Hello all! I wanted to write a ongoing version of what I think is the story of Bloodborne. Of course, everything is up to conjecture as this story is anything but straightforward. I hope you enjoy.
The Hunter's Mark:
When we receive our first transfusion and finalize our contract, we awaken to the sight of messengers crawling up our body. This is when we receive our Hunter's Mark; the symbol of our, mostly unwilling, contract. This contract allows our consciousness to take corporeal form and be resurrected after death in exchange for Blood Echoes, which are the memories of the people we have slain. If not spent on reanimating our consciousness, we may use them to "embolden our sickly spirit" or gain wisdom from the deceased's memories and thus become stronger.
The Great Ones:
The most simple way to describe the Great Ones are as very mortal gods. They do not seem to be empowered by prayer nor are they unique. There are definitely "lesser" Great Ones as evidenced by Rom, who was human and is Vacuous, and the Lesser Amygdalas, who seem to be less powerful versions of Amygdala. They do exist in different dimensions and are capable of creating a "Dream" or a "Nightmare"; however, the Dreams and Nightmares can continue to exist even after their death. The Great Ones do not seem to show any particular malice towards humans, although they can be hostile towards each other, as shown by the Moon Presence wanting Mergo dead. Great Ones are also incapable of breeding and carrying a Great One child to term and must employ the use of a surrogate, most typically a person who has special blood (Arianna, Queen Annalise, and Queen Yharnam), with the exception being Iosefka.
The Hunter's Dream:
The Hunter's Dream acts as a dimensional crossroads between the many different locations in the game. Each Lamp, facilitated by the messengers, acts as an intersections between the Dream and a location in the Waking World. Within the Hunter's Dream, there are two main people with whom you can speak. The first is the Doll, who becomes animated after we gain one Insight, implying a strong connection with the Great Ones. The second is Gehrman: the Dream's unwilling caretaker and also the first hunter. Both can be interacted with, but the Doll is the only one to give special dialogue after events in the Waking World or when given special items.
The Doll:
There are two dolls in Bloodborne: the first is the Doll in the Abandoned Old Workshop, and the second is the one in the Hunter's Dream. The first doll is the original one built by Gherman in memory of his student, Lady Maria. It is inanimate. The second doll looks the same as the first one, except she has been animated by the power of a Great One. She seems to be aware of what happens outside of the Dream, especially in the case of Maria. But more on her later.
Pthumerian Society:
Initially, the world of Bloodborne was relegated to just the civilization of the Pthumerians, who dwelt underground in a series of labyrinths. They tasked themselves with taking care of the slumbering Great Ones down below, one of which, Oedon, impregnated their Queen. Eventually, the Great Ones ascended leaving behind only Ebrietas and she would become the test subject of the Pthumerians' blood ministration. Yharnam, the Pthumerian Queen, upon hearing of the blood ministration, tried to stop it, but it was too late to escape the beastly scourge. Those who had ministered the blood and survived revolted against the Queen and imprisoned her deep inside the labyrinth.
Byrgenwerth:
Many years prior to the height of Byrgenwerth's success, Willem worked on a series of experiments that lead to his sister, Rom's, partial ascension with the help of the Great One, Kos. This became Byrgenwerth's success story and drew in the multitudes of students that would fuel its research. Eventually
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
Milkweed
Milkweed:
Description:
"A Caryll Rune envisioned by Adeline, patient of the Research Hall.
A translation of the inhuman, sticky whispers that reveal the nature of a celestial attendant. Those who swear this oath become a Lumenwood that peers towards the sky, feeding phantasms in its luscious bed. Phantasms guide us and lead us to further discoveries."
Information:
Rune associated with the Lumenwoods and Saint Adeline. One of the two runes that changes the physical appearance of the user. Gained by completing Adeline's questline.
Usage:
-Changes the physical appearance of the user when equipped to resemble Lumenwood or cauliflower.
-When the Kos Parasite is equipped, it changes it's moveset and changes how the hunter moves. The Kos Parasite can only be fully utilized when equipped with this rune.
-Reduces fall damage and increases discovery.
Special Notes:
The rune might be based of H.P. Lovecraft's initials.
"A Caryll Rune envisioned by Adeline, patient of the Research Hall.
A translation of the inhuman, sticky whispers that reveal the nature of a celestial attendant. Those who swear this oath become a Lumenwood that peers towards the sky, feeding phantasms in its luscious bed. Phantasms guide us and lead us to further discoveries."
Information:
Rune associated with the Lumenwoods and Saint Adeline. One of the two runes that changes the physical appearance of the user. Gained by completing Adeline's questline.
Usage:
-Changes the physical appearance of the user when equipped to resemble Lumenwood or cauliflower.
-When the Kos Parasite is equipped, it changes it's moveset and changes how the hunter moves. The Kos Parasite can only be fully utilized when equipped with this rune.
-Reduces fall damage and increases discovery.
Special Notes:
The rune might be based of H.P. Lovecraft's initials.
Beast's Embrace
Beast's Embrace:
Description:
"After the repeated experiments in controlling the scourge of beasts, the gentle "Embrace" rune was discovered.
When its implementation failed, the "Embrace" became a forbidden rune, but this knowledge became a foundation of the Healing Church. Those who swear this oath take on a ghastly form and enjoy accentuated transformation effects, especially while wielding a beast weapon."
Information:
Rune associated with Beast hunters, specifically Beast Claw users. One of two runes that change physical appearance. Gained by defeating Laurence, the First Vicar.
Usage:
-Changes the physical appearance when equipped to that of a beast that resembles a mixture of the Abhorrent Beast and a Cleric Beast.
-When Beast Claws are equipped, it changes the moveset significantly and changes how the hunter moves. A Beasthood meter appears even without the use of Beast Blood Pellets.
Special Notes:
Increased damage against beasts doesn't effect the damage done to a Beast's Embrace user.
"After the repeated experiments in controlling the scourge of beasts, the gentle "Embrace" rune was discovered.
When its implementation failed, the "Embrace" became a forbidden rune, but this knowledge became a foundation of the Healing Church. Those who swear this oath take on a ghastly form and enjoy accentuated transformation effects, especially while wielding a beast weapon."
Information:
Rune associated with Beast hunters, specifically Beast Claw users. One of two runes that change physical appearance. Gained by defeating Laurence, the First Vicar.
Usage:
-Changes the physical appearance when equipped to that of a beast that resembles a mixture of the Abhorrent Beast and a Cleric Beast.
-When Beast Claws are equipped, it changes the moveset significantly and changes how the hunter moves. A Beasthood meter appears even without the use of Beast Blood Pellets.
Special Notes:
Increased damage against beasts doesn't effect the damage done to a Beast's Embrace user.
Beginner's Tips for Bloodborne (Spoiler Free)
Beginner's Tips for Bloodborne (Spoiler Free):
Hello Hunter! Welcome to the dark, twisted world that is Bloodborne! If you are a Soulsborne newbie or are playing the game blind this is a list of general tips to follow and things to practice on. No spoilers here (although the rest of the blog certainly is).
To preface, this game rewards aggressive gameplay as it is incredibly fast-paced. For Dark Souls veterans it will be a bit of a change to play style and the different mechanics definitely reflect it. To begin, I will start with the basic game mechanics that are good to be aware.
-Dodging: There is no armor or shield to protect you (it is called Fashionborne for a reason as much of the garb you acquire will only give you a slight advantage over a certain type of damage). This makes dodging one of the most important things to master in this game. The beginning of a dodge or roll grants you temporary invincibility (known as i-frames), but be wary as a mistimed dodge will cause the attack to do more damage than normal so learning the timings of attacks will save you. Note that when locked on you will side step and when unlocked you will roll. Also learn to dodge to the side or towards whatever is attacking you. It seems counter-intuitive but dodging back usually puts you right under the attack with the additional damage inflicted from messing up a dodge.
-Locking On: This mechanic can be detrimental or helpful depending on your situation. In the majority of situations the lock on can be incredibly helpful for a newbie. Be wary that the camera can go haywire and you may need to lock off. Also note that you can switch between the enemies that are locked by moving the right joystick. In order to throw items successfully, you need to be locked on. One more thing to note: if you can't lock on to something it is one of the few friendly things in the game.
-Blood Echoes: This is the in-game currency gained from killing enemies or using certain consumables. It can be spent on leveling or on consumables from the bath messengers. These can be lost by being killed, and you are given one chance to return to the place you died and regain your echoes. If you have fallen, it will be at the place you fell from in the form of a glowing pool of blood. If you were killed by an enemy, it can either be a pool of blood or it can be "picked up" by an enemy, in which case you have to kill that enemy in order to get them back, characterized by glowing purple eyes.
-Rally: When hit with an attack, the HP bar will register a portion of your HP turning orange. This orange line will disappear after a short period of time (the more damage the more time the orange bar is up). As long as that orange bar is up, if you attack something you will regain a portion of health (dependent on the type of weapon and attack you use). Keep in mind that transform attacks have the highest rally potential. Also note that if you kill an enemy, if you keep attacking them there are a few seconds after their death that you can regain HP.
-Visceral Attacks: This is similar to the parry mechanic in Dark Souls (for those who have played). There are two ways to complete a visceral attack: shooting an opponent as they windup for an attack, and backstabbing them with a fully charged R2. If the attack was successful, the enemy will fall to one knee and a sound cue will play. If you parried with your gun go up to the enemy's front and hit R1. If you backstabbed go up to their back and R1. Be wary that some enemies can't be parried and that if you are on an incline the R1 might not register as a visceral attack (typically you should be fine, but occasionally it might not work and be prepared to back away). During the visceral attack animation you are invincible.
-Consumables: You will pick up many things while playing Bloodborne. Be aware that everything you pick up is useful in some way and will help you then or later so do not sell them. All consumables can be equipped through the options button or the quick options button. The options quick select is preferable as the item is always displayed on the upper left screen and you can easily scroll through them during battle.
-Starting Class: I suggest starting out as one of the first two starting classes listed; either Milquetoast or Lone Survivor is a good place to start for a beginner. They both have high vitality and are good starting places for a Quality build (see below). If you are a beginner do not start as a Waste of Skin. It has the lowest attributes of all the classes and will make the beginning much, much harder.
-Blood Level: Activated after you gain your first Insight (from boss arenas, entering new areas, or certain consumables), you will be able to level up attributes in the Hunter's Dream. These dictate how much damage, vitality, and stamina you have at your disposal. The various attributes impact different things as follows: Vitality effects how much HP you have, Stamina effects how much you can attack, dodge, or run, Strength effects heavy attacks first and then general damage output, Skill also effects damage output and visceral attacks, Bloodtinge effects how much damage your gun does, and Arcane effects spells and elemental damage. For the beginner, the best points to invest in would just be vitality, stamina, strength, and skill (also known as a Quality build) as this will give you the most versatility in weapons coupled with substantial damage output. The other attributes are quite a bit more nuanced as well as making it more difficult for early stage gameplay.
-Starting Weapons: There are three options for a starting weapon which all have different strengths. In my opinion, the best all around starting weapon is the Saw Cleaver (Strength weapon). This weapon is the middle ground of the two other options. It is fairly quick but still has pretty good damage output. It does extra damage against beast type enemies and has decent crowd control transformed. The second weapon is a much heavier weapon, the Hunter's Ax (Strength weapon). It hits the hardest of the three and has the highest rally potential (easier to gain back health). It is also the slowest, but counter acts that with the high damage output and reach. The third weapon is the Threaded Cane (or Pimp Cane as it has affectionately been dubbed) which switches between a bladed cane and a whip and is the fastest of the starting weapons. While having low damage output and a short reach in the cane form the whip form has incredible reach and extra damage against beast type enemies. The Threaded Cane is probably the hardest weapon to start with and it is the only Skill weapon among the starting weapon.
-Weapons at Large: The other weapons you will find will have a few things that determine whether or not they are viable. In the weapons menu, scrolling over a weapon will reveal a bunch of stats. To consider viable weapons, the only ones you need to note are at the bottom where it says "Attribute Bonus" and "Attribute Requirement". Starting with Attribute Requirement, if the weapon is darkened out it means you do not yet have the requirements to wield the weapon. The Attribute Bonus determines how well the investment in certain attributes will effect damage output. S is the highest rank followed by A and going all the way down to E. If a weapon has an S scaling in strength, the more you invest in strength the more damage the weapon will do. The damage gained from investing in strength will also be much greater than a weapon that only has a C scaling. Depending on how you play, different weapons will not aid you at all and can be ignored, such as if you are only investing in strength it would not make sense to invest in the Threaded Cane.
