Bloodborne is much easier than expected

[CritialGaming]

So I am no master of the Dark Souls games. I am currently struggling to get through the Shrine of Amara in Dark Souls 2 at the moment. But I love the games and I heard fantastic things about Bloodborne. So when I bought a PS4, naturally one of the games I picked up was Bloodborne.

I am now about 10 hours into it, and I don't know what to think. I mean I really like the game. But I feel like I am plowing through it. One-shotting bosses I've never seen before like, Falcor in the church, Invisible witch council, Father Gascogne, Fire Dog from Chalice Dungeon 1 and 2.

I struggled a little fighting those pair of hunters together, (lightning rod and shotgun spearman) but so far things have just not presented the kind of Dark Souls challenge I expected.

Now I have always been a more aggressive player in the Dark Souls games, and that has cost me a lot. Bloodborne seems to just accept that style of play better and might explain why I am having a much easier than expected time of it.

What do you guys think? Is Bloodborne just an easier game than the Souls series? Or am I just that amazing?

 

[CritialGaming]

I have been using the Threaded Cane, Current stats are 30 Vit, 20 end, 31 Skill. I just smack the crap outta stuff and it falls over.

 

[Fappy]

I love it to death but it's harder in my opinion. It probably just compliments your playstyle more than most. After being such a defensive player in Darksouls it took a lot of getting used to. I am pretty damn good at BB at this point though.

 

[BarryMcCociner]

People who think Bloodborne is hard have probably never taken any game off easy mode.

It really is a piss-easy game. There is much much less thought put into the challenge and punishment than ever. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that Laura K Buzz's game "Acceptance" is more difficult than Bloodborne by a long shot.

And I'm not saying this as some kind of tryhard. I'm genuinely saying this as someone who is competent at best at games.

 

[CritialGaming]

People who think Bloodborne is hard have probably never taken any game off easy mode.

It really is a piss-easy game. There is much much less thought put into the challenge and punishment than ever. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that Laura K Buzz's game "Acceptance" is more difficult than Bloodborne by a long shot.

And I'm not saying this as some kind of tryhard. I'm genuinely saying this as someone who is competent at best at games.

I don't take games off easy mode. I only play for the story.

I am a terrible person.

 

[Erttheking]

People who think Bloodborne is hard have probably never taken any game off easy mode.

Well I hate to prove your hypothesis wrong, but I'm living proof that it's wrong.

OT: Probably just compliments the way you play games better.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I have been using the Threaded Cane, Current stats are 30 Vit, 20 end, 31 Skill. I just smack the crap outta stuff and it falls over.

Using faster weapons definitely works better in this game, since enemies are much swifter than in previous Souls games. I tried a heavy weapons run once and I got my ass kicked, as there's no appropriate defense (shield or armour) to offset the loss of speed. It's a bit unbalanced in that regard.

 

[Fappy]

I have been using the Threaded Cane, Current stats are 30 Vit, 20 end, 31 Skill. I just smack the crap outta stuff and it falls over.

Using faster weapons definitely works better in this game, since enemies are much swifter than in previous Souls games. I tried a heavy weapons run once and I got my ass kicked, as there's no appropriate defense (shield or armour) to offset the loss of speed. It's a bit unbalanced in that regard.

Heavy weapons are absolutely doable, but I wouldn't start with them. If you can predict enemy movements well and really get a good feeling of the range and speed of a heavy weapon shit just dies. The MLGS in this game (introduced in the DLC) is great fun and kind of strikes a nice balances between heavy and light weapons, giving it good speed for its range and damage.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Heavy weapons are absolutely doable, but I wouldn't start with them. If you can predict enemy movements well and really get a good feeling of the range and speed of a heavy weapon shit just dies. The MLGS in this game (introduced in the DLC) is great fun and kind of strikes a nice balances between heavy and light weapons, giving it good speed for its range and damage.

For me it just never worked all too well. The combat in Bloodborne seems mainly focused on quickly dipping in and out to perform attacks, and the heavy weapons don't mesh well with that for me.

But then I'm a bit down on Bloodborne overall. *runs and hides*

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Bloodborne is designed for players who go in with guns blazing. If that's how you started out, then the game is going to be easier. If you play it the way a lot of people play Dark Souls--use a shield and armor--the game is going to kick you in the teeth.
Also, I think they may have patched the game just a bit. Some of the bosses, especially Amelia, seem less aggressive than the first time I fought them when the game first came out.

Might I suggest you try the DLC, if you want to spend more money on the game? Because hot damn, they crank that difficulty up. The first boss alone is a road block for a lot of people, and the final boss isn't having any of your crap.
Or who knows? Maybe you'll find them easy too, but judging by the way my beckoners and the phantoms I summoned kept getting shredded, I don't think it will be so easy.

