First time playing Bloodborne

[bluegate]

I was thinking about doing that. I can make a separate save on the cloud or whatever if I have PS+ right?

That's some weird wording.

Before you go through the gate mentioned by Hansel, close the game and upload the save file to the cloud, or copy it to a USB device.
Do whatever ending you want
Download the savefile from the cloud, or copy it from the USB device.

If you are using the cloud, it might be wise to turn off automatic save back up, as it might accidentally upload the savefile after you get one of the three endings.
( Not sure about this actually as I always have it turned off; I want to decide when and what files I upload ).

Everyone also has their own personal root chalice dungeon. It?s the only thing in the game I haven?t finished. I think I?m on depth 3 or 4, and Ebriettas is making it a nightmare.

Although they can be shared, if the right options were ticked when you created them.

Bloodborne doesn't explain very well how sharing dungeons works in their game.

Wasn't there an NPC you could summon for Isz' Ebriettas fight?

 

[Casual Shinji]

I don't mind leaving stuff for NG+ if I enjoy the game and I feel like playing it again at some point but I don't like locking myself out of content by doing something perfectly intuitive or NOT doing something incredibly cryptic that isn't even explained by the game.

Then I don't know how much you're going to like these games, because that's they're whole MO.

 

[Fappy]

I feel like there is less you can screw up in Bloodborne compared to other Souls games. Whenever I replay it I just make sure to keep up with Eileen's movements throughout the story and make sure I don't screw up getting the three umbilical cords. No other content really gets locked out unless you do something really weird/dumb. Alfred's story for example can't really be screwed up as far as I know unless you kill him unprovoked. As someone else mentioned, don't send the NPC to the Cathedral that you find near the Forbidden Woods (he is very clearly sketchy). If you want a challenge you can try fighting him

 

[Fappy]

Probably too late, but don't start with the axe weapon for starter. It's so good that any other weapon you'll pick will just pale in comparison and you'll end up using the same weapon the entire game.

That's actually one of my main gripes with this otherwise amazing game. The axe is an incredibly noob-friendly cheese weapon and the saw cleaver is the most reliable and consistent weapon in the game (add fire paper and its serrated blade damage bonus completely erases beast bosses). It simply takes too damn long to get the more skill-based/fun weapons, whether it be via the DLC or the second half of the game. It's a real shame you can't get the Scythe until the literal end of the game.

 

[CaitSeith]

Probably too late, but don't start with the axe weapon for starter. It's so good that any other weapon you'll pick will just pale in comparison and you'll end up using the same weapon the entire game.

That's actually one of my main gripes with this otherwise amazing game. The axe is an incredibly noob-friendly cheese weapon and the saw cleaver is the most reliable and consistent weapon in the game (add fire paper and its serrated blade damage bonus completely erases beast bosses). It simply takes too damn long to get the more skill-based/fun weapons, whether it be via the DLC or the second half of the game. It's a real shame you can't get the Scythe until the literal end of the game.

With what the gem customization allows you to do to the weapons, at the end it becomes more of a combat-style preference. But yeah; once you get the correct timing, the axe is ridiculously fun and OP at the beginning (specially because it allows you to heal a lot if you attack immediately after screwing out).

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I was thinking about doing that. I can make a separate save on the cloud or whatever if I have PS+ right?

That's some weird wording.

Before you go through the gate mentioned by Hansel, close the game and upload the save file to the cloud, or copy it to a USB device.
Do whatever ending you want
Download the savefile from the cloud, or copy it from the USB device.

If you are using the cloud, it might be wise to turn off automatic save back up, as it might accidentally upload the savefile after you get one of the three endings.
( Not sure about this actually as I always have it turned off; I want to decide when and what files I upload ).

Everyone also has their own personal root chalice dungeon. It?s the only thing in the game I haven?t finished. I think I?m on depth 3 or 4, and Ebriettas is making it a nightmare.

Although they can be shared, if the right options were ticked when you created them.

Bloodborne doesn't explain very well how sharing dungeons works in their game.

Wasn't there an NPC you could summon for Isz' Ebriettas fight?

