LogFAQs > #931059842

LeonhartFour posted...

What do I need to know about Bloodborne before I play it? I probably won't start it until tonight, so I just need to have an idea of what I'm in for here.

Think of it like an Action game with RPG Elements.

As you kill things you get "souls" this is both your main currency as well as EXP. You can use it to buy items or spend it to level up. When you die (and you will die often, it's just the way of the game, both from learning the game and just... place is dangerous) any unspent souls you have are dropped. When you respawn, if you can make it to the spot where you died approximately, you can regain the souls you dropped by picking it up (you'll see a shining bloodstain, that's it) if you die before that they're gone for good (or more properly, your new death overwrites that old one, only one of those bloodstains can be active at a time.) Don't get too hung up on this. Yeah, it sucks, but it's another things that's gonna happen on occasion (and probably more often in the start.) You can mitigate this by spending them so you're not carrying around a ton at once.

As for weapons and levelling. At the very beginning of the game you're gonna die quickly (it's not scripted but you're unarmed and while it's possible to fight through it all don't expect that!) and spawn in the central hub of the game where the shops and level-up stuff is. The first visit there will be these weird skeleton dudes on the stairs offering up weapons. There's 3 and you get to pick one for free (you cna buy the others later.) This'll be your starter weapon. Personally, I picked the Threaded Cane (it's a cane... that can transform into a whipsword) but just pick whatever - each weapon has stat requirements listed in either Strength, Skill, Bloodtinge (guns), or Arcane (magic) as long as you meet them for a weapon you can use it.

You technically can't level-up immediately. You need to gain what's called Insight first. You get one automatically by stumbling into a boss, and there's also some consumable items scattered throughout the first area that grant it on use. Insight doesn't go away when you die so don't worry. Once you have it a new NPC is added to the hub who levels you up in exchange for souls. In the early going I'd recommend Vitality (for more health) and/or Strength/Skill (ideally focus on one that matches the weapon you're using but don't worry too much about this imhotbqh)

As for exploration. It's usually fairly linear though it may not always seem like it, but you can unlock shortcuts to make traversal easier like unlocking doors from the other side or elevators.

Basic primer on weapons - each weapon has two forms. Standard and "Trick" you can switch between them with L1. It basically changes the weapon up and gives it a different moveset or hitbox, etc. Like the Threaded Cane going from a Cane to a Whipsword. R1 is your normal attack in both and R2 is usually a charged power attack. You're also gonna have a gun. At the start, don't rally use this for damage dealing, instead, if you time it to hit an enemy in their attack animation you can interrupt it and stun them. If done correctly they kneel down and you can approach them from the front and hit R1 for a big attack. You can do something similar if you sneak up on one and backstab them with a charged R2 followed by R1 after they kneel.

I know I wrote a lot here and it might seem overwhelming but really it's trial by experience IMO. You'll die a lot and hopefully learn a lot from each life.

also dodging is op. you get some nice invincibility frames and can like dodge right into attacks unharmed if you're good enough so don't be afraid to try it.
---

xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?