r/bloodborne • u/amygdalapls • Mar 27 '16
Guide Guide - Bloodborne Beginner Tips
It seems we still get new hunters every now and then! Some tend to have a rough start and others just want more guidance, so here are some simple tips that can hopefully help out beginners new to the world of Bloodborne.
The below are things you should know that can make your journey through Yharnam and the rest of the game easier. You don't have to follow all of them to a T.
Get used to dying. Repeatedly. It's normal. Just try to learn from your deaths.
You cannot level until you gain a point of insight. You can do that by running into your first boss or by finding and using an item called "Madman's Knowledge". You should prioritize this.
Try not to invest any points into Bloodtinge or Arcane on your first character. Those are much more nuanced stats with a higher learning curve and require you to know what you are doing to put them to full use. You can totally beat the game with just Vitality, Endurance, Strength, and Skill.
Read the game-provided notes in the Hunter's Dream. They provide information about the controls and other helpful hints. The clinic you first wake up in has some as well.
All weapons are viable. Find something with a moveset you like and enjoy it! Some weapons are more nuanced than others and require a more expert touch, but you can defeat anything with any weapon if you know what you are doing with it. You can even keep using your beginning weapon(s) from start to finish if you upgrade them periodically.
Clothing and their stats ultimately do not make a HUGE difference. People call it Fashionborne for a reason. In general, just wear what you think is cool! At most, you can stack gear that focuses on a particular element or resistance for specific situations and they will serve as a nice extra buffer. Outside of that, there isn't a big difference between clothes other than how they look.
Explore. Explore. EXPLORE. You will often find gear and weapons lying about in more hidden corners. You will definitely find items and whatnot to help you along the road. Also, keep an eye out for shortcuts. They will make your journey in Yharnam so much easier.
Learn to parry. Parrying is when you shoot your firearm just as an enemy is striking. When you do it right, you will stagger them with a special sound and you can go up to them and press R1 for good damage with a visceral attack. This doesn't work on EVERY enemy, but will make things much easier (and epic) against certain enemies and bosses. Try to practice in the first area and get a feel for it. The Brick Trolls in Central Yharnam are great targets for this.
Practice! The first area might feel like an extremely brutal start if you're new to Souls-style games, but if you run around a bit to get a feel for the game, you can get used to the style and combat. You can also use the time to farm the currency and level up a bit.
Learn to take it slow and take on enemies one at a time. If they're in a group, try to lure individuals out. Pace yourself and learn when you should be cautious. Better safe than dead. When you're more skilled, then you can try to take on more opponents at once.
Have patience. Sometimes you will die in really pathetic ways or you will die JUST as you're about to beat some really tough boss... It's normal to get frustrated, but try to take a deep breath and figure out where you went wrong. The worst thing you can do (aside from smashing your PS4) is probably try to run back to whatever killed you in a fit of rage and either die to them due to recklessness... or even die on the way back due to carelessness.
Do your own research. This game has been out for about an year now, and there is plenty of information out there. If you're confused about something, chances are that someone else has had the same problem. Put Google to good use or search this sub for information.
This is THE most important guideline: Have fun. The point of playing this game is to have fun, so if you find something that people don't recommend but works for you, go for it! If you want to spend hours throwing yourself at a boss just because you like it, go for it! If you want to spend hours mopping up those mooks that used to kick your ass because it feels good, go for it! It's your game and your character, so just make sure you're having fun.
Additional Resources:
/r/huntersbell is a sub for coordinated multiplayer efforts. It's a good place to seek co-op help if you need it. Please remember to adhere to the rules and guidelines or your submission may be removed.
This is an FAQ that addresses many questions you may have about chalice dungeons.
This is an FAQ that covers basic information you may seek about The Old Hunters DLC.
This post has a checklist of all the weapons, attire, and runes you can pick up in the game, which can help the completionist types. There is a spoiler-free version included. Please see the post for more details.
This is a farming guide that covers blood echoes and blood stone farming, which you may find useful a little later on in the game.
Hopefully this can help out some people that want a little bit of direction without too many spoilers. There are definitely more tips out there, but these should provide a general idea of how to proceed in this game.
Welcome to Yharnam, and I wish you a fruitful hunt :)
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u/icelordz Mar 27 '16 edited Mar 27 '16
I've had the game for about 7 hours and in that time the only progress I've made is buying the first set of armor from the
Edit: I've only been using heavy attacks for some ungodly reason, I guess I didn't notice that R1 did anything but after hitting up on the d-pad and nearly dying I've been scared to do anything
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u/Deadxendxempty Mar 27 '16
I would also add, be sure to do a second playthrough with a fresh character to enjoy the game, already knowing what to do. If only because I had way more fun on my seocnd playthrough than my first.
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u/amygdalapls Mar 27 '16
I feel that's a little more on the personal side. Some people prefer to continue on their character and go through NG+ instead, while some might indeed favor a second playthrough. It's definitely worth consideration though.
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u/beaktastic Apr 15 '16
I've just started the game this week (I've beaten Cleric Beast and had one or two attempts at Father Gascoigne) but haven't played a Soulsborne game really before (I watched an ex boyfriend play some of DS2 and played like the first hour of that myself, but thats it) so these tips are quite useful for me. I knew of gun parries but still haven't mastered it, so whilst I farm for another level or two before going against Gascoigne gonna try and master that too :)
But thanks for the tips! :D
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u/amygdalapls Apr 15 '16
Glad these tips seem to be helpful for you! I started at the bottom too, zero Souls experience prior to Bloodborne. I went in without tips so I was metaphorically smashing my head against walls for quite some time, haha. Hopefully these tips have saved you from doing that too much ;)
Mastering parries can be quite helpful against Gascan in particular, so your plan sounds like a good one. You'll probably get a lot of vials along with echoes if you focus on the Brick Trolls. Good luck, hunter!
