Bloodborne - The Old Hunters DLC

[twisty]

For those of you that played the DLC on NG, what level were you when you started it? Having just defeated Amelia I now have access to the Hunter's Nightmare but have only just reached level 30. After seeing how powerful the hunters are there I googled the recommended level and it seems that level 60 is a recommended level.

[twisty]

I've been having an absolute blast this so far. I think that having a large break in between my original playthrough and now has made me more greatly appreciate what an incredible game it is. I'm still yet to really make a start on the DLC as I've been happily turtling through all of the areas in detail (including the challices which I didn't get very far into last time round). One of the benefits of not using a walkthrough is that I've come across a number of new things this time that I didn't experience my first playthrough. A key example of this is the Upper Cathedral that I never realised existed.

[TannisRoot]

Yeah the Upper Cathedral Ward is a great area and probably had the strongest horror atmosphere in the game. Too bad it's pretty short.

The DLC is definitely do-able at 60. I wouldn't worry about level too much. If it gets too hard, come back to it later. I caught it at the end game and the bosses were still a huge challenge.

[twisty]

Yeah, not too worried about being under-levelled now considering that when I was L30 I almost beat one of the hunters at the beginning of the DLC. At level 70 I'm sure they will be much less of a problem. It's more a case of being distracted as I'm having such as blast playing through the main game again, rather than a matter of putting it off.

[TannisRoot]

The hunter enemies are basically trick enemies. Once you understand the trick(s) you can easily run past them / parry them etc. I usually bait their gun attack and quickstep / roll through it with I-frames and take care of them during their recovery frames. Like most enemies in BB, they're more dangerous the less aggressive you are.

[Mr.Duck]

Be honest, guys. What are my chances of passing the DLC in a NG+3 game?

[TannisRoot]

Probably fine. The worst that can happen is the bosses one shot you instead the regular two/three shots on NG. Ludwig, the tentacle giants, and the shark giants are meat grinders by design.

[twisty]

Yeah the Upper Cathedral Ward is a great area and probably had the strongest horror atmosphere in the game. Too bad it's pretty short.

I just returned to the area after beating a couple of more Challices and discovered the two bosses in the area. The Celestial Emissary was a bit of a pushover and I beat him on my first go. Ebrietas on the other hand seemed like a pretty wicked old thing and I'm sure it would have taken more than 2 attempts but after we both got stuck in between a broken pillar on the floor I was able to whack away in almost total safety.

[twisty]

I've made some headway into the DLC over the past 2 nights. While it starts it fairly straightforward it soon ups the ante in terms of the variety and difficulty of the challenges ahead, making it a real mission to make it to the next lantern.

Ludwig the Accursed, with his tragic backstory, was an awesome encounter. While I managed to beat on my third attempt, I found his first phase to be incredibly difficult and found myself quaffing potion after potion in quick succession. Had he remained in this phase through the entire battle then it probably would have taken me ~20 attempts. I found his second phase however to be a bit of a non-event -- I just stayed at his feet and kept chopping away until he died. For the most part, none of his attacks seemed to be able to get me and I only lost a small amount of health from being clipped by one of his sweeping moves from time to time. I would have actually beaten him on my second attempt, but I only had a single health potion remaining and died soon after that. While I had summoned help on my second and third attempt, but on both occasions he/she was killed at the beginning of Ludwig's second phase.

Really enjoying this and hoping that they end up making another BloodBorne game again one day (although I still want to see them make something different first).

[twisty]

Now that's what I call a DLC! While I haven't finished this yet (just reached Orphan of Kos which I think might be close to the end of it; not asking if it is though ), this might come close to being my favourite expansion out of all of the "Soul's" games.

On a separate note, I decided to take a break from the DLC and went back to have another go at the Amygdala battle in the Hunter's Dream. While it's probably not a good example of responsible parenting, I watched with pride as my 6yo son beat him on his 3rd attempt. I only let him start playing it 3-4 weeks ago and only then in very short sessions so am quite amazed at how quickly he has picked it up.

[Mr.Duck]

Woah...6 year old?!

Damn...Kid's gonna be hardcore when he grows up.

B-|

[twisty]

Hehe. Yeah, although he's just turned 6 we've been letting him play the PS4 on the weekends for the past 2 years so he's managed to become very good at a wide range of games. We don't let him play anything as violent as BloodBorne under normal circumstances, but I found out that he's been sneaking out and watching me when I play it after he goes to bed. After that I decided to let him play it in small doses (not the scary sections though). I did let him play Lords of the Fallen though as it's much more cartoony than any of the Soulseque games, and he got through most of the game before losing interest in it.

[Renzatic]

It's funny. I played Bloodborne again tonight. I picked up right where I left off, just before Father Gascoigne, who had previously kicked my ass backwards and forwards.

Despite all the time that had passed, despite the fact that I was out of practice, I beat him on my first try with barely any effort. Weird how that happens.

