Bloodborne general discussion

I played some of it earlier, pretty good so far, but damn I wish it had a high frame rate mode. I wish high frame rate modes would be a standard console option, it's so rare but just the option for lower resolution for solid 60fps is a thoughtful option.

And damn Roy that shotgun parry is busted, I parried so many mobs straight away with no effort. So what's the practical use for different guns? Different ranges/damage/spreads/rate of fire I imagine.

Yeah Nioh really pushed the benchmark in that regard, it's Action/Movie mode was a stroke of genius imo. Really liked that function.

In terms of the guns, they each have their own use.

Shotgun: parries, has high spread so takes less skill to use - but higher startup frames.
Pistol: parries but deals good damage - quick startup frames
Repeater: same as pistol, but fires more shots, not that useful imo.
Ludwig: a sort of super-shotgun, but fires a lot slower - good for paries if you know the timing
Flamethrower/Mist Sprayer: good in specific builds, can deal monsterous damage when paired with Bone Marrow Ash which increase damage done.
Gattling Gun: pointless imo.
Canon: high damage
Church Canon: high damage, diferent stats
Rifle: More for sniping

More info can be found here: http://bloodborne.wiki.fextralife.com/firearms

So I've beaten blood starved after maybe 2 dozen attempts as I wasted all my items since I didn't know I had antidote items. Hate that boss, just the poison is so cheap, you get hit twice as long as the poison meter is there you get poisoned, but then it starts shitting the stuff in its third phase, good thing visceral attacks give iframes. I made some swift progress right after, roamed around that hemwick Forrest area or something(accidentally ran in to that old witch boss and just teleported out to save mah souls I was laying on 4K$$$$ moneh baybee).

I'm using saw spear and axe for backup, namely for its transformed charge attack which is beast, and pistol too, I've upgraded them both to +3. I've leveled up to maybe about 30, levels don't seem to be an issue, I haven't had to open up a spread sheet to comprehend it so far haha. I'm gonna try out the blood katana, and maybe that gun sword from cainhurst. It's really good so far, love the atmosphere and gameplay, I dig the charge attacks, just how you have to position yourself behind a foe to get a visceral attack as opposed to fishing for backstabs. I've also unlocked a chalice dungeon, it has an undead giant boss in it, damn so much extra content it's nuts, full of unique mobs and bosses too.

It all feels like a spiritual successor to castlevania, namely the old ones as they where the hardest by far. Come to think of it simon's quest was a sort of non linear open level structure like the igavania titles.
I love how gameplay centric the souls series is, for all its npc interactions and deep lore it just dumps you in a world to go dick around, mess with the local inhabitants and maybe fight a boss for its dosh.

Killed the witch boss in 1 go, pretty easy. Its great so far, I've got the ludwig sword, but I'm in favour of faster weapons in action games, so I'll have to get Eileen's daggers and the blood katana.

Stats I've not had to fuss about, they're very basic and supplementary to the action, I'm having them even so I'm closer to the level required for whatever weapon I decide to use.
Armour seems cosmetic mostly no major benefits yet, which I'm fine with as I hate stats over skill.

Purged Vicar Amelia and then I sort of discovered a bunch of places. Like nightmare frontier, hypogean gaol and forbidden woods. Gonna beat Paarl tomorrow, and also Amygdala.

Armor is really cosmetic, though the resistances can factor in on a New Game. A gear with high lightning resistance can almost half the damage you take of that element, which is nice.

The most important stat is Dex, as it also increases the damage of your parry.

I beat amygdala, logarius and the one reborn(got some tower knight vibes from the witches on the upper level, also rad name). I lost against micolash a few times so I'll do that tomorrow, he's definitely one of the more unconventional bosses in the souls series and he's done well, mad bastard just keeps running away and jumping through mirrors like it's benny hill.

One complain I have about the beast bosses is that they are all a bit samey, they all have a very similar move set and often mess up the camera due to their speed/size, so I'd unlock camera namely against Paarl. That said they are good bosses, though blood starved is annoying with it's poison buildup, gave me more trouble than the other beasts that's for sure.

