There are some out there who, like me, are playing a certain game called Bloodborne right now. I am currently in the process of reviewing the game, but I just thought I give a few tips for some of the newbies who are thinking about getting the game or that already have and not sure where to begin. These are 5 tips that can even help those who have played Demon and Dark Souls.
Character Creation
I want to start off with character creation. Why? Well it is what starts the game and will probably make things either difficult or a bit easier (if you want to call it that) to get through the game.
If you are new to the any of the Souls games or you just want to take things a bit slow at first I recommend starting with the Lone Survivor class. This class comes in handy with its high Vitality stat and decent endurance. The high vitality comes in handy because when the game starts it throws you into the deep end. The enemies hit and they hit fast and hard. The extra vitality does help. Endurance wise, you can hit enemies a good three to four times with the axe or about five to six hits with the threaded cane. If you want higher endurance though and don’t mind taking a loss in vitality, you would need to go with the Troubled Childhood class, though I really don’t recommend it.
For those who want an extreme challenge on the bat, go with the Waste of Skin class. This class provides you with the least amount of blood echoes to purchase things (you only get 10 compared to the 420 in Lone Survivor) and your stats are all lower than other classes. You do though have the stats equaled out, so you will be able to be a more of a jack of all trades (or at least try), but think of this class more in line with the Deprived class from Dark Souls.
Weapon Choices
After character creation and you die your first time (it is unavoidable) you will find yourself at the hub world, The Hunter’s Dream. Here you will be able to choose what kind of weapons to use and you will also get a notebook. The notebook lets you write messages in the world for other players to see. What is more important though is the choosing of the weapons. You will get to choose your gun and your melee weapon.
When looking at melee weapons you only have three options: the saw cleaver, the hunter’s axe, and the threaded cane. The weapons you don’t choose can be purchased at a later time in the game, so it isn’t much of a big deal. The popular choice, and my recommendation, is to go with the hunter’s axe. This one-handed axe turns into a two-handed axe with the push of a button. The two handed axe does an insane amount of damage early on and helps with the first boss, the Cleric Beast (or Father Cascoigne depending on your path).
The threaded cane is also another decent choice since it really is a combo weapon in its regular form. You can hit an enemy a good five to six times in a row till you deplete your stamina. Like the hunter’s axe you can transform the cane into a whip with the push of a button. The whip doesn’t do much damage but it does keep some distance from the enemies if you are afraid to get too close and personal.
After picking a melee weapon, you get to choose your firearm. There are only two choices: the hunter’s blunderbuss or the hunter’s pistol. What you choose really doesn’t matter much in terms of damage since they are like your shields, but what matters is the area of affect they have. The blunderbuss is like a shotgun; it has a wide spray so you can stun a few enemies at once in tight courters unlike the pistol, which only hits one enemy at a time. It is highly recommended you go with the blunderbuss your first time around.
Now that you chosen your weapons, don’t fret if they don’t work out. You can go back to the Hunter’s Dream and buy any of the other starting weapons pretty cheap. It is now back off into the world and fight some beasts.
Farm and Explore
When you are playing the game, it is recommended you go out there and explore. You should also be farming for particular items. Unlike the Souls games, you can only carry 20 healing potions and 20 quicksilver bullets for your gun. Healing potions are consumables this time around so they don’t replenish unless you farm or buy them. It is best to farm and purchase to stock up early on these items early so you don’t have to grind as much later on.
That goes with exploring. Bloodborne has a similar feature as the Souls games: a bonfire (they are called lanterns this time around). Unlike the Souls games, they are far and few between. You also cannot warp between them. Exploring the areas though allow you to open shortcuts to the lanterns so you don’t always have to fight a ton of enemies to get back to the area you died at. There is usually a good shortcut to the boss far into the level so keep an eye out.
Once you accept farming and exploring, you will be more at ease.
The Hunter’s Dream
Spoken about earlier when talking about choosing your weapons, the Hunter’s Dream is the most integral part of your experience in Bloodborne. It is the only place you can repair and upgrade your weapons, purchase weapons and other items such as blood vials (as far as I can tell), and most importantly it is the only place you can level up. You can also access the Chalice Dungeons in the Hunter’s Dream as well.
The Hunter’s Dream is like the Nexus in Demon Souls. It is your hub world where you can warp to any of the lanterns you came across. So if you are in Old Yharnam but need to get to Central Yharnam, you can warp back to the Hunter’s Dream and warp to that location. At the moment the load times are atrocious, but it is worth it for some location hopping.
When at the Hunter’s Dream, do not attack the doll. The doll is your key to leveling up. She also provides some hints as to what to do next. If you kill her, say goodbye to leveling up. Speaking of leveling up…
Leveling Up
It takes a lot more currency to level than previous Souls games in Bloodborne. You can farm for echoes or just save them as you progress. The downside is that if you spend so much on leveling up, you won’t have much to purchase weapon upgrades and repairs, as well as items from the vendor.
There are times leveling up is a must, but when you do, focus only on certain stats. Bloodtinge and Arcane for example only dictate what kind of weapons and items you use. It is wise to put a point or two into them once in a while, but focus elsewhere. I recommend you focus on Vitality, Endurance, Skill, and Strength early on. For level 30 Lone Survivor I recommend:
-18 Vitality
-16 Endurance
-12 Strength
-20 Skill
-7 Bloodtinge
-7 Arcane
This build gives you a certain advantage early on with vitality and endurance. You don’t need to follow this, but it is a suggestion. It is ok to experiment and have fun.
There you have it: 5 tips to help you get started with Bloodborne. Take these tips as you will. Hopefully they help you on your way to conquer Yharnam.