-Firearms: There are two guns available for use as starting weapons: the Hunter's Blunderbuss and the Hunter's Pistol. In my opinion, the Hunter Blunderbuss is the superior choice for a beginner as it is great for crowd control and knocks back enemies a fair distance. The Hunter Pistol does more damage and has more range but only stops an enemy if you score a visceral attack.
-Fortifying Weapons: This is done in the workshop in the Hunter's Dream. It increases the attack of weapons and requires special materials and blood echoes. This is something you should continuously do to whatever weapon you plan on using. Do not waste these materials on every weapon you find as their is a finite amount, only on weapons you think you will use. Fortifying weapons also unlocks gem slots (three for weapons, just one if that for most firearms).
-Gems: These are used to increase damage or give special effects to your weapon like adding different types of damage. Some can even heal you. As you get more and more gems check back when you are in the Hunter's Dream to see if you can give your weapon more damage.
-Exploring: This is one of the most important aspects of the game. The amount of echoes, items, and just general knowledge you will get from exploring seriously outweighs the amount of trouble to go through different areas. There are clues all over the environment to help you get through the different areas. Use them. Also be wary of traps and ambushes as there are a lot of them.
-Enemies: Rushing enemies in a group is about the dumbest thing you can do. This game is punishing and will let you know it if you rush everything in sight. Learn to lure enemies away (kiting) or bottle neck them so you can deal with them one at a time. Pebbles are especially useful for this. Many enemies are also set up so that you can sneak up (sneaking = walking) for a backstab. Take advantage of this and visceral attack them from behind. Play smart.
-Summoning: After obtaining one Insight and the Summoning Bell, you will be able to summon fellow hunters or NPC's. Note that using this consumes Insight. These will not be as powerful as you if they are summoned into your world as they have diminished health. If you are summoned, be aware that you will only have a little health. Also note that summoning increases the boss' health bar by fifty percent, so using two summons will double the boss' health bar. After the boss is killed the summons in the area will disappear.
Thank you for reading! Happy Hunting!
Hello Hunter! Welcome to the dark, twisted world that is Bloodborne! If you are a Soulsborne newbie or are playing the game blind this is a list of general tips to follow and things to practice on. No spoilers here (although the rest of the blog certainly is).
To preface, this game rewards aggressive gameplay as it is incredibly fast-paced. For Dark Souls veterans it will be a bit of a change to play style and the different mechanics definitely reflect it. To begin, I will start with the basic game mechanics that are good to be aware.
-Dodging: There is no armor or shield to protect you (it is called Fashionborne for a reason as much of the garb you acquire will only give you a slight advantage over a certain type of damage). This makes dodging one of the most important things to master in this game. The beginning of a dodge or roll grants you temporary invincibility (known as i-frames), but be wary as a mistimed dodge will cause the attack to do more damage than normal so learning the timings of attacks will save you. Note that when locked on you will side step and when unlocked you will roll. Also learn to dodge to the side or towards whatever is attacking you. It seems counter-intuitive but dodging back usually puts you right under the attack with the additional damage inflicted from messing up a dodge.
-Locking On: This mechanic can be detrimental or helpful depending on your situation. In the majority of situations the lock on can be incredibly helpful for a newbie. Be wary that the camera can go haywire and you may need to lock off. Also note that you can switch between the enemies that are locked by moving the right joystick. In order to throw items successfully, you need to be locked on. One more thing to note: if you can't lock on to something it is one of the few friendly things in the game.
-Blood Echoes: This is the in-game currency gained from killing enemies or using certain consumables. It can be spent on leveling or on consumables from the bath messengers. These can be lost by being killed, and you are given one chance to return to the place you died and regain your echoes. If you have fallen, it will be at the place you fell from in the form of a glowing pool of blood. If you were killed by an enemy, it can either be a pool of blood or it can be "picked up" by an enemy, in which case you have to kill that enemy in order to get them back, characterized by glowing purple eyes.
-Rally: When hit with an attack, the HP bar will register a portion of your HP turning orange. This orange line will disappear after a short period of time (the more damage the more time the orange bar is up). As long as that orange bar is up, if you attack something you will regain a portion of health (dependent on the type of weapon and attack you use). Keep in mind that transform attacks have the highest rally potential. Also note that if you kill an enemy, if you keep attacking them there are a few seconds after their death that you can regain HP.
-Visceral Attacks: This is similar to the parry mechanic in Dark Souls (for those who have played). There are two ways to complete a visceral attack: shooting an opponent as they windup for an attack, and backstabbing them with a fully charged R2. If the attack was successful, the enemy will fall to one knee and a sound cue will play. If you parried with your gun go up to the enemy's front and hit R1. If you backstabbed go up to their back and R1. Be wary that some enemies can't be parried and that if you are on an incline the R1 might not register as a visceral attack (typically you should be fine, but occasionally it might not work and be prepared to back away). During the visceral attack animation you are invincible.
-Consumables: You will pick up many things while playing Bloodborne. Be aware that everything you pick up is useful in some way and will help you then or later so do not sell them. All consumables can be equipped through the options button or the quick options button. The options quick select is preferable as the item is always displayed on the upper left screen and you can easily scroll through them during battle.
-Starting Class: I suggest starting out as one of the first two starting classes listed; either Milquetoast or Lone Survivor is a good place to start for a beginner. They both have high vitality and are good starting places for a Quality build (see below). If you are a beginner do not start as a Waste of Skin. It has the lowest attributes of all the classes and will make the beginning much, much harder.
-Blood Level: Activated after you gain your first Insight (from boss arenas, entering new areas, or certain consumables), you will be able to level up attributes in the Hunter's Dream. These dictate how much damage, vitality, and stamina you have at your disposal. The various attributes impact different things as follows: Vitality effects how much HP you have, Stamina effects how much you can attack, dodge, or run, Strength effects heavy attacks first and then general damage output, Skill also effects damage output and visceral attacks, Bloodtinge effects how much damage your gun does, and Arcane effects spells and elemental damage. For the beginner, the best points to invest in would just be vitality, stamina, strength, and skill (also known as a Quality build) as this will give you the most versatility in weapons coupled with substantial damage output. The other attributes are quite a bit more nuanced as well as making it more difficult for early stage gameplay.
-Starting Weapons: There are three options for a starting weapon which all have different strengths. In my opinion, the best all around starting weapon is the Saw Cleaver (Strength weapon). This weapon is the middle ground of the two other options. It is fairly quick but still has pretty good damage output. It does extra damage against beast type enemies and has decent crowd control transformed. The second weapon is a much heavier weapon, the Hunter's Ax (Strength weapon). It hits the hardest of the three and has the highest rally potential (easier to gain back health). It is also the slowest, but counter acts that with the high damage output and reach. The third weapon is the Threaded Cane (or Pimp Cane as it has affectionately been dubbed) which switches between a bladed cane and a whip and is the fastest of the starting weapons. While having low damage output and a short reach in the cane form the whip form has incredible reach and extra damage against beast type enemies. The Threaded Cane is probably the hardest weapon to start with and it is the only Skill weapon among the starting weapon.
-Weapons at Large: The other weapons you will find will have a few things that determine whether or not they are viable. In the weapons menu, scrolling over a weapon will reveal a bunch of stats. To consider viable weapons, the only ones you need to note are at the bottom where it says "Attribute Bonus" and "Attribute Requirement". Starting with Attribute Requirement, if the weapon is darkened out it means you do not yet have the requirements to wield the weapon. The Attribute Bonus determines how well the investment in certain attributes will effect damage output. S is the highest rank followed by A and going all the way down to E. If a weapon has an S scaling in strength, the more you invest in strength the more damage the weapon will do. The damage gained from investing in strength will also be much greater than a weapon that only has a C scaling. Depending on how you play, different weapons will not aid you at all and can be ignored, such as if you are only investing in strength it would not make sense to invest in the Threaded Cane.
-Firearms: There are two guns available for use as starting weapons: the Hunter's Blunderbuss and the Hunter's Pistol. In my opinion, the Hunter Blunderbuss is the superior choice for a beginner as it is great for crowd control and knocks back enemies a fair distance. The Hunter Pistol does more damage and has more range but only stops an enemy if you score a visceral attack.
-Fortifying Weapons: This is done in the workshop in the Hunter's Dream. It increases the attack of weapons and requires special materials and blood echoes. This is something you should continuously do to whatever weapon you plan on using. Do not waste these materials on every weapon you find as their is a finite amount, only on weapons you think you will use. Fortifying weapons also unlocks gem slots (three for weapons, just one if that for most firearms).
-Gems: These are used to increase damage or give special effects to your weapon like adding different types of damage. Some can even heal you. As you get more and more gems check back when you are in the Hunter's Dream to see if you can give your weapon more damage.
-Exploring: This is one of the most important aspects of the game. The amount of echoes, items, and just general knowledge you will get from exploring seriously outweighs the amount of trouble to go through different areas. There are clues all over the environment to help you get through the different areas. Use them. Also be wary of traps and ambushes as there are a lot of them.
-Enemies: Rushing enemies in a group is about the dumbest thing you can do. This game is punishing and will let you know it if you rush everything in sight. Learn to lure enemies away (kiting) or bottle neck them so you can deal with them one at a time. Pebbles are especially useful for this. Many enemies are also set up so that you can sneak up (sneaking = walking) for a backstab. Take advantage of this and visceral attack them from behind. Play smart.
-Summoning: After obtaining one Insight and the Summoning Bell, you will be able to summon fellow hunters or NPC's. Note that using this consumes Insight. These will not be as powerful as you if they are summoned into your world as they have diminished health. If you are summoned, be aware that you will only have a little health. Also note that summoning increases the boss' health bar by fifty percent, so using two summons will double the boss' health bar. After the boss is killed the summons in the area will disappear.
Thank you for reading! Happy Hunting!
Blood Dreg
Blood Dreg:
Description:
"The Vilebloods of Cainhurst, blood-lusting hunters, see these frightful things in coldblood.
They often appear in the blood of echo fiends, that is to say, the blood of hunters.Queen Annalise partakes in these blood dreg offerings, so that she may one day bear a Child of Blood, the next Vileblood heir."
Special Notes: The blood dreg bears an uncanny resemblance to sperm.
Covenant Uses:
-Gives +1 in Vileblood rankings when offered to Queen Annalise.
Offline Acquisition:
-Kill Hunter NPC's with the Corruption Rune equipped.
Special Notes:
-Blood Dregs grant Insight when consumed from your inventory.
Online Acquisition:
-Kill Invaders with the Corruption Rune equipped.
"The Vilebloods of Cainhurst, blood-lusting hunters, see these frightful things in coldblood.
They often appear in the blood of echo fiends, that is to say, the blood of hunters.Queen Annalise partakes in these blood dreg offerings, so that she may one day bear a Child of Blood, the next Vileblood heir."
Special Notes: The blood dreg bears an uncanny resemblance to sperm.
Covenant Uses:
-Gives +1 in Vileblood rankings when offered to Queen Annalise.
Offline Acquisition:
-Kill Hunter NPC's with the Corruption Rune equipped.
Special Notes:
-Blood Dregs grant Insight when consumed from your inventory.
Online Acquisition:
-Kill Invaders with the Corruption Rune equipped.
Corruption
Corruption:
Description:
"A secret symbol left by Caryll, runesmith of Byrgenwerth.
Several Runes contain a nuance of "Blood," including the rune of "Corruption," associated with the oath of the corrupt.
Pledgers to this oath are Cainhurst Vilebloods, hunters of blood who find dregs for their Queen in coldblood, particularly in that of hunters.
Yet the corrupt are heretics in the eyes of the Church, and thus subject to the wrath of the Executioners."
Information:
Rune associated with the Vilebloods and Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods. Gained through kneeling to Annalise and swearing allegiance to the Vilebloods.
Usage:
-Grants continued healing near death.
-Enemy hunters (NPC's and invaders) drop blood dregs when they are killed.
"A secret symbol left by Caryll, runesmith of Byrgenwerth.