[Mr.Duck]

Gascoigne's a pretty bad ass mofo for being the first story-related boss (you may encounter the Cleric Beast first, but that one's optional). Though I never had much trouble with him, he is one of those bosses that keeps you on your toes at all times. His buddy, the guy you can fight with Eilene the Crow later at the Tomb of Odeon is also a bit of a pain, but not tooo much.

On the other hand, the Blood Crow of Cainhurst....woo-weeh!

[Mr.Duck]

EDIT: Whelp, seems I forgot the optional boss, Laurence. I'll deal with him after the Orphan of Kos.

Yeah, the Orphan of Kos...

The Orphan.

The bloody Orphan.
...


Motherfucker!

Imma shove that placenta up his scraggly ass.

My hat's off to you, Hidetaka. This is one SONUVABITCHKICKINDANUTS of a boss.


On the plus side, I'm pretty doing wonders with parrying and backstabbing the bastard on his first phase and can even manage to survive for a little while on the second phase. Have gotten him down to his last quarter a few times even. Motherfucker mama's boy...

-------------------------
ARISE!

Whelp, I've been knee-deep in pain and blood with thee DLC, as I knew I would. Gotta say, for the most part it certainly is one crrrrrazy ride, and though I am a bit dissappointed at a lack of greater new enemy variety, the sheer weirdness of the Hunter's Nightmare really put the hook on me.

Now, the bosses. Those beautiful, evil bastards...

All dead but the last one. Only one pending is ol'Orphan of Kos.

Ludwig, as it seems to be the trend, was the hardest, particularly on his first phase. Lost plenty of times with the bugger, though I actually made good progress in the fight early on, and no, Gryz, it didn't take me countless hours to beat him. Funny enough, his second phase was far easier.

Next up, the Living Failures, a slightly more entertaining gank boss fight than the Celestial Emissary, but overall still eh. Only took me about three tries (damn magic meteor shower...).

Then came Lady Maria, and we tangoed. Oh yessir, we danced and sparred beautifully. Crossing blades and trading shots, this one also took me about a dozen tries, maybe a few less, or more, I can't quite recall. Regardless, in less than two hours I had her dead (again) at my feet. Seems I've become rather good at parrying with my blunderbuss, mwahahahahaha!

For now I'm calling it quits, saving up the Fishing Hamlet and ol'Orphie for another game session. I'm sure the darling's going to give me grief and Hell, but I think I'll manage. Afterwards, my goal is to clear the Chalice Dungeons!

Fun times.

[Mr.Duck]

The Orphan is dead, the nightmare vanished. All that remains is Laurence.

He is mine.

[twisty]

I think I may have mentioned it elsewhere but this is probably my favourite of the DLCs that FS have created to date.

As far as the bosses are concerned, they were quite difficult to beat overall but were also had some of the most tragic backstories. While they were all challenging bosses, the failed experiments were probably the least so but the encounter was also one of the most unforgettable with the phasing in and out of the cosmos and the strange sentient like tree.

[Mr.Duck]

Dear Hidetaka:

We did not need a mixture of Firelurker boss meets Capra Demon boss arena* with Laurence.

Sincerely,
My poor ass.

PS. Fak u.

------------------------

*In relation to his size and moving around. Would have loved some more wiggle room to play with. Ugh...this might take a while. Fek.

twisty - True, true. Even the Living Failures boss fight had something interesting and unique about the fight. And despite my grumblings, the bosses are certainly top shelf. And true, their backstories are really sad, and not to mention they are (most) fundamental to the Bloodborne lore!

Also, I got Ludwig's moonlight sword!

[Mr.Duck]

*Pulls out his invisible cigarette, lights it up with his invisible zippo. Takes a long drag, holds it in while contemplating life, then lets the haze of smoke fill the air around him*

Laurence is dead.

...

That is all.

[Mr.Duck]

And thus, the last boss pending, Yharnam, Blood Queen of the Chalice Dungeons, falls. The long night is over.*

What a crazy ride. The DLC was certainly the highlight of it all, but some of the unique bosses in the Dungeons, including Yharnam, were pretty cool too. Great times!









*I already had the other two endings, so I just needed to let Gherman kill me and wake up. Great times. <3

[twisty]

It was only in my second playthrough (NG) that I really discovered the awesomeness of the Challices. Some really challenging areas filled with interesting enemies and bosses.

On a related note, Bloodborne 2 anyone? Will start a new thread if it's any more than a rumour.

[TannisRoot]

I'm pretty burnt out on Dark Souls, but hot damn - I can't get enough of Bloodborne! If this is true I am super stoked!

[twisty]

I feel the same about both as well, although not so much burnt out as had my fill for a long while. Bloodborne on the other hand still feels very fresh and my recent playthrough left me wanting even more. Although, not sure which direction they'll take the narrative now as it seemed to close the narrative fairly cleanly (the true ending anyway).

[Mr.Duck]

Whelp, I'm not burnt out, but after finishing one of FROM's I do like to take it easy for a while.

Which is why I started playing Nioh.

Heh.