STACK Magazine April 2015 Issue 126

68 / 114

Bloodborne is going to be one of the most difficult games of
2015. It's to be expected, of course. It comes from the studio who
brought you Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, a series renowned
for its punishing yet rewarding gameplay. Bloodborne is a spiritual
successor to these titles, but sets out to break the muscle-memory that
Souls fans have learned, while challenging even the most hardcore gamer.
YouTube uploaderVaatiVidya has written five tips for us to help you cope.
068
visit FEATURE GAMES
Borne to Kill
1. It's not just about avoiding hits, it's about
what you do after you get hit. Bloodborne
introduces a "Regain" mechanic, where you
have a brief moment after taking damage to
regain health you may have lost. Once hit,
players are faced with a tough choice: "Do
I play aggressively to regain my health and
risk further damage, or do I play it safe and
be okay with the health that I've lost?" In
my experience, the right answer is almost
always to go for it. Healing potions are
limited, so you'll need to be an aggressive
player to succeed in the long-term. If you're
scared, remember: enemies in Bloodborne
often stagger after being hit, so if you have
the chance to combo together a counter
attack, you should take it.
2.The two main consumables in the game
are Quicksilver Bullets and BloodVials .
You can carry 20 of each, and they are
dropped by enemies you kill as you progress
through a level. On your first few runs
through a stage, you'll find that enemies
drop more of these than you can carry.
However, be warned. The more you attempt
the same level, the less enemies will drop.
If you ever find yourself with 20 Blood
Vials or Quicksilver Bullets, it's advisable to
stash a bunch of them in your storage in the
Hunter's Dream hub. This way, when you
encounter a difficult stretch, you can fall back
on your stash to help you get through it.
3. Every enemy has a weakness! Once
you find it, exploit it. For example, some
enemies are vulnerable after a certain attack,
so bait it out and punish it. Some have
very predictable, slow attacks.. so shoot
them with L2 just before they strike you to
initiate a parry/riposte. Some bosses even
have weak spots, like their head or a limb.
It may take you a lot of deaths to discover
an enemy's weakness, but aim to learn
something new every time you die.
4. In Bloodborne, you can summon
help! By ringing your "Bell of Dream
Summoning", you put out the call for an
anonymous player to join you in the hunt.
Bosses will become stronger once you
summon, but in most cases, two players are
better than one. With the ability to divide an
enemy's attention, you should be able to use
teamwork to cover each other. Be warned
though... once help is summoned, invaders
will find it easier to intrude upon your world.
5. If you ever find yourself stuck, don't be
afraid to search for help!The difficulty of
the Souls games forces many players online,
so you will always be able to find resources
or players to assist you. I've actually heard
about this awesome YouTube channel
called "VaatiVidya" who is designing a guide
series... ;)
There's nothing quite
like the feeling of
overcoming hardship.
Enjoy. It's a bloody good
time.
The Hunt Begins
APRIL 2015 JB Hi-Fi