Several Runes contain a nuance of "Blood," including the rune of "Corruption," associated with the oath of the corrupt.
Pledgers to this oath are Cainhurst Vilebloods, hunters of blood who find dregs for their Queen in coldblood, particularly in that of hunters.
Yet the corrupt are heretics in the eyes of the Church, and thus subject to the wrath of the Executioners."
Information:
Rune associated with the Vilebloods and Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods. Gained through kneeling to Annalise and swearing allegiance to the Vilebloods.
Usage:
-Grants continued healing near death.
-Enemy hunters (NPC's and invaders) drop blood dregs when they are killed.
Impurity
Impurity Rune:
Description:
"A Caryll Rune that transcribes inhuman sounds. This rune, discovered inside the forbidden beast eater, came to symbolize the "Impurity", and the Oath of the League.
Confederates of the League cooperate with hunters from other worlds, and hunt to discover vermin.
Vermin writhe within filth, and are the root of man's impurity. Crush all vermin without hesitation."
Information:
Rune associated with the League, a covenant focused on Co-op, and Valtr. Obtained by speaking to Valtr and agreeing to work with him. Greatly increases the number of NPC summons available.
Usage:
-Increases HP during Co-op by 2%
-After a successful co-op session, you will gain one vermin.
"A Caryll Rune that transcribes inhuman sounds. This rune, discovered inside the forbidden beast eater, came to symbolize the "Impurity", and the Oath of the League.
Confederates of the League cooperate with hunters from other worlds, and hunt to discover vermin.
Vermin writhe within filth, and are the root of man's impurity. Crush all vermin without hesitation."
Information:
Rune associated with the League, a covenant focused on Co-op, and Valtr. Obtained by speaking to Valtr and agreeing to work with him. Greatly increases the number of NPC summons available.
Usage:
-Increases HP during Co-op by 2%
-After a successful co-op session, you will gain one vermin.
Vermin
Vermin
Description:
"A centipede-like creature discovered on successful hunts by League hunters.
Vermin, found hidden within filth, are only seen by League confederates, and are the root of man's impurity. The League has assumed the task of finding and crushing all vermin.
Perhaps there is some mercy in the madness, Those who with to see vermin can, and those who choose to are provided with boundless purpose."
Covenant Uses:
-Gives +1 rank in the League rankings.
Offline Acquisition:
-With the Impurity Rune equipped, there are three hunters in the Old Hunters DLC that drop vermin. They all respawn but they only drop the vermin once, and they all have glowing red eyes and a significantly larger health pool. The first is a Boom Hammer Hunter in the Hunter's Nightmare (located near the Beast Cutter pickup), the second is a Beasthunter's Saif Hunter to the left after the ladder past the Beastcutter Hunter and Carrion Crows, and the last is a Beastcutter Hunter hiding on top of a ledge down the stairs from the Nightmare Church Lamp (there is a Wandering Madness that runs down the stairs to lure you down, just throw some Molotovs at it).
-With the Impurity Rune equipped, you can summon Master Valtr for the Ludwig fight and if you beat Ludwig while Valtr is alive, Ludwig will drop a Vermin.
Online Acquisition:
-You will gain a vermin after a successful Co-op while having the Impurity Rune equipped.
-You might get a vermin after a successful Co-op with a Confederate.
Description:
"A centipede-like creature discovered on successful hunts by League hunters.
Vermin, found hidden within filth, are only seen by League confederates, and are the root of man's impurity. The League has assumed the task of finding and crushing all vermin.
Perhaps there is some mercy in the madness, Those who with to see vermin can, and those who choose to are provided with boundless purpose."
Covenant Uses:
-Gives +1 rank in the League rankings.
Offline Acquisition:
-With the Impurity Rune equipped, there are three hunters in the Old Hunters DLC that drop vermin. They all respawn but they only drop the vermin once, and they all have glowing red eyes and a significantly larger health pool. The first is a Boom Hammer Hunter in the Hunter's Nightmare (located near the Beast Cutter pickup), the second is a Beasthunter's Saif Hunter to the left after the ladder past the Beastcutter Hunter and Carrion Crows, and the last is a Beastcutter Hunter hiding on top of a ledge down the stairs from the Nightmare Church Lamp (there is a Wandering Madness that runs down the stairs to lure you down, just throw some Molotovs at it).
-With the Impurity Rune equipped, you can summon Master Valtr for the Ludwig fight and if you beat Ludwig while Valtr is alive, Ludwig will drop a Vermin.
Online Acquisition:
-You will gain a vermin after a successful Co-op while having the Impurity Rune equipped.
-You might get a vermin after a successful Co-op with a Confederate.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Moon Presence
Moon Presence
Information:
The Moon Presence is an optional boss and Great One located in the Hunter's Dream. Gain 5 Insight for finding it and 5 for killing it. No Lamp activates upon its death.
Special Notes: Can only be fought after consuming three One Third Umbilical Cords, refusing Gehrman's offer of mercy, and killing Gehrman in the subsequent fight.
Lore:
The Moon Presence is a Great One who was beckoned by Laurence and his associates with the Orphan of Kos' Umbilical Cord. Laurence trapped Gehrman there most likely to keep him from interfering with the Healing Church after the Old Yharnam debacle. Gehrman would ultimately become its protector and intermediary for the Hunters passing through. The Moon Presence's ultimate goal is to kill Mergo and Mergo's Wet Nurse, which is why it employs Hunters, to go and do its dirty work for it without risking the attention of other Great Ones. The Moon Presence may also be referred to as Paleblood. When the Hunter doesn't consume the Umbilical Cords, the Moon Presence views you as a new surrogate and protector, and makes you Gehrman's replacement. If the Hunter does consume the One Third Umbilical Cords, you begin to transcend and the Moon Presence sees you as a fellow Great One, and therefore a threat. After beating the Moon Presence, you, the newest Great One, become responsible for the Hunter's Dream.
References and Dialogue:
-"Hunt the Great Ones, Hunt the Great Ones." "The nameless moon presence beckoned by Laurence and his associates. Paleblood." "Three third cords." Notes in Lecture Hall
-"Behold! A Paleblood sky!" Note in Yahar'gul
-"Handwritten scrawl: Seek paleblood to transcend the hunt." Note in Iosefka's Clinic
-"Paleblood, you say? Hmm...Never heard of it." Gilbert
-The Moon Presence is also related to the Blood Moon as it is a part of the Paleblood Sky phase of the game.
-Upon its death the words, "Nightmare Slain" also appear as they did when Mergo dies.
Description:
A quadruped skeletal beast with a thin structure and a tentacle crowned head. It also has multiple tentacle tails and an obscene amount of jagged ribs. Its head is oval in shape with three holes in it, two small holes and one large hole, and is diagonally placed on its body. It is black and red in color and has five fingers on each hand.
Location:
Its boss arena is located in the garden of the Hunter's Dream.
Combat:
-Weak to Fire, Bolt and Arcane
The Moon Presence's arena is a wide open garden covered in flowers and large crosses. The ground is mostly even although it does slope downhill. The edge of the arena does offer places to get snagged on but the large size makes it easier to stay in the open.
First Stage:
Despite being the last boss, the Moon Presence has very few attacks and fewer that pose an actual threat. It's movements are very similar to that of beast bosses from the early game. The regular melee attacks it does are all variations of swipe attacks (m): the first where it will walk towards you swiping five times, four quick alternating swipes followed by a slower swipe from right to left; it can do a single swipe from left to right; a slow swipe from its left side, quick swipe from right, repeated once; it can also swipe twice and then leap forward for a grab. It has one that is particular to it where it punches its right arm down and then swirls its tail in a huge circle (m). It can also do a leap attack (h) and try and land on you. The rest of its attacks are all non-physical: the first being an A.O.E., where it rears up on its hind legs and grabs its face which will stop you from using Blood Vials if you are hit by the blood that comes out of the white orb above its head and it also has a variant of this where the white orbs will surround it in a circle and rain blood to the same effect. The last attack it can do will bring the hunter down to one HP no matter what Vitality (can one-shot Co-ops with low health), where it will hold its face in its hands and a red flash will emanate from it.
Second Stage:
The one HP attack will now also block Blood Vial usage.
Drops:
-230,000 Blood Echoes
Tips and Tricks:
-Although intimidating, the Moon Presence can be handled in the same way as the majority of beast bosses. Get behind it and attack before dodging away.
-A +10 weapon with high rally potential is the best option such as the Burial Blade or Hunter's Axe.
-If you damage the head enough, you can get a visceral attack. Backstabs are also very effective.
-Do not panic if it blocks your Blood Vial usage as it is fairly easy to dodge the melee attacks.
-When it uses the one HP attack quickly run up and attack it. It will stand still for a pretty long chunk of time afterwards and with a high rally potential weapon you can regain back all of your health.
Glitches:
-Can fall off the map. 1:20
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Information:
The Moon Presence is an optional boss and Great One located in the Hunter's Dream. Gain 5 Insight for finding it and 5 for killing it. No Lamp activates upon its death.
Special Notes: Can only be fought after consuming three One Third Umbilical Cords, refusing Gehrman's offer of mercy, and killing Gehrman in the subsequent fight.
Lore:
The Moon Presence is a Great One who was beckoned by Laurence and his associates with the Orphan of Kos' Umbilical Cord. Laurence trapped Gehrman there most likely to keep him from interfering with the Healing Church after the Old Yharnam debacle. Gehrman would ultimately become its protector and intermediary for the Hunters passing through. The Moon Presence's ultimate goal is to kill Mergo and Mergo's Wet Nurse, which is why it employs Hunters, to go and do its dirty work for it without risking the attention of other Great Ones. The Moon Presence may also be referred to as Paleblood. When the Hunter doesn't consume the Umbilical Cords, the Moon Presence views you as a new surrogate and protector, and makes you Gehrman's replacement. If the Hunter does consume the One Third Umbilical Cords, you begin to transcend and the Moon Presence sees you as a fellow Great One, and therefore a threat. After beating the Moon Presence, you, the newest Great One, become responsible for the Hunter's Dream.
References and Dialogue:
-"Hunt the Great Ones, Hunt the Great Ones." "The nameless moon presence beckoned by Laurence and his associates. Paleblood." "Three third cords." Notes in Lecture Hall
-"Behold! A Paleblood sky!" Note in Yahar'gul
-"Handwritten scrawl: Seek paleblood to transcend the hunt." Note in Iosefka's Clinic
-"Paleblood, you say? Hmm...Never heard of it." Gilbert
-The Moon Presence is also related to the Blood Moon as it is a part of the Paleblood Sky phase of the game.
-Upon its death the words, "Nightmare Slain" also appear as they did when Mergo dies.
Description:
A quadruped skeletal beast with a thin structure and a tentacle crowned head. It also has multiple tentacle tails and an obscene amount of jagged ribs. Its head is oval in shape with three holes in it, two small holes and one large hole, and is diagonally placed on its body. It is black and red in color and has five fingers on each hand.
Location:
Its boss arena is located in the garden of the Hunter's Dream.
Combat:
-Weak to Fire, Bolt and Arcane
The Moon Presence's arena is a wide open garden covered in flowers and large crosses. The ground is mostly even although it does slope downhill. The edge of the arena does offer places to get snagged on but the large size makes it easier to stay in the open.
First Stage:
Despite being the last boss, the Moon Presence has very few attacks and fewer that pose an actual threat. It's movements are very similar to that of beast bosses from the early game. The regular melee attacks it does are all variations of swipe attacks (m): the first where it will walk towards you swiping five times, four quick alternating swipes followed by a slower swipe from right to left; it can do a single swipe from left to right; a slow swipe from its left side, quick swipe from right, repeated once; it can also swipe twice and then leap forward for a grab. It has one that is particular to it where it punches its right arm down and then swirls its tail in a huge circle (m). It can also do a leap attack (h) and try and land on you. The rest of its attacks are all non-physical: the first being an A.O.E., where it rears up on its hind legs and grabs its face which will stop you from using Blood Vials if you are hit by the blood that comes out of the white orb above its head and it also has a variant of this where the white orbs will surround it in a circle and rain blood to the same effect. The last attack it can do will bring the hunter down to one HP no matter what Vitality (can one-shot Co-ops with low health), where it will hold its face in its hands and a red flash will emanate from it.
