Topic: Bloodborne Tavern: Impressions, Help, Discussion Board

@Th3solution I tried going back to The Witcher 3 to play the dlc after DS3 but couldn't get used to the combat.

But I went straight from playing Bloodborne to The Witcher 3 with no problems. One of the reasons I never finished Bloodborne cos I wanted to play TW3, and I was fed up on the last boss. I'm kinda glass I never did so that I could play the dlc without starting ng+.

I wouldn't go into God of War expecting the combat to be like Bloodborne or any other souls games. It feels different enough that you are not comparing it to those games. Sure there are similarities but I never got that feeling when playing the game.

If you are worried about ruining the next game just a totally different type of a game like a FPS or something like a Telltale game to flush BB out your system. I generally try to do that anyway so I keep things feelings I don't get bored playing one type of game.

@JohnnyShoulder Yeah, you’re right - I do like to switch up the genres I’m playing to keep from getting bored of a particular type of game. That a good point about The Witcher 3, as it is in my backlog too, I’ll be sure to wait a while before playing it. If I ever finish Bloodborne I will be either finishing Persona 5 or starting Yakuza 0 for my big main game. Those are different enough. I mix in the Telltale games and walking sims too. God of War will be in there someday.
Another game I haven’t played yet that seems similar to Soulsborne combat style observationally from afar is Monster Hunter World. Obviously the setting is different, but after playing the demo it is reminiscent of BB a little bit with all the variety of weapons and the difficult bosses.

@Th3solution Me too, I wanna get MHW at some point. Might not be my next game as going from God of War to Dark Souls to MHW could be too much. Probably go for a couple of indies next, something short and sweet.

EDIT: Nice new Avatar by the way!

@JohnnyShoulder Thanks! I thought I’d shake things up a little. I might rotate the avatar to reflect what game or cultural icon I’m obsessed with at the time 😅

Actually the end of Bloodborne is approaching for me (bitter sweet) — I have done all the side areas and bosses I think, and so now I have nothing left to do except to move on through the story now. I sliced through both Celestial Emmisary and Ebrietas fairly easily. Both downed on the second try. I was actually expecting Ebrietas to be tougher, but I did get a little bit of luck at the end and just charged her swinging wildly with my Ludwig’s while she simultaneously pounced and beat down on me and just before my health bar was spent, she fell to my Blade. Usually that tactic is suicide but I lucked out. I actually thought Celestial Emissary was maybe harder, the lasers got me the first time. I avoided them by taking him down before he could charge up. Now on through the Nightmare of Mensis.

@Th3solution What’s your level? Out of curiosity.
Also, I’d reccomend keeping a Plus save that won’t be overwritten by the auto uploading by turning it off for Bloodborne. The most satisfying is not necessarily the “true” ending.
I can tell you how to each of them too if you’d like. It would be extremely minor spoilers at worst. One somewhat necessary I think.
And I don’t know if I was just really overleveled or what, but I barley even considered the Celestil Emissary a boss hecjase I found it so easy. You had a easier time with the next boss in that area than I did though, so I guess it balances out.

@Th3solution Celestial Emissary is probs my least fave boss in a Soulsborne game. So lame lol. Maybe Jabba the Hut in DS2 runs it close.

If you wanna try the dlc, and i would, do not beat the final bosses. Otherwise you have to start ng+ and get the cathedral ward to be taken to the dlc area.

And well done! Sounds like you've made some good progress.

@Jaz007 @JohnnyShoulder I’m at level 88. I have a Ludwig Blade +9, Saw Cleaver +8, Tonitrus +8. I have basically a strength build. My stats are focused on strength and vitality but I have put 15 into Arcane so I could use the empty phantasm shell which I quite like. I think it was key to bringing down Ebrietas. I have the Ludwig’s buffed with gems that add overall physical dmg and then I can use the shell to add arcane damage and have the best of both worlds (unless the boss is resistant to arcane)
A bolt dmg gem on my Saw Cleaver was helpful against Celestial Emissary and the minions (I hope that’s not a spoiler since there was about 4 online messages outside the boss area suggesting to use bolt) but despite being able to cause good damage, the area was a little strange to navigate and there wasn’t good space to dodge well enough and those stupid lasers one-shot killed me when I got hit. I probably had the wrong runes and clothing on to withstand that, but I was able to avoid them and the annoying minis the second time around.

That’s a good idea about making a cloud save and then turning off auto uploads as an alternative to having to play it all again for the other endings and DLC. I think I’ll do that. I didnt know you could do that. When’s a good time to store the save?(without major spoilers. I don’t mind minor spoilers, if you need to tell me with spoiler tags) I feel like maybe after I finish Nightmare of Mensis would be good, or should I do it now before I get to that boss?

@Th3Solution After you finish the Nightmare of Mensis is perfect. Make the save the then.

