Bloodborne Commiseration Thread

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Maxus
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Bloodborne Commiseration Thread

Post by Maxus »

So I started Bloodborne, actually killed the first enemy by means of an idiotically lucky critical hit (which looked like my character ripping an organ out), got killed outside.

Now armed with cane and pistol, I'm wandering the city and finding fucktons of things aflame with hunger for my chitlins.

I've also still only got the cane, which is cool. Can't speak for the other starting weapons.

Or any other weapons.

Because I haven't found any. The game is big on the consumeables but short on the gear so far.

I just found the first boss and got tentacle murder-raped.

My major impression is the enemies, at least the stronger types, are cleverer about attack arcs and reach and such, so dodging is harder, and you have to dodge the right way as well as the right time.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by Kaelik »

I commiserate myself for not being willing to spend $400 for Dark Souls 3, so I will have to wait until it comes out on the only device that should exist.
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Post by RufusCorvus »

I saw that the character options include being old, a hobo beard, a skullet, and pince-nez. I immediately rolled with all four. The image of a frail old codger swinging around a pole-axe is immensely entertaining to me.

I managed the kill the first enemy bare-handed and then got slaughtered by the guy outside. I then proceeded to take my time exploring and pulling enemies individually. Eventually, I managed to unlock every (I think?) shortcut back to the first not-bonfire in Central Yharnam and then realized that I had not seen a single zone transition in 3 hours. I don't know if they've been removed or if the zones really are that big.

I'd also managed to find an item called Madman's Knowledge, which gives a point of Insight (this game's Humanity), which is necessary to level up. So I did that in the Hunter's Dream and then rocked faces with the Cleric Beast. Oil Urn + Molotov does some nice damage to it.

Dodging does seem harder all around, but the Rally system seems to mitigate some of the punishment from getting hit. Also, I've found Blood Vials everywhere. I've got, like, 20 on hand and 35 in storage. Every time I've died has been due to getting swarmed or stunlocked.

After the first boss, I explored some more (still with no zone transitions) and happened to just wander into another boss arena when I totally didn't want to do that. And the Bold Hunter's Mark (Homeward Bone) takes so long to use, I kept getting interrupted and ended up just using the good old quit/reload-outside-the-fog-gate strategy. Moral: fog gates don't go up until after your first encounter with a boss, so tread carefully.

I've heard that there's not much in the way of gear this time around, with only around a dozen different weapons to choose from. Some more gear options open up in the Hunter's Dream after beating the first boss, including access to all the starting weapons.

Overall, the game is fun and I'm having a good time.
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Maxus
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Post by Maxus »

I -almost- had the bastard this time. I'll have to try the oil/molotov combo on him.

On my end, I finally broke down and went hunting for the tough guys with the bricks, and fought the thing with the giant axe a few times, for the dueling experience. And then I found another weapon and bought new armor. I concur: The game throws blood vials and bullets at you, so you might as well just use 'em.

It does appear to be Dark Souls without the tanking. And without the option of being able to find some super-strong weapon right off so it forces you to learn the damn combat.
Last edited by Maxus on Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by RufusCorvus »

Correction to earlier statement: the new gear for sale doesn't appear after the first boss, you have to find the Saw Hunter Badge down in the waterway. I'm assuming there's a badge for every weapon. Not sure what they might open up.

I co-oped my way through the second boss, but apparently there's an alternative method of dealing with him involving an item you can get from a girl behind a window in Central Yharnam. I'm curious to see what it is but don't really feel like starting a new character yet.

Also, apprently there's a person at the back of the starting area that you can talk to.
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Post by Avoraciopoctules »

Some pretty cool enemies just in regular fights. Ranged attacks always seemed painfully slow in Dark Souls, I'm glad to see there's some that'll be considerably harder to dodge.

Also: http://www.somethingawful.com/video-gam ... tch-notes/
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Post by Shrapnel »

So, is the point of these games just to die and get really frustrated with the game? Because that doesn't really fit my idea of fun.
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Post by Maxus »

Shrapnel wrote:So, is the point of these games just to die and get really frustrated with the game? Because that doesn't really fit my idea of fun.
The point is deconstructing a problem and improving. At least it is for me.

Take the boss I had been stuck on: He murdered me the first few times I tried him, but I learned his attacks and how to dodge most of them. Now I know where there's a hole in his swings and I got him down to a quarter health. If I hadn't gotten hung up on a wall when he did a frenzy, I'd have killed him because I'd found the places to stand, learned his tells so I can wallop him a few good times. So I know I can beat him.