Second Stage:
The one HP attack will now also block Blood Vial usage.
Drops:
-230,000 Blood Echoes
Tips and Tricks:
-Although intimidating, the Moon Presence can be handled in the same way as the majority of beast bosses. Get behind it and attack before dodging away.
-A +10 weapon with high rally potential is the best option such as the Burial Blade or Hunter's Axe.
-If you damage the head enough, you can get a visceral attack. Backstabs are also very effective.
-Do not panic if it blocks your Blood Vial usage as it is fairly easy to dodge the melee attacks.
-When it uses the one HP attack quickly run up and attack it. It will stand still for a pretty long chunk of time afterwards and with a high rally potential weapon you can regain back all of your health.
Glitches:
-Can fall off the map. 1:20
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Stun (st)
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Vicar Amelia
Vicar Amelia:
Information:
Vicar Amelia is a mandatory boss in the Cathedral Ward. Gain one Insight for finding her and three for killing her. Activates the Grand Cathedral Lamp.
Lore:
Vicar Amelia is a member of the Healing Church and the last Vicar, or head of the Healing Church. She chants while kneeling in front of Laurence's skull, most likely to keep the beasthood at bay. She could possibly be an NPC hunter found in the Hunter's Nightmare praying before the Surgery Altar in her human form.
References and Dialogue:
-"Seek the old blood. Let us pray...let us wish...to partake in communion. Let us partake in communion...and feast upon the old blood. Our thirst for blood satiates us, soothes our fears. Seek the old blood...but beware the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, minds young. The foul beasts will dangle nectar and lure the meek into the depths. Remain wary of the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, minds young. Were it not for fear, death would go unlamented." Vicar Amelia
-"Pendant of Vicar Amelia. Use to change into a Blood Gem, which fortifies weapons. This pendant, passed down among the vicars who head the Healing Church, is a reminder of the cautionary adage. To reveal the adage, touch the altar skull." Gold Pendant
-"Most radial blood gems have effects that bear upon physical attacks, and this golden radial blood gem, kept for generations within the Church, strengthens attack against those afflicted intensely by beasthood. When clerics began transforming into unspeakable beasts, the Church needed something to retaliate with." Gold Blood Gem
-The NPC hunter in the Research hall speaks the same chant as Vicar Amelia, possible proof of them being one and the same. She also knows spells that were only used by the higher members of the Healing Church.
-Old Hunter Yamamura repeats a chant to stave off insanity as well.
Description:
Initially, a hunched over woman with white hair wearing a ragged White Church set and clutching a Gold Pendant. After her transformation, Amelia is a large wolf like creature with antlers and the torn clothes covering her eyes, suggesting blindness. She has a long billowy tail and keeps the Pendant in her left hand.
Location:
From the Cathedral Ward Lamp, run out the door to the left and up the stairs on the right side of the courtyard. Go all the way up past the Church Giant and enter the circular graveyard. Run straight across and through the gate in front of the long set of stairs. Run all the way up the stairs and open the door of the building at the top and run towards the crouched woman at the top of the stairs. A short cutscene will play.
Combat:
-Weak to Fire and Serration
-Strong against Bolt, Blunt and Arcane
Vicar Amelia's arena is a long hallway with an altar at one end. Pillars line the walls which are easy to get caught on.
First Stage:
Vicar Amelia has solely melee attacks in this stage and most have a very long range. The first two can be done by themselves or combined, the first being a right armed swipe (m), and then possibly a right handed drag attack (m). She can also follow up the right armed swipe with a back hand (m). A variant of the swipe attack is a longer slower swing attack. She can swipe once with her right arm in a long sweep (m) which can also be followed up with a backhand (m). The left handed version can be a single swipe (m) or accompanied with a back hand (m) or two ground claws (m). She also has two "hug" attacks: the first one (h), where she will raise her arms up and apart like a hug, grab you, bite you, and throw you away (like a scorned lover) and the second one (m), where she brings her arms back to the side and hugs herself. She also does two ground pounds, one with her left hand (m) where she will punch the ground once, and the other with her right hand (h), where she will hit the ground three times. She can also bite (s). She can also do a leap attack (h), where she jumps up and slams her right arm down in front of her. She will sometimes clasp hands as though she were praying and slam them down (h), which will also be accompanied by a shockwave. The last thing she can do is a backhand (m) to either side as she turns. If she is howling and glowing she is merely healing her limbs.
Second Stage:
At 50% health, Vicar becomes more aggressive and gains three new moves. The first heals her where she clutches her pendant and glows gold. The second is a new combo where she slams the ground four times, sweeps with her right arm, backhands, and then does another sweep (h). The last is another combo where she swipes with her left arm, drags her right hand on the ground twice, and then punches the ground with her left arm.
Drops:
-15,000 Blood Echoes
-Gold Pendant
Tips and Tricks:
-Any serrated weapon is preferable because of the extra damage to beasts. Equipping it with Fire Paper will greatly increase damage output. The next best weapon would be a weapon with a high overhead swing which can hit her head. The Threaded Cane transformed has an extended reach and serration damage and can be very helpful against her as a lot of its attacks will hit her head.
-The Flamesprayer and Bone Marrow Ash can shorten the fight considerably as well as using Molotov Cocktails and an Oil Urn.
-Try to stay behind her, as only a few of her attacks can hit you when you are behind her. Conserve your stamina and chip away at her as best you can.
-Each of her legs and arms has a health bar so hitting any of them consistently will stagger her and drop her head down for a visceral attack.
-Use Numbing Mist to keep her from healing.
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Information:
Vicar Amelia is a mandatory boss in the Cathedral Ward. Gain one Insight for finding her and three for killing her. Activates the Grand Cathedral Lamp.
Lore:
Vicar Amelia is a member of the Healing Church and the last Vicar, or head of the Healing Church. She chants while kneeling in front of Laurence's skull, most likely to keep the beasthood at bay. She could possibly be an NPC hunter found in the Hunter's Nightmare praying before the Surgery Altar in her human form.
References and Dialogue:
-"Seek the old blood. Let us pray...let us wish...to partake in communion. Let us partake in communion...and feast upon the old blood. Our thirst for blood satiates us, soothes our fears. Seek the old blood...but beware the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, minds young. The foul beasts will dangle nectar and lure the meek into the depths. Remain wary of the frailty of men. Their wills are weak, minds young. Were it not for fear, death would go unlamented." Vicar Amelia
-"Pendant of Vicar Amelia. Use to change into a Blood Gem, which fortifies weapons. This pendant, passed down among the vicars who head the Healing Church, is a reminder of the cautionary adage. To reveal the adage, touch the altar skull." Gold Pendant
-"Most radial blood gems have effects that bear upon physical attacks, and this golden radial blood gem, kept for generations within the Church, strengthens attack against those afflicted intensely by beasthood. When clerics began transforming into unspeakable beasts, the Church needed something to retaliate with." Gold Blood Gem
-The NPC hunter in the Research hall speaks the same chant as Vicar Amelia, possible proof of them being one and the same. She also knows spells that were only used by the higher members of the Healing Church.
-Old Hunter Yamamura repeats a chant to stave off insanity as well.
Description:
Initially, a hunched over woman with white hair wearing a ragged White Church set and clutching a Gold Pendant. After her transformation, Amelia is a large wolf like creature with antlers and the torn clothes covering her eyes, suggesting blindness. She has a long billowy tail and keeps the Pendant in her left hand.
Location:
From the Cathedral Ward Lamp, run out the door to the left and up the stairs on the right side of the courtyard. Go all the way up past the Church Giant and enter the circular graveyard. Run straight across and through the gate in front of the long set of stairs. Run all the way up the stairs and open the door of the building at the top and run towards the crouched woman at the top of the stairs. A short cutscene will play.
Combat:
-Weak to Fire and Serration
-Strong against Bolt, Blunt and Arcane
Vicar Amelia's arena is a long hallway with an altar at one end. Pillars line the walls which are easy to get caught on.
First Stage:
Vicar Amelia has solely melee attacks in this stage and most have a very long range. The first two can be done by themselves or combined, the first being a right armed swipe (m), and then possibly a right handed drag attack (m). She can also follow up the right armed swipe with a back hand (m). A variant of the swipe attack is a longer slower swing attack. She can swipe once with her right arm in a long sweep (m) which can also be followed up with a backhand (m). The left handed version can be a single swipe (m) or accompanied with a back hand (m) or two ground claws (m). She also has two "hug" attacks: the first one (h), where she will raise her arms up and apart like a hug, grab you, bite you, and throw you away (like a scorned lover) and the second one (m), where she brings her arms back to the side and hugs herself. She also does two ground pounds, one with her left hand (m) where she will punch the ground once, and the other with her right hand (h), where she will hit the ground three times. She can also bite (s). She can also do a leap attack (h), where she jumps up and slams her right arm down in front of her. She will sometimes clasp hands as though she were praying and slam them down (h), which will also be accompanied by a shockwave. The last thing she can do is a backhand (m) to either side as she turns. If she is howling and glowing she is merely healing her limbs.
Second Stage:
At 50% health, Vicar becomes more aggressive and gains three new moves. The first heals her where she clutches her pendant and glows gold. The second is a new combo where she slams the ground four times, sweeps with her right arm, backhands, and then does another sweep (h). The last is another combo where she swipes with her left arm, drags her right hand on the ground twice, and then punches the ground with her left arm.
Drops:
-15,000 Blood Echoes
-Gold Pendant
Tips and Tricks:
-Any serrated weapon is preferable because of the extra damage to beasts. Equipping it with Fire Paper will greatly increase damage output. The next best weapon would be a weapon with a high overhead swing which can hit her head. The Threaded Cane transformed has an extended reach and serration damage and can be very helpful against her as a lot of its attacks will hit her head.
-The Flamesprayer and Bone Marrow Ash can shorten the fight considerably as well as using Molotov Cocktails and an Oil Urn.
-Try to stay behind her, as only a few of her attacks can hit you when you are behind her. Conserve your stamina and chip away at her as best you can.
-Each of her legs and arms has a health bar so hitting any of them consistently will stagger her and drop her head down for a visceral attack.
-Use Numbing Mist to keep her from healing.
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Stun (st)
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Mergo's Wet Nurse
Mergo's Wet Nurse
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Information:
Mergo's Wet Nurse is the last mandatory boss and a Great One in the game. Gain 3 Insight for finding her and 3 for killing her. Activates Wet Nurse's Lunarium Lamp.
Lore:
Mergo's Wet Nurse is the Great One responsible for taking care of Formless Oedon's and Queen Yharnam's baby, Mergo. Although the Wet Nurse does reside in the Nightmare of Mensis, it is only to act as a protector for Mergo and the Wet Nurse's death triggers the death of Mergo. The Wet Nurse and her charge are the final prey of the hunters that pass through the Hunter's Dream.
References and Dialogue:
-"Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a surrogate. This Cord granted Mensis audience with Mergo but resulted in the stillbirth of their brains." One Third Umbilical Cord from Mergo's Wet Nurse
-The words "Nightmare Slain" do not appear until after Mergo stops crying.
-Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen is right outside of the Wet Nurse's arena, sobbing with the front of her dress soaked in blood.
-It can be argued that Mergo is the Wet Nurse's surrogate although the term "wet nurse" seems to imply that she is just her nanny.
Description:
A large humanoid being wearing a purple hooded cloak with a black necklace. She has two large feathered wings on her back and her eight arms are feathered as well. Her hands end in claws. She also wears black bracelets and rings.
Location:
From the Mergo's Loft Middle Lamp, exit the building and go up the stairs past the Crow-Dog creatures. At the top of the stairs to the left are the Shadows of Yharnam, head to the right and take the non-bird cage elevator up. When you exit you will see Queen Yharnam, go past her and take the elevator in front of her. Walk forward and you will enter the Wet Nurse's arena. Approach the baby carriage for the cutscene to play.
Combat:
-Weak to Bolt, Rapid Poison, and Arcane
The Wet Nurse's arena is a stone courtyard with columns around the outside and a baby carriage in the middle. Identical to the final layer Chalice Dungeon Bosses' arenas.
