew to keep close because he was constantly spitting blood at me otherwise. After that I accidentally backstab-killed Patches thinking he was an enemy and don't feel bad about it. Probably the best thing I've ever done in one of these games. :guts:

I naturally hated the Mensis Nightmare and that cage-headed bastard's marathon fight, which even caused marital strife when my wife distracted me and I died (totally her fault, can't even count it as a loss really :iva:). I also had my first invasion/PvP experiences and came out .500, though the wins weren't pretty and the losses BAD. Then I took down Mengo's Wetnurse sight unseen with another awkward ending because I killed it just as it was casting that weird fog and had to wait for that to dissipate before the nightmare ended (I was half scared it's double would still be in there).

Then I accidentally almost ended the game(!!) but luckily refused Gehrman's offer knowing such casually presented questions tend to have more consequences in Souls game (and yeesh, I think I'd quit if I had gone right to NG+). Knowing how close I came to fucking up I lifted my secrets embargo, got the umbilical cords I still needed (lucky I didn't screw that up), and went for the areas I missed, which were quite a lot! Like how about the entire fucking Hemwick Charnel Lane!? I basically beat the game without figuring out how to use runes (I just kept waiting for that feature to be unlocked =). Anyway, that was too easy since I was way overleveled.

Cainhurst was another matter. Pretty tricky with those ghosts etc, and so much like the Royal Archives it was just another reminder, along with Hemwick and Yharnam itself, that DS3 is basically just re-purposed Bloodborne assets. =) Anyway, Martyr Logarius was probably the hardest boss yet until I figured out how to prevent his buff and parry him properly, then he went down good (reminded me of the Sister Friede fight in that way, though in this fight I had a close call before just by brute forcing it with Ludwig's Greatsword, but alas choked right at the finish; probably better this way).

Then it was off to the Upper Cathedral Ward since I never went back with the key (I actually thought that door might be DLC related). Now this place was hard, and I lost more echos here than anywhere else, 30,000 in one shot, thanks to a couple Brainsuckers, which I'd never had trouble with previously. I had no idea how dangerous they were. The Celestial Emissary, on the other hand, was a total joke with an electrified whip, and probably with anything, but seemingly intended as such because then I found the real deal: Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos! Now this was more like it! I was a bit disappointed when I realized how close I came to ending the game and thought, "That's it on the Lovecraftian stuff? I thought we were just beginning!" so was relieved to see I just need to keep looking. Fun fight, especially with a +10 electrified Ludwig's (I don't know that I'd have enjoyed it quite so much otherwise :ganishka:). After a few failed attempts I settled on a strategy that resulted in me charge attack comboing her to death after her lunges so I didn't even realize I beat her until the PREY SLAUGHTERED sign appeared. That was a pleasant surprise because I did experience her third phase before that and needless to say it wasn't fun dodging, let alone finding an opening against, a giant, pissed off, and hyperactive Great One.

So, after that it was past time for bed last night and I'll keep exploring tonight and think about starting the DLC if I can't find anymore base game secrets to explore. I'm sure there's plenty out there, and either way I'll be leveling up for The Old Hunters in the meantime.
 
Holy binging Batman, you just about ran through the whole game and nearly completed it over the weekend?! Including most of the optional places? :schnoz:

Well, at least you still got the Old Hunters to do, which'll give you more of that Lovecraftian goodness. And the Chalice Dungeons, if that's your cup of tea.

Griffith said:
Got through the Forbidden Woods of endless snakes to pretty easily defeat the three guys that inexplicably weren't snake-related (I used the whip instead of Ludwig's and forgot I could parry again with my other hand until halfway through).

Sounds like you killed them too fast, because they are snake-related. After a certain point, they sprout snakes out of their robes and get more stretchy attacks, and really late into the fight (typically when there's only one left), they start to summon big honking snakes that erupt from the ground and eat you.

After that I accidentally backstab-killed Patches thinking he was an enemy and don't feel bad about it. Probably the best thing I've ever done in one of these games. :guts:

And that's why Bloodborne is the best Soulsborne game ever: because it's the only one where you can give the rat bastard his just desserts without consequence.

I naturally hated the Mensis Nightmare and that cage-headed bastard's marathon fight, which even caused marital strife when my wife distracted me and I died (totally her fault, can't even count it as a loss really :iva:).

