Status Update: Bloodborne So Far. · 9:22pm Apr 11th, 2015
Need to let the PS4 cool off while I eat lunch, so here's the status so far.
Cleric Beast: Dead, took ten tries.
Father Gascoigne: Dead. First try. Yes, really.
I will admit, it took me some time to get used to this game. This is not like Dark Souls 1 or 2. It is more like a more intense version of the original Demon Souls, in that you have to work, and work hard, just to get the ability to level up. Enemies are not afraid to mob you, and without a good crowd control option, you may easily get killed.
Anyways, here's some tips for first time players.
1. First off, when given your choice of weapons, either get the Threaded Cane or the Hunter's Axe. The Saw Cleaver didn't work very well for me. My personal preference in the Threaded Cane: It's Trick Mode allows for great crowd control, letting you hit multiple foes in a wide area, and allows a little distance between you and your enemies. In addition, it's Trick Mode can hit the Cleric Beast's face better than other weapons, allowing you to stun him and set him up for a Visceral Attack. The Hunter's Axe is more versatile, but can take some getting used to.
2. BEWARE OF LARGE ENEMIES! I cannot stress this enough: Anything larger than the standard rank and file will be beyond you until you've leveled up a bit and upgraded your weapons. In particular, the Armored Fatty with the axe will wreck you. You can, potentially, use Visceral attacks to take that one, and other giants, down, but it is risky. There is only one giant you have to fight in order to reach the Cleric Beast, and a couple of molotovs will do the job, coupled with a gunshot. The one pounding at the gates can also be dropped that way. Anyone else, try and avoid them until you have some power in your possession.
3. When you first face the Cleric Beast, be prepared to die. However, if he is the first boss you face, you will get the one point of Insight needed to unlock leveling up. When you return to fight him afterwards, be sure you've upgraded your main weapon at least once, and have a full compliment of Blood Potions (20), Silver Bullets (20), and Molotovs (10). Aim for the face with the bullets, and the body with the molotovs: His head is too mobile to hit reliably with thrown items, and he tends to dip his head down a lot, so a thrown molotov at the body may hit his face anyways. You can set up three Visceral Attacks by damaging his head, but after that, he won't stagger anymore. He does seem to go blind, though, so you may have an easier time of it. However, the Cleric Beast is somewhat optional at the start, so if he proves too tough for you, you can bypass him and move on through the sewers. Get that one point of Insight, first, though. You. Will. Need. It.
4. Guns are made for staggering, mostly, not for damage, at least until you get a powerful gun. The Blunderbuss is a good choice, but the Hunter Pistol is good for precision quick shots and is more accurate. Either way, shoot an enemy at the right moment at the start of an attack, and he will stagger. Visceral Attack, and then be ready. Some enemies get back up. Armored Fatty requires two in order to kill him, and his defense is too high for regular attacks to be reliable. If he kills you and ends up boosted by your blood, he will be even worse.
5. Starting up, I recommend the Lone Survivor background: The backgrounds that boost strength and skill won't have a real impact on the early game (Your weapon adjustment is too low at the start to do more than add about five points of damage at the start), but the boost the health will make it a lot more likely you'll survive long enough to reach the Cleric Beast with a minimum of frustration. Any build I can think of requires a moderate amount of health anyways, so nothing is lost.
6. Look high and low for shortcuts. I found one at the fountain area where the ogre is pounding at the door that allowed me to bypass several enemy mobs and the two darkbeasts, so I only had to deal with one ogre before reaching the Cleric beast. Lamps, the Bonfires of this game, are mostly found only after defeating bosses, so you had best find a shortcut before you trigger the boss fight, or you may have a long, long walk back to fight your enemy again. Explore, explore, explore.
7. Weapon upgrading is a lot easier this time around, although finding the runes that you can add to items is tricky: I've only found one, and it was on the Armored Fatty (Rare Drop, hasn't happened again). There's only one item needed for base upgrades, and they're not rare. Runes are, but they're icing on the proverbial cake: Base Damage and Adjustments rely on Bloodstones only, and I've only found one kind of bloodstone so far. Don't be afraid to farm bloodstones, and then test out different weapons once you've got some levels under you, to find out which one fits your style and your build.
8. Pebbles are your friend. They are your best friend. Ever. Forever. They're the friend who would gladly hook you up with his incredibly hot sister, and tell you everything you need to know so that you'll have a chance of getting into bed with her. Pebbles are cool like that. Use pebbles to draw single enemies away from mobs, and take them out, one by one. Pebbles are cheap, available as soon as the shop is, and and will always aggro only one enemy at a time. Love the pebbles. Love them always.
9. Stop, look and listen. A lot of deaths can be avoided if you go slow, take in your surroundings, and use strategy. I defeated a gigantic boar by using a ladder just before it's area, climbed up, took a circuitous route around so that I ended up behind it, then used a charged strong attack to stagger it, then followed with a Visceral Attack. One quick hit as he's rising, and done. This game rewards aggression in combat with the life regain system, but strategy will always help even the odds and keep you from getting hit in the first place.
10. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF DYING!!! I cannot stress this last one enough. You will die, and die often. Don't let it bother you: Until you unlock leveling up with one point of Insight, your blood echoes can only buy consumables, and upgrade and repair items. Until you gain the ability to level up, your blood echoes are useless for anything else. So, take your time, work your way to the Cleric Beast, or if you feel adventurous, go into the sewers and find a madman's skull or fight Father G. Either way, be prepared to die, and die a lot. There's no grand total for souls gains like there was in Dark Souls 2, so the only thing that will impact your level for multiplayer is your actual level.
Or you can be awesome. I seriously play this game like this:
And before you ask, yes, the playthroughs end exactly like that. With me dieing horrifyingly.
I should put this on my gamefly list
Cane is basically hard mode. The fatties with the brick are cake with the Axe as the charge attack for the double-spin are enough to knock them down on impact, and nearly one-shot them even if both swings connect.
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If you dont want to face the cleric beast to start leveling up, no death runs lol, there is a madmans knowledge in the sewers where all the rats are to start you out.
2973067 On the other hand, they make you into a pimp.
Pimp Cane is Pimp.
Funny thing, I didn't know about the weapons you get in the dream until a good hour in, so I was killing mobs ever so slowly with unarmed attacks. Managed to get about ten enemies that way
Alternatively, to kill the gigantic boar in the sewer, you can take the circuitous path to go around and behind it, and then jam your WHOLE fist in its anus to take away about 3/4 of it's health.