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Mar 27 '16
Great guideline! As someone who got stuck in the very first area for two days straight when the game came out (missed the tutorial telling me healing was mapped to triangle and at one point even thought there was no way to heal... yeah) i'm sure newcomers will appreciate.
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u/amygdalapls Mar 27 '16
... If there was no way to heal, I think a lot of people would give up on this game... Glad you figured it out, haha. Thanks for your kind words :)
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Mar 27 '16
The funny thing is, i was trying to avoid spoilers the days before release but for some reason ended up on some gaming board just minutes after the game came out. One guy there was telling people how hard the game was and that there was no healing...
Coming from dark souls and unable to find any healing item to place in the quick selection menu, i sure as heck believed him lol
After struggling with the first boss for hours (found out how to level up only after beating him) i finally searched "how to heal in bloodborne" and found out I had to press triangle. Had well over 60 vials at that point, hahaha. Felt like the dumbest person on earth, and rightfully so!
Just sharing my little experience here since I always find it funny when I think back, haha.
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u/amygdalapls Mar 27 '16
Oh wow... I totally get why someone completely fresh to the game would believe that, so I don't blame you. I've definitely had my share of... silly mistakes, haha. I've also seen people not realize the leveling thing and such, hence making this post to cover some "things you should know" kind of tips.
But hey, the fact that you got through a boss at base level with no healing means that you definitely had quite a bit of personal skill at that point, haha. Thanks for sharing this entertaining experience :)
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Mar 27 '16
most of these tips work with the the other soul games, especially the one that tells to get used to dying, thanks dude
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u/amygdalapls Mar 27 '16
I haven't played the other Souls games, but I'm pretty sure the tagline for at least one is "Prepare to die", haha. Bloodborne might not have Souls in the title, but it's definitely that kind of game :)
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u/MattTWSC Mar 27 '16
I seriously can't thank you enough for this. I just got the game yesterday, and I found out I was dying just outside the first bosses area. The opening area is just brutal to me since I've never played one of these games
Definitely not giving up though. I found armor, and was pretty proud that I found some kind of upgrade amongst the deaths.
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u/amygdalapls Mar 27 '16
Bloodborne is my first FromSoft game too, and I definitely had a rough start as well. You're on the right track though, and your determination will help you stick through until the game clicks better. Keep going, good hunter :)
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u/M3mn0ch_1987 Mar 27 '16 edited Mar 27 '16
Visceral - you can direct to a certain extent where you want your enemy to land. If you parry then visceral them from the side you can visceral them into oncoming enemies stunning them. Also a visceral will completely fill any health lost thats still rallyable.
Sneak - you can quite effectively sneak in this game. Just walk slowely towards an enemy from behind and backstab them. Coupling this with bloodtapping is handy.
Climbing ladders - the same way you sprint in game you can climb ladders faster (forward and O). Holding down and circle will allow you to slide down ladders. Ive played with alot of new players recently who didnt know this.
Enemies - you dont have to kill them all every time you die. Just sprint passed them. They will only follow you for a little while.
Dogs - are they getting on your nerves? Shoot the bugger then dodge towards them and hit them when they are getting up.
Edit: Torch - this is quite a useful tool. Moreso than just as a light source. Its great against certain enemies and it will scare some beasts, causing them to back away from you. Also buy the lantern. Its useful for when you need your gun out.
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u/gimmethatfiletofish Mar 27 '16
Huh, I'm about 100 hours in and never thought of getting
, then immediately backstabbing + visceral to replenish your health. Not that I'm hard pressed to get blood vials, but it's good to save them every now and then. blood bullets → More replies (15)
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u/flapsin Mar 27 '16
Just bought my ps4 solely for this game today and was looking for something like this. THANK YOU!
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u/ACESandElGHTS May 19 '16
Just bought my ps4 solely for this game today
Noice. If I had to say I bought my PS4 for anything, it'd probably be No Man's Sky and MLB The Show, but I am super happy to now be playing this gem.
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u/Alaehan Sep 06 '16
How are you feeling about your PS4 purchase for No Man's Sky?
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u/razorKazer Apr 13 '22
This may be 6 years old, but thank you all. I haven't played since shortly after release and just started a new character. Quickly realized I don't remember much from this game. But after Elden Ring I couldn't help myself I need more From Software games
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u/kris12k4 Mar 27 '16
Yup, a coworker and I decided to try for plat on this game, ive had it for a while but booted it up last night. I swear, if i had a few more vials I couldve taken the Cleric Beast down in my first try.
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u/ThingsBehindTheSun__ Mar 27 '16
I literally just posted asking the sub for this. Thank you!
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u/malady013 Mar 27 '16
You did a great job with this. As someone else mentioned, these are useful even for the other Souls' games. Excellent tips, very useful, and excellent work, as always!
On behalf of everybody, thanks for all your contributions :)
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u/Alkalilee Apr 01 '16
Oh hey, I'm a beginner! Picked up Bloodborne 3 days ago, and it's my first dark/gritty RPG ever. It's difficult, but very intriguing. I've killed the Cleric Beast and am currently preparing for Father Gascoigne. Got the music box, have 17 points in strength, the Kirkhammer, 10 molotovs, etc. Gonna die. A lot.
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u/XImBadAtNamesX Apr 12 '16
i have a question, im getting this game tomorrow because my brother is letting me and i wont have my own psn account or anything, will i still be able to play this game without online?
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u/daftvalkyrie Mar 27 '16
This needs to be stickied.