Context with the Moon Presence is definitely the best part. It NEEDS its mind and body controlling powers to truly be a threat. The moment it realises it won't work on you, it becomes a fight against a creature that isn't attacking with rage and fury, but instead fear and desperation. It knows it's vulnerable now and since it's probably never had to fight before, all it can do is frantically jump around and flail at you. Get the feeling that Gherman would have ripped it to shreds if he had the three cords as well.
Obviously, the Madman lost his mind and his pants at the same time. It's a package deal- the mind goes, and so do his pants. They just evaporate along with his sanity.
The Blood-Starved Beast does have build-up and environmental storytelling, it's just easy to miss. In the cathedral earlier in Old Yharnam, where the beast patients are making that droning chant noise before they notice you, there is another BSB strung up almost like a crucifix, and that's what the beasts are worshiping in that building. Presumably the placement of the one that we fight in a church implies that it is also an object of reverence for the lesser beasts. We also know that the people of Old Yharnam during the beasthood outbreak there were treated with antidote despite the fact that the beasthood is a curse transmitted by blood ministration, so the fact that these "most special" beasts in the area produce poison from their bodies (which the antidotes do treat) invites a ton of interesting questions.
Blood starved beast does have a story! Hunter Djura looks after the beasts in Old Yharnam, believing that there is Still a human inside them capable of remembering their past selves. Blood starved beast is one of them, locking itself away in a church far from any humans it is compelled to consume. It's only the hunters close proximity where its beast nature takes over, and it attempts to devour the player.
Laurence, THE most important figure in the lore being nothing more than a cleric beast is the point. The beautiful phase 2 violin contrasting with whatever is left of him crawling across the floor in his own lava vomit is amazing, you truly see how he has fallen from grace.
so glad someone said this. while the cleric beast is optionally the first boss, he's optionally one of the last ones (and definitely scaled to be such), and his beefed up moveset really makes the fight demand every bit of skill you've learned from the game. the lore is great, the music is great, and the fight is great--I really don't think the hitboxes are nearly as bad as people always complain about, and the second phase was a shocking and cool surprise.
I think lots of frustrations you mention in this video are balanced out in Sekiro and outside of From Soft in Lies of P. Both have main bosses that are the actual bosses and non of them are easy. And then you habe „small bosses“, that feel outstanding compared to mobs, but are also clearly a step down from the main bosses. Makes you realize they were still learning in Bloodborne, although it’s a masterpiece for sure.
Im glad to see that you included the Chalice Dungeon Bosses. There are actually quite a few good fights in them, but a lot of people ignore the fights because they find the dungeons to be tedious and boring. I would also like to point out that during the Amygdala fights, you can attack the arms for ok damage... obviously not the arms that have been ripped off.
I love how the S tier is *exclusively* hunters. There are beasts. There are abominations. There are gods. But *nothing* will ever really surpass (and I know this is cheesy) the indomitable human spirit !
Its a shame the Bloodletting Beast is so...middle of the road, since his model design actually hints at him being the real Laurence in the present day because of his models skull being the exact same model that you touch after fighting and killing Vicar Amelia. Then Laurence in the Old Hunter DLC is supposed to be this middle ground of Lawrences transformation, anyways great video!! can't wait to see what else you create.
Just once I would like to see Fromsoft without being seemingly limited by scope/ time constraints. It seems like every game they leave something substantial either half baked, or on the cutting room floor. It’s just crazy how it doesn’t really negatively impact their games that much.
I agree with everything you said about the cleric beast but one thing I do love about it is that Manus basically the last, most challenging boss of dark souls 1 shares a very similar design to the cleric beast. pretty much telling you through a design easter egg to get ready for this whole game to be on the same level as that dlc.
Amygdala also takes significant damage when you hit the glowing forearms! It’s actually much safer to do so most of the time IMO rather than rushing in for the head, but the head takes more damage and has better stagger potential so I tend to focus on it anyways
You didn't mention how the Moon Presence also has an attack that prevents you from using blood vials for about 60 seconds. When combined with the 1hp attack it's a more threatening fight, although I guess it's worth mentioning that combo doesn't happen consistently. Loved the video, Ludwig is also my favorite fight.
The one thing I'll say about the "rematches" with Rom and Ebrietas is that I don't think it's a second copy of an otherwise unique boss, I think they really are meant to be the exact same boss, that when you are exploring the chalices, you are reenacting events prior to the start of the game, reenacting the battles where Rom and Ebrietas were first discovered and captured. I feel this is backed up by the final chalice boss being Queen Yharnam who unlike when you see her in the mane game, is still visibly Pregnant in her boss fight, her child having not yet been stollen by the church. Now, that still doesn't entirely excuse the implementation of Rom and Ebrietas in the chalices, but I do think it maybe at least gives them actual context for existing.
Bloodborne's bosses are pretty incredible when you think about they were created directly after Dark Souls 1. The leap in quality is crazy. I'm aware DS2 came out in between these games but Miyazaki did not direct it. Bloodborne added many iconic fights and invented the multi-phase boss battle. Elden Ring players that started there have no idea.
