@CJD87 Glad to hear that you’ve gotten around to starting Bloodborne… it really is a phenomenal game. My early advice would be to lean on the side-step while locked-on (as opposed to a dodge-roll) and also the rally system where you can regain lost health if you successfully attack within a short space of time after taking damage. These two small changes to the From Soft combat makes it the best combat system that they’ve put out yet imho.
@CJD87 Good to see you’re off to a favorable start! I thought you’d really enjoy it, knowing your gaming preferences. Absolutely agree on the environmental setting and gameplay. It’s a fantastic game.
It’s been a minute since I played it (probably about 4 years) so I’ve forgotten what my build was specifically, but I approached it fairly conventionally with focus on vitality, strength, and skill. Honestly, it was my first proper FromSoft game (outside of a failed attempt after playing the opening few hours of the original Dark Souls back on PS3) and I didn’t really know what I was doing and didn’t understand the importance of stat allocation and scaling. I mostly ignored Arcane and Bloodtinge, and didn’t realize their impact. Although I know people have said a Bloodtinge build is quite a fun novelty build, I do think it can be largely ignored due to the more kinetic style of the game with heavy reliance on the dodge move as your chief means of defense. And I’ve never really enjoyed parry mechanics in general and I struggled to be consistent with the firearms, but with your Sekiro experience you might really like a Bloodtinge build. Still, for a first run it’s probably better to use it sparingly because it’s sort of an ‘all or nothing’ stat in which you have no use to invest in it unless you get the bloodtinge number really high and use it with some of the specialty weapons.
Speaking of, I personally started with the sawblade and made it through the first half of the game strictly with it, and it can actually carry you through to the end game. It’s a fantastic weapon. Nevertheless, I used a lot of Ludwig’s Holy Blade and the Tonitrus in specific situations toward the second half of the game and they were a life saver for certain enemies. So I guess I must have put some points into Arcane eventually, but in retrospect I probably didn’t get the most out of those weapons that I could have. I made it through the game with a lot of brute forcing my way by over-leveling and grinding lower enemies and dipping into a few boss guides.
I had an absolutely blast with the game though. This thread was very helpful, and I’m not sure I would have made it through the game without a little encouragement and advice from the Push Square elect.
Since I have only completed Bloodborne and Demon’s Souls (and spent a little time with Dark Souls 1) it’s hard for me to be a good judge, but BB is definitely my favorite of the FromSoft I’ve played and is probably one of my top 10 PS4 games overall, which is saying a lot for a console that was stacked with excellent titles. Maybe even top 5, depending on my mood.
I look forward to hearing about your adventures in Yharnam. The bosses are really excellent and some a quite brutal. With your Retunal and Sekiro resume’ you’ll have no problem making it though, and I suspect you’ll consider it up there with From’s best.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@colonelkilgore High praise from a man with fine taste in games Thanks for the tip re. combat, it seems like BB definitely 'rewards' aggressive playstyle (vs Souls that encourage a more conservative block&roll tactic). I know I am really going to enjoy it, so might put it on the burner for a week or so until I have a decent chunk of time to invest in my 'starting play'!
@Th3solution Thanks for the feedback, and you've put me at ease regarding my choice of initial weapon (Sawblade.... phew!)
I can tell I am really going to love this game, and am hoping I can handle the difficulty based on other titles I've enjoyed/beat - you never know though!
I was debating also getting Thymesia, but the reviews (from critics and also players) seem fairly divisive. Allegedly it plays like Bloodborne-lite, and has fairly solid mechanics with a nice short game time.
But I can tell I'll love Bloodborne. Just can't get over how much I'm digging the aesthetic... it is just so cool, like someone created a world based on a real living nightmare land!
I'll comb back through this thread a bit for tips, and will also come knocking on your door mate if things get really bleak
Thanks again for the warm comments and feedback - Yharnam looks to be a blast
@CJD87 Sure thing, buddy. I would offer my skills for co-op if you run into any bosses you struggle with but I’m afraid I’m so out of practice that I’d probably be more of a hinderance than a help! 😅 But yeah, if nothing else I’ll enjoy experiencing the game again through the eyes and ears of first timer. It’s a game I relish hearing about because of the memories.
