Bloodborne (PS4)

**FuryFox** · 26 Mar 2015, 10:13 PM

Originally Posted by Yoshi

To see a Priest

The lack of initial fog before bosses in this has me leery of every archway or entry into a big room. I thought I was about to die about four times in one relatively small section of the Cathedral Ward. I was even afraid to walk toward a lantern, because I thought it would be guarded.

protip: Bold Hunter's Marks can take you out of a boss encounter with your echoes intact, so I'd probably have those in your personal effects or quick item menu.

Some other thoughts:

This game is simply fantastic. I've killed about 6 bosses, and I'm in a nice sweet spot where I have several weapon options and enough stats to try different things, but they keep introducing new enemies and circumstances to keep me paranoid. I didn't bother with too much min-maxxing, as I'm sure I'll make additional characters that can pursue builds more efficiently. I gave myself enough Bloodtinge to use the Spear Rifle, but otherwise have an even distribution of HP/Endurace/Skill.

Sure this game has less weapons, but each weapon is essentially 2, and the combo attacks with the transform, charge attack, lunge attack, and dodge attacks give a lot of variety. The Spear Rifle is a fantastic secondary for Skill fighters, and the fully charged strong attack has incredible range, making previously problematic enemies trivial. The transformation combos give a lot of versatility, but I'd recommend memorizing and practicing them...being able to improvise a large sweeping attack when someone jumps in from the periphery is invaluable. Still, the long wind up makes it impractical for backstabs, so until something better comes along, the cane/whip still has plenty of use.

Summoning other players to help with a boss works pretty consistently, although I have had instances where a antagonistic player was summoned in as well (sometimes promptly killing the helper).

Armor so far, comparing 9-10 sets, is usually pretty close in stats, but they're distributed differently. However, using armor that resists a certain prominent threat makes a big difference. Swapping in fire or bolt resistance has made a boss I was struggling on survivable.

Opening locked gates or activating lifts seems to be the primary goal when exploring new areas. Learning efficient routes makes a tremendous difference when learning bosses...I just teleport out of a boss fight if I haven't gained the quick route yet.

Trying to co-op with a friend is oddly troublesome, but I attribute that mostly to early network issues. Unfortunately, having even one more player completely games all the enemies...they're just not designed to deal with multiple targets. I hope player invading becomes more common as you co-op to balance out trivializing the PVE.

Enemy design continues to impress, the practically sci-fi lazer summoning mushroom people being the latest novelty.

**Yoshi** · 26 Mar 2015, 10:17 PM

Oh, good call.

**Glass Joe** · 26 Mar 2015, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by cigsthecat

Is the tiny music box a one time use item? If so, do I use it on the Cleric Beast boss?

It is not a one time use item. It is not useful on the cleric beast. However, it is useful again the priest boss. If you paid attention to what the little girl said, he and his surrounding mayhem will make a little more sense. I returned to speak to the girl afterwards for some closure. Nothing major happens from it but it was a nice little touch that will go unnoticed by many.

**cigsthecat** · 26 Mar 2015, 11:19 PM

OK. I listened to what she said and wondered if the glowing red center of the Cleric Beast was the brooch or something. I haven't seen any other "real" bosses yet, although I unlocked the elevator near the bridge that must lead to the second.

**Glass Joe** · 26 Mar 2015, 11:25 PM

It does.

**Yoshi** · 27 Mar 2015, 04:01 PM

Raise your hand if you're surprised that this is the first Essential exclusive of the generation.

**Glass Joe** · 27 Mar 2015, 06:39 PM

I disagree with that statement (Sunset Overdrive) but I'm assuming that you mean it as a review score by that site. Your point isn't lost on me though. It's kind of unbelievable that we are over a year into this gen and there is such little original, high quality exclusive content.