I got the chikage super sick BLOOD KATANA, and the evelyn which scales with bloodtinge so that's good for damage, that and I love its gangsta firing animation. I love the look of a few dlc weapons, namely the saif, beast cutter and rakuyo.

Any weapons that can hard knockdown like the extended axe charge swing? that move is super useful, I'd dodge backwards into bloodstarved lunging claw attack so I'd be next to them for a charged swing. Though i found it was easier to just charge saw spear up its bum or parry all day.

How different is NG+? Like mob hp and damage values?

Micolash is a really fun and weird fight, can be a bit frustrating at first too but it really feels fun and special.

The beast bosses are a bit meh, most of them are really samey. Fighting them unlocked is the way to go for sure.

If you can, do the DLC bosses. They are easily the best. Also try and get to the end of the Chalices. Really has some of the best fights in the game, like Defiled Watchdog and a few unique bosses you don't see in the main game.

I've been doing the chalices, just to see those bosses, I've got the dlc bundled version. I've read the chalices don't scale to ng+.

Is it advised to do dlc post main game?
I'm about lvl63-5 maybe, stats are pretty even(about lvl18-20) except arcane which is still 8. I'm glad they toned down the stats, no weight limits and armour stats either, very stressless and comprehendible.

The DLC was made to absolutely destroy end-game players, so yeah if you can do it before the credits roll.

So I cleared up mensis, lost against ebriates and Ludwig. I got the hunter saif which has a really cool and unique move set, strikes in weird angles and has a few attacks with forward or back dashes built in, great for hit n run tactics. So I'll be doing the dlc next since I'm right next to the endings.

The Saif is a really fun weapon. That's generally a big flaw of the DLC, a good flaw, all the weapons of the DLC are better and more fun than the rest. The Boom Hammer is fun, The Holy Blade is amazing, Saif is insanely cool etc. Really cool weapons!

They clearly went nuts with the dlc weps, easily some of the most unique hybrid weapons that take advantage of the trick gimmick.

One thing I find odd is that weps can degrade but its so rare and costs nothing why even have it? Cuz souls had it ennit, good thing Nioh got rid of that, but Niohs got it's own spreadsheet sim/grindfest issues.

It really is one of those leftover things, a weapon only 'broke' once for me in my entire run to NG+7, it is really rare to see it happen. I didn't even know it was a thing haha.

Played today lost and lost again against that horse faced fellow, got his phase 1 down but the long charge attack is confusing, its hit box is somewhat unclear as it sometimes drags me along with it even though I looked to have perfect rolled, but its most safe on his left side. Phase 2 seems simple but I've not had much practice against it.

I'm going to kill Laurance after and use the beast's embrace rune, I've read it's dodges might be faster/longer reach.

The horseboss (Ludwig) is considered the hardest Souls boss ever, while I personally think that the Orphan (final DLC boss) claims this title, he really holds his own. Truly a difficult encounter to say the least.

Good luck man! 

> Beast embrace
Hm, didn't know this. That said it's been a long time. I still wish I could just find the Beast Claws early, would love to do a run with just them.

What carries over to ng+?

Ludwig is the best beast boss so far and a great boss all around, it's really satisfying learning his moveset. The saif's swift dash attack for it's first R1 swing is super useful. Orphan looks tough too, I'll see if I find them easier.

Rekt horse sword man on loan from berserk(did you know Miyazaki loves berserk?). That said I love how FROM snuck in the moonlight sword AGAIN, now with BB moon relevant lore.

Maria was really cool, sick blood magic that COMBUSTS but a easy boss compared to Ludwig, I beat her exclusively with the chikage and used its blood mode to rival hers, no healing so it's a fair fight, love a rival fight.

Messed around and unlocked all the shortcuts in fishing hamlet(valley of defilement:lovecraft edition vibes a tad). Tried to get the rakuyo from those stupid giant shark men, the one with the anchor is absurd, that flailing lunge attack is next to impossible to avoid, gonnna have to get gud and/or cheese them.