Dark Souls 1 was a bitch, don't get me wrong, but it was a fair bitch. It fell to me to learn enemy openings and take advantage of them. The game also rewarded the fuck out of exploration. There's some blingy stuff near the beginning of the game, if you can get to it (getting to it involves running like hell a lot).

They do great atmosphere, and it's rewarding to be steamrolling enemies who used to worry you. And, I have to admit, makes other games less frustrating because you go "Nope, not as bad as Dark Souls".
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by Koumei »

Kaelik wrote:I commiserate myself for not being willing to spend $400 for Dark Souls 3, so I will have to wait until it comes out on the only device that should exist.
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Post by Maxus »

Knew I could kill the bastard!

Now I get to go exploring further. And try to get some more gear. Huzzah!
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by Shrapnel »

Maxus wrote:
Shrapnel wrote:So, is the point of these games just to die and get really frustrated with the game? Because that doesn't really fit my idea of fun.
The point is deconstructing a problem and improving. At least it is for me.

Take the boss I had been stuck on: He murdered me the first few times I tried him, but I learned his attacks and how to dodge most of them. Now I know where there's a hole in his swings and I got him down to a quarter health. If I hadn't gotten hung up on a wall when he did a frenzy, I'd have killed him because I'd found the places to stand, learned his tells so I can wallop him a few good times. So I know I can beat him.

Dark Souls 1 was a bitch, don't get me wrong, but it was a fair bitch. It fell to me to learn enemy openings and take advantage of them. The game also rewarded the fuck out of exploration. There's some blingy stuff near the beginning of the game, if you can get to it (getting to it involves running like hell a lot).

They do great atmosphere, and it's rewarding to be steamrolling enemies who used to worry you. And, I have to admit, makes other games less frustrating because you go "Nope, not as bad as Dark Souls".
That sounds fair enough. Probably still not my bag, though.
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Post by OgreBattle »

Play it like a Belmont, only use the cane in whip mode
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Post by RufusCorvus »

Having cleared three areas (Central Yharnam, Cathedral Ward, and Old Yharnam) and fighting four bosses, I can say for sure that the zones in this game are huge. There are lots of twists and turns and you'll need to backtrack because some places aren't accessible your first time through.
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Post by Maxus »

I just beat the good Father. That fight became much easier when I discovered the flat, unobstructed area of the arena. His last-ditch was still a problem, but I saved my critical hit for him, and then threw an oil urn on him and broke a molotov cocktail on his face as he pounced.

Good times.

So now I'm at the cathedral ward. And a random NPC gave me a flamethrower, thus becoming my favorite NPC.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by RufusCorvus »

I missed the free flamethrower. I am sad. :sad:

I just finished the Charnel Lane area. The boss there is my favorite so far. It's a nice change of pace from the usual slugfest.
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Post by Maxus »

RufusCorvus wrote:I missed the free flamethrower. I am sad. :sad:
Here's how
Window right in front of the Central Yharnam lantern. Like, right in front of it. Talk to the dude in there a couple of times.
Last edited by Maxus on Sat Mar 28, 2015 2:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by RufusCorvus »

Maxus wrote:
RufusCorvus wrote:I missed the free flamethrower. I am sad. :sad:
Here's how
Window right in front of the Central Yharnam lantern. Like, right in front of it. Talk to the dude in there a couple of times.
Wow. How the hell did I miss this window the whole damn time? I've passed by I don't know how many times and never noticed the red lamp.
Either I'm running into a glitch or already missed my opportunity to get it because all he's doing now when I talk to him is cough. Oh well. I noticed a sidearm called the Flamesprayer for sale now in Hunter's Dream. I'm guessing that's the same item.
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Post by Maxus »

RufusCorvus wrote:
Maxus wrote:
RufusCorvus wrote:I missed the free flamethrower. I am sad. :sad:
Here's how
Window right in front of the Central Yharnam lantern. Like, right in front of it. Talk to the dude in there a couple of times.
Wow. How the hell did I miss this window the whole damn time? I've passed by I don't know how many times and never noticed the red lamp.
Either I'm running into a glitch or already missed my opportunity to get it because all he's doing now when I talk to him is cough. Oh well. I noticed a sidearm called the Flamesprayer for sale now in Hunter's Dream. I'm guessing that's the same item.
That's the one.
I talked to him after I beat Gascoigne, I believe. Had to talk a couple of times, he takes a shine to you as a fellow outsider
In other news, I accidentally provoked my first giant in the cathedral.
I'd avoided provoking the one who plods up and down the steep road, and then found that terrace with the crows and all the bloodshards. I see him from behind, thought he was a troll in a pimpcape, and I doubt not my ability to slay a troll. So I wound up a full charge attack into his back.

