Author Topic: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?  (Read 2823 times)

gf78

Having never delved too deeply in the Souls games, I barreled headlong into Bloodborne.  And I found myself dying.  Repeatedly.  More than most other games out there, Bloodborne requires patience.  You can't just go slashing away in the center of a mob and expect to escape unscathed.  Doesn't happen.  This is the first game since the first Ninja Gaiden on Xbox that made me rage-quit.   >:(
But there are some little tips I learned along the way that helped out.  Some of the controls are vague and I didn't realize what they did at first.  So I'll share a few tips that have helped me along my way (so far) and hope that others will add their own.

1)  Don't run & gun and expect to survive.  Take your time.  Approach enemies with caution and always, always lock on to them.

2)  Have a pack of bad guys to face?  Lock on and back up.  If you can back up steps, even better.  This forces them to funnel toward you and not surround you. 

3)  Is the werewolf at the very beginning killing you?  Frustrated?  Let him kill you.  Then wander around the safe area you find yourself in, reading the hints.  You will be provided with your first gun and slashing weapon.  I chose the blade and the pistol (at work, can't remember the exact names right now).  That Lycan is much easier with a weapon instead of your fists.

4)  Dodge!  If you don't plan on dodging or your particular play-style you usually use doesn't involve dodging, you can forget getting anywhere in this game. 

5)  Throw pebbles!  Specifically, when you find yourself on a bridge, blocked by two Lycans.  Stay back where they don't detect you.  When one wanders close and the other isn't near it, hit it with a pebble.  It will see you and give chase.  Run down the stairs across from where you came up, round the corner and head for the open area.  Turn and wait for the Lycan.  Hopefully, only one gave chase.  Lock on and start.  Make sure to dodge.  Having played this section several times, I've had both Lycans give chase, only one and other times, the second will show up about 20-30 seconds after the first.  I've beaten them each way and I've also "beaten" them by standing close to the ledge and knocking them off.

6)  You have probably noticed a doll in the Hunter's Dream.  After facing the first "boss" and dying, the doll will come to life.  You can use your Blood Echoes to upgrade your stats. 

7)  Find an area where you are comfortable with how to deal with the enemies and farm a ton of Blood Echoes.  Return to the Hunter's Dream and cash them in at the fountain for the Hunter gear. 

8)  Reclaim lost health by quickly executing your foe.  Instead of your health dropping all the way to the white line, you will regain a significant portion.
Currently playing:  Last of Us Part II Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition
Currently listening to:  Iron Maiden & Ghost
Currently Watching:  Cyberpunk Edgerunners & Last of Us

desocietas

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2015, 02:36:10 pm »
Practice parries and backstabs... they can make quick work of foes if you have good timing.  But yes, play very carefully, and understand that impatience and greed may be your worst enemy.

No shame in retreating, either.
Currently playing:
FFXIV (PC), The Witcher (PC), Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PS4)
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gf78

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2015, 03:04:47 pm »
Practice parries and backstabs... they can make quick work of foes if you have good timing.  But yes, play very carefully, and understand that impatience and greed may be your worst enemy.

No shame in retreating, either.

Oh yeah...I've done quite a bit of retreating.   :o
Currently playing:  Last of Us Part II Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition
Currently listening to:  Iron Maiden & Ghost
Currently Watching:  Cyberpunk Edgerunners & Last of Us

argyle

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2015, 03:10:28 pm »
First, I'd recommend watching this video before creating your character:

http://www.polygon.com/2015/3/23/8280825/bloodborne-character-creation-guide#ooid=RuMmc1dDqlCCCAuBktJ2dk9Jypt_yH6u

There are a lot of non-standard stats, and it's important to know what they do before choosing your origin. 