Since Micolash is, in a way, the main antagonist of the game, it's only fitting he nearly destroyed your marriage. The evil of those who delve too far into the eldritch truth runs deep. :femto:

Then I took down Mengo's Wetnurse sight unseen with another awkward ending because I killed it just as it was casting that weird fog and had to wait for that to dissipate before the nightmare ended (I was half scared it's double would still be in there).

That wasn't a a strange awkward ending, that's a feature normal. It always takes upwards of about half a minute for the game to acknowledge the Wet Nurse's death. First time I killed her, I was similarly paranoid her double was going to appear out of nowhere and disembowel me.
 
Good lord, Griffith! I was hoping to catch up to where you were, but you blew me out of the water (I’m at the Nightmare).

Please allow me to sit at the feet of the master. How did you go so fast? Did you grind/farm at all? What level are you now that you’re at the end of the game?
 
Cyrus Jong said:
Holy binging Batman, you just about ran through the whole game and nearly completed it over the weekend?! Including most of the optional places? :schnoz:
Skeleton said:
Good lord, Griffith! I was hoping to catch up to where you were, but you blew me out of the water (I’m at the Nightmare).

Please allow me to sit at the feet of the master. How did you go so fast? Did you grind/farm at all? What level are you now that you’re at the end of the game?

Not to mention while attending a Quinceañera and "raising" an infant! :carcus:

I guess I didn't think much of it at the time, thus why I momentarily felt the game was a bit short, but I played A LOT this weekend, even getting extra sleep Thursday to facilitate late night gaming sessions Friday and Saturday. Then I basically got to play all day Sunday too while my wife and baby napped to the soothing song of the Carrion Crow, and even though it was way too late for it I just couldn't go to sleep until I beat Ebrietas.

Anyway, besides weapon upgrades and vials I actually didn't grind save for grabbing a few extra echos when I was close to leveling, and most importantly, almost never losing echoes. As soon as I could level, back I went, and whenever I discovered a boss, I'd teleport out, level, and spend the rest on vials so I had nothing to lose. Though I noticed the latter part of the Nightmare of Mensis is excellent for racking up echoes and vials and I'll be grinding there when necessary if I don't find something better in The Old Hunters. I think I'm in the high 80's or early 90's right now, but I'd have to check. Maybe I'm way off on that (I don't really look at my level, just stats, and they're pretty high across the board now save for Bloodtinge, which I have at 9 for Ludwig's rifle).

Cyrus Jong said:
Well, at least you still got the Old Hunters to do, which'll give you more of that Lovecraftian goodness.

I began The Old Hunters last night and could immediately see what everyone was talking about; the lowlife village enemies are basically all Hunters now! :daiba: And that Cthulhu-looking axman... he's one of those regular enemies that's more intimidating than most bosses. Anyway, I got to this literally bloody cave a little down the way with something akin to those Cainhurst blood bugs running around and got wasted by a Hunter in there, so I've got another bunch of echoes in the wind to collect tonight. Also, that one Man-Beast in the other direction was tough! I still need to check what his patch gets me...

BTW, I don't know yet if it's supposed to take place before or after the current events in Yharnam, or another dimension, plain or Nightmare altogether (probably some combination of the latter outside time), but I love that it appears to be morning following dusk, night, and the bloodmoon phases. =)

Cyrus Jong said:
And the Chalice Dungeons, if that's your cup of tea.

The Chalice Dungeons are actually one of the things I find most intriguing about the game, but also seemingly impenetrably complicated (I'm sure it's simpler than it looks)? I see all the graves, chalices, and ingredients along with these codes people share and it makes my head hurt, but seems like there's some rhyme or reason to it in addition to the random generation element I've heard so much about. Looking forward to that as sort of an end game for my character, though maybe it would benefit me to explore some now because I hear they contain some pretty enticing stuff? Again though, no idea how they work yet.

Cyrus Jong said:
Sounds like you killed them too fast, because they are snake-related. After a certain point, they sprout snakes out of their robes and get more stretchy attacks, and really late into the fight (typically when there's only one left), they start to summon big honking snakes that erupt from the ground and eat you.

Oh shit, they did have super long reach on their attacks! :ganishka: Otherwise I didn't notice any tentacles coming out like the regular snake dudes and yeah I killed the last one, the caster, very quickly after taking out his melee counterparts so didn't see any summons.

Cyrus Jong said:
And that's why Bloodborne is the best Soulsborne game ever: because it's the only one where you can give the rat bastard his just desserts without consequence.

Yeah, no regrets, and so perfect it was an unprovoked back attack! :guts: I guess I missed out on a pretty good stamina rune, but can get a better one in a Chalice Dungeon. Another reason for me to figure out how/where!

Cyrus Jong said:
Since Micolash is, in a way, the main antagonist of the game, it's only fitting he nearly destroyed your marriage. The evil of those who delve too far into the eldritch truth runs deep. :femto:

Yeah, it was the old "well, you were talking to me!" excuse and it didn't go over well. =) Micolash is more interesting the more I think/read about him, especially his reference to Kos... or Kosm, and the implications of his body, his consciousness and the Nightmare. Speaking of Mensis, you remind me I need to go back there to see what happened to that blob I dropped in a pit. I was so happy to get the Blood Rock I left and never went back to see if I could follow it further down the hole.

Cyrus Jong said:
That wasn't a a strange awkward ending, that's a feature normal. It always takes upwards of about half a minute for the game to acknowledge the Wet Nurse's death. First time I killed her, I was similarly paranoid her double was going to appear out of nowhere and disembowel me.

That is so weird, but somehow makes perfect sense for this game and Miyazaki in general. :magni:
 
Griffith said:
And that Cthulhu-looking axman... he's one of those regular enemies that's more intimidating than most bosses.

They're not even the worst things! There's an enemy that's even more hated and feared than these guys down the road. :ganishka:

The Chalice Dungeons are actually one of the things I find most intriguing about the game, but also seemingly impenetrably complicated (I'm sure it's simpler than it looks)? I see all the graves, chalices, and ingredients along with these codes people share and it makes my head hurt, but seems like there's some rhyme or reason to it in addition to the random generation element I've heard so much about. Looking forward to that as sort of an end game for my character, though maybe it would benefit me to explore some now because I hear they contain some pretty enticing stuff? Again though, no idea how they work yet.

Hmmm, you're right on both counts. They are intimidatingly confusing at first blush, but get pretty straightforward once you dive into them. There are effectively two types of chalices: "normal" and root. The normal chalices create pre-determined dungeons with set layouts, enemy arrangements, item placements, and bosses. Think of them as a kind of an old-school RPG superdungeon where you start at the top and work your way to the bottom, with each new chalice you acquire serving the purpose of a "door" that opens up a new level in the dungeon. Root chalices are the ones that create the randomized dungeons. They're more like "side areas" in the main dungeon; you don't need to set foot in them to reach the end, but they're typically where you go for more lucrative rewards. You can also add more ingredients to them when you open them up to increase their difficult, but which will in turn make the rewards even better.

One thing to note about the Chalice dungeons is that your progress in them is not reset on NG+ cycles. You keep all the chalices you acquired, and any dungeons you had active when you beat the game will still be active when you start NG+ and can be hopped into first thing. So don't feel too pressured to see all there is to them before you beat the game, because you can immediately pick up where you left off.
 
Cyrus Jong said:
They're not even the worst things! There's an enemy that's even more hated and feared than these guys down the road. :ganishka:

Well, speaking of bosses, I already ran into a familiar face after I killed that hunter in the blood cave, none other than the Bloodstarved Beast, just creeping around as a regular enemy now! I wonder who else I'll see just casually strolling around? :ganishka: :magni:

Also, cleared the Nightmare Frontier and Amygdala (I must have managed to skip EVERY optional area =). I think the environment was scarier than the boss though, especially considering how prominent and iconic it is throughout the game it was a disappointing fight. If they'd been able to hurt me when they jumped it'd have been a different story (can it? I rolled though it seemed like it didn't matter), but I basically had no incentive not to camp under their crotch and hack their legs to death.

Now Ludwig on the other hand... that's going to take some careful consideration. I actually think a similar strategy might be in order, going at, inside, or under, because I don't think he'll ever get tired of chasing. I was actually fending him off pretty good and doing decent damage in return, got him down to almost half life, but then he hit me with his charge in a corner and finished me with his damn squirt gun, which I'd previously found to be a preferable attack to avoid in order to heal/rally. That was disappointing because it was too late to continue, but I'll be back at it tonight hopefully! Lookin' like a great boss fight and I'm sure there's more wrinkles to it once I get him lower because he hasn't even used that sword I saw on his back yet.