First Stage:
The Wet Nurse has several melee attacks, some with incredibly long reach. The first attack of note is a very slow flurry attack (s), where she will walk forwards swishing her blades in front of her signaled by her raising her top arms up. The next attack can one-shot you as it uses all blades, it's a very slow diagonal turning swipe (h), she will hold her arms out to the side before leaning to the right and swiping her blades up and to the left. She can modify this by doing up to three short alternating swipes (m), where she just brings all her arms up and to the left side. She can do a "hug" (m), where she wraps her arms around herself and swings them out. She can reach all of her arms out straight in front of her and then drag them across the ground (m). She can also teleport and do a flying attack where slowly flies up towards you before "hugging" you again (m). The last thing she can do is coat the arena in a purple haze, she will raise her hood/trunk and a purple light will appear over her head. If you get her health past 70% during this she can start the second stage without stopping the purple haze.
Second Stage:
This starts at around 70% where she will spawn a doppelganger during the purple haze which will appear and attack. It has the normal swipe attack and the reach attack (m), where it can stretch its arms about halfway across the arena. The Wet Nurse will also become more aggressive.
Drops:
-72,000 Blood Echoes
-One Third of Umbilical Cord
Tips and Tricks:
-Any weapon +9 or higher will work well with Bolt Paper, although a Chikage transformed will work very well because of the Rapid Poison.
-All the attacks have a slow windup and long recovery so evading and then attacking is fairly effective.
-The very slow walking attack is a great time to get behind and wail on her. If you do get hit it will be a very negligible part of your health.
- During the purple haze, the clone will disappear after one hit which will leave some free time to attack the real one. If not, just run counter clockwise and dodge when needed.
-For the flying attack, just dodge forward. and attack her back.
Glitches:
-You can die in co-op along with the beckoner and respawn in the boss arena with the Wet Nurse passive. Link
-Using the Madaras Whistle can make her invincible.Link
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Stun (st)
Friday, February 12, 2016
Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower
Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower
Information:
Lady Maria is the second boss in the Research Hall. Gain one Insight for finding her and three for killing her. Activates the Astral Clocktower Lamp when killed.
Special Notes: On your first try, you can not summon a Co-op.
Lore:
Lady Maria, a distant relative of Queen Annalise, grew up in Cainhurst, but unlike the other nobles Maria hated the use of the corrupted blood and even bore a weapon, the Rakuyo, that only required great skill to wield. She left Cainhurst and traveled to Byrgenwerth becoming a student to Gehrman, who became obsessed with her. She in turn was very admiring of him and remained at his side when he traveled to the Fishing Hamlet to investigate the rumors of a dead Great One and later to bring the Orphan of Kos back to Byrgenwerth. In order to bring the Orphan back, Gehrman and Maria had to cut open the sickly Kos; this act caused Maria such revulsion that she threw away her Rakuyo as she left the Fishing Hamlet. Many years later, she and Gehrman left Byrgenwerth to help found the Healing Church and became the first hunters employed with them. Unfortunately, Maria would become the leader of a group of hunters tasked to protect the Research Hall and this also gave her the opportunity to help keep the Fishing Hamlet a secret. She was known for her kindness at the Research Hall but when the Old Hunters were disavowed her grief became too much for her and she slit her throat. In his grief, Gehrman built a replica doll of Maria, the doll in the Hunter's dream.
References and Dialogue:
Glitches:
Lady Maria is the second boss in the Research Hall. Gain one Insight for finding her and three for killing her. Activates the Astral Clocktower Lamp when killed.
Special Notes: On your first try, you can not summon a Co-op.
Lore:
Lady Maria, a distant relative of Queen Annalise, grew up in Cainhurst, but unlike the other nobles Maria hated the use of the corrupted blood and even bore a weapon, the Rakuyo, that only required great skill to wield. She left Cainhurst and traveled to Byrgenwerth becoming a student to Gehrman, who became obsessed with her. She in turn was very admiring of him and remained at his side when he traveled to the Fishing Hamlet to investigate the rumors of a dead Great One and later to bring the Orphan of Kos back to Byrgenwerth. In order to bring the Orphan back, Gehrman and Maria had to cut open the sickly Kos; this act caused Maria such revulsion that she threw away her Rakuyo as she left the Fishing Hamlet. Many years later, she and Gehrman left Byrgenwerth to help found the Healing Church and became the first hunters employed with them. Unfortunately, Maria would become the leader of a group of hunters tasked to protect the Research Hall and this also gave her the opportunity to help keep the Fishing Hamlet a secret. She was known for her kindness at the Research Hall but when the Old Hunters were disavowed her grief became too much for her and she slit her throat. In his grief, Gehrman built a replica doll of Maria, the doll in the Hunter's dream.
References and Dialogue:
-" A corpse...should be left well alone. Oh, I know very well. How the secrets beckon so sweetly. Only an honest death will cure you now. Liberate you, from your wild curiosity." Lady Maria
-"Hunter weapon wielded by Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower. A trick sword originated in the same country as the Cainhurst Chikage, only this sword feeds not off blood, but instead demands great dexterity. Lady Maria was fond of this aspect of the Rakuyo, as she frowned upon blood blades, despite being a distant relative of the queen.One day, she abandoned her beloved Rakuyo, casting it into a dark well, when she could stomach it no longer." Rakuyo
-"Among the first hunters, all students of Gehrman, was the lady hunter Maria. This was her hunter's garb crafted in Cainhurst. Maria was distantly related to the undead queen, but had great admiration for Gehrman, unaware of his curious mania." Maria's Hunter Set
-"Good hunter, this may sound strange, but...Have I somehow changed? Moments ago, from some place, perhaps deep within, I sensed a liberation from heavy shackles. Not that I would know...How passing strange..." Special dialogue by doll upon Maria's death.
-"Oh, hello. Not a pretty sight, is it? The true face of the blood-worshipping, beast-purging Healing Church. But that's not all. You seek the secrets held by the Nightmare, do you not? Then here's what you must do. Climb the Astral Clocktower, and kill Maria. She hides the real secret." Simon the Harrowed
-"The bone of an old hunter whose name is lost. It is said that he was an apprentice to old Gehrman, and a practitioner of the art of Quickening, a technique particular to the first hunters. It is most appropriate that hunters, carriers of the torch who are sustained by the dream, would tease an old art from his remains." Old Hunter Bone found on Maria's grave in the Waking World. In the original Japanese the pronoun is gender neutral making it possible for it to be Maria's.
-The doll prays at Maria's grave (the grave used to access the Hunter's Nightmare) and calls her "Flora", most likely a reference to Maria giving Lumenflowers to the Research Hall Patients and leaving one on the grave by the seaside (most likely the Orphan of Kos').
-When Lady Maria dies, she dies in the same pose as Gehrman. When she releases your hand she is in the same pose as the doll.
-When she visceral attacks, it looks like she embraces you, and whispers in your ear.
-When she visceral attacks, it looks like she embraces you, and whispers in your ear.
-When the Clocktower opens it opens on the Moon rune, most likely a reference to the Moon Presence.
-Despite her distaste of blood blades, she will use them out of desperation to kill you.
Description:
A tall pale skinned woman with white-blond hair. She is garbed in something similar to the Knight's set and wields a sword and dagger that can be combined into twin blade.
Location:
From the Lumenwood Garden Lamp, walk up to the door and open it.
Combat:
Lady Maria's arena is a large room with cabinets lining the side. There is a chair and a small table at the end of the room. Not many nooks to get stuck on.
First Stage:
Maria can alternate between the different transformations of her weapon: the twin blade with a pistol and a sword dagger. Please note she uses quickening. For the sword and dagger mode, she has a charge attack (h), where she will run towards you with her sword arm straight out to the side. She has an overhead diagonal slash (m), that can be preceded by a regular one handed slash attack (m) or succeeded by another diagonal slash in the other direction as well as a pistol shot. There is a variant of this that is much slower as well where she will hesitate in order to track you better before striking (h). She can thrust (m) quickly up to two times with both blades. She can do a whirling attack (h) where she spins towards you and then can follow it up with the diagonal slash. She can also do a slashing x (m), where she will cross her blades and rush forwards.
For the twin blade mode, she will also employ her pistol (s). She can do a forward and backwards thrust attack (m) that can turn into a slash combo as well as an overhead swipe (m) that can be followed up by a horizontal swipe. She can also use a charge attack (h), where she will hold the Rakuyo to her side as if to sheath it and then run forward.
Second Stage:
At about 60%, she will stab herself in the stomach with her blades and pull them out. When she pulls them out there will be a blood A.O.E. (m). She will only use the two blades now and retain all her previous attacks except now she will use her blood as a way to extend her range and they will hit harder. She can now also do a charged attack (h) where she will sheath her Rakuyo and squat and pull it out in a diagonal slash. She has two more charge attacks or more accurately transform attacks (h). She will transform the Rakuyo back into the twin blade above her head where she will smash it down. When she transforms the Rakuyo to her side, she is doing a thrust attack with almost infinite reach. She can do a leap attack (h), where she will spiral into the air and then crash down with an A.O.E. blast.
Third Stage:
At about 30%, she will hold her swords out to the side and rise up into the air with blood flowing into her and do another blood A.O.E.(h). Her blood is now on fire and her range is greater. She does not gain any new attacks but they do hit harder.
Drops:
-39,000 Blood Echoes
-Celestial Dial
Tips and Tricks:
-Any weapon +9 or higher will do.
-The number one tip to beating Maria is to stay close to her as much as possible. Her long range attacks are devastating and she can close any distance gap between you very quickly so if you need to heal dodge into one of her melees and heal instead of attacking.
-Dodge through her melee attacks to get off a few hits, if your weapon is heavy it will stunlock her for a few hits.
-Almost all of her attacks can be parried so shooting her and then visceral attacking is a good way to go for her first stage, equip Clawmark Runes if this is the route you want to go. The only melee attack that can't be parried is the very slow overhead diagonal slash. Just dodge until it lands (not on you) and get off a few hits.
-In the second stage, be wary of the blood A.O.E. if you are going to attack while she's transforming.
-Use the same strategy as before only be cautious of the transform attacks. The overhead smashing transform is substantially faster than the other two attacks so dodge immediately after the clicking sound. For the other two, wait a second before dodging as they are a little slower.
-She can still be parried in the last two stages but she is faster so the windows are much smaller.
-Be aware in stage two and three, her x-slash attack can put you into a viscerable state.
-Be aware in stage two and three, her x-slash attack can put you into a viscerable state.
-The Executioner's Gloves and the Augur of Ebrietas can stagger her.
-If you are interested in cheesing, the most common way is to use Beast Roar and then stunlocking her when she gets up in a cycle.
-If you are interested in cheesing, the most common way is to use Beast Roar and then stunlocking her when she gets up in a cycle.
-Can be glitched through the pillar next to the fog gate. Link
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Stun (st)
The Living Failures
The Living Failures:
Information:
The Living Failures is the only boss in the Research Hall. Gain two Insight for finding them and two for killing them. Activates the Lumenwood Garden Lamp.
Lore:
The Living Failures are one of the first attempts by the Choir to create a Great One to serve as an ambassador. They were preceded by the Research Hall patients and after their creation were ultimately abandoned as the Choir began work on the Celestial Emissary.
References and Dialogue:
-It is possible that these were unsuccessful due to the use of Lumenwood and/or the lack of Iosefka's specially refined blood.
Description:
Tall, humanoid, and slender, the Living Failures bear a close resemblance to the Celestial Emissary and the Research Hall patients. They are bluish in color with six fingers on each hand. Their heads appear as if they have collapsed in.
Location:
From the Research Hall Lamp, go to the room on the left where Adaline is restrained and take the elevator up. From the next room, exit and turn right to go up the set of stairs. Once to the landing turn right up another flight of stairs and open the door.
Summons:
-Old Hunter Yamamura can be summoned at the summoning bell to the right of the fog gate if you have killed him in his cell, the Impurity Rune is equipped, and you haven't killed Valtr. He wields a Chikage.
Combat:
-Weak to Bolt
The Living Failures arena is a circular garden with two balconies on either side. There is a pillar of Lumenwood (flowers) in the middle. The ground is also covered with these flowers.