EDIT: Fixed link
« Last Edit: March 27, 2015, 03:12:36 pm by argyle »
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis


krelyan

PRO Supporter

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2015, 06:21:21 pm »
I haven't played much of Bloodborne, maybe only an hour or so (just beat the first boss), but played through Demons Souls and Dark Souls many times.  If there's one core component to these games its what others have noted - be slow, careful and methodical.  This seems a little harder to do in BB now that you don't have a shield to hide behind while you study the enemy's moves which I think is partially why the game seems to be to much harder than Dark Souls 2, which just repeated the first games formula.  A couple other tips:

* You're going to die.  A lot.  Don't get attached to your souls (or whatever its called now, I forget) and spend them whenever possible because you are going to lose them.  Likewise, when you first go into a boss expect to fail the first few times and just watch for tells on their moves.

* Don't let your OCD get the best of you.  There are often fairly tough mini-bosses that are not that far off the beaten path that you can feel compelled to beat to "clear out" the area.  Don't be afraid to just leave these guys alone for now.  I gave up on Demons Souls for months because I spent hours and hours trying to beat that first stage because I was determined to beat that (red?)-eye knight up at the top of the tower.

* Keep your eyes on the look out for shortcuts.  There are often ladders you can knock down or elevators you can roll off.

* This one might be bad advice for BB as I haven't messed around with it much and from what I've heard is that there is far fewer weapons/builds than the previous Souls games, but I always did a balanced build for my first character to be able to try out everything and see what clicked.  I wouldn't specialize stats till I had a good grasp of what I was getting into.


Currently Playing: Rocket League (PS4), Fire Emblem Fates, The Witness (PS4), Puzzle & Dragons (Mobile)

soera

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2015, 08:42:08 pm »
Im going to try to start tonight. I cant wait to get into this. :D


argyle

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2015, 12:19:01 pm »
So how's everyone doing? I'm at the second boss, and haven't quite been able to take him down. Very close tho.

I noticed something yesterday that seems interesting - I was back in the hunter's dream putting some stuff in my stash, and I noticed that there are different clothing categories - hunter's clothing, an "other" where your original outfit is and then two more I believe. I feel like I'm still just scratching the surface of this game. :)
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis


gf78

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2015, 12:36:16 pm »
So how's everyone doing? I'm at the second boss, and haven't quite been able to take him down. Very close tho.

I noticed something yesterday that seems interesting - I was back in the hunter's dream putting some stuff in my stash, and I noticed that there are different clothing categories - hunter's clothing, an "other" where your original outfit is and then two more I believe. I feel like I'm still just scratching the surface of this game. :)

 :-\  This game is tough!  I spent quite a bit of time farming and returning to the Hunter's Dream and leveling my character up.  After facing Father "whatshisname" in the graveyard and getting my proverbial @$$ handed to me a few times, I decided to slow down and work on building my character up a bit more.  I had already purchased the Hunter's clothing in the dream.  I took the old man in the graveyard on again and dispatched him fairly easily...with the help of some potions!  The next area you will visit is Old Yarhnam and there are tons of baddies than can poison you which makes your health dwindle over time.  Keep antidotes handy!  I'm at the point where I can face the next boss which I believe is called the Blood Starved Beast. 

A few more little tips for those facing this games challenges!

1)  There is a tunnel with a giant mutant pig that will trample you and gore you.  When you get close to the tunnel where you can see him, there is a ladder on the right side.  Take the ladder up to avoid the pig.  You will find another ladder which goes down and brings you to a doorway next to the big swine.  From there, you can easily lure it to the doorway and dispatch it.  Do a hard R2 attack and get back so it doesn't ram you.  About 4-5 hard swipes and it's dead.  Collect the loot, head down the tunnel and find two bodies with goodies on them.

2)  You will come to a bridge.  On the far side you can see about 5-6 common type foes and a giant boulder on the steps above them.  Head forward until they come after you, then run like heck and get off the bridge.  There is a big guy behind that boulder who kicks it your way.  It starts blazing and will kill you if it hits you.  You can just go to the little side "balconies" on the bridge, but this gives the enemies on the bridge time to get close to you.  If you run away and hang to the side, several of these enemies will be run down saving you the trouble.

3)  When you start encountering the tall enemies with spears that look like they are out of the movie Dark Crystal, the common advice seems to be doing the dodge/dance with them.  Given that your stamina is sufficiently high, I prefer to move directly toward their back and lock on.  By the time they turn around, I can nail them with five consecutive R1 light attacks (blade in retracted positioning) which does them in.  Very, very rarely can they get a hit on me and when they do, more often than not I replenish my health from my attack.  Obviously, if there is more than one next to each other, try to separate them.