Cyrus Jong said:
Hmmm, you're right on both counts. They are intimidatingly confusing at first blush, but get pretty straightforward once you dive into them. There are effectively two types of chalices: "normal" and root. The normal chalices create pre-determined dungeons with set layouts, enemy arrangements, item placements, and bosses. Think of them as a kind of an old-school RPG superdungeon where you start at the top and work your way to the bottom, with each new chalice you acquire serving the purpose of a "door" that opens up a new level in the dungeon. Root chalices are the ones that create the randomized dungeons. They're more like "side areas" in the main dungeon; you don't need to set foot in them to reach the end, but they're typically where you go for more lucrative rewards. You can also add more ingredients to them when you open them up to increase their difficult, but which will in turn make the rewards even better.

One thing to note about the Chalice dungeons is that your progress in them is not reset on NG+ cycles. You keep all the chalices you acquired, and any dungeons you had active when you beat the game will still be active when you start NG+ and can be hopped into first thing. So don't feel too pressured to see all there is to them before you beat the game, because you can immediately pick up where you left off.

Thanks for all the info, I'll probably dip my toes into the prefabbed ones first and then check out the root dungeons, like you said it seems pretty intimidating until you dive into it. Ludwig also has me questioning if I diversified too much already and should have just put my vit higher (the arcane stuff is fun and useful sometimes... but I could sure use those points elsewhere now =).
 
Ludwig is indeed a very brutal battle. I think no one could imagine more brutal beginning for a DLC. He's a nightmare, especially for those who didn't invested enough in vitality.
 
Griffith said:
Well, speaking of bosses, I already ran into a familiar face after I killed that hunter in the blood cave, none other than the Bloodstarved Beast, just creeping around as a regular enemy now! I wonder who else I'll see just casually strolling around? :ganishka: :magni:

I love that cave, just because of the unexpected hodgepodge of enemies it throws at you without warning. A bunch of beastmen, a hunter armed with a goddamn minigun, and a blood-starved beast for good measure. Although in retrospect, it shouldn't have been that surprising; it seems like it was meant to be something of an ultra-condensed Old Yharnam.

Also, cleared the Nightmare Frontier and Amygdala (I must have managed to skip EVERY optional area =). I think the environment was scarier than the boss though, especially considering how prominent and iconic it is throughout the game it was a disappointing fight. If they'd been able to hurt me when they jumped it'd have been a different story (can it? I rolled though it seemed like it didn't matter), but I basically had no incentive not to camp under their crotch and hack their legs to death.

You're not the first to lament on how easy Amygdala was. I think the reason for that is because it was balanced for relatively low levels; you can go to the Nightmare Frontier after killing Vicar Amelia, but most people end up tackling it near the end of the game.

Now Ludwig on the other hand... that's going to take some careful consideration. I actually think a similar strategy might be in order, going at, inside, or under, because I don't think he'll ever get tired of chasing. I was actually fending him off pretty good and doing decent damage in return, got him down to almost half life, but then he hit me with his charge in a corner and finished me with his damn squirt gun, which I'd previously found to be a preferable attack to avoid in order to heal/rally. That was disappointing because it was too late to continue, but I'll be back at it tonight hopefully! Lookin' like a great boss fight and I'm sure there's more wrinkles to it once I get him lower because he hasn't even used that sword I saw on his back yet.

He's a nasty son of nag, but there really is no "safe distance" from him. He's relentless, he's unpredictable, and he's got a LOT of attacks to counter whatever you can do from nearly any range or angle. You really do have to learn his tells and react accordingly. Which makes him an AMAZING fight. I have to say, it's actually really tragic you didn't even get him down to half-health. You'll likely see why tonight.
 
I finished Ludwig last night, and you two weren't kidding about health and diagnosing his every move, respectively. I upped my vial count to 27 and learned to heal every opportunity unless at full HP.