It’s taken me a while, but I finally completed Bloodborne. I feel a sense of closure in my life now.
And when I say I completed it, I mean I played through to get all the endings. I did all optional bosses and areas of the main campaign. I’m tempted to do a NG+ but I am ready to move on. Bloodborne is a strange beast, in that I feel both a sense of closure and a feeling that I could probably play this game for ages after completion and still get enjoyment out of it. Definitely one of the games to consider when doing the thought experiment “If I’m ever stranded on a desert island and could only have one game” scenario. In short, it’s just an excellent game and one of my favorite PS4 games at this point.
If my backlog was not so big already, I’d probably buy Dark Souls Remaster or Dark Souls 3. They’ll have to wait, for now.

@Th3solution Well done dude! You have any plans to buy The Old Hunters dlc?

@JohnnyShoulder I was really tempted while it was on sale during the last Days of Play sale, but I didn’t buy it. I might keep my eyes open if it goes on sale again, but I have no plans to buy it right now. I know it is a beloved addition by all accounts, but I have a lot of backlog to work on for now.

@Th3solution What did you think of each of the endings? And which one was your favorite?
And congrats, I agree that beating Bloodborne brings an odd sense of closure and achievement. It's quite the journey.

@Jaz007 The endings were great. Each one was spectacular in its own way. And thanks again for the tip on creating the cloud save - that was a great way to get all of them and yet not have to play through the game again. And 3 gold trophies back to back to back!!
But it was tough beating Gherman twice in a row to get 2/3 of the endings. I found him quite difficult, despite how slow he walked and how his wind up animations of attack are somewhat obvious too. I guess it was that he hit so hard! A couple of the times he killed me I was at full health and he one-hit killed me. Sheesh! So after I got into a rhythm with him after about my 5th or 6th death, I was elated to finally slay him.... only to discover I had to do it all again for the last ending to face the Moon Presence!
As for my favorite, it was probably the one where you submit and let him kill you. That was a more poignant end and also a happy one where the sun comes up. The other two were awesome though, just that they fill you with despair that you can’t escape the dream and are stuck being either the next Old hunter, or the next ... slug demon? I guess you are a larvae to grow and become the next Moon Presence? That ending was the biggest shocker to me. Lol

@Th3solution Yeah, the third ending had me going too. Look at the trophies too, they have story details. On the second ending. It seems like were you entranced by the Moon Presmece and willingly took the role of Gherman. Gladly almost. And I think the first one was the best one too. It felt like it had the malt resolution and satisfaction to it. Which is surprising because you feel like you shouldn’t submit, but it’s the right choice. And also, I got the second ending by accident; I didn’t realize you had to use the umbilical cords, which led me to use the Plus save data I had put there for safety. Great mistake to make since I saw all three, but dang, I was confused when the game ending for a moment there.

@Kidfried I also has more fun in the chalice dungeons if I forget about defiled part

DLC felt like weapons rush. They threw way too many new weapons on you, and everything else felt unbalanced, from the simple mob to the bosses. But I did enjoy playing against Lady Maria, it felt like a different fight than the rest of the bosses in the game.

So I started the dlc. I've reached the first boss and it has been fun getting there. Some of the imagery is well f'd up.

After recently played Dark Souls Remastered, the combat and movement in Bloodborne does feel quite a bit quicker. So it has taken a bit for me to back in the swing of things.

Having played all the dlc in the Dark Souls, I find it funny in some of the similarities in em. For instance how you get there in Bloodborne is ripped straight outta the dlc from Dark Souls, as is where you start. The way the world is presented in The Old Hunters is quite similar too and also the last dlc for Dark Souls 3.

I have no problem with this, but you go get a sense of deja vu when playing em, and it is probably a good thing From and Miyazaki have gone in a slightly different direction for Sekiro.

The Whirligig Saw is all kinds of awesome sauce. Plus has one of the best names of a weapon I've heard of. Ok maybe the Boom Hammer runs it close in that regards. But most of the DLC weapons are a total blast to play with (the Boom Hammer quite literally lol).

So I've started this game again on a new character going for a pure arcane build and I'm having a blast! It has nothing to do with arcane build as I'm still at the beginning but man, this may be my favorite ps4 exclusive and one of the top 5 games this gen.

I'm much much more successful now, it's unbelievable. I've beaten CB the first time I got to it, I've beated FB the second time, and BSB the first time. The most impressive for me was killing BSB on my first try because I struggled A LOT on my first run. In fact, even running to him took me only once, so I've completed old yharnam without ever dying, while I spent like 10 hours at least on my first run, with maybe 30 tries on BSB. And I did it without summoning Albert, which I had to do on the first run. It's just unbelievable for me, really.

Anyway, it may seem like I'm bragging, but that's not the point of my post. I'm just amazed and surprised how much prior knowledge helps in this game. Knowing all the shortcuts, weaknesses and everything helps a lot.

@NecuVise Yeah I struggled with BSB too. It's speed got me everytime. I actually can't remember how I best it in the end, probs fluked it lol. Seem to do ok with the Chalice Dungeons versions of it though, but I know they were possibly weaker than the one in the main game. And my level was a lot higher.

Shadows of Yharnham I also struggled with too.

@JohnnyShoulder on my first run I struggled with poison, but now I was prepared for it, and I was much more comfortable with vicious attacks, plus I knew his weaknesses was fire so I stomped him on the first try. Still can't believe it.

Edit: and I forgot to mention that I used a serrated weapon now while I was using axe the first time so that helps too.