Bloodborne (Dark Souls 2 successor (Dark Souls successor (Demon's Souls successor)))

[Twig]

Wow uh Darkbeast Paarl was kind of laughably easy.

I died once because I guess I was trying to figure it out and being too careful but then the second time I shot it with the cannon twice and then ran up to it and unloaded with my heavy L2 ludwig's sword attack. It never even got all lightning-y. I guess it technically has to charge up or something? Anyway I backed it into a corner and alternated between L2 and charge attack as stamina allowed. Didn't even touch me.

 

So I guess now my question is, what did that get me?

I noticed there's another door by the first lantern I didn't unlock. An elevator that I haven't activated from the otherside. And a big door down the hill with the pig that I couldn't open. Plus a door off to the side there with a message "fear beast" and the door looks like it might be a rigged model and not just part of the environment but I dunno there are some weird lighting bugs throughout the game so I dunnooooooo.

 

Also, re: how easy it was: I was level 55. Perhaps I was too strong? Currently pondering if I want to help people fight the beast or just move on. I found a tonsil stone or something and I'm pretty sure I know which door that opens. So I've got two paths ahead of me at the moment. Or I can run around in a chalice dungeon some more. Really not liking them all that much, though. It'd probably be way more enjoyable with a buddy, but one of the strengths of the Souls games is the environment and level design and while I'm fully of the opinion that procedural generation can accomplish amazing things, they did not do it well in this game.

[Yasawas]

Go the tonsil stone route and save the chalice dungeons for post-game if you ever want to do them at all, they ramp up in difficulty significantly very quickly anyway. 

 

Yesterday I went back and fought the four bosses I'd completely missed on my first run -

Celestial Emissary, Ebrietas, Martyr Logarius, Moon Presence.

The first of those was pretty terrible but made me laugh at least, the last I was just blindly slashing until I won but the middle two were cool albeit not very challenging if you can parry/have some patience. The only trophies I have left now require a bit of chalice dungeoning and I'm not sure I can be bothered as procedurally-generated dungeon crawling is not my thing at all, but I've had my £50 worth at this point I think. I was a little disappointed when I first completed this on Monday as it doesn't seem to have the replay potential of any of the Souls games but they've given me the best 40 hours of gameplay my PS4 has seen in the year I've had it so I can't really fault them for that I suppose.

[Griddlelol]

Urgh, I want to respec. I've come to the realisation that fast weapons are so much better than slow. The only thing I use my great sword for now is bosses. Even then it's not that great.

I'd love to use the rapier/gun, but i don't feel like farming blood X to level it up.

[osmosisch]

The L2 on Kirkhammer hammer-mode carried me through like 80% of the game, it's ridiculously good.

[juv3nal]

https://twitter.com/Danielleri/status/587176354770071552

 

I BEAT CLERIC BEAST ON MY FIRST TRY, Y'ALL!!! #bloodborne

 

She did this on stream so had some coaching, but still impressive considering she'd only been playing for about an hour.

[Griddlelol]

The L2 on Kirkhammer hammer-mode carried me through like 80% of the game, it's ridiculously good.

Yeah, the great sword was fantastic my first play through, but now I have a complete understanding of the game, the slow attacks feel unnecessary and drain stamina so much. Plus they're entirely pointless in pvp.

I also found out that if you shoot someone while they're using a blood vial, it stuns them for a visceral attack. That's incredibly easy to bait someone into doing that.

[osmosisch]

https://twitter.com/Danielleri/status/587176354770071552

 

 

She did this on stream so had some coaching, but still impressive considering she'd only been playing for about an hour.

Whaaaaaaa hot damn I'm so sad I missed that

[eot]

So I guess now my question is, what did that get me?

I noticed there's another door by the first lantern I didn't unlock. An elevator that I haven't activated from the otherside. And a big door down the hill with the pig that I couldn't open. Plus a door off to the side there with a message "fear beast" and the door looks like it might be a rigged model and not just part of the environment but I dunno there are some weird lighting bugs throughout the game so I dunnooooooo.

You'll get back there later and will be able to do those things, hehe. Paarl is an optional boss, so you don't get much for doing him except unlocking that path into Old Yarnham. I think you might need to take that to talk to Djura, but I haven't tried it.