I don't think that there's any studio that we've been able to so directly watch the improvement of. The number of ideas that evolve, they way the role of a boss in their games evolve - we've been watching them evolve from fights like the Penetrator to the knights of Elden Ring in barely 15 years, which is absolutely wild.
omg i’ve watched SO MANY bloodborne analysis videos, it’s my favorite game to learn about bc playing it for me was impossible, and i loved this video! even if my next attempt to get past yarnham doesn’t succeed, i’ll feel much more equipped w this analysis under my belt… so interesting and well made! i hope you get as much love as some of the other big souls channel, you totally deserve it
I can't believe you didn't mention Vicar Amelia's voice acting OR music! Along with all the other good points you made about her, her screams are chilling, and the music perfectly fits the horror of the fight. One of my absolute favourites!
This video has given me so much inspiration for my dungeons and dragons campaign. Good bosses has been something I’ve really been trying to get right and this video has been very helpful/informative
I can respect your opinions, and I think there’s a lot that can (and should) be criticized with the reuse of bosses in the Chalice Dungeons. However the way you talk about Rom, Ebrietas, etc. as unique individuals that you already killed shows a certain ignorance of how the Great Ones and the Chalices actually work. And that’s fine, I get the impression that your grading system and opinions are focused far far more on gameplay and mechanics which is totally fair, but from an in universe lore perspective their inclusion is absolutely 100% justified and viable. Absolutely agree with all the S rankings, though I’d personally place Maria as my favorite. Hard disagree on Lawrence criticisms. Apart from visually being a cleric beast I find him totally distinct and a fantastic fight. I’d grade Micolash a bit higher purely for atmosphere and that haunting, maddening music, but mechanically he really is tedious and insufferable.
I feel like the design of the Chalice did that - the lightning jumping around the floor and walls does a great job setting a ton. Silverbeast may technically cement it, but the area design carries enough weight that Abhorrent & Darkbeast's theme still fits.
I think another major feather in the insane cap of Gascogne’s design is that he begins to break established rules in phase 2. He starts to slide in blunderbuss shots where there should be gaps and actively switches in an instant between the trick mode of the axe to dodge and fire and shows that he’s something you’re not. You’re bound to the rules of your move set and need to work in and around the gaps your move set leaves while Gascogne rips the gaps apart and starts to just slam against you like a beast which he’ll soon become. He’s an amazingly designed boss and it’s insane he’s essentially the tutorial of bloodborne especially since I’d fully expect him to act as this game’s Solaire with him even being a special summon to fight against the cleric beast
I kinda liked the detail of Lawrence just being a cleric beast. It shows that no matter how important you are or how much influence you have in the world of bloodborne in the end if you succumb to madness you turn into nothing but a simple beast sometimes indistinguishable from the thousands of other beasts.
Even in the couple months since the video, I've come to appreciate the lore aspect of it - it still loses me as a gameplay challenge for the hidden, optional boss of the DLC.
My favorite game of all time hands down. So good I was inspired to make a ttrpg partly inspired by this and lovecraft. I just found your channel today. I love your insight. I'm a lore nerd myself so there's not really any news for me here but I love seeing what other people think about this amazing game, and your deliverance is wonderful and refreshing. You do a great job keep your head up.
The big fire puppy actually takes less damage on the head until you break it. It's easier to break the limbs and use the stagger to break the head. Once the head is broken it takes a lot more damage. The real trick is just to not lock on and run and roll around it, makes for a way more fun fight imo
Loved the video! On the part about Rom, I do agree with everything you said. However, as far as I know, her reuse is justified because theorized that the chalice dungeons exist outside of the flow of time. Queen Yharnam's fight is evidence of this, as she is pregnant in the chalice dungeon, but not in the main game.
Celestial Emissary and Ebrietas is also evidence of this. You kill them to get the Isz chalice and in that very same chalice you fight Celestial Emissary and Ebrietas again
It's a good point lore wise, but it lends the question - is Rom in the chalice as a step to introduce that lore component, or is the lore component there as an explanation to reuse Rom, Ebrietas, and the Emissary? That said, I hadn't noticed that about Yharnam - that is a super cool detail.
@TheAkasharose The reason for why that lore exists could be just to excuse the reuse of the fights, but it does make sense, at least (in my opinion). With the exception of the Amygdala (which rhere are several of anyway), all reused great ones have a direct connection to Ebrietas in some way, or is Ebrietas herself. Ebi was found in the chalice dungeon in the first place. Rom ascended to greathood likely with the help of Ebrietas' blood. There's a petrified Rom in the Altar of Despair in Ebrietas' main-game boss room. We know the Altar of Despair has some time shenanigans going on since it's used to reverse Annalise's pulpification at the end of Alfred's questline. We also know that the chalice dungeons don't generally follow the same laws as the waking world does. It doesn't make tge reuse any less jarring, but it does open up some interesting talking points about how the powers of the great ones work.