Exilierating fight, and great feeling taking him down. For the first form I tried staying in front of and under him to attack and rally as much as possible, only stopping to recover health and stamina (which is something you can obviously do simultaneously with great efficiency in a fight like this). Specifically, to start I'd go right at him and roll under his initial jump attack and hit him two to three times, though he'd usually back out after two (the beginning of the fight was this almost every time). His close range bites and swipes are easier to dodge under and counter than his midrange swipes, thus why I'd stay close (sometimes he even retreated!). Same with his biting combo that's easy to avoid but hard to punish if you're being safe. The only attack that'd unpredictably nail me underneath him was his tramples, but it was low damage and offered opportunity to heal after so I just lived with it (maybe not NG+ viable). For his high/ceiling jumps I'd just start running and he'd never hit, went outside right or in for the water gun depending on position (great charge attack opportunity when you can get in, even starting late), and most critically you MUST safely avoid his charge by double rolling sideways (the giant warthogs were good practice for this), or make sure you're at full health and heal immediately if he tags you.

Once I mastered the first form I actually thought his second form was easier after you got over the intimidation factor just because he wasn't as fast or in your face and his attacks were relatively easy to dodge. I switched to one-handed Ludwig's then to trade reach, power and stagger for more speed and stamina to go inside, dodge continuously, and punish him (it actually wasn't bad for staggering him either with the extra volume of hits). Once I realized to stay close and go behind him to deal with his super attack, starting with his sword in the air, it was over. For the coup de grace on that I actually missed the visceral when I staggered him but luckily he was low enough on life it didn't matter. Well, if he'd hammered me with his greatsword another time or two it might have, so I'm glad I kept my cool and didn't stop rolling.

That fight was a lot of fun and never frustrating despite the difficulty because you kept learning things and getting better, reminding me of the Sister Friede and Gael fights from the DS3 DLCs. Anyway, I want to fight him again so maybe before I move on I'll be ringing my bell in the area. Is there another way to consistently repeat boss fights besides NG+, like in Chalice Dungeons?

Oh, I also played around with the Holy Moonlight Sword/Moonlight Greatsword, hoping it was a possible upgrade to Ludwig's, but I have issues... As much as I love the claymore, it's not much of change up switching between a greatsword and essentially an ultra greatsword, especially considering the value the speed of longswords have in Bloodborne and DS3 alike. Also, I don't like the strong attack waves that cost bullets and seemimgly gimp it at close range, hitting with the sword rather than the blast is weaker, etc; the R2 jump of Ludwig's is half the point. I'm still leveling it (need more twin shards) but I don't know that whatever additional scaling it has will overcome these reservations, especially for my build. Will it really be worth it for me over a fire/bolt/arcane buffed Ludwig's? I have my doubts. Then again, if those L/R2's hit hard enough at a distance, they might make some tough encounters rudimentary.

Lastly, I found and dispatched that nasty Mensis Brain last night as well. Good riddance to horrifying rubbish.


P. S. Ludwig and the sinister forces of the Eldritch truth may have got the last laugh on me because I'm getting so little sleep my real life Frenzy resistance is vulnerably low and this morning I woke up with a horrible cold. :mozgus: :ganishka:
 
Griffith said:
That fight was a lot of fun and never frustrating despite the difficulty because you kept learning things and getting better, reminding me of the Sister Friede and Gael fights from the DS3 DLCs. Anyway, I want to fight him again so maybe before I move on I'll be ringing my bell in the area. Is there another way to consistently repeat boss fights besides NG+, like in Chalice Dungeons?

Sadly, no. Maybe FROM should consider adding in a boss replay feature for future games...

Oh, I also played around with the Holy Moonlight Sword/Moonlight Greatsword, hoping it was a possible upgrade to Ludwig's, but I have issues... As much as I love the claymore, it's not much of change up switching between a greatsword and essentially an ultra greatsword, especially considering the value the speed of longswords have in Bloodborne and DS3 alike. Also, I don't like the strong attack waves that cost bullets and seemimgly gimp it at close range, hitting with the sword rather than the blast is weaker, etc; the R2 jump of Ludwig's is half the point. I'm still leveling it (need more twin shards) but I don't know that whatever additional scaling it has will overcome these reservations, especially for my build. Will it really be worth it for me over a fire/bolt/arcane buffed Ludwig's? I have my doubts. Then again, if those L/R2's hit hard enough at a distance, they might make some tough encounters rudimentary.

Never used it myself, so I can't comment. It's designed for a specific build I have yet to try (Strength + Arcane) and likely requires a certain playstyle to get the most out of it, whereas Ludwig's Holy blade is good for, well...just about every build (Strength, Skill, Strength PLUS Skill, and Arcane) and is as straightforward as it gets.