 

[CritialGaming]

Bloodborne is designed for players who go in with guns blazing. If that's how you started out, then the game is going to be easier. If you play it the way a lot of people play Dark Souls--use a shield and armor--the game is going to kick you in the teeth.
Also, I think they may have patched the game just a bit. Some of the bosses, especially Amelia, seem less aggressive than the first time I fought them when the game first came out.

Might I suggest you try the DLC, if you want to spend more money on the game? Because hot damn, they crank that difficulty up. The first boss alone is a road block for a lot of people, and the final boss isn't having any of your crap.
Or who knows? Maybe you'll find them easy too, but judging by the way my beckoners and the phantoms I summoned kept getting shredded, I don't think it will be so easy.

Challenge accepted.

Actually I have done a bit of research today, and I am not really very far in the game. Certainly not as far as I feel, given the number of bosses dead.

For example here are the dead bosses: Cleric Beast, Father Gascone, Vicar Amelia, Blood Starved Beast, Witch of Hemwick.

Plus a few Chalice bosses: Undead Giant, Watchers, and fire dog bosses.

 

[Fox12]

Bloodborne is designed for players who go in with guns blazing. If that's how you started out, then the game is going to be easier. If you play it the way a lot of people play Dark Souls--use a shield and armor--the game is going to kick you in the teeth.
Also, I think they may have patched the game just a bit. Some of the bosses, especially Amelia, seem less aggressive than the first time I fought them when the game first came out.

Might I suggest you try the DLC, if you want to spend more money on the game? Because hot damn, they crank that difficulty up. The first boss alone is a road block for a lot of people, and the final boss isn't having any of your crap.
Or who knows? Maybe you'll find them easy too, but judging by the way my beckoners and the phantoms I summoned kept getting shredded, I don't think it will be so easy.

Challenge accepted.

Actually I have done a bit of research today, and I am not really very far in the game. Certainly not as far as I feel, given the number of bosses dead.

For example here are the dead bosses: Cleric Beast, Father Gascone, Vicar Amelia, Blood Starved Beast, Witch of Hemwick.

Plus a few Chalice bosses: Undead Giant, Watchers, and fire dog bosses.

Those are definitely the easier bosses in the game. I've heard people had trouble with blood starved beast, but I'm not sure how. As long as you dodge towards him, he will always miss you. Cleric Beast and Amelia just die, because they're the least aggressive enemies in the game. They felt like tutorials on how to play. As long as you press the advantage, you can win pretty easily. I beat both on my first try.

That said, hoo boy do I disagree with the people who call this game easy. It kicked my ass up and down the street. Dark Souls was an absolute cake walk compared to this. Even the Four Kings are pushovers. But Bloodborne? My God is it hard. There were bosses that I simply could not beat by myself. I couldn't keep up with the action. The game punishes you for not being aggressive, but if you don't time your dodges perfectly then the enemy will simply flatten you. They're much more aggressive, and quite happy to press their advantage even if you won't. Critical Attacks are a whole new beast as well. I could critical hit bosses all day long in Dark Souls, but my brain absolutely refuses to master the skill in Bloodborne. I've played it twice now, and I'm honestly worried about the DLC. If other people are having difficulty with it, then the game may simply be too fast paced for me. I feel like my reflexes just can't keep up with what's happening on the screen. Kos is just too damn fast for me.

 

[CritialGaming]

Bloodborne is designed for players who go in with guns blazing. If that's how you started out, then the game is going to be easier. If you play it the way a lot of people play Dark Souls--use a shield and armor--the game is going to kick you in the teeth.
Also, I think they may have patched the game just a bit. Some of the bosses, especially Amelia, seem less aggressive than the first time I fought them when the game first came out.

Might I suggest you try the DLC, if you want to spend more money on the game? Because hot damn, they crank that difficulty up. The first boss alone is a road block for a lot of people, and the final boss isn't having any of your crap.
Or who knows? Maybe you'll find them easy too, but judging by the way my beckoners and the phantoms I summoned kept getting shredded, I don't think it will be so easy.

Challenge accepted.

Actually I have done a bit of research today, and I am not really very far in the game. Certainly not as far as I feel, given the number of bosses dead.

For example here are the dead bosses: Cleric Beast, Father Gascone, Vicar Amelia, Blood Starved Beast, Witch of Hemwick.

Plus a few Chalice bosses: Undead Giant, Watchers, and fire dog bosses.

Those are definitely the easier bosses in the game. I've heard people had trouble with blood starved beast, but I'm not sure how. As long as you dodge towards him, he will always miss you. Cleric Beast and Amelia just die, because they're the least aggressive enemies in the game. They felt like tutorials on how to play. As long as you press the advantage, you can win pretty easily. I beat both on my first try.