Our mate @ThereThere was also playing this not too long ago. Do you ever finish the game, boss? Curious as to your thoughts.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
In case anyone is remotely interested, thought I'd post a quick update about my 1st playthrough progress.
After a few tries I finally managed to topple the Cleric Beast, and have now hit the wall that is Father Gascoigne. Granted, I've only had a couple of pops at him - but the pacing and ferocity of the fight is pretty punishing at first attempts.
I like so much about this game, and think it will probably rank in my FS top #3. I know already that the atmosphere/environment/aesthetic is my favorite among all FS's output, and the whole lovecraftian victorian vibe is just..... so cool.
I've been doing a bit of grinding to up my stats a bit, currently pushing 20 VIT, with 14 END & 14 STR. Plan to keep things simple on this playthrough and just really focus on those 3 stats (Work with STR weapons I guess).
My biggest stumbling block is the controls, but this is more a 'me' problem.... I'm still playing a lot of Sunbreak on Switch, and the control schemes for MHR/Bloodborne are basically polar opposites. If this becomes really problematic I might re-map Bloodborne so that the face buttons are the attacks, but this is a last resort - keen to play the game as FS intended (Control scheme, warts and all)
My favorite moment so far - the giant pig in the sewers! I tried to best him 'face on' and got brutally pummelled. Eventually found a shortcut to sneak up behind him and use the sneak/visceral attack, which seemed to involve shoving my character's arm up a very unpleasant place and decimating the pig ha!
Shortcuts and mapping is very 'dark souls' and rewarding in all those ways. I appreciate the tightness of the world and linearity also. I feel that when I beat Father G, this will be infinitely helpful in my pursuit to 'Git Gud'..... Which was one small niggle I had with Elden Ring (perhaps just a little too much scope for becoming OP vs bosses, and diminishing an element of challenge)
So far, my FS ranking is still Sekiro at #1, then ER #2 - but followed v closely by BB at #3. I'd probably then go DS1 @ #4 and DeS last. (I've not played DS2 or 3)
On a side-note, have anyone played Thymesia? Reviews seem divisive but many suggest it is scratching the 'Bloodborne itch'?!
@CJD87 sounds like your not only making some good progress… but also really enjoying it dude 👍. Little tip for Father Gascoigne, use the environment such as grave stones etc to manage distance… big tip for FG there is an item which helps in this particular fight.
About Thymesia, so I haven’t started it yet but I’m confident I’m gonna love it (so confident that I searched out a physical copy for my collection). I think the mixed reviews are as a result of reviewers being from two distinct camps. People who just got on board the souls-like hype train post-Elden Ring and people who would be considered hardcore souls-like fans. The former seem to think it poor, while the latter seem to really appreciate what it offers.
My tip for Father Gascoigne is there is an area up some stairs, where I fared much better against him. I found I was always getting stick on a tree or some gravestones, which that area is free of.
Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
@JohnnyShoulder yeah Lies of P does look very good so far… I’m still looking forward to playing Thymesia though. The combination of having to co-ordinate a two-pronged attack by inflicting plague followed by pure damage appeals.
We’re gonna be spoiled for choice shortly, what with the two mentioned above, Shattered: Tale of a Forgotten King as well as the upcoming Steelrising and Black Myth Wukong. I might have to up my annual intake of souls-likes just to keep up 😅
@colonelkilgore I've not actually had much joy other than games made by From Software. Think the only one I've enjoyed is The Surge, and I wouldn't say that was outstanding. At this point I will probably wait until DLC for Elden Ring to materialise.
Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
@colonelkilgore@JohnnyShoulder
Thanks both for the FG tips... funnily enough I actually decided to have a stab at him about 5 mintues after posting, and managed to take him out
I think the gun parry/riposte is quite a high risk&reward mechanic, but I probably owe my success to that tactic. The damage dealt through the riposte is pretty obscene, and thankfully I went in to battle with plenty of bullets! I've now been able to upgrade my SawBlade to +3 and also implemented some blood gems for a damage boost (I can use 2 simultaneously it turns out)
The blood gem mechanic reminds me very much of the FFVII materia concept, in that I am given the impression the gems can be re-used and swapped out between weapons?