First Stage:
The Living Failures will constantly spawn around the arena. They each have their own individual health bars (think of them as legs) and will disappear if "killed". Damage will contribute to the overall health bar. There can be up to four Living Failures in the arena at a time. Two melee and two Arcane casters. The two melee will follow you around while the casters will typically just move so that you are in their sights. The two melee ones have a few attacks, a head slam (m), where they will very quickly slam their heads onto you, a swipe (h), where they will slowly swipe their arm across their body, and a swing attack (h), where they will bring their arms back and swing them in a circle. The casters can do the head slam, and three spells, two of them similar to Martyr Logarius, the first is an Arcane hand slam (h), where they will slam both hands into the ground and a small explosion will occur. The other one is a large Arcane ball (h) that can track you, one of them will raise its hands over its head and a blue light will appear; the last attack consists of smaller homing bolts (m), that track quite heavily, they will keep their hands at waist level.
Second Stage:
The Living Failures will gain one attack, another Arcane attack, that consists of all the Failures raising their arms to the sky. Half the sky will turn black and comets will rain down (h).
Drops:
-22,000 Blood Echoes
-Astral Clocktower Key
Special Notes: If the Impurity Rune is equipped, they will drop Vermin as well.
Tips and Tricks:
-Any weapon +9 or higher is fine. Bolt Paper or a Bolt gem are very helpful.
-It is possible to only have to fight one Failure at a time if you constantly kill them at their re-spawn points. If not, it is very easy to have only two in the arena at a time as it is very easy to parry then visceral the melee ones.
-Try to lure the melee ones away from the arcane ones if you can not take them down fast enough. This should put you on the other side of the tree in the middle and thus be safe from projectiles.
-For the Comet attack, there are four methods of avoiding damage from them: run in a circle around the arena, look up at the sky and avoid them by using the pillar in the middle as a barrier, run to the opposite side of the arena from the entrance and stay behind the wall, or use the Loch Shield as protection (you will take a little damage). By far the best and safest method it hiding behind the wall.
-You can attack them during the Comet attack and stagger them with a backstab for a visceral attack.
Glitches:
-A Living Failure can stay around after the fight. Watch 11:10
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Information:
The Living Failures is the only boss in the Research Hall. Gain two Insight for finding them and two for killing them. Activates the Lumenwood Garden Lamp.
Lore:
The Living Failures are one of the first attempts by the Choir to create a Great One to serve as an ambassador. They were preceded by the Research Hall patients and after their creation were ultimately abandoned as the Choir began work on the Celestial Emissary.
References and Dialogue:
-It is possible that these were unsuccessful due to the use of Lumenwood and/or the lack of Iosefka's specially refined blood.
Description:
Tall, humanoid, and slender, the Living Failures bear a close resemblance to the Celestial Emissary and the Research Hall patients. They are bluish in color with six fingers on each hand. Their heads appear as if they have collapsed in.
Location:
From the Research Hall Lamp, go to the room on the left where Adaline is restrained and take the elevator up. From the next room, exit and turn right to go up the set of stairs. Once to the landing turn right up another flight of stairs and open the door.
Summons:
-Old Hunter Yamamura can be summoned at the summoning bell to the right of the fog gate if you have killed him in his cell, the Impurity Rune is equipped, and you haven't killed Valtr. He wields a Chikage.
Combat:
-Weak to Bolt
The Living Failures arena is a circular garden with two balconies on either side. There is a pillar of Lumenwood (flowers) in the middle. The ground is also covered with these flowers.
First Stage:
The Living Failures will constantly spawn around the arena. They each have their own individual health bars (think of them as legs) and will disappear if "killed". Damage will contribute to the overall health bar. There can be up to four Living Failures in the arena at a time. Two melee and two Arcane casters. The two melee will follow you around while the casters will typically just move so that you are in their sights. The two melee ones have a few attacks, a head slam (m), where they will very quickly slam their heads onto you, a swipe (h), where they will slowly swipe their arm across their body, and a swing attack (h), where they will bring their arms back and swing them in a circle. The casters can do the head slam, and three spells, two of them similar to Martyr Logarius, the first is an Arcane hand slam (h), where they will slam both hands into the ground and a small explosion will occur. The other one is a large Arcane ball (h) that can track you, one of them will raise its hands over its head and a blue light will appear; the last attack consists of smaller homing bolts (m), that track quite heavily, they will keep their hands at waist level.
Second Stage:
The Living Failures will gain one attack, another Arcane attack, that consists of all the Failures raising their arms to the sky. Half the sky will turn black and comets will rain down (h).
Drops:
-22,000 Blood Echoes
-Astral Clocktower Key
Special Notes: If the Impurity Rune is equipped, they will drop Vermin as well.
Tips and Tricks:
-Any weapon +9 or higher is fine. Bolt Paper or a Bolt gem are very helpful.
-It is possible to only have to fight one Failure at a time if you constantly kill them at their re-spawn points. If not, it is very easy to have only two in the arena at a time as it is very easy to parry then visceral the melee ones.
-Try to lure the melee ones away from the arcane ones if you can not take them down fast enough. This should put you on the other side of the tree in the middle and thus be safe from projectiles.
-For the Comet attack, there are four methods of avoiding damage from them: run in a circle around the arena, look up at the sky and avoid them by using the pillar in the middle as a barrier, run to the opposite side of the arena from the entrance and stay behind the wall, or use the Loch Shield as protection (you will take a little damage). By far the best and safest method it hiding behind the wall.
-You can attack them during the Comet attack and stagger them with a backstab for a visceral attack.
Glitches:
-A Living Failure can stay around after the fight. Watch 11:10
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Stun (st)
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Martyr Logarius
Martyr Logarius
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Information:
Martyr Logarius is an optional boss located in the Forsaken Castle Cainhurst. Gain one Insight for finding him and three Insight for killing him. Activates the Logarius' Seat Lamp.
Special Notes: You need to kill Martyr Logarius in order to complete Vileblood Hunter Alfred's questline. A cutscene will play if you wear the crown behind Logarius' throne opening the way to Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods.
Lore:
Martyr Logarius was the leader of the Executioners, a group of hunters from a foreign land, who operated before the Healing Church Hunters. The Executioners were very different from most hunters, mostly because it was hereditary based. Martyr Logarius spent most of his life seeking to kill all the Vilebloods, but failed before killing Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods. Since he was unable to kill her, Logarius instead used himself as a "blessed anchor" to prevent Annalise from ever leaving Cainhurst either by escape or by rescue.
References and Dialogue:
-"Ah, there's something I want to tell you. A bit of wisdom from the eminent Master Logarius!. Once, a scholar betrayed his fellows at Byrgenwerth...and brought forbidden blood back with him to Cainhurst Castle. It was there that the first of the inhuman Vilebloods was born. The Vilebloods are fiendish creatures who threaten the purity of the Church's blood healing. The ruler of the Vilebloods is still alive today. And so to honor my master's wishes, I search. For the path to Cainhurst Castle....In his time, Master Logarius led his executioners into Cainhurst Castle to cleanse it of the Vilebloods. But all did not go well and Master Logarius became a blessed anchor, guarding us from evil...Tragic, tragic times...that Master Logarius should be abandoned in the accursed domain of the Vilebloods. I must free him, so that he may be properly honored in martyrdom." Alfred before receiving the Unopened Summons.
-"Oh you, is it? Look at this! Thanks to you, I've done it! Well? Isn't it wonderful? Now Master can be canonized as a true martyr! Jealous, huh? Unclean wench! Frailed mostrosity! Bloody fool! Pathetic! As you deserved! Uhh! Blood! You spilled my blood! Pray for Master Logarius in my stead.." If Alfred is spoken to and then killed in Annalise's Chamber..
-"Weapon wielded by martyr Logarius' band of executioners. Used to slaughter the Vilebloods in Cainhurst. Bathed in pools of their blood, and forever steeped in their ire. Transform to release the power of the wheel and manifest their lingering rage in a show of utter brilliance." Logarius Wheel
-"The odd helmet worn by the band of Executioners commanded by martyr Logarius. The conical gold helmet, symbol of the executioners, represent luminosity, ambition, and an unflagging resolve to face impurity, staring it down with a stem golden spirit." Gold Ardeo
-"Attire worn by the band of executioners commanded by the martyr Logarius. Later became the basis for all Church attire, with its heavy draping of Holy Shawl. As the great Logarius once said, "Acts of goodness are not always wise, and acts of evil are not always foolish, but regardless, we shall always strive to be good."" Executioner Set
Description:
Martyr Logarius is a tall bearded undead man who wields a scythe and a short dagger. He wears the Crown of Illusions on his head and is dressed in robes.
Location:
From the Forsaken Castle Cainhurst Lamp, go the opposite direction from the Bloodlickers and take the elevator up. You will enter a room filled with the ghost women. Run past and at the end of the room to the right will be a ladder. Take the ladder up and you will enter a small room. Exit the room and take the stairs to the outside. Once your on the roof drop down to the right to land on the second roof and get on the spire. Drop down from there onto the pathway. Repeat for the next spire and pathway. From there just run up to the archway lit by torches. A short cutscene will play.
Combat:
-Strong against Fire, Bolt and Arcane
Martyr Logarius' arena is a rooftop replete with pillars and lots of elevation changes, there is a throne at the other end of the arena. You can fall off the edge but unfortunately he can't.
First Stage:
Martyr Logarius has several particularly brutal Arcane and melee attacks in this stage. The Arcane attacks are as follows: a A.O.E. in the form of a large skull that materializes in front of him (h), he will swing the scythe right in front of his face and pointing towards you, and he will use this attack fairly quickly when you are right next to him although this can also be long range; he can also summon several smaller skulls in a row that will track you (m) when he swings his scythe from the bottom left to the upper right. He can also bring his scythe up towards the sky and tap it and summon a skull that will track in a circular motion (m). He will mostly resort to magic in this stage, but can also swing with his scythe in very wide arcs (m), these can be in three hit combos from one long swipe to several ending in a smash (m). Be wary because his melee attacks can go through the parapets. He will also occasionally slash very quickly with his dagger.
Second Stage:
After about forty percent of his health, he will enter a rage mode where he will stab his scythe into the ground and become enveloped in a red haze. When he is finished he will emit an A.O.E. (h) and he will have a new moveset, almost entirely melee attacks and most of them will emit an energy blast on the first or last strike. He can do a flying smash attack (h), where he will fly up into the air with his scythe over his head or a flying swipe attack (h), where he will fly into the air with his scythe pulled back. He can also do a fast thrust with the dagger (m), and if it lands he will typically do a combo of slashes with the dagger (s). He can also do a smash attack with his dagger (m), which will lead into a combo. He can also use his scythe in the typical slow slashes of before only a little harder hitting. There is one Arcane attack he will do in particular, where he will plant a sword in the ground that will summon a rain of swords (m) that will last quite a bit of time unless interrupted.
Drops:
-25,600 Blood Echoes
-Crown of Illusions (Have to pick up from the light on the walkway)
Tips and Tricks:
-Any weapon +7 or higher will work, preferably a faster one.
-A left hand weapon +5 or higher will work.
-This fight is a lot easier with parrying so be sure to be stocked up on Quicksilver bullets. An Oedon Writhe Rune can be very helpful as it restores bullets with each visceral attack.
-In the first stage, use the parapets to avoid the spells in general, but be wary of melee attacks as he can reach through them with his scythe.
-To avoid the row of skulls dodge around them, or roll quickly in between them.
-To avoid the other two first stage Arcane attacks dodge to the side several times.
-Try to parry him when he does his scythe swings, they have a pretty wide reach so dodging past usually will get you hit.
-When he is entering his rage mode for the second stage try and get in a few hits, but be wary of the following A.O.E. blast.
-To avoid his flying attacks run towards where he took off. You will have a couple of seconds to hit him when he's landed so take advantage of those moments. If you are locked on this may cause your camera to go haywire.
-Try to parry him during scythe swings rather than his dagger attacks as they are very fast. You can typically dodge several times to the side and get off a few hits after he misses with his smash attack.
-When he plants a sword in the ground try to hit it. It can be locked onto so you can also shoot it, but wait until he is away from it as he will keep attacking you.
-You can keep him from buffing by staying right in front of him and continuously visceral attacking him, although this is very difficult.
-Do not fall off the roof.
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Stun (st)
Friday, January 29, 2016
Witch of Hemwick
Witch of Hemwick
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Information:
The Witch of Hemwick is the only boss in the Hemwick Charnel Lane. Gain one Insight for finding her and two for killing her. Activates the Witch's Abode Lamp.