4)  There are a bunch of jars in the Old Yarhnam level that explode when shot.  While this is great to use against enemies, there is a jerk at the top of a clock tower with a machinegun who will mow you down if you are near one of these jars when he starts firing.  Look for blind spots where he can't target you and lure your enemies there.  Otherwise, you will get cut down pretty fast.
Currently playing:  Last of Us Part II Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition
Currently listening to:  Iron Maiden & Ghost
Currently Watching:  Cyberpunk Edgerunners & Last of Us

desocietas

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2015, 01:34:54 pm »
Another helpful thing that a lot of players seem to miss (when I'm watching people play on Twitch) is that they should try to talk to everyone.  Also, talk to people more than once.  Conversations extend beyond what they may initially say, and conversations sometimes change over time.  You will usually occasionally get items from them which could potentially make a battle easier.  And don't think that all conversations are face-to-face! Check doors and windows, too :)
Currently playing:
FFXIV (PC), The Witcher (PC), Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PS4)
twitch.tv/desocietas

gf78

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2015, 01:41:07 pm »
Another helpful thing that a lot of players seem to miss (when I'm watching people play on Twitch) is that they should try to talk to everyone.  Also, talk to people more than once.  Conversations extend beyond what they may initially say, and conversations sometimes change over time.  You will usually occasionally get items from them which could potentially make a battle easier.  And don't think that all conversations are face-to-face! Check doors and windows, too :)

Good tip!  I'd add that if you see a red lamp, you can knock on the door next to it and speak with someone inside.  It's a visual clue that there is someone to interact with .  Just remember...red lamp.
Currently playing:  Last of Us Part II Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition
Currently listening to:  Iron Maiden & Ghost
Currently Watching:  Cyberpunk Edgerunners & Last of Us

argyle

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2015, 02:27:59 pm »
BTW, I had this happen over the weekend & thought it was pretty amusing. :)

https://youtu.be/MMEZeBUVzHM

No idea why that won't embed, but...  ???
« Last Edit: March 30, 2015, 02:31:14 pm by argyle »
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis


desocietas

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2015, 02:39:06 pm »
No idea why that won't embed, but...  ???


Just gotta remove the s in https:// :)

Hahah, that's hilarious!
Currently playing:
FFXIV (PC), The Witcher (PC), Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PS4)
twitch.tv/desocietas

argyle

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #12 on: March 30, 2015, 02:40:20 pm »
No idea why that won't embed, but...  ???


Just gotta remove the s in https:// :)

Hahah, that's hilarious!

Ah, didn't realize that, thanks. :)
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis


gf78

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #13 on: March 30, 2015, 02:41:22 pm »
Another tip for the graveyard battle!  As quick as you can, put a group of tombstones between you and the boss.  For me, the best spot was immediately to your left when you enter the battle.  There is a tree and a group of stones.  Keeping that obstacle between you, most of the boss' shotgun blasts will miss you.  Wait until he finished his slashing routine, then move as close as possible to the tombstones and use an R2 attack.  Back up, rinse & repeat.  Once you run his health down to roughly a third, he will transform. 

At this point, hiding behind tombstones won't work as he just smashes them to bits and causes massive damage as well.  Lock on, stay close and roll past when he swipes.  If you get too far away, he will leap at you.  Take your time, don't get greedy and only take a few strikes at a time.  He will go down.   ;)
Currently playing:  Last of Us Part II Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition
Currently listening to:  Iron Maiden & Ghost
Currently Watching:  Cyberpunk Edgerunners & Last of Us

argyle

Re: So....anyone else playing Bloodborne? Tips or tricks to share?
« Reply #14 on: March 31, 2015, 09:47:56 am »
I finally dropped Father Gasbag last night. :P Was super stoked to do it too. Explored a good bit more after that, made it to Old Yarnahm. I wanted to keep playing, but I knew I'd regret it this morning so I made myself quit. So addictive! :)
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis