BLOODBORNE given Feb '15 Euro/NA release date, deemed worthy of own thread by ilxor

The hardest part of any of these games is the beginning, when you don't have much in the way of resources and you haven't got the feel of things yet, and the hardest From Software game is always the first one you play.

You don't necessarily need pebbles, just attract one enemy's attention, and lure them back into a safe area where you've already killed the enemies. And it should be easier once you learn their placement in a given area, and also their attacks so that you can dodge/wait until they're done swinging/etc. It can be helpful to move into their range to trigger an attack and then back out of it, then attack when they're done, etc. Or, interrupt them right away if you can (though bigger enemies may not be able to be interrupted).

I haven't played BB for awhile, but even though it rewards aggression and swinging into enemies to get your hp back after getting hit, sometimes it's better not to get hit at all. You can do it!

(what weapons did you choose btw?)

The big saw (cleaver?) And the blunderbuss

I'm still stuck at this bonfire. I'm trying to lure them but there's a guy with a gun who shoots me when I try to lure out the strays. Oh and a big wolf who is a pain too

I just don't understand why dude will just randomly turn the opposite direction when I'm attacking an enemy. I haven't got the lock on

Solid, if you were using the cane I would suggest a different one for the first time through.

Oh yeah the dogs are always the worst in these games, at least in BB you can shoot them to knock them out of the way.

xp

Oh, are you moving the left trigger unintentionally? That'll always dictate the direction of your attacks I think.

Also more often than not when I try to lure one guy out I get three chasing me and then I'm doomed

Not sure what I'm doing, whether I'm accidentally pushing the direction in the wrong way but he never seems to want to face the way I want

Might be helpful to look up a playthrough/walkthrough on youtube and see how someone else plays it?

Argh Soo close!

Got killed by the last one

It's getting that close and having to do everything again which is the pain, but I guess that's more like how games used to be

Okay so the people who invented this game need to go to jail for a very long time.

https://www.pcgamesn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sekiro-genichiro-ashina-cheese-900x506.jpg
Hold my beer.

Still stuck right at the start of Central Yharnam. In fact it seems to be getting more difficult. Enemies I had no trouble killing with one strong punch suddenly seem to need many more hits. And I swear I'm being swarmed more whereas before I was able to pick one guy off at a time.

I did get very very close to wiping all the bonfire baddies out but got stabbed at last minute.

I am getting a little tired of my man suddenly deciding he's going to swing in a completely different direction to the enemy that I am directly fucking facing though. That's when I get fed up and want to rage quit

You also get these sort of sleeping/crouching enemies bit for some reason you can't actually kill them until they've started getting up, so even though I know they're there, it feels arbitrary as to whether I can kill them while they're getting up. More often than not, my hit will go right through them and then as I'm recovering, they'll be up and at them, my hit will have pushed me past them so they just one punch me in the back

Once you know where everyone resets, the trick with this game and others like it, at least as I play it, is to never fight more than one enemy at a time. Always find a way to separate them apart or lower them to a safe fighting area where you can control the environment.

I should also stress that if I can play it, anyone can play! I've been following a YouTube walkthrough of Sekiro for help, and the dude makes it look so easy. Out of curiosity I went back to an initial let's play of his, when he was still getting used to the game, and it was very encouraging to watch his ass get beat over and over again by the same enemies he was blasé about killing in the walkthrough.

I am trying and trying and trying. I swear it's not my imagination but enemies I've beaten dozens of time with just one or two hits are now taking up to five. Have I changed the difficulty somehow??

Did you change weapons, or accidentally unequip something?

No still using the cleaver

I've watched vids of people doing this level and they're just running around killing everyone like it's easy. I'm doing the same things as then but just getting mobbed.

I'm still at the first lamp in central Yharnam btw

Can't even get past the first two enemies who I used to OP any more. I am currently seeking legal advice against From Software

Hmmm, wish I could see what you're doing and do Souls tech support!

Oh! Your weapon is broken! You need to repair it:
https://twinfinite.net/2018/03/bloodborne-repair-weapons-how/

There's a degradation mechanic, which is pretty lame tbh. I forgot it was in BB too.

Hmmm... I'm not getting anything that says it's blunt. And when I get to the memory altar it says the workshop tool is missing

Oh wait wrong desk. Found it!

*sigh* not enough blood echoes. I need like 450 and I have 40. This game...

Okay I sold a bunch of bullets and fixed it. Oh that's so much better. Bit puzzled why it didn't actually tell me my weapon was worn out though

Oh my days. This is so much better. I thought I was going mad!

I guess madness fits with the storyline, lol.

Apparently it shows a 'weapon at risk' message but it's easy to miss:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuON2lsAf30

Ah maybe my old TV could be cutting that bit off the screen as it overscans slightly. But I can see everything else just fine.

In other news: I did it! I got past that goddamn burning pyre, killed an ogre, decked some crows, did a whole bunch of stuff but then fell off a ledge and got mauled by giant rats. And now I'm back where I started! Dang!

And a very cool thing is that (with help from a vid) I managed to open up a shortcut so I shouldn't need to keep playing through that part. Also, I guess if you've already grabbed items from an area, there's no real need to keep killing all the enemies there, you can run past them?

Yep! Unless you want to keep killing them for echoes and to refill your blood vials/bullets.

xp yeah once you've opened up the shortcut and got the items you can do exactly that, it's part of the fun of these games, the level design is so great that the world visibly opens up as you play through. Finding those shortcuts is one of gaming's great pleasures!

It's very easy to get lost, I will say. Knowing where to actually go next, or if the route you're taking is the wisest one is very tricky. I'm following a short intro guide but it only goes up to the first boss.

If you all hadn't told me about the weapon thing I'd be in so much shit

Level design in Bloodborne is as good as it is in the first Dark Souls.

Agree but tbh I do find it more labyrinthine...I have a harder time visualizing the level compared to Dark Sousl, and I can never remember how to navigate Cathedral Ward and the surrounding areas.

Okay I'm ready for the first boss

Yeah so the boss is tricky. The vid I'm following suggests throwing Molotovs at its head, but of course you need a fair few and it's easier said than done. Farming them each time and then dying is pretty tedious, but I have to say I'm enjoying this now. It's true you get into the rhythm of it.

In the tutorial I was watching, the dude was able to summon an NPC to help him using the Beckoning Bell. This didn't work for me, but I'm playing offline?

Also, here's a little Easter egg: if you let the title menu play for a few minutes there's a cool intro featuring (I think) Cleric Beast at the end

But yeah, I love how much this is reminding me of Super Metroid aka one of the GOAT games

I want to say the first boss in Bloodborne is meant to intimidate you, but in the end is pretty standard (that is, stab it in the butt). The next boss is a lot tougher and less predictable, but pretty fun, iirc.

You can summon npcs offline, but only with insight points, which you earn primarily through meeting bosses. You also need to pick up or buy the Beckoning Bell in the dream, I think?

If you had go to the other boss first, then you can summon for the Cleric Beast iirc.

Miyazaki is really into bells.

I have the Beckoning Bell and two insight points. In the vid I'm watching, there's a little glowing spot that gives you a hint about ringing the bell, and they do and the NPC comes and trashes everything. It's great but I'm not even getting the glowy message.

Also, you know when you're fighting enemies and you sometimes hear "AWAY! AWAY!" or "YOU CURSED BEAST!", is that you speaking or is it them? It's a strange thing for literal zombie monsters to say, but maybe that's the idea?

That's them, I think only non-beasts speak? But they are going slowly insane iirc.

Ohhh, apparently you may need to grab a different bell from the dream?
https://bloodborne.wiki.fextralife.com/Old+Hunter+Bell

Well, I've looked it up and it's defo the Beckoning Bell and a bunch of people are having the same problem (note not turning up) but haven't found a solution yet. I'll work it out. Just currently farming Blood Echoes so I can beat Cleric Beast as he's kicking my arse

everything i'm reading says you need the old hunter's bell to summon npcs? you still use the beckoning bell for the actual summoning