Lastly, I found and dispatched that nasty Mensis Brain last night as well. Good riddance to horrifying rubbish.

That thing is an abomination and it makes your journey to Mergo's Loft a pain in the ass, but I can't help but feel a bit sorry for it. It has to have some sort of intelligence, I mean, it's a big brain and all. If only there was a way to communicate with it... :???:

P. S. Ludwig and the sinister forces of the Eldritch truth may have got the last laugh on me because I'm getting so little sleep my real life Frenzy resistance is vulnerably low and this morning I woke up with a horrible cold. :mozgus: :ganishka:

Those FIENDS! :beast: Guess you're going to have to go get some special medicine to cure that illness. I hear there's this city that, while it's not the most welcoming place, has physicians that can treat just about every ailment under the moon. Try asking around for Paleblood, I'm sure that'll do the trick. :carcus:
 
Friday night:

Living Failures - Lived up to the second part of their name.
Maria - Lived up to her reputation.
Laurence - Lived for only one fight.

Had to break off the hunt to travel for a wedding Saturday, but I'll be back at it in the Fishing Hamlet tonight (cleared the town, but not done with the caves). Maria reminded me of a lot of tough fights from precursers like Allant to offshoots like Friede, Gael (those really ripped off everybody =) and the tougher human bosses from Nioh (particularly Date Masamune and their own lady Maria, who is still like cheapest ever).

Cyrus Jong said:
Sadly, no. Maybe FROM should consider adding in a boss replay feature for future games...

Yeah, it's a funny thing that as soon as you git gud and enjoy the fight it's basically over. Maybe that's part of the charm and why they only have you replay them in NG+.

Never used it myself, so I can't comment. It's designed for a specific build I have yet to try (Strength + Arcane) and likely requires a certain playstyle to get the most out of it, whereas Ludwig's Holy blade is good for, well...just about every build (Strength, Skill, Strength PLUS Skill, and Arcane) and is as straightforward as it gets.

I can see it becoming more useful as a deep end game NG++ weapon since it scales well with strength, skill, AND arcane and has that crazy moveset and mechanics. With high arcane and the right gems it could really be insane, but with a high cost, degree of difficulty and learning curve. Ludwig's is the far more utilitarian choice.

That thing is an abomination and it makes your journey to Mergo's Loft a pain in the ass, but I can't help but feel a bit sorry for it. It has to have some sort of intelligence, I mean, it's a big brain and all. If only there was a way to communicate with it... :???:

I did "Make Contact" and got a Moon rune out of it. =)

Those FIENDS! :beast: Guess you're going to have to go get some special medicine to cure that illness. I hear there's this city that, while it's not the most welcoming place, has physicians that can treat just about every ailment under the moon. Try asking around for Paleblood, I'm sure that'll do the trick. :carcus:

Luckily I recovered enough by Saturday to make the drive (and play some productive Bloodborne the night before =).

Getting close to the end now I assume. Once I'm done with the Fishing Hamlet (perhaps it was called Innsmouth?), if there's nowhere left to conquer, I'll try some Chalice Dungeons and then Gehrman and on to NG+.
 
Is this true though? From Software is working on three titles and none of them is Bloodborne. I can't believe that Bloodborne II can exist without From Software and Miyazaki.
 
Death May Die said:
I tried finding if someone announced this yet, but didn't find anything. Amazon leaked a few games today I'm reading, Bloodborne 2 for PS4 and Xbox1 being among them. Flipping A man!

Potentially a Dec 2019 release date as well.
VladimirPutin said:
Is this true though? From Software is working on three titles and none of them is Bloodborne. I can't believe that Bloodborne II can exist without From Software and Miyazaki.

It looks like a crock of shit. It's Amazon Italy (Italians are saying so? As a fellow paesano take it with a healthy dose of Alfredo sauce =), December of a year is just code for no release date and Bloodborne is Sony published, so it ain't coming to X-Box, and as Vladdy points out From Soft is busy right now. I mean, it might still be coming some day, but this is no more solid than all the other Bloodborne 2 rumors that haven't panned out.

Now, back to the real news; MY Bloodborne playthrough!