Laurence I got down to phase 2 in a few tries, no issue, still need to kill ebriates, after that it's just Gherman and moon face.

Making good progress man! Ludwig is a really great boss, Laurence is a matter of learning how and when to attack him. Maria is easily parriable, which sort of negates the whole fight, but she was by and large my favorite fight of the DLC. Just straight up epic.

In terms of NG+, everything carries over except keys and which NPC's you killed. I believe your reputation with certain covenants also resets but I'm not completely sure about that. Try the wikidot, it usually has all the info you need.

Also yeah gettting the Rakuyo is...painful. Really some bullshit design right there haha.

Beat Laurence, grinded for items and almost got the beast claws from the Ailing Loran chalice or something, it's on layer 2 wiki says. Didn't expect a cave area for a different chalice. Chalices are very bland and repetitive barring bosses(even then mostly reuse) but good for grinding, no clue why they hid the beast claws down in them, likely to get you to play chalices. I appreciate the unique enemy types mixed with others too.

Still need to collect the rakuyo from those dandy fish men, but I've got some shamen bone blades to get them to kill each other.

Got the beast claws, I haven't tested much but the beasts embrace dashes seem to last longer but don't look to travel further, the roll looks longer and I'm sure the back step travels further, the regular dashes have less recovery frames tested from mashing dodges. Apparently the beasts embrace and milkweed runes dodges have armour and you take reduced damage during them and falling, likely to compensate for the longer animations.

Also I fought orphan of kos and got them down to half life first attempt(even parried them) and a few times after, got worse with subsequent attempts but I'll beat them tomorrow for sure. Their phase 1 seem easier than Ludwig phase 1, only the last phase really gives me trouble due to the projectiles and lightning.

Humanoid bosses make more sense to me, Ludwig and the other beast bosses have some bizarre patterns and hitboxes due to their designs being large monsters with erratic movements and large hitboxes rather than humanoid bosses, compare Ludwig phase 1 to his upright humanoid phase 2 with clear swipes and not spastic-multi limb movements. I suppose I'm more familiar with the human form, I know what to expect due to their physical structure.

Orphans patterns immediately make sense to me, the hit boxes too, the lightning confused me at first but I think I can see the pattern now. Still a damn tough boss for sure, you really have to know his patterns and the exact way to avoid them since he's so aggressive, Ludwig was tough until I mastered his moveset, orphan is very swift and requires a lot more dexterity I find, so much more demanding than Ludwig.

I like the lore implications also, Orphan seems like they might be tied to Gherman, I assume since he's the first hunter he had a hand in some of the bygenwerth shenanigans, since he also trained lady Maria and she's trapped in the nightmare guarding the secrets of the fishing hamlet. When you kill Maria the doll gets some new dialogue so I wonder if Gherman will too, maybe it's his nightmare(he has dialogue while sleeping about Willem and Laurence) and maybe he fucked that big fish kos who looks a lot like those squid things in the nightmare frontier(who along with winter lanterns and the brain of mensis have messengers within them, poor messengers).

Orphan looks sort of like a naked fish Gherman, even has a makeshift hunters saif from its placenta it seems(reminds me of re4 krauser bio blades). It also reminds me of Grendel from the Beowulf tale, more so in design and behaviour of the animated film version(similar screams too), their mentality is that of a violent infant with potential god like powers due to human/mythical creature heritage.

Beat Orphan no problem, great boss, also noticed kos has a human face with tentacles resembling hair and human arms, some interesting implications. I've also found that you can dodge without lock on if you use the monocular.

I beat Gerhman also, just clearing up anything I might have missed, doing some chalice stuff, but I can leave that stuff for NG+.

Glad you're loving the game so much man, did you dive deeper in?

I wanted to collect everything I could for NG+, I've not touched it since then as I went on to play re4/5/6/7 and now dmc1, I'm getting Nioh by at least next week so I'll be playing that for a while. I loved it and I'm definitely going to play it every year, mess around with the dlc weapons as only used saif, chikage and church pick towards the end. In short it's the castlevania game I've always wanted.