But yeah, it is a really cool game and I think I might even go for NG+ if it doesn't turn out too bloated. (NB I never did NG+ on Elden Ring, loved my time with it but NG took me nearly 85 hours and I was a bit burned out by the end)
@colonelkilgore - that is a really interesting perspective, re. reviewers who have recently jumped on to the 'Soul-train' due to accessibility of Elden Ring... I think it is a great thing that gamers are perhaps now more open-minded to approach this genre, but equally their expectations of a Souls-like will vary greatly vs an experienced FromSoft 'OG'
@JohnnyShoulder I’ve enjoyed all the ones I’ve played tbh… but all the while fully aware that they’ll probably never tick every From Soft box… particularly when they’re AA.
I’m surprised that we haven’t heard anything about Elden Ring DLC. Was kinda expecting it to be announced at Gamescon.
@CJD87 Good job with Father Gascoigne! I’ve said it on here before, but in my opinion he’s probably one of, if not the hardest boss in the game. To me he’s kinda like the B1 boss in Returnal. Seems so hard at first, but is the first big ‘proving ground’ for the game and so despite lots of difficult bosses later on, nothing feels quite as big of an obstacle afterward, even if future enemies are technically harder. It’s all downhill from here! 😄
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@CJD87@Th3solution Like Sol says if you best Farther Gascoigne then you will be able to do the rest of the game.
I have only played this and currently DeS remake but I absolutely fell in love with this game and it will take alot from the other souls games to top it I think, the combat, the atheistic, the environment and the enemies especially some of the bosses are just fantastic and solving ways to beat them just felt so rewarding.
I hope you carry on enjoying the game because I believe its a true master piece.
@MaulTsir Thanks man! Gascoigne was rough, I won't lie...!
Agree 100% that the aesthetic and environment are unrivalled... not sure if it will ever top Sekiro for me, but it could well beat Elden Ring for the #2 spot in my FS rankings.
There is an interesting theory floating around that everyone always ranks their first FS game as their 'favorite'... and this actually seems to be relatively true!
My first was Dark Souls on 360 and I did not like it. At all. When back to it a few times over several months and could not get past a couple of sections. I only completed it when it got remastered for PS4. My ranking for the series is... 👀
1. Sekiro
2. Elden Ring
3. Bloodborne
4. Dark Souls 3
5. Dark Souls Remastered
6. Demon's Souls PS5
7. Dark Souls 2 PS4
I put Sekiro at numero uno as I think as an overall package it slightly has the edge over Elden Ring.
Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
@JohnnyShoulder That top 3 is pretty consistent across a lot of From veterans. The exact order of the 3 is often mixed up, but most often it’s Sekiro, ER and BB at the top.
Both ER and Sekiro worry me that they each seem to have a couple late game bosses that are just brutal. I would hate to get through an entire game and get to the last boss and not be able to finish it. It’s what scare me off them. Not to say I’ll never try Sekiro or ER but I keep thinking I’ll try DS3 as my next FromSoft game.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@JohnnyShoulder My take on DS is probably similar to yours. I certainly 'appreciate' it as a game, and objectively I really respect what FS achieved.... I just didn't enjoy it all that much!
I actually appreciate DS a lot more now though, having played the DeS remake on PS5. Whilst it is probably one of the most graphically gorgeous games on PS5, and Bluepoint did a phenomenal job with the ground-up rebuild, the game mechanics are just so hit & miss! DS seems to improve upon a lot of the issues I had with DeS....
ER is a masterpiece of course, but I think it suffers slightly from the bloat element you find in most open-world games. But I do think ER is a good example of how an open-world game should approach trophies. Assuming you're not adverse to save-scumming endings, the platinum requirements for ER are pretty much perfect IMO..... vs how obnoxious the platinum requirements for DeS are!
People also rave about DS3, which I might try and squeeze in before end of this year.
Just got to Old Yharnam in BB, and have some machine-gun wielding nutcase sniping me whilst I try and tackle the usual mobs! In classic FS fashion, I was trolled to an untimely demise by a group of crows who stun-locked me whilst I took a shed-load of machine gun fire. This game....
@CJD87 Yeah the crows are bar stewards. I quite like Old Yarnham, but that area at the beginning is a pain at first. It was also one of the areas where the frame rate would take a massive hit. I think they eventually patched it though.
Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
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