The Orphan of Kos is no más! This was a great "final fight," maybe the most exhilarating and "high level" in the game, it was like Guts vs. Zodd on the Hill of Swords intensity the whole time; just constant attacking, dodging, movement, action or you'll be creamed (truly skirting the edge of death at every moment =). :guts: :zodd:

Part of that was how I approached it from the beginning too. I really wanted to make a go of it on the first attempt so went in loaded with bolt paper (fire would turn out to be better I realized) and all sorts of other would-be useful things and a serious mindset. But I had to settle for just seeing the second phase the first time out because I was combo'd to death after dancing with him like that for a while, but I already felt like I could hang with him.

The next time was more of the same, I didn't have the same urgency but started getting his timing down better. Third try I got experimental in the beginning, tried some Moonlight Greatsword Arcane stuff to little use and took some necessary punishment that cost me in the end; I basically ran out of vials on this attempt. BUT, that was the turning point battle because I spent the rest of that fight with my 10% remaining life just surviving and taking safe shots, experimenting with projectiles, throwing Molotovs and knives, everything I could to dodge and kite and chip away until he got me with a charging attack I didn't recognize until it was too late to back away from (which sounds dumb, but constant back dodging worked for all his other melee attacks).

By that point I'd pretty much learned how to avoid everything and knew his openings so the next time I was ready. I even timed a charge attack just right on his second phase transformation to score a visceral and basically started phase two with him at 25% life (I knew I had to close the deal at that point or risk regressing badly afterward =). So, I kept dodging around, like two away at least to avoid his attacks and one or two back to counter, and then back out again (except his lightning attack scream when it was safe to punish). I eventually reached that point where I got him from about an inch of life left to a quarter inch and then I backed out and finished him off with two motolovs from just out of his range, so no missteps/mistakes at the end, and that was that!

Got the Kos Parasite and now I'm tempted to do an arcane Kin build with Kos Parasite, Milkweed Rune and the Holy Moonlight Sword. That'd be fun for NG+, but quite the project, which is half the appeal I guess. :void:

Before that I want to check out the Chalice Dungeons, especially the original bosses down there. I'll need to read up how to approach that and what order, etc but I'm on my way.

Meanwhile, Gehrman is still waiting under that tree, as the Doll reminds me every time I level up. :ganishka:
 
That was very well written, man... it really made me visualize your fight.

The Orphan is a tough beast for sure. Oddly, I always struggled more with Ludwig until I started using the Jigsaw. That weapon is totally op.

I tried doing an Arcane build with the Kos Parasite, but I gotta admit that I never really got accustomed to that sluggish moveset.

I finally managed to kill Queen Yharnam and get Platinum about two month ago... clearing all these boring dungeons wasn't a lot of fun though (except for a few interesting new bosses).

I also think it's a shame that PvP in Bloodborne is pretty much nonexistend.

Nonetheless, I have to praise that game for it's uncompromising challenge. While I feel like I could speedrun DS3 half asleep by now, Bloodborne always kept me on my toes.
 
Griffith said:
I did "Make Contact" and got a Moon rune out of it. =)

Ah, so you did communicate with it. Ne'er mind!

Congrats on beating Ye Olde Huntyrs in any case. The game is pretty much over now; Gehrman is nothing compared to the likes of malformed centaur, the not-so-beautiful baby boy, and those two Deep Assholes in the well. I suppose the biggest challenge you'll face now is not dying of boredom in the Chalice Dungeons, considering you'll be breezing through the first few with your super-inflated levels.
 
Judo said:
That was very well written, man... it really made me visualize your fight.

The Orphan is a tough beast for sure. Oddly, I always struggled more with Ludwig until I started using the Jigsaw. That weapon is totally op.

Thank you, and I struggled more with Ludwig too, or at least died more in the process, but it's all a process, and circumstantial; Ludwig is a huge leap in difficulty from anything before him, if the Kos Orphan came before him it might be the other way around, or Kid Kos might seem impossible. I know I was far better prepared for that fight after getting those reps against Ludwig and Maria and therefore having some idea what I was in for.

Judo said:
I tried doing an Arcane build with the Kos Parasite, but I gotta admit that I never really got accustomed to that sluggish moveset.

Yeah, maybe it's too gimmicky to be viably fun. It's mostly the fun of the idea of ascending and becoming a Kin Hunter of Kin. =)

Cyrus Jong said:
Congrats on beating Ye Olde Huntyrs in any case. The game is pretty much over now; Gehrman is nothing compared to the likes of malformed centaur, the not-so-beautiful baby boy, and those two Deep Assholes in the well.