That said, hoo boy do I disagree with the people who call this game easy. It kicked my ass up and down the street. Dark Souls was an absolute cake walk compared to this. Even the Four Kings are pushovers. But Bloodborne? My God is it hard. There were bosses that I simply could not beat by myself. I couldn't keep up with the action. The game punishes you for not being aggressive, but if you don't time your dodges perfectly then the enemy will simply flatten you. They're much more aggressive, and quite happy to press their advantage even if you won't. Critical Attacks are a whole new beast as well. I could critical hit bosses all day long in Dark Souls, but my brain absolutely refuses to master the skill in Bloodborne. I've played it twice now, and I'm honestly worried about the DLC. If other people are having difficulty with it, then the game may simply be too fast paced for me. I feel like my reflexes just can't keep up with what's happening on the screen. Kos is just too damn fast for me.

Update to those bosses. Tonight I beatdown the Shadows of Yharnem, and Rom. Rom killed me once and i got him second try. The shadow council i beat first try. Then the moon turned to shit, and now I have died to trash mobs more than anything else in the game.

Suddenly my butthole hurts. I spend an hour and a half beating the hunters you have to fight 3 on 1. I ran around like a dumbass when I finally beat them, but they easily killed me a dozen or so times. So now the game feels like I always thought it would. Who knew killing the spider activates hard mode.

 

[CaitSeith]

I have been using the Threaded Cane, Current stats are 30 Vit, 20 end, 31 Skill. I just smack the crap outta stuff and it falls over.

Using faster weapons definitely works better in this game, since enemies are much swifter than in previous Souls games. I tried a heavy weapons run once and I got my ass kicked, as there's no appropriate defense (shield or armour) to offset the loss of speed. It's a bit unbalanced in that regard.

For heavy weapons the secret usually is to know how to make the enemies recoil, and how to get those swings hit home (even if you get hit once, you'll probably heal most of the damage immediately with that swing).

 

[Evonisia]

It's a bit easier than "Dark Souls", but it's also compliments your playstyle. "Bloodborne" is frenetic, faster paced and compliments being aggressive (especially because of the regenerating health thing). Some of the later bosses and mobs really did kick my arse though.

Then again I've always found the "Dark Souls" games more tedious than difficult, so I guess I can't properly compare "Bloodborne" to it.

 

[Fappy]

Bloodborne is designed for players who go in with guns blazing. If that's how you started out, then the game is going to be easier. If you play it the way a lot of people play Dark Souls--use a shield and armor--the game is going to kick you in the teeth.
Also, I think they may have patched the game just a bit. Some of the bosses, especially Amelia, seem less aggressive than the first time I fought them when the game first came out.

Might I suggest you try the DLC, if you want to spend more money on the game? Because hot damn, they crank that difficulty up. The first boss alone is a road block for a lot of people, and the final boss isn't having any of your crap.
Or who knows? Maybe you'll find them easy too, but judging by the way my beckoners and the phantoms I summoned kept getting shredded, I don't think it will be so easy.

Challenge accepted.

Actually I have done a bit of research today, and I am not really very far in the game. Certainly not as far as I feel, given the number of bosses dead.

For example here are the dead bosses: Cleric Beast, Father Gascone, Vicar Amelia, Blood Starved Beast, Witch of Hemwick.

Plus a few Chalice bosses: Undead Giant, Watchers, and fire dog bosses.

Those are definitely the easier bosses in the game. I've heard people had trouble with blood starved beast, but I'm not sure how. As long as you dodge towards him, he will always miss you. Cleric Beast and Amelia just die, because they're the least aggressive enemies in the game. They felt like tutorials on how to play. As long as you press the advantage, you can win pretty easily. I beat both on my first try.

That said, hoo boy do I disagree with the people who call this game easy. It kicked my ass up and down the street. Dark Souls was an absolute cake walk compared to this. Even the Four Kings are pushovers. But Bloodborne? My God is it hard. There were bosses that I simply could not beat by myself. I couldn't keep up with the action. The game punishes you for not being aggressive, but if you don't time your dodges perfectly then the enemy will simply flatten you. They're much more aggressive, and quite happy to press their advantage even if you won't. Critical Attacks are a whole new beast as well. I could critical hit bosses all day long in Dark Souls, but my brain absolutely refuses to master the skill in Bloodborne. I've played it twice now, and I'm honestly worried about the DLC. If other people are having difficulty with it, then the game may simply be too fast paced for me. I feel like my reflexes just can't keep up with what's happening on the screen. Kos is just too damn fast for me.

Update to those bosses. Tonight I beatdown the Shadows of Yharnem, and Rom. Rom killed me once and i got him second try. The shadow council i beat first try. Then the moon turned to shit, and now I have died to trash mobs more than anything else in the game.