Special Notes: Although not needed for progression, the Witch does guard the Rune Workshop tool.
Lore:
The Witch of Hemwick is a body snatcher operating for the Healing Church, specifically a variant of an Eye Collector. The Healing Church, specifically the School of Mensis, used body parts to do Chalice Rituals in order to explore the dungeons and used carriages as a transport between Yahar'gul and Hemwick Charnel Lane to ship the bodies.
References and Dialogue:
-The Amalgams in Yahar'gul might not actually be mutated people but rather reanimated body parts.
-The hunter at the end of the arena is thought to be Runesmith Caryll.
-The Cainhurst Carriage also goes through the same waypoint as the Yahar'gul carriages.
Description:
A hunched over old woman, holding an archaic scoop in her hand. Her cloak is covered in the eyes of her victims.
Location:
From the Hemwick Charnel Lane Lamp, go down the hill and then up the stairs past the Scythe Wolf. Continue up to the Molotov throwing woman, you will pass a Brick Troll. Go through the gate and past the two Executioners. Go up the hill and there will be another Executioner off to the right. Enter the building just up ahead and go down the stairs.
Combat:
Strong against Bolt
The Witch's arena is a long room with barrels in the corner. There are two ramps on either side of the room with drop offs leading to the center. Scythe Wolves will continuously spawn around the arena.
First Stage:
The Witch will teleport around the room. If she gets behind you she can do a throat cutting attack (h). There is also an A.O.E.(h) which it very rarely does signified by it casting a red light. She can also do a series of quick slashes (m) and an attack like the Brainsuckers where she casts a blue light and it will paralyze you leaving you open to attacks.
Second Stage:
The Witch will spawn a doppelganger that will show its health bar after the first Witch is dead and they can keep resurrecting each other.
Special Notes: In co-op, only the host can see the Witch.
Drops:
-11,800 Blood Echoes
-Bloodshot Eyeball 4x
Tips and Tricks:
-Do not engage the Scythe Wolves unless there is minimal damage to the Witch and there are already three. If you have a strong enough weapon you can deal with them one at a time in between the Witch's disappearances.
-Do not sprint, run slowly around. A small light in a fog of red can be a good indication of where the Witch is. If not just keep moving around and she will eventually pop up.
-Kill her quickly to avoid more doppelgangers being summoned. A weapon +5 or higher will work fine.
Glitches:
-The second Witch can gain a health bar before the first Witch is dead. Link
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Stun (st)
Ludwig, The Accursed and Holy Blade
Ludwig, The Accursed and Holy Blade
Information:
Ludwig is the first boss in the Hunter's Nightmare. Gain one Insight for finding him and three for killing him. Activates the Underground Corpse Pile Lamp.
Special Notes: Ludwig is referenced as two different names in the boss fight, first as Ludwig, the Accursed and then as Ludwig, the Holy Blade hence the title. Also, Ludwig is still alive after the boss fight and will drop the Holy Moonlight Sword if killed or spoken to while wearing Church Garb.
Lore:
Ludwig is the first of the Healing Church Hunters, part of the group that was formed after Gerhman's group was deemed a failure when they were finally revealed to the public after the fall of Old Yharnam. Ludwig then became head of the Church Hunters, and after witnessing the transformation of Clerics into bigger beasts championed a much larger and heavier weapon, Ludwig's Holy Blade. He would become a legend among the people of Yharnam along with his Church Hunters but was forced into recruiting normal civilians when the beasts became too strong. The guilt of their deaths and his early exposure to the old blood brought him to the brink of beast hood many a time until he found the Holy Moonlight Sword and the Guidance Rune that accompanied it. Here he thought he had found his savior, in the form of the sprites he now saw while closing his eyes. Their whispers kept the fears at bay and allowed to him to continue fighting although with a terrible price. Ludwig became something more terrible than other clergyman had ever become and for his sins he was exiled to the Hunter's Nightmare. Despite this betrayal he still listens to the voices of his guiding moonlight in the hopes that they will one day bring him salvation.
References and Dialogue:
-"-"Ahh, ahh, please...help us...ah... An unsightly beast. A great terror looms! Ahh. Ludwig the Accursed is coming. Have mercy...Have mercy upon us..." Skeleton in Ludwig's arena
-"Aah, you were at my side, all along. My true mentor...My guiding moonlight." Ludwig
-Without Church Garb on, "Good hunter, have you seen the thread of light? Just a hair, a fleeting thing, yet I clung to it, steeped as I was in the stench of blood and beasts. I never wanted to know, what it really was. Really, I didn't."
-With Church Garb on, "Tell me, good hunter of the Church. Are my Church hunter the honorable spartans that I hoped they would be?" If prompted yes, "Aah, good...that is a relief. To know I did not suffer such denigration for nothing. Thank you kindly. Now I may sleep in peace. Even in this darkest of nights, I see...the moonlight...". If prompted no, "Oh, my. Just as I feared. Then a beast-possessed degenerate was I, as my detractors made eminently clear. Does the nightmare ever end?!
-"The radiant sword indicates the heirs to the will of Ludwig. These hunters, also known as the Holy Blades, are what remains of an ancient line of heroes that date back to a very early age of honor and chivalry." Radiant Sword Hunter Badge
-"Ludwig, the first hunter of the Healing Church, once recruited Yharnamites to serve as hunters. This hunter's attire was made for new recruits, and has excellent straightforward defense. But not nearly enough to allow an ordinary man to stand any real chance against the beasts." Yharnam Hunter's Garb.
-Ludwig is wearing what looks to be a slightly modified version of the Executioner's Garb, which was the known inspiration for the Church Garb, proof that he was the first Healing Church Hunter.
-Ludwig, the Holy Blade is named after Ludwig Van Beethoven, the composer of the Moonlight Sonata.
-The inside of Ludwig's mouths are covered in eyeballs showing a great amount of insight.
Description:
Ludwig is a stunted twisted beast who's malformed body can only be described as an amalgamation of distorted limbs. He has several limbs sticking out from his body, mostly deformed variants of horses legs while his front two arms, the largest, have long claws. He has two "heads" the first more like a growth on his shoulder revealing a mouth with the inside covered in eyes while his other head resembles that of a horse although it is just an extremely elongated face. He is blind in his right eye.
Location:
From the Nightmare Church Lamp, continue out the door and past the gate. There will be a path continue down this and turn right, right next to the gate. There will be an Eye Collector to the right. At the gate, there will be a skeleton tapping that will drop five Blood Vials. Continue past the Carrion Crows and enter the passage.
Summons:
-Old Hunter Henriett wields the Kirk Hammer and Hunter's Pistol and is located down the stairs from the Nightmare Church Lamp.
-Confederate Younger Madaras Twin is available if the Impurity Rune is equipped. He wields a Hunter Blunderbuss and a Hunter's Ax, equipped with Fire Paper. His Summoning Bell is located in the small passage behind and to the right of the ax-wielding Nightmare Executioner.
-Old Hunter Valtr is available for summoning if he is alive and the Impurity Rune is equipped. He wields a Whirligig Saw. His Summoning Bell is located next to the gate with the banging skeleton.
Special Notes: Valtr and the Madaras Twin can be summoned together but Henriett will cancel out their summons.
Combat:
-Weak to Fire, Serration, and Bolt
Ludwig's Arena is a large cavernous room with a bloody pool as the floor. There are patches of skeletal bodies piled on the floor. There are several nooks to get stuck on along the wall and particularly around the staircase area that leads to a small platform with a body.
First Stage:
Ludwig is considered a beast-type in this stage and will stay on all fours throughout the first half of his health. He also has one charge attack, one that is heralded by a nose poke (m) that can throw you up in the air before the actual charge attack (h). His shorter range attacks include a spin attack (h) where he will utter a scream as he winds up to the left and then swings his whole body in an arc, and a series of three swipes (m), where he will swipe left to right, drag his hand across the ground, and then swipe again. These can also occur after a bite attack (m). He can also leap into the air and slam down with one hand (h). He can also do a series of retreating swipes (m), where he will back up very quickly and swipe at the ground. He also has one drop attack now, a move very similar to the Cleric Beast, where he drops down almost immediately (h).
Second Stage:
At around seventy five percent health, Ludwig becomes more aggressive and gains a few new attacks. The two Arcane attacks are a spew attack (s), where he spews glowing liquid from his mouth in a wide arc from left to right; the other is one quick spit in your direction (m). He also gains another charge attack (h), which can one shot you where he paws at the ground like a bull and charges. The second drop attack (h) he does is where he will stay on the ceiling and blood will drip down three times before he drops. He can also do a bite flurry (m), where he can do up to seven bites in quick succession. If underneath or behind him too long he will buck twice (h) and then swipe once (m).
Third Stage:
At around fifty percent health, a short cutscene will play and Ludwig will gain the Holy Moonlight Sword along with a very powerful A.O.E. He is now on two legs and will slowly plunge the sword into the ground to signal the A.O.E.(h). He will also do several diagonal slashes if in front of him (m), as well as some long range Arcane swipes (m), that will throw arcs of light at the hunter. There is also a alternate version where he will charge for a bit before releasing one long arc of light (h). He will do a single left slash before following it up with another slash and two smashes (h) as well as a retreating slash-slash smash combo (h), which will be two handed. He can thrust at you (m) as well as do something similar to an A.O.E. on his blade (h), where he will hold the sword in front of his face to charge up before slamming it down. Energy will shoot from the blade towards the ceiling as it lands.
Drops:
-34,500 Blood Echoes
-Holy Moonlight Sword
-Guidance Rune
Tips and Tricks:
-Best weapon choices so far include; Saw Cleaver, Beasthunter Saif, Beastcutter, Whirligig (with lots of stamina), Chikage and Church Pick.
-Wear clothing that protects well against physical and Arcane damage.
-Equipping runes that increase stamina are very very helpful. Make sure to have the Impurity rune equipped if you intend to summon.
-The hardest part of this fight is finding time to heal.
-Summoning Younger Madaras Twin and Master Valtr can be very helpful. Attack for a bit, back away when your stamina is out or you need to heal and let them aggro him. Be careful to watch their health bars, especially Master Valtr's as he will survive longer than the Younger Madaras Twin and attack Ludwig to let them heal as well. Keep in mind that this will increase his health.
-For the first stage, try to roll through his swipes and attack him on the sides. They can be damaged in much the same way as other bosses' legs and it will do massive damage to focus on one side. He does not heal them. Do not go behind him as he will kick out and staying under him will elicit the bucking attack.
-He will do the exact same leaping attack every time you enter the arena so use this guaranteed opportunity to get off a couple of hits.
-Ludwig's head is very vulnerable and is a good place to hit although its also very dangerous as most attacks with an overhead swipe are very slow. This is where you visceral attack for the first stage.
-Dodge to the left to avoid the charge attack as it does track slightly and is very fast. He has the large arm on the right side which makes him a bit wider so left is best.
-The arcane spew doesn't do much damage and is an excellent time to get to his side for a few hits.
-Be aware that if you stay in front of him he will bite or head butt you so always be ready to jump to the side. The bite won't do much damage but the head butt can lead into a charge and inflict serious damage.
-During the bite flurry, dodge into him when he bites the fourth time.
-During the swipe combo, dodge in during the drag attack or right before the final two slashes.
-During his spin attack wait for him to begin it and then dodge into it for a few hits. Alternatively you can hang back and wait for him to do the quick jumping swipe after and dodge through that.
-When he does his prolonged drop attack just run in a straight line.
-For the third stage focus on dodging each Arcane attack individually instead of just spamming.
-Do not get hit by his attack with the burst of energy from the blade. Back off to avoid the initial A.O.E. and then get very close to him again. Wait until he is just about to bring the blade down and dodge to the side. This is another good time to heal up if you have dodged the attack.
-The sword smashes will hit the hardest and just dodge to the side to avoid them. He can only do three of them in a row.
-Be aware that he can change the timing of his swings so if you intend on rolling forward right before he swings he will most likely hesitate and hit you when you are right against him. This can also make it seem like he is finishing a combo when he is actually just waiting for you to come closer for the last hit.
-His A.O.E. has a pretty small diameter but still try to back up as he can attack very quickly after that. This can be a great time to heal up though.
-The Old Hunter Bone is very useful in this fight.
-When visceral attacking in stage two be mindful that the place to hit is his crotch.