Thanks, but you know, I didn't know what you meant by the Deep Assholes in the Well until I remembered the two Sharkboys. That them? I never actually fought them because I snuck around the room, didn't find anything, the one on the ceiling never dropped, so just left lol. I think I'll go back and kill them for good measure. Along with Willem and all those other NPCs that might drop something unique for me. :zodd:

Judo said:
I finally managed to kill Queen Yharnam and get Platinum about two month ago... clearing all these boring dungeons wasn't a lot of fun though (except for a few interesting new bosses).
Cyrus Jong said:
I suppose the biggest challenge you'll face now is not dying of boredom in the Chalice Dungeons, considering you'll be breezing through the first few with your super-inflated levels.

I did finally put on my Tomb Prospector gear, which is damn snazzy, and descend! Very cool idea, it's like they gave you Diablo Souls on top of the base game. But yeah, despite the thrill of new enemies and even bosses, it's already kind of repetitive and I've only done the first couple and a Root but have been using different weapons and minimal healing to keep it interesting (Moonlight Sword beams have actually been useful). I do die occasionally out of carelessness though! Hopefully it'll get more compelling once the scenery changes or I have to take things a bit more seriously. It's pretty awesome that it's like it's own game though, but I'm not into it yet and may just be a bit fatigued (I'd played 250 hours of DS3 before this, and by now am well into over 800 hours of SoulsBorne and derivatives). Maybe I'll just make sure I have everything I need/want from this run and finally go see Gehrman and then take a break, since you say the Chalice's are unaffected by NG+ and I can just resume them exactly as I have them next game? Anything I should watch out for though, like supplies or ritual materials I should buy now that I won't have access to at the beginning of the next cycle? The idea of casually jumping into and doing Chalice Dungeons at my leisure has appeal. Man, it's a shame this is a PS4 exclusive; this should be a PC game.
 
I couldn't quite get into the Kos Parasite weapon myself, but it's not a bad idea to stat up for it; Arcane builds get stupidly overpowered with all those beautiful hunters tools you can now use that were just gathering dust in your inventory before.

Griffith said:
Thanks, but you know, I didn't know what you meant by the Deep Assholes in the Well until I remembered the two Sharkboys. That them? I never actually fought them because I snuck around the room, didn't find anything, the one on the ceiling never dropped, so just left lol. I think I'll go back and kill them for good measure. Along with Willem and all those other NPCs that might drop something unique for me. :zodd:

Yup, those are the guys I was talking about. Those two are hands-down the most hated non-boss enemies in the game, with many citing them as being tougher than most bosses. But there's a very good reason why players go through the pain of hunting them down.
They drop a really kickass weapon.

Good call on killing Willem. The senile bastard deserves it, considering this whole mess is his fault! :mozgus:

I did finally put on my Tomb Prospector gear, which is damn snazzy, and descend! Very cool idea, it's like they gave you Diablo Souls on top of the base game. But yeah, despite the thrill of new enemies and even bosses, it's already kind of repetitive and I've only done the first couple and a Root but have been using different weapons and minimal healing to keep it interesting (Moonlight Sword beams have actually been useful). I do die occasionally out of carelessness though! Hopefully it'll get more compelling once the scenery changes or I have to take things a bit more seriously. It's pretty awesome that it's like it's own game though, but I'm not into it yet and may just be a bit fatigued (I'd played 250 hours of DS3 before this, and by now am well into over 800 hours of SoulsBorne and derivatives). Maybe I'll just make sure I have everything I need/want from this run and finally go see Gehrman and then take a break, since you say the Chalice's are unaffected by NG+ and I can just resume them exactly as I have them next game? Anything I should watch out for though, like supplies or ritual materials I should buy now that I won't have access to at the beginning of the next cycle? The idea of casually jumping into and doing Chalice Dungeons at my leisure has appeal. Man, it's a shame this is a PS4 exclusive; this should be a PC game.

All items you unlocked from the shops on NG will be available right from the beginning of NG+, so don't worry about losing anything once you complete the game. The only thing I would recommend to make sure you do before starting NG+ is get the two Red Jellies from the Lecture Building if you haven't gotten them already. You need 4 of those total to reach the deepest layers of the Chalice dungeons, and frankly, just grabbing the ones from the Lecture Building on two NG cycles is the most painless way to acquire them all.
 
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