[juv3nal]

Whaaaaaaa hot damn I'm so sad I missed that

I don't know if they have saved it as a highlight so it is kept indefinitely but an archive exists for right now. Danielle starts at around 1 hour 53  minutes (it's Patricia Hernandez playing prior to that): http://www.twitch.tv/patriciaxhx/b/649021384

[osmosisch]

So far her yourube series of BB with Phil has taught me she's got a lovely singing voice and her twitch stream has taught me she cusses like a sailor

[Twig]

Well I went to the Nightmare Frontier...

 

Are there any specific items I should be on the lookout for? I hate this poison lake bullshit and I want to be out of here as soon as possible. Which is shit because I liked being here at first until I realized half of it is a fucking poison lake. I think I've gotten most if not all of the items except those near the bridge that leads to the building. Not sure I even care about those...

 

Also that brainbeast that frenzied me to death how do I even deal with that holy shit. Took out 2/3 of my health just from looking at me, and then even after I killed it the frenzy bar kept filling up and so I died anyway. I sure hope the boss doesn't have a frenzy mechanic.

[Twig]

Wow that boss was super easy. X:

 

Now I'm at Cainhurst Castle 'cause I remembered I got that letter.

[Griddlelol]

Cainhurst is cool. Really enjoyed that place, although it felt like DLC...not that it's a bad thing. It's just super easy to miss, and an extra to the main story.

[N1njaSquirrel]

Cainhurst? I haven't got the letter or there. How does one get to Cainhurst Castle?

[JonCole]

I really feel like I'm in a rut after BSB, keep getting killed, losing all momentum, and quitting after 30 minutes of play multiple times this weekend. Kept bashing my head against the first Chalice dungeon until I faced off against the first boss, who crushed me time after time. Is it normal for me to feel vaguely like restarting the game with a skill/arcane class now that I actually kinda know what I'm doing and hopefully I'll spec/spend blood echoes better and keep my momentum?

[N1njaSquirrel]

I personally am using a Strength build and it's ace. I haven't spent a single stat point in arcane or the other one too.

 

If you're stuck on BSB, try Vicar Amelia first. It's an easier fight, and will give you a bonfire closer to the BSB. I'm pretty sure you can take on VA at the same time as BSB. Also maybe upgrade your weapon? The BSB is a fucking horrible fight though. It's the first wall I encountered too. Killing him feels the best.

 

My general advice is to dash forwards and to the left/right when he attacks. It feels really risky, but it avoids most of his attacks.

[Twig]

Cainhurst? I haven't got the letter or there. How does one get to Cainhurst Castle?

You get it from inside Iosefka's clinic, on the bed on which you are injected with the blood in the beginning of the game. You get there by going through a poison lake cave behind some dog cages in Forbidden Forest, innit? I think?

 

I'm also full strength (although recently started putting more points in skill because Ludwig's Sword gets just as much out of that and I'm way over the soft cap on strength). I put some points in bloodtinge to be able to equip the rifle spear, which I promptly unequipped...

[JonCole]

I personally am using a Strength build and it's ace. I haven't spent a single stat point in arcane or the other one too.

 

If you're stuck on BSB, try Vicar Amelia first. It's an easier fight, and will give you a bonfire closer to the BSB. I'm pretty sure you can take on VA at the same time as BSB. Also maybe upgrade your weapon? The BSB is a fucking horrible fight though. It's the first wall I encountered too. Killing him feels the best.

 

My general advice is to dash forwards and to the left/right when he attacks. It feels really risky, but it avoids most of his attacks.

 

After BSB. I actually managed BSB with very little trouble, mostly because I summoned Alfred. I keep getting wrecked by Amelia, not doing much better in Hemwick Charnel Lane (keep getting to that area with the huge guys with Axes, can't manage to parry those guys to save my life). My Hunter's Axe is +6 and my Hunter's Pistol is +4 and I've dumped pretty heavily into Str/Vit/End.

[Twig]

That's exactly my build at the time I fought both BSB and Amelia. I had a ton of trouble with both of them until suddenly I didn't.

 

With Amelia,

you want to get behind her. My strategy was to wait until she did her leaping attack (making sure to watch out for her four-legged leap attack that she adds to her repertoire once she gets more damaged - it's different and more dangerous than her two-legged leap!) and dodge forward and to the side. I could usually get a sweet charge attack in at about this time. If not, I at least get a quick swipe in and back away.