Then he stood up. And kept standing up. It was touch and go until I recovered my surprise, but I did win that round.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by Prak »

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Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
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Post by Maxus »

Beat my third boss (in the Cathedral).

Now the environment has changed. Shit seems to be getting Lovecraftian.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by Maxus »

Six bosses in and I seem to be running out of places to explore. Sort of.

I need to go down a path in Cathedral Ward, I think, but I've been through Central Yharnam, Old Yharnam the Cathedral Ward, Henwick, and poked through this place called the Hypogean Gaol.

I am pleased with my progress as far as actual combat goes. It'd be interesting to play dark souls and see how I do now.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by RufusCorvus »

Maxus wrote:Six bosses in and I seem to be running out of places to explore. Sort of.

I need to go down a path in Cathedral Ward, I think, but I've been through Central Yharnam, Old Yharnam the Cathedral Ward, Henwick, and poked through this place called the Hypogean Gaol.

I am pleased with my progress as far as actual combat goes. It'd be interesting to play dark souls and see how I do now.
Since you've beaten Vicar Amelia, you can access the way to Byrgenwerth. That's the critical path, as far as I can tell. It's off to the side of the big open graveyard with the two giants in white.

You might also want to poke around outside the Hypogean Gaol. You can find the Tonitrus there. It's basically an electrified mace. It seems pretty neat, but also has the most limited moveset of all the weapons I've seen. The alternate form is pretty much just applying Bolt Paper for free.

If you haven't already, check in with some of the doors in Central Yharnam again to get a key and then take the route opposite the road to Hemwick.

Also, check back in Oedon Chapel (again, if you haven't already). The door off to the right opens up after beating the Blood-starved Beast.

That's about where I'm at now. Eight(ish) bosses down, not counting the Chalice Dungeons. I think I'm nearing the endgame (based on some things that happen to the environment, similar to the sky darkening post-Amelia), but I could be overlooking something.
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Post by Maxus »

I've already been all over the Workshop tower, got the Tonitrus, got the Comb and the Umbilical cord...Currently in the Forbidden woods where I may not get back 101k souls.

But thanks to a grindfest/intense practice session in Hypogeon Gaol, I'm level 82 (I believe). I wanted to get me some weapon upgrades. And boy do I have 'em now.

I don't think I'll level up much unless I just decide I want to switch to a weapon or something
Last edited by Maxus on Wed Apr 01, 2015 5:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Post by RufusCorvus »

Maxus wrote:I've already been all over the Workshop tower, got the Tonitrus, got the Comb and the Umbilical cord...
Okay. If you've also got the Tonsil Stone (from any door in Central Yharnam) you can access the Nightmare Frontier. Other than that it sounds like all that's left is going to Byrgenwerth.

I'm also kind of curious how experience with Bloodborne will affect a replay of Dark Souls. I wonder if the more aggressive playstyle will rub off. I suppose I could give it run. I'm still technically in the middle of a Dark Souls SL1 playthrough (only Gwyn, Manus, Kalameet, Priscilla, and Gwyndolin are left).

Edit: I see you're already on the way to Byrgenwerth. Yeah. Other than the Nightmare Frontier and Chalice Dungeons, I don't think there's anywhere else to go.

Also, you're way higher level than me. I think I'm sitting at about SL60. Most of my souls blood echoes have gone to purchases and weapon upgrades. And more than a few have been totally lost. The most I remember is 50k.

Everyone was talking up the holy blade and kirkhammer, but I've been kind of disappointed with them. Maybe I've just gotten too used to the axe.
Last edited by RufusCorvus on Wed Apr 01, 2015 5:55 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Maxus »

The holy blade is stronger than my cane, but not twice as strong as my cane. And the cane...I can attack six or seven times in a row, to the two or three with the greatsword.

So I out-DPS the sword and cane with flurries of small hits--and I still have the stamina and time to disengage and get the fuck out if a retaliation is coming.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.

--The horror of Mario

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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