I know the offline ones have them but I?ve always done them solo due to the fact they crank up enemy health with npc summoning. Not sure about online roots.

For reference some of those codes are no longer valid either because the hosts are no longer active or they removed them. The list in This link [https://www.fanbyte.com/news/bloodborne-every-root-chalice-dungeon-layout/] is probably the most thorough and up-to-date.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Gonna just leave this [https://bloodborne.wiki.fextralife.com/One+Third+of+Umbilical+Cord] here for OP?s reference, as it?s the most missable aspect of the game for trophy hunting.

Basically keeping Ariana [https://bloodborne.wiki.fextralife.com/Arianna] and Iosefka [https://bloodborne.wiki.fextralife.com/Iosefka] alive through their quest lines to get the cords is the most important thing.

I know part of the fun of these games is to blindly amble around the labyrinthine world and figure out where to go, what to do and equally importantly NOT to do. I skipped every Dark Souls but played Demon's Souls plenty of times and have more or less figured out the gist of the combat (lock on, circle, attack, backstep, repeat) and progression (you unlock 1 or 2 shortcuts in the form of gates or elevators between your last checkpoint and the next boss, basically).

What I'd like to ask is some basic info about not fucking myself over, like how I did the first time I was playing Demon's Souls. Like, don't waste rare or finite items on *this*, don't say X to this other character. Stuff like that, that would lock me out of quests or upgrades or content in general. Also any tips or hints that might help me in the early game are welcome. For context I beat the Cleric Beast on my first try and just beat Gascoigne after the requisite headbashing.

EDIT: Already met Eileen and Alfred, sent the old lady to the Cathedral, know to not send anyone over to Iosefka's clinic.

Dont even bother with tips dude. Just play through the game however you stumble through it. That's the magic of these games. You aren't going to 100% it your first time through so don't even worry about it.

Frankly there are only a couple of things that are actually misable that ultimately matter for secrets and 100%ing the game. Everything else can be done later if you miss it. and you can always hunt those extra's down on NG+.

Besides there are 3 endings in the game, so you HAVE to miss something no matter what on each playthrough.

Or, if you?re trophy hunting, make a usb save right before the final boss. Saves a lot of time, but NG+ is worth it at least once.

I was thinking about doing that. I can make a separate save on the cloud or whatever if I have PS+ right?

I have the ps+ cloud for general backup but for specific cases like these I use a usb. That way you know for sure what it?s for and there?s no risk of automatically saving over anything. Plus idk if this is still the case, but there used to be a limit to how many times you could upload or download a ps+ cloud save. IIRC it was only once every 24hrs or something.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Probably too late, but don't start with the axe weapon for starter. It's so good that any other weapon you'll pick will just pale in comparison and you'll end up using the same weapon the entire game.

Whoops.
Yeah I was thinking the axe was doing pretty well, three bosses down the line.
There doesn't appear to be a whole lot of weapon variety though. I'm just sharding the starting axe and blunderbuss and that's it.

 

[meiam]

Yeah early game weapon variety is really lackluster compared to other soulborne. In most other game on replay you can get a large variety of weapon in a few minute by just running to them, but in bloodborne most cool weapon are locked behind quest that resolve at the end of the game, so you end up playing with the same one over and over.

The axe is just amazingly solid, I don't know about calling it best weapon in the game, but everything you'll run across for the first 2/3 is going to be a sidegrade at best (ludwig holy sword is pretty solid too if you want to change out of the axe). I think this is the best argument for getting the DLC, since you can access it relatively early you can get some good weapon variety in it, something sorely missing from base game.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Bloodborne has fewer weapons but there is certainly variety once you get them. Like only a mind like Miyazaki?s could come up with over half of them kind of variety.

Sure, there are some balance issues but there are also Youtube clips of people wrecking fools with nearly every weapon once upgraded and gem?d accordingly (runes can help too). Perhaps more than ever, build type is tied to weapon effectiveness. The Chikage for example can be amazing with a Bloodtinge/Skill build and the right gem combinations.