-A Cannon can be used, although it's not suggested due to Ludwig's speed at least in the first and second stage of the fight.
Glitches:
-In co-op, Ludwig can die right after the cutscene for the second stage. Link
-If the player dies right as the middle cutscene plays their blood echoes will be lost.
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Information:
Ludwig is the first boss in the Hunter's Nightmare. Gain one Insight for finding him and three for killing him. Activates the Underground Corpse Pile Lamp.
Special Notes: Ludwig is referenced as two different names in the boss fight, first as Ludwig, the Accursed and then as Ludwig, the Holy Blade hence the title. Also, Ludwig is still alive after the boss fight and will drop the Holy Moonlight Sword if killed or spoken to while wearing Church Garb.
Lore:
Ludwig is the first of the Healing Church Hunters, part of the group that was formed after Gerhman's group was deemed a failure when they were finally revealed to the public after the fall of Old Yharnam. Ludwig then became head of the Church Hunters, and after witnessing the transformation of Clerics into bigger beasts championed a much larger and heavier weapon, Ludwig's Holy Blade. He would become a legend among the people of Yharnam along with his Church Hunters but was forced into recruiting normal civilians when the beasts became too strong. The guilt of their deaths and his early exposure to the old blood brought him to the brink of beast hood many a time until he found the Holy Moonlight Sword and the Guidance Rune that accompanied it. Here he thought he had found his savior, in the form of the sprites he now saw while closing his eyes. Their whispers kept the fears at bay and allowed to him to continue fighting although with a terrible price. Ludwig became something more terrible than other clergyman had ever become and for his sins he was exiled to the Hunter's Nightmare. Despite this betrayal he still listens to the voices of his guiding moonlight in the hopes that they will one day bring him salvation.
References and Dialogue:
-"-"Ahh, ahh, please...help us...ah... An unsightly beast. A great terror looms! Ahh. Ludwig the Accursed is coming. Have mercy...Have mercy upon us..." Skeleton in Ludwig's arena
-"Aah, you were at my side, all along. My true mentor...My guiding moonlight." Ludwig
-Without Church Garb on, "Good hunter, have you seen the thread of light? Just a hair, a fleeting thing, yet I clung to it, steeped as I was in the stench of blood and beasts. I never wanted to know, what it really was. Really, I didn't."
-With Church Garb on, "Tell me, good hunter of the Church. Are my Church hunter the honorable spartans that I hoped they would be?" If prompted yes, "Aah, good...that is a relief. To know I did not suffer such denigration for nothing. Thank you kindly. Now I may sleep in peace. Even in this darkest of nights, I see...the moonlight...". If prompted no, "Oh, my. Just as I feared. Then a beast-possessed degenerate was I, as my detractors made eminently clear. Does the nightmare ever end?!
-"A Caryll rune discovered by the old hunter Ludwig along with the Holy Moonlight Sword. When Ludwig closed his eyes, he saw darkness, or perhaps nothingness, and that is where he discovered the tiny beings of light. Ludwig was certain that these playful dancing sprites offered "guidance" and emptied Ludwig of his fear at least in the midst of the hunt." Guidance Rune
-"An arcane sword discovered long ago by Ludwig. When a blue moonlight dances around the sword, and it channels the abyssal cosmos, its great blade will hurl a shadowy lightwave. The Holy Moonlight Sword is synonymous with Ludwig, the Holy Blade, but few have ever set eyes on the great blade, and whatever guidance it has to offer, it seems to be of a very private, elusive sort." Holy Moonlight Sword
-"Oh, he's well and truly gone, now. A tragic figure. But he will shame himself no longer. He dies with his ideals untarnished. He was a true hero, and earnt that much, at least. Here, this is Ludwig's guiding light. The blinding thread, that lead, and mislead, that consummate hero. The poor brute." Simon the Harrowed
-"Oh, he's well and truly gone, now. A tragic figure. But he will shame himself no longer. He dies with his ideals untarnished. He was a true hero, and earnt that much, at least. Here, this is Ludwig's guiding light. The blinding thread, that lead, and mislead, that consummate hero. The poor brute." Simon the Harrowed
-"A trick weapon typically used by Healing Church Hunters. It is said that the silver sword was employed by Ludwig, the first hunter of the church. When transformed, it combines with its sheath to form a greatsword. It exhibits several departures from the workshop's design, suggesting that the Church anticipated much larger inhuman beasts." Ludwig's Holy Blade
-"Ludwig was the first of many Healing Church hunters to come, many of Whom were clerics. As it was, clerics transformed into the most hideous of beasts." Sword Hunter Badge-"The radiant sword indicates the heirs to the will of Ludwig. These hunters, also known as the Holy Blades, are what remains of an ancient line of heroes that date back to a very early age of honor and chivalry." Radiant Sword Hunter Badge
-"Ludwig, the first hunter of the Healing Church, once recruited Yharnamites to serve as hunters. This hunter's attire was made for new recruits, and has excellent straightforward defense. But not nearly enough to allow an ordinary man to stand any real chance against the beasts." Yharnam Hunter's Garb.
-Ludwig is wearing what looks to be a slightly modified version of the Executioner's Garb, which was the known inspiration for the Church Garb, proof that he was the first Healing Church Hunter.
-Ludwig, the Holy Blade is named after Ludwig Van Beethoven, the composer of the Moonlight Sonata.
-The inside of Ludwig's mouths are covered in eyeballs showing a great amount of insight.
Description:
Ludwig is a stunted twisted beast who's malformed body can only be described as an amalgamation of distorted limbs. He has several limbs sticking out from his body, mostly deformed variants of horses legs while his front two arms, the largest, have long claws. He has two "heads" the first more like a growth on his shoulder revealing a mouth with the inside covered in eyes while his other head resembles that of a horse although it is just an extremely elongated face. He is blind in his right eye.
Location:
From the Nightmare Church Lamp, continue out the door and past the gate. There will be a path continue down this and turn right, right next to the gate. There will be an Eye Collector to the right. At the gate, there will be a skeleton tapping that will drop five Blood Vials. Continue past the Carrion Crows and enter the passage.
Summons:
-Old Hunter Henriett wields the Kirk Hammer and Hunter's Pistol and is located down the stairs from the Nightmare Church Lamp.
-Confederate Younger Madaras Twin is available if the Impurity Rune is equipped. He wields a Hunter Blunderbuss and a Hunter's Ax, equipped with Fire Paper. His Summoning Bell is located in the small passage behind and to the right of the ax-wielding Nightmare Executioner.
-Old Hunter Valtr is available for summoning if he is alive and the Impurity Rune is equipped. He wields a Whirligig Saw. His Summoning Bell is located next to the gate with the banging skeleton.
Special Notes: Valtr and the Madaras Twin can be summoned together but Henriett will cancel out their summons.
Combat:
-Weak to Fire, Serration, and Bolt
Ludwig's Arena is a large cavernous room with a bloody pool as the floor. There are patches of skeletal bodies piled on the floor. There are several nooks to get stuck on along the wall and particularly around the staircase area that leads to a small platform with a body.
First Stage:
Ludwig is considered a beast-type in this stage and will stay on all fours throughout the first half of his health. He also has one charge attack, one that is heralded by a nose poke (m) that can throw you up in the air before the actual charge attack (h). His shorter range attacks include a spin attack (h) where he will utter a scream as he winds up to the left and then swings his whole body in an arc, and a series of three swipes (m), where he will swipe left to right, drag his hand across the ground, and then swipe again. These can also occur after a bite attack (m). He can also leap into the air and slam down with one hand (h). He can also do a series of retreating swipes (m), where he will back up very quickly and swipe at the ground. He also has one drop attack now, a move very similar to the Cleric Beast, where he drops down almost immediately (h).
Second Stage:
At around seventy five percent health, Ludwig becomes more aggressive and gains a few new attacks. The two Arcane attacks are a spew attack (s), where he spews glowing liquid from his mouth in a wide arc from left to right; the other is one quick spit in your direction (m). He also gains another charge attack (h), which can one shot you where he paws at the ground like a bull and charges. The second drop attack (h) he does is where he will stay on the ceiling and blood will drip down three times before he drops. He can also do a bite flurry (m), where he can do up to seven bites in quick succession. If underneath or behind him too long he will buck twice (h) and then swipe once (m).
Third Stage:
At around fifty percent health, a short cutscene will play and Ludwig will gain the Holy Moonlight Sword along with a very powerful A.O.E. He is now on two legs and will slowly plunge the sword into the ground to signal the A.O.E.(h). He will also do several diagonal slashes if in front of him (m), as well as some long range Arcane swipes (m), that will throw arcs of light at the hunter. There is also a alternate version where he will charge for a bit before releasing one long arc of light (h). He will do a single left slash before following it up with another slash and two smashes (h) as well as a retreating slash-slash smash combo (h), which will be two handed. He can thrust at you (m) as well as do something similar to an A.O.E. on his blade (h), where he will hold the sword in front of his face to charge up before slamming it down. Energy will shoot from the blade towards the ceiling as it lands.
Drops:
-34,500 Blood Echoes
-Holy Moonlight Sword
-Guidance Rune
Tips and Tricks:
-Best weapon choices so far include; Saw Cleaver, Beasthunter Saif, Beastcutter, Whirligig (with lots of stamina), Chikage and Church Pick.
-Wear clothing that protects well against physical and Arcane damage.
-Equipping runes that increase stamina are very very helpful. Make sure to have the Impurity rune equipped if you intend to summon.
-The hardest part of this fight is finding time to heal.
-Summoning Younger Madaras Twin and Master Valtr can be very helpful. Attack for a bit, back away when your stamina is out or you need to heal and let them aggro him. Be careful to watch their health bars, especially Master Valtr's as he will survive longer than the Younger Madaras Twin and attack Ludwig to let them heal as well. Keep in mind that this will increase his health.
-For the first stage, try to roll through his swipes and attack him on the sides. They can be damaged in much the same way as other bosses' legs and it will do massive damage to focus on one side. He does not heal them. Do not go behind him as he will kick out and staying under him will elicit the bucking attack.
-He will do the exact same leaping attack every time you enter the arena so use this guaranteed opportunity to get off a couple of hits.
-Ludwig's head is very vulnerable and is a good place to hit although its also very dangerous as most attacks with an overhead swipe are very slow. This is where you visceral attack for the first stage.
-Dodge to the left to avoid the charge attack as it does track slightly and is very fast. He has the large arm on the right side which makes him a bit wider so left is best.
-The arcane spew doesn't do much damage and is an excellent time to get to his side for a few hits.
-Be aware that if you stay in front of him he will bite or head butt you so always be ready to jump to the side. The bite won't do much damage but the head butt can lead into a charge and inflict serious damage.
-During the bite flurry, dodge into him when he bites the fourth time.
-During the swipe combo, dodge in during the drag attack or right before the final two slashes.
-During his spin attack wait for him to begin it and then dodge into it for a few hits. Alternatively you can hang back and wait for him to do the quick jumping swipe after and dodge through that.
-When he does his prolonged drop attack just run in a straight line.
-For the third stage focus on dodging each Arcane attack individually instead of just spamming.
-Do not get hit by his attack with the burst of energy from the blade. Back off to avoid the initial A.O.E. and then get very close to him again. Wait until he is just about to bring the blade down and dodge to the side. This is another good time to heal up if you have dodged the attack.
-The sword smashes will hit the hardest and just dodge to the side to avoid them. He can only do three of them in a row.
-Be aware that he can change the timing of his swings so if you intend on rolling forward right before he swings he will most likely hesitate and hit you when you are right against him. This can also make it seem like he is finishing a combo when he is actually just waiting for you to come closer for the last hit.
-His A.O.E. has a pretty small diameter but still try to back up as he can attack very quickly after that. This can be a great time to heal up though.
-The Old Hunter Bone is very useful in this fight.
-When visceral attacking in stage two be mindful that the place to hit is his crotch.
-A Cannon can be used, although it's not suggested due to Ludwig's speed at least in the first and second stage of the fight.
Glitches:
-In co-op, Ludwig can die right after the cutscene for the second stage. Link
-If the player dies right as the middle cutscene plays their blood echoes will be lost.
Damage Indicator:
Slight damage (s)
Moderate Damage (m)
Heavy Damage (h)
Stun (st)
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