Good ole Yharnam, the city that’s infested with more creatures kicking your ass than you ever thought possible. Bloodborne is definitely in the Souls family of difficulty. Yes you will feel as if progress is futile, but weep not. There is light at the end of the tunnel–a bloody tunnel.
For those of you struggling, know you’re not alone. Here are some tips for surviving this kick-ass RPG.
Patience is key.
It should be no secret by now that Bloodborne is not a game you can rush through. Veterans of these types of games know that players are rewarded for their patience and skill. If you’re a beginner, mastering the third-person view may take some time. Remember to take in your surroundings, never dive into a situation.
Luring is more than seductive.
Taking on enemies is the name of the game in Yharnam, how you do it requires finesse. There will be many occasions when you’ll encounter a crowd, so isolating them one-on-one will increase your chances of survival and progress. The most effective method is luring your enemy. This can be done in a few ways.
- Try ‘n’ Catch Me: Approach an enemy ever so slightly, then back away
- Pebbles: With pebbles equipped in a quick slot, lock-on your target, and hit Square to hit them with the pebble to get their attention
Quick items are your friend.
This is a time saver and crucial during battle. Equipping these slots with easy accessible items can save your life. You have 6 slots so you can always rotate which items are equipped at all times.
Please Sir, may I have some more?
There are items that I have found quite handy and necessary to have on me at all times in Bloodborne. The challenge is making sure you have enough Blood Echoes to make the necessary purchases or finding said items while searching corpses.
- Blood Vials: This is your health, like I have to explain?
- Molotov Cocktails: So handy and so effective, so are a must.
- Quicksilver Bullets: These are needed to shoot an enemy causing them to stagger, allowing you to go for the kill with your primary weapon.
- Oil Urns: Combining these with the molotov cocktails are bloody fantastic on your formidable foes. Use sparingly though as these cannot be purchased.
Don’t forget your weapons need love.
Of course when I say love, I mean repair and fortify. You aren’t invincible and neither are your weapons. Remembering to repair and fortify your weapons periodically will prevent you from being in a rather dire situation of a broken weapon. Always make sure all your weapons are in top shape before a Boss fight.
As if the game needs any more help to kill you.
Note: A message will appear on screen “Weapon is at risk.” Either switch to your secondary weapon or return to the Hunter’s Dream for repairs immediately.
Autobots transform
Ok well not the Autobots, but your weapons transform in Bloodborne when you press L1. Remembering this can turn your average weapon into an insane combo killing machine.
Two-handed weapons can be slow but, once transformed, are great when taking down gigantic foes or to break up a crowd. One-handed weapons are made even better with the transformation.
Take advantage of the various weapons throughout the game to learn which ones you like best, especially for combos. You can carry two types of weapons, one in each hand. You can have a combination of a pistol and a saw cleaver. Using your weapons allows you better familiarity and the ability to level it up making it easier to defeat your enemies.
If it bleeds, we can kill it
A good boss screenshot can get you killed, too.
Tactics are important when it comes to a good plan of attack.
- Lock-On: enables your attacks and abilities on your enemy. The lock on also allows you to move around the enemy easier as you are locked on your enemy you will find that the camera is focused on your opponent.
- Stamina: can be managed by top left of your screen underneath your health, and it determines your capacity to attack and dodge. You can generate your stamina with the different items that you can equip in your game.
- Attack Rating: upgrading attacks with the weapons you use depends how your attack rating would be on your enemy.
- Charge Attacks (R2): powerful but take time to power up and leaving you susceptible to an attack. Be extra cautious when using this type of attack. Time your attack to the range of your weapon and the distance of the enemy.
- Backstab: takes timing and can be performed on an enemy by using the R2 from behind.
- Evade: you’ll want to master this quickly. Use the Circle button to back-away or roll away quickly.
In need of an upgrade?
When it comes to weapons in Bloodborne, it is pure delight when you’re finally able to upgrade. Blood Gem Imprints are part of the game’s weapon upgrade system. Each weapon comes with these. These act as infusion slots for your trick weapons that have 3 slots. Guns usually have only one slot.
- Imprints decide which type of Blood Gems can be infused with each weapon.
- Imprints are unlocked by fortifying the weapon.
- Fortify: +1 unlocks the 1st slot, +3-2nd slot, +5-3rd slot
In order to upgrade your weapons you’ll need Blood Gems. These will give you different options on how to use them as you progress throughout the game. Each gem type comes in different strengths levels 1 – 10 for upgrading. Use the Blood Gems in the workshop to be able to upgrade your weapons. You’ll be able to locate Blood Gems inside chests and Chalice Dungeons.
Types of Upgrade Blood Gems:
- Adept Blood Gem
- Dirty Damp Blood Gem
- Heavy Blood Gem
- Kinhunter’s Damp Blood Gem
- Radiant Blood Gem
- Nourishing Damp Blood Gem
- Murky Blood Gem
I’ll be doing a location guide later on. In the meantime, I sure hope this helps. Good luck, have fun; and happy hunting!