I actually did 95%+ of the game with the saw cleaver which was great against beasts and also quick enough against human mobs. The axe is ferocious but a bit too slow for my taste in a game like this which seems to be geared towards more aggressive play.

 

[Dalisclock]

Bloodborne has fewer weapons but there is certainly variety once you get them. Like only a mind like Miyazaki?s could come up with over half of them kind of variety.

Sure, there are some balance issues but there are also Youtube clips of people wrecking fools with nearly every weapon once upgraded and gem?d accordingly (runes can help too). Perhaps more than ever, build type is tied to weapon effectiveness. The Chikage for example can be amazing with a Bloodtinge/Skill build and the right gem combinations.

I actually did 95%+ of the game with the saw cleaver which was great against beasts and also quick enough against human mobs. The axe is ferocious but a bit too slow for my taste in a game like this which seems to be geared towards more aggressive play.

Same. I actually never really used the axe much. I picked the cleaver to start, tried the kirkhammer a couple times, ludwigs sword I think near endgame and for a few bosses used the Tonitrus(the electro-mace) because lightening works well on some bosses.

But I kept coming back to the cleaver because of how well it works on many of the enemies(particularly if you apply fire to it).

Like others have said, a lot of them don't unlock until you get a bit into the game and then you have to upgrade them to make them really worthwhile and/or have the right stats. Whereas the Cleaver/Axe just work and stay dependable through the entire game.

 

[stroopwafel]

This game is soooooo good. The game of all games.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

This game is soooooo good. The game of all games.

Miyazaki pretty much said the only thing keeping them from making another is it being Sonys decision, which should be a no-brainer based on how well received the original was. I think I?ll hold out for that PS5 bundle, which won?t be for quite a while seeing as how Elden Ring is still most likely years off.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

If you haven't already fought the Witch of Hemwick, take a left at the main Cathedral and follow the path through Hemwick Charnel Lane(unlocking shortcuts along the way). The witch is tricky but not terribly difficult but defeating her allows you to use blood gems.

Got to Hemwick Charnel Lane (I was assuming the long stairway at the cathedral led directly to Amelia so I was avoiding that). Beat the witch, got the tool at the end and now I can use runes. Maybe it's the ones I've got so far but the perks seem minuscule (+3% reduction damage).

I'm treating Amelia as a point of no return based on this thread so I'm doing everything else before I confront her. I think I mapped all of the Hypogaen Gaol but I can't figure out Paarl. Then there's a path directly opposite of Hemwick Charnel Lane (in front of the Amelia fight, leading to two hunters) that I'm assuming ends in another boss. I'm pretty much mapping everything until I smell boss, then warping back with the Bold Hunter Marks. I'm pretty sure Demon's Souls had a spell equivalent but I don't recall it being available this early in the game, or this easy to use in general (just warp back with at least 800 echoes and you're profitting).

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Before defeating Vicar Amelia in Cathedral Ward do
( Technically, the event trigger isn't defeating her but talking to the altar after defeating her )

I beat Amelia, still haven't touched the altar.
Saved every NPC I think: Arianna and Adella (not taking any blood from either), sceptic NPC, old NPC, etc. And I'm done with the questlines involving Eileen (killed Henryk), Gilbert (got Flamesprayer) and Viola's Daughter (got White Ribbon), at least for now.
Already killed Amelia, Paarl, Witch of Hemwick, Blood-Starved Beast, Gascoigne and Cleric Beast.
Befriended Djura for the badge. Still haven't killed him.
Finished the first of the "fixed" Pthumeru dungeons (stuck on the Pthumerian Descendant at the end of dungeon #2 for now).
And I've leveled up every weapon to at least +1. Main weapons up to +4, +5 and +6.

Anything else you can think I should do before pressing forward with the night cycle?

 

[Dalisclock]

If you haven't already fought the Witch of Hemwick, take a left at the main Cathedral and follow the path through Hemwick Charnel Lane(unlocking shortcuts along the way). The witch is tricky but not terribly difficult but defeating her allows you to use blood gems.