Suddenly my butthole hurts. I spend an hour and a half beating the hunters you have to fight 3 on 1. I ran around like a dumbass when I finally beat them, but they easily killed me a dozen or so times. So now the game feels like I always thought it would. Who knew killing the spider activates hard mode.

Well, that makes perfect sense actually. Lore-wise, by killing Rom you have lifted the illusion that had been protecting the city from the true cosmic horror that is the Moon Presence. Without the illusion, the people of Yharnam see the truth which their mortal minds cannot handle, and thus amplifying their madness. It's not necessarily that the world became more dangerous... you just finally see how dangerous the world was all along.

Speaking of trash mobs, have fun fighting the Winter Lanterns in Nightmare Mensis D:

 

[meiam]

I definitely think it's the second easiest souls game (a tiny bit harder than DS2). You have tons of healing, health is plentiful and can easily be regenerated and stamina is practically infinite. As someone whose play style is the exact opposite of what BB expect (always play with shield, never use parry, never exploit the invincibility frame in dodge) I was extremely surprised at how easy it was, only boss that gave me a bit of trouble were father G and blood starve beast, after that it was smooth sailing with many first or 2 shoot. The old hunter DLC is really hard if you try it as soon as its available, but if you wait to be reasonable level with good gear its not that tough.

 

[Areloch]

Update to those bosses. Tonight I beatdown the Shadows of Yharnem, and Rom. Rom killed me once and i got him second try. The shadow council i beat first try. Then the moon turned to shit, and now I have died to trash mobs more than anything else in the game.

Suddenly my butthole hurts. I spend an hour and a half beating the hunters you have to fight 3 on 1. I ran around like a dumbass when I finally beat them, but they easily killed me a dozen or so times. So now the game feels like I always thought it would. Who knew killing the spider activates hard mode.

Well, that makes perfect sense actually. Lore-wise, by killing Rom you have lifted the illusion that had been protecting the city from the true cosmic horror that is the Moon Presence. Without the illusion, the people of Yharnam see the truth which their mortal minds cannot handle, and thus amplifying their madness. It's not necessarily that the world became more dangerous... you just finally see how dangerous the world was all along.

Speaking of trash mobs, have fun fighting the Winter Lanterns in Nightmare Mensis D:

I loved how they handled that, actually. It was pretty spooky to go back through the earlier areas and see Amgydalas draping off of pretty much all the buildings and to have the realization "Oh god, those were watching me the whole time?"

Also, in regards to the slow/power weapons: charge attacks. Charge attacks forever.

I got ahold of Ludwig's blade as an attrition tank build and the game was basically over. When you have as much health as the bosses, it pretty much just turns into a "who can do the beatings the best" fight. Technically easier than the dodgey-rogue you're "supposed" to play, but honestly, it was a lot of fun to play it that way.

Also really helpful later when you start having to deal with frenzy, or the brain eaters who'll one-shot you on lower health builds.

 

[Raggedstar]

The threaded cane is a GODLY PVE weapon. That was my baby. It has a barrier of entry due to it's low damage, but it scales nicely upon upgrade and mastering the whip form allows for some sweet mid-range damage (and the cost of attack is practically nothing). You may not get away with it in PVP, but most enemies don't know to handle the speed of cane form and range of whip. Depending on your level, you may also be a bit higher than most players. I know I finished the game with 33 VIT, 26 END, and 34 SKILL ish and I was at Lvl 70 (I only invested 3 points in bloodtinge so I could get my rifle spear. those were my only investments). My stats were held back a bit to ensure I had a ton of vials and for a bit of a challenge. I must've been around Lvl 25-30 for Amelia.

Regarding difficulty, it depends on your playstyle. I guess that's why there's a lot of dispute on difficulty. I platinumed the game a few days ago. Bloodborne rewards the faster, more daring attacker, but punishes harder for doing it badly. There have been few cases of me in DS1 just walking in and dying (unless I'm getting mobbed by O&S or Nito, or smacked off by Bed of Chaos). If you're used to playing with a shield, you don't have that option when you need some time to heal or collect yourself. You get 20 vials, but I rarely was able to use all of them in the tougher fights. But then again, I handicapped myself at Lvl 65-70 for the chalice dungeons and DLC (later chalice dungeons recommended Lvl 100+, DLC recommended 70+), and boy will I never do that again. When you get down to the Defiled Chalice, try beating Mr. Watchdog and [insert very big later game boss here] while at half health and they have more, where one attack can kill you even if it's not a frontal hit. It gets pretty real. Undead Giant also has a few other forms that are more difficult, particularly the one with the metal balls (he'll turn his body and smack you if you're close to anywhere in his body).