 

I've read that if you do enough damage to the same limb she collapses temporarily and you can get in a bunch of extra hits. I saw this happen but I can't confirm if it's because I kept hitting her right leg or not. (I always hit her right leg unless circumstances got weird, because that's just the direction (forward-left) I tended to dodge.)

 

Also bring some numbing mist or whatever it's called to stop her from healing once she gets below half health.

[Griddlelol]

I'd love to see what bosses people find easy/hard. It's fascinating to hear people talk about VA's difficulty when I found her to be incredibly easy. I wonder what causes the perceived difficulty difference between players.

 

One tip I have for VA is look at her hands. 

She's clutching something to her chest in one, and the other is free, which makes the optimal dodge direction more clear

[JonCole]

I'll keep that all in mind, thanks guys. Trying really hard to not quit this game, because in the moments I'm enjoying it's the best thing ever but man is the loop of dying, loading screens, loss of momentum, generally dour themes/color palette pretty oppressive.

[Twig]

At this point I deal with the loading screens by picking up my phone and internetting until it's ready for me. It's also kind of a nice break from the oppressiveness that you mention, heh.

When I was where you are though yeah I was pretty much EXACTLY where you are. It really sucked a lot.

[Bjorn]

After BSB. I actually managed BSB with very little trouble, mostly because I summoned Alfred. I keep getting wrecked by Amelia, not doing much better in Hemwick Charnel Lane (keep getting to that area with the huge guys with Axes, can't manage to parry those guys to save my life). My Hunter's Axe is +6 and my Hunter's Pistol is +4 and I've dumped pretty heavily into Str/Vit/End.

 

Jon, that's pretty much my Str build, and I like it a bunch.  Parrying those axe guys took me a whole bunch of practice.  But they are cake once you finally get it down.  If you want to practice on one that does less damage, there's one not very far from the Central Yarhnam lamp in a dead end alley that you should be able to take several hits from at this point while trying to get the timing right on the stagger. 

 

Do you know how to backstab?  That makes so many areas more manageable, and isn't something the game teaches you to do (not sure when you started reading this thread).  Charge attack an enemy's rear, then R1. 

 

Abuse the Axe's 2HR2 Spin-to-Win move.  Lots of bigger enemies (like that big Axe guys) and bosses have pretty sizeable open windows on them and that move is fantastic. 

 

There is one tool that would help you a bunch through.  There are enemies that are strong against the damage type of the Axe, and having something to deal with them is invaluable.  A great option is in a side/option area called the Hypogean Gaol.  At your level, you might be able to fight your way to the body with the weapon on it, but the safer option is a suicide sprint to get the weapon and then just continue down whatever path your were on before.  For more detailed instructions:

 

The lamp for this area is at the very top of the spiral stairs.  From there, sprint past the two bag men in the big room, through the exit, turn left, dodge the dogs, and at the end of the street is another bag man with 2 dogs all facing a body.  The body holds the weapon. 

 

The thing that's not obvious with that weapon is that its R1 changes ALL of its damage to lightning (it's not just a boost like it appears), making it fabulous to use against anything that's strong against physical damage. 

[JonCole]

I actually already have that item and managed to handle that whole area, sans the boss who destroyed me in no time at all. To be sure, is the item -

 

The Tonitus or something like that?

 

However, the range on it is so short and the lack of transformation has made it seem less useful than my axe in most situations. Are there any particularly notable Phys-resistant guys with whom I'd want to actually make an effort to use it with?

 

I really should practice the parry and backstab more. Maybe I'll do some laps around Central Yharnam to get my bearings with guys with predictable, learned attack animations.

[N1njaSquirrel]

You get it from inside Iosefka's clinic, on the bed on which you are injected with the blood in the beginning of the game. You get there by going through a poison lake cave behind some dog cages in Forbidden Forest, innit? I think?

 

I'm also full strength (although recently started putting more points in skill because Ludwig's Sword gets just as much out of that and I'm way over the soft cap on strength). I put some points in bloodtinge to be able to equip the rifle spear, which I promptly unequipped...

 

Huh! I completely missed that area! I've even backtracked to those areas for Blood vials and still not noticed that path! I know what I'm doing when I get back home!

 

 

After BSB. 

 

Sorry! My bad!

 

 

I actually already have that item and managed to handle that whole area, sans the boss who destroyed me in no time at all. To be sure, is the item -

 

The Tonitus or something like that?

 

Yep, that's the one alright. It's fantastic.