I started this game not so long ago. I was also playing PoP: Sands of Time and Genji to mix things up haha. The last thing I did was Rom's boss fight. Then I saw an area full of "zombie" enemies and I didn't like it very much. I hate that blood echoes and quicksilver bullets are consumables. For the rest I prefer this game over other souls due to more aggressive enemies and more fluid dodge (sigh for 30 fps though).

It really is a game I'd love to see re-released in 60fps some day. It being such a hallmark title I'm still surprised it wasn't getting a PS4pro version or update.

Like Sekiro it felt like a halfway departure. You still have builds, but they don't matter too much. You still have exploration, but there's not much to find. The world is still open, but extremely lineair. Etc. Etc. Fantastic title though, aside from Demon's Souls it might be my favorite title of them.

Royta/Raeng wrote:It really is a game I'd love to see re-released in 60fps some day. It being such a hallmark title I'm still surprised it wasn't getting a PS4pro version or update.

Like Sekiro it felt like a halfway departure. You still have builds, but they don't matter too much. You still have exploration, but there's not much to find. The world is still open, but extremely lineair. Etc. Etc. Fantastic title though, aside from Demon's Souls it might be my favorite title of them.

Yeah, my impressions are the same. I think I would have loved more this game if there were no stamina, no stats, no lamps and Dark Souls' features. That system worked almost flawlessly only in the first Dark Souls, it gave real freedom in the exploration, bonfires were well thought out and stamina was right due to the slow pace of the game.

Done some chalice dungeons, they give a lot of blood echoes, bullets and different materials. At the moment they are very easy but I think difficulty will increase soon.

The Chalices start of easier than the main game as I recall, but the later ones can get pretty darn nuts with some cool unique fights in between!

I'm near the end of the story so I'm doing optional stuff before NG+. So far it's a great game, but the combat is still too similar to Dark Souls. I'm using a strength build and I have found only three good weapons for my character: hunter's axe (my favourite one), saw cleaver, kirkhammer (functional but just a longsword+hammer). Other strength weapons look too slow or monodimensional (example:tonitrus). After this run I could try an arcane build and see other endings. It may be fun to use the hunter's tools.

Kirkhammer + Empty Phantasm Shell is deleting fools left and right, though.

I always liked the Mace from the DLC the most, but you get that way too late I feel. The MLGS is fantastic too. Lots of fun things to experiment with, really one of their better games in terms of arsenal!

DLC weapons are really good, I'll probably updgrade the Whirligig saw. It seems very fun to use !

I loved how people started calling it "the pizzacutter"!

Yesterday I finished Bloodborne except the chalice dungeons. Dlc bosses are very good but easy to learn, they're definitely fun fights. I have watched what other builds can do and arcane seems a glass cannon or a more balanced ranged attack, bloodtinge is the same playstyle, skill seems less broken but the riposte damage should be very high. So I'll probably do the NG+ with my strength build and then a skill run to see the other endings.

I'm done with this game, got the platinum trophy and 100% dlc. You have only to complete everything, so no silly tasks. This is a very good game, but it's more linear than Dark Souls, the combat is better than other Souls but not so much. Atmosphere, lore, ost and art design are excellent, the combat works but it could have been way better. Camera is very bad against big enemies and there are a lot of strange and big creatures.

Heard somewhere there are items, I think it's some kind of gems, that can only be obtained online. Is this true?

There's one item called "Vermin" needed to level up in "the league" (a type of guild) that you can most easily get online through PvP, but there's ways of just grinding it out offline too (you only need 5 for MaxRank).

Otherwise, all the content is available offline. Gems are mostly gained in Chalice dungeons, which are randomly generated dungeons. The 'online' part is that you can share these random dungeons, so if someone finds a good one with a ton of good Gems, they can share that code with you. That last bit requires online.

Or was it drop rate is better online? I swear someone told me something like this.