The release of Bloodborne in March 2015 was a huge deal for the PS4. It was the exclusive the system deserved, and certainly the one it needed right then. Players flocked to this grim and gothic world in droves, and critics just couldn’t praise it highly enough. A triumph for FromSoftware, as all the calls for a sequel should have made clear.
The truth is, though, a lot of those players didn’t quite know what they were getting themselves into. Even Dark Souls veterans were going in blind, to a certain extent, as Bloodborne is a different beast entirely. Here are some things players really wish they’d known before diving in.
10 It’s Going To Be Super Brutal
Bloodborne, like Nioh and its sequel, are very much spiritual successors to the Dark Souls series. They’re super similar games (and they ooze FromSoftware’s distinctive style from every orifice), but include all manner of creative and unique mechanics to keep them fresh.
Which is the more difficult? Well, that’s subjective. Some players will tell you that such-and-such a Bloodborne boss is the hardest FromSoftware ever created (Ludwig the Accursed and the Orphan of Kos being popular picks), while others will cite a fiendish foe from the Dark Souls series itself. Either way, though, the brutal difficulty of Bloodborne is something that many newcomers underestimate.
9 You Can Score A Visceral Attack On That First Scourge Beast…
As we’ll see a little later, Bloodborne’s combat feels very different to that of the Dark Souls franchise. One of the key elements of this is the Visceral Attack, a special move you can implement when you parry an opponent or hit them with a charged attack from behind.
Visceral Attacks are very powerful counters that… well, the grisly animation speaks for itself. As you fumble around at the very beginning of the game, the very first enemy you encounter (a werewolf, dubbed Scourge Beast here) while you’re still unarmed can be hit with a Visceral Attack. Let it take a long, wild swing at you, then you’ll have time to charge an attack to hit it in the back as the animation completes. This should take it down in quick fashion.
8 …But You Probably Shouldn’t
While there are handy little tutorial messages in Iosefka’s Clinic that explain the controls to you, how many players took the time to read them? Not enough, that’s how many (as always). As such, it’s likely that new players will be quickly dispatched by the injured Scourge Beast lurking here. Which is fine, because it’s supposed to kill you really.
On first being defeated, the player will awaken in the Hunter’s Dream, the game’s hub world. Here, the friendly little Messengers (those terrifying little guys with faces even Gollum’s mother would struggle to love) give you your first main weapon and firearm. Overlooking this, some players may well blunder on into Yharnam unarmed, which is very far from ideal.
7 All The Weapons Are Super Neat
One concern that Dark Souls fans may have had going into Bloodborne was the weapon selection. Over the course of the Dark Souls series, we’ve seen hundreds of swords, bows, spears, whips, hammers, claws and umpteen other varieties of pain-inducing implement. By contrast, Bloodborne offers relatively few weapons.
They’re all wildly distinct, however, which is what sets them apart. Each of them can be transformed with a simple click of a button, and most of them switch to an entirely different moveset and style on doing so. You can even switch between forms mid-combo via a transformation attack. From a demonic katana that drains the user’s HP in its transformed state to a monstrous circular saw on a pole that tears through foes, these are some of the most creative weapons we’ve ever seen in a video game.
6 The Starter Weapons Are Some Of The Best
As you progress through the game, naturally, you’ll unlock different main weapons and firearms. Some will be given by certain NPCs for fulfilling particular conditions, others will be found in chests or hidden in the environment, still others must be purchased from the shop. They’re all so varied and so much fun to mess around with that you’ll want to take them all out for a spin.
Which is the best weapon? That entirely depends on your playstyle and character build (as we’ll see in the next entry). As far as all-around effectiveness goes, however, two of the three starter weapons are highly regarded by the Bloodborne community for their potential: the Hunter’s Axe and the iconic Saw Cleaver. The third, the Threaded Cane, is an excellent pick too, but a little more specialised in comparison.
5 You’ll Want To Plan Out Your Stats Carefully
So, yes. Here you are, Soulsborne newbie, miraculously quite far into the game. You’ve accrued quite a number of the game’s weapons, but several of them are grayed out in the menus and you can’t equip them. Why’s that, you ask? Well, friend, each of them has a different stat requirement.
The system’s logical enough: if you barely have the brute strength to lift a hulking weapon like the Kirkhammer (which transforms into a gigantic rock on a stick), you can’t equip and use it. The same applies to skill-based weapons, or magically-based ones if your Arcane stat isn’t high enough. While these requirements are never particularly high, specialized builds can lock themselves out of certain choices, so pay attention to the stats relating to particular weapons you want to use.
4 Combat Is Much More Action-Oriented
As we’ve mentioned, this spiritual successor still feels very different to the Dark Souls titles. If you’re accustomed to wearing heavy armor, burdening yourself and rolling super, super slowly, there’ll be none of that here. The Hunters of Bloodborne were lightly equipped, relying on their agility to keep them out of trouble as they fought the beastly scourge.
For the player character, this means swiftly dodging attacks, hit and run approaches and carefully timed ripostes via pistol shots (your firearm isn’t generally used as a source of damage). Weapon combos are longer here, too, all of which makes the game’s combat feel far more fluid.
3 You Can’t Really Save NPCs
If you’ve spent more than about four seconds in Bloodborne’s grim world, you’ll have noticed one very clear theme: happy endings simply aren’t an option around here. It’s just not happening. This isn’t a Disney movie, with happily ever afters and adorable cartoon bluebirds singing on everyone’s shoulders.
On reaching Oedon Chapel, you’ll find an odd little NPC dubbed the Oedon Chapel Dweller. They tell you that this is a safe place and implore you to tell any survivors you find to come along. A total of five different NPCs can be found and sent here, and some will give you unique items for your efforts, but depending on choices you make in the game, just about all of them will meet a grim end.
2 If You Think You’re Ready For The DLC, You Probably Aren’t
So, yes. Bloodborne is as difficult as the main Dark Souls series (and some of the fantastic games inspired by it). As always, though, wherever there’s a challenging game, there are persistent players who will struggle through until they finally reach the end.
If you’ve played though several times and are even feeling a little confident, it’s time to try and conquer the DLC, The Old Hunters. In this nightmarish extension set before the events of the main game, you’ll encounter a heightened difficultly level and some truly dastardly bosses (including the aforementioned Orphan of Kos and Ludwig the Accursed). Don’t jump in lightly!
1 True Lovecraftian Horror Sets In Later
In the early stages of this ghastly adventure, players may think that have a handle on the general aesthetic of it all. A Victorian-inspired town, the sort of place you’d expect to see that clichéd image of Jack the Ripper stalking the alleyways… it’s classic horror through and through, right?
As the rather obscure and complex story unfolds, however, things take a dramatic turn towards the Lovecraftian. All-powerful ancient beings agogo. This was hinted at early in the proceedings, but you still probably weren’t quite sure what you’d signed up for.
NEXT: The 10 Creepiest Monsters In Bloodborne
