The Old Hunters · 2:35am Dec 17th, 2015
Just a few hours ago, I completed the Old Hunters DLC for Bloodborne by shamefully plinking Laurence, the First Vicar, to death with my Blacksky Orb. I'd have preferred to end the fight with a jumping overhead with my moonlight greatsword, but that damn second phase just turns him into a flaming bulldozer that crunches you up if you get in there.
I have to admit that the additional lore in the DLC might fuck with my casting and narrative for Undone by the Blood, but I see that as one more challenge that those delightful scamps from Fromsoft have decided to throw my way.
Spoilers ahead.
Favorite boss - Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower
She's the easiest of the DLC bosses. I'm not going to contest that, but I've never picked my favorite bosses by how harrowing the fight is. I like the hunter vs hunter aspect. I like her design; strongly reminiscent of Lord's Blade Ciaran. Hell, this should have been how you fought Ciaran in Dark Souls. The arena you fight her in is both simple and elegant, the music is the best of the lot, rivaled only by Gehrman's. That outfit too; a fusion of Cainhurst and Hunter's Workshop aesthetics.
Honorable mention for Ludwig the Accursed/the Holy Blade for several things. First, for being a really tough beefgate for the rest of the DLC. Second, for dropping the Moonlight Greatsword, which works very well with my mundane build hunter. Third, for kicking DSP's ass 61 times, forcing the King of Scrubs to ragequit the DLC without ever beating a single boss in it.
Least favorite boss - the Living Failures
Not that they suck. They're just the most "ehh" of the five. Getting gangbanged by deflated Celestial Emissaries didn't quite pump me up like the other bosses.
Hardest - Orphan of Kos
Fuck this boss. He bludgeoned me over and over with his yoyo dragon tooth. He made me farm blood vials the first time in a long, long time. I had to take a break to cool off and think about my life because of the building frustration. What a moment of triumph when I finally cut him down. Upside is that I get the Kos Parasite off him. Combined with the Milkweed Rune, I can become the tickle monster. Makes me want to build a pure arcane build just for it.
The areas
The areas are all gorgeous; the distorted Oedon Cathedral, the horrific, tick-infested river of blood flowing from the true headquarters of the Healing Church, the Research Halls, my favorite zone being a fusion of the Tower of Latria and the Duke's Archives, takes "creepy hospital/asylum to another level. The patients in there...shudder inducing indeed. Then, the eerie fishing hamlet to the hauntingly, bleakly beautiful shore of a seemingly endless sea.
Love the various weapons. It's nice that they rounded out their arsenal to make arcane builds more viable. I like the transforming covenant runes. Overall, a great DLC worth every penny.
I actually am very glad now that I randomly decided to up my Arcane stat to 25. Moonlight Greatsword is boss, but the buff to the Beast Claws is so awesome. The jumping attack gives you a few i-frames, which is a blessing. It also lets you stun lock, even bosses like Orphan and Lady Maria. Plus the beast roar lets you clear the air.
I have to say that Orphan of Kos was my favorite. Just because of how aggressive he gets. It's what I love about the game over Dark Souls: there isn;t a lot of time for strategy or defense. You have to go in charging, slashing and cutting wildly. Very poetic, what with the tales of hunters god drunk with blood. That said, I am still so fucking stoked for DS3.
Oh, and fuck Laurence. Just... just fuck him. I spent more time trying to beat him than any other boss, even Amygdala. He's just a fucking tank! I'm at 50 strength, using a damn fully upgraded Kirkhammer, and I'm just plink-plink-plinking away.
Let me be frank for a moment, I love the stake driver to death. But I had no idea that all I wanted in a weapon was the Whirligig Saw. Despite it's noticeable short comings, there is something unspeakably satisfying about using a giant pizza cutter to slay ancient gods and beasts alike.
I'm probably preaching to the choir at this point, but overall it was some really solid DLC. Good tunes, neat environments, and more of the game play I fell in love with.
I'm still only as far as the river of blood right now. No online connection for my PS4 sadly means I have a lot less experience than I should by this point in fighting hunters, so right now I'm in the gitting gud phase. Oh, but I do so look forward to Ludwig. How could I not? After all, I had such fun fighting Logarius thirty times.