Got to Hemwick Charnel Lane (I was assuming the long stairway at the cathedral led directly to Amelia so I was avoiding that). Beat the witch, got the tool at the end and now I can use runes. Maybe it's the ones I've got so far but the perks seem minuscule (+3% reduction damage)

Right now they aren't worth much. You'll find better ones later and it's worthwhile to change them out situationally. Damage reduction runes can help a lot in the right fights and some of them are very useful when farming(Moon ups your Blood Echo take when killing enemies, for example).

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Before defeating Vicar Amelia in Cathedral Ward do
( Technically, the event trigger isn't defeating her but talking to the altar after defeating her )

I beat Amelia, still haven't touched the altar.
Saved every NPC I think: Arianna and Adella (not taking any blood from either), sceptic NPC, old NPC, etc. And I'm done with the questlines involving Eileen (killed Henryk), Gilbert (got Flamesprayer) and Viola's Daughter (got White Ribbon), at least for now.
Already killed Amelia, Paarl, Witch of Hemwick, Blood-Starved Beast, Gascoigne and Cleric Beast.
Befriended Djura for the badge. Still haven't killed him.
Finished the first of the "fixed" Pthumeru dungeons (stuck on the Pthumerian Descendant at the end of dungeon #2 for now).
And I've leveled up every weapon to at least +1. Main weapons up to +4, +5 and +6.

Anything else you can think I should do before pressing forward with the night cycle?

Doing really well for NG. Just stay away from the clinic/Iosefka until after you kill Rom, which is a ways off yet.

 

[bluegate]

Before defeating Vicar Amelia in Cathedral Ward do
( Technically, the event trigger isn't defeating her but talking to the altar after defeating her )

I beat Amelia, still haven't touched the altar.
Saved every NPC I think: Arianna and Adella (not taking any blood from either), sceptic NPC, old NPC, etc. And I'm done with the questlines involving Eileen (killed Henryk), Gilbert (got Flamesprayer) and Viola's Daughter (got White Ribbon), at least for now.
Already killed Amelia, Paarl, Witch of Hemwick, Blood-Starved Beast, Gascoigne and Cleric Beast.
Befriended Djura for the badge. Still haven't killed him.
Finished the first of the "fixed" Pthumeru dungeons (stuck on the Pthumerian Descendant at the end of dungeon #2 for now).
And I've leveled up every weapon to at least +1. Main weapons up to +4, +5 and +6.

Anything else you can think I should do before pressing forward with the night cycle?

Judging from my feeble memory, I think you're good to go forward. You could check some guides just to be sure.

As long as you don't send the guy in the forest to the Cathedral and don't disturb Iosefka before defeating Mister Spider, you're pretty much set for all three endings.
( The guy in the forest is super easy to miss by the way, so don't feel bad if you don't find him ).

 

[stroopwafel]

Before defeating Vicar Amelia in Cathedral Ward do
( Technically, the event trigger isn't defeating her but talking to the altar after defeating her )

I beat Amelia, still haven't touched the altar.
Saved every NPC I think: Arianna and Adella (not taking any blood from either), sceptic NPC, old NPC, etc. And I'm done with the questlines involving Eileen (killed Henryk), Gilbert (got Flamesprayer) and Viola's Daughter (got White Ribbon), at least for now.
Already killed Amelia, Paarl, Witch of Hemwick, Blood-Starved Beast, Gascoigne and Cleric Beast.
Befriended Djura for the badge. Still haven't killed him.
Finished the first of the "fixed" Pthumeru dungeons (stuck on the Pthumerian Descendant at the end of dungeon #2 for now).
And I've leveled up every weapon to at least +1. Main weapons up to +4, +5 and +6.

Anything else you can think I should do before pressing forward with the night cycle?

Judging from my feeble memory, I think you're good to go forward. You could check some guides just to be sure.

As long as you don't send the guy in the forest to the Cathedral and don't disturb Iosefka before defeating Mister Spider, you're pretty much set for all three endings.
( The guy in the forest is super easy to miss by the way, so don't feel bad if you don't find him ).

Right. Send him to Iosefka instead heh heh.