I really think the lack of boss souls (or an equivalent) hurts a lot of the lore for this game. In Dark Souls or even Elden Ring you at least were guaranteed like 2-3 item descriptions for each major boss. Take that away and you have many bosses who’s lore is nonexistent or bare bones.
If there was one thing I could change in Bloodborne, it'd be adding some equivalent to Boss Souls. I don't read every item description, but those major souls are the one item that I will always read in full every time.
So glad to have stumbled upon this video and your channel! Listening to you has been a thoroughly relaxing and interesting experience. Subscribed, I'm going to dive into your other videos now and am looking forward to your future analysis as well! Bloodborne will always hold a special place in my heart, even though I prefer fantasy settings, and I almost feel like going back to playing it, despite bosses in and of themselves being my least liked aspect of these games in contrast to discovery, lore, npcs and gameplay, all of which I adore. OH, and for me, the first boss I fought was Gascoigne, who I believed to be the first of this game period, and he was so difficult, every time I replay the game, even if I've learned a lot since then, the thought of facing him always fills me with dread. I also beat Lady Maria second try the last time, but in my head they are both formidable opponents.
Glad to hear you like the video! And yeah - the atmosphere that Gascoigne brings to Bloodborne is incredible. Easily one of the best introductory bosses in any game. And I think that feeling of Dread is one of my favorite parts of Bloodborne - maybe it's because it's the FROM Soft game I'm probably the worst at - but so many bosses still make me terrified to fight them again in the best way.
I swear this Bloodborne has so many cool ideas, the best aesthetic, the best weapons and it's wasted on a game with 30 fps and some of the worst mechanics and design decisions in soulsborne
2 minutes in i thought to myself "dude i gotta see his version of this to dark souls 3" but you haven't uploaded it yet, how dare you? Subscribed and hyped as fuck, gonna watch the whole series, tysm for the great content
My hope is to post them every other week on Sundays! One week I do my Pathfinder 2e Podcast, other one I do one of these! I have DS3 ready and just record Sekiro, with Demon's Souls scripted out. Elden Ring is probably going to have a longer gap, but I'm hoping to have the remainder series done by the end of May!
Parroting what everyone else has said, holy crap this is such great production quality for someone with no subscribers. Keep up this quality and you’ll have a ton soon. Once you get a video to hit the algorithm you’ll blow up!
Amazing video, enjoying it so much so far, but I have to comment on the watchdog analysis, as you said that his weak spot is his head and you stood in front of his head trying to hit it but kept getting hit by the flames. He’s a beast boss, which means his legs are the weak spot, and gets staggered when you break his legs, and the best position to be in is to either of the sides where you can choose which leg to hit since he’s built like a rectangle. It’s a pretty cool boss but not great And rippp I loved the cleric beast but I can see why you gave it such a low grade haha
I beat bloodborne recently for the first time and i cant stop thinking about it, i always enjoy these long analysis for souls games and you definitely need more subs than this
BL4 shadows with the snakes is epic. Rolling away from the chomp. Some of the most fun I have ever had playing. To add, you never mentioned damage reductions. Defiled chalice behooves you to be mindful of it. Up your fire reduction for Keeper and Watchdog and you don't get one shot with at least 40 vitality, which is what it appeared you had. Depth 4 and 5, Lake runes help a lot.
Finally, someone who hates Laurence as much as I do. It's not even that it's hard, it's that it's boring! I don't mind hard bosses as long as they are hard in some exciting way, but a boss I have literally already fought with new particle effects and an extra helping of bullshit is NOT exciting. Not even a little bit.
One thing to mention with the repeat old one fights in the Chalice Dungeons is that there is an implication that the Chalice Dungeons you experience in game are a sort of pocket dimension in time, where you are entering a past version of said area rather than the real world dungeons. This explains why Rom and Ebrietas are here, but the biggest piece of proper evidence is Queen Yharnam still pregnant with Mergo when you find here in the Chalice Dungeons, as opposed to every other time in the present time where she clearly doesn't
"Convinced to buy a Playstation 4 by the blood." 😂😂😂😂😂 What a line, what an intro! Unfortunately I couldn't and still can't afford a PS. Bloodborn on PC when, person who is responsible for that desicion? I finally wanna play Bloodborne too.
@@DionPanday Maybe. But they last longer and don't have generations like the PS. You can play stuff on PC no matter when it came out. One can maybe play the old stuff on the new PS (is that even correct?) But you can't play most of the new stuff on the old consoles, if I am not mistaken. Lastly - most people have a PC anyways. It's much easier and cheaper to buy a PC you can also play games on for years and years if you buy one anyways, than having to keep updating your console. And I don't think that the PS5 is 11 years old. The first PS may be, but again - console generations.
@@AiorosSagittarius im pretty sure people who bought a pc even 10 years ago can’t play games like Cyberpunk or Elden ring. And that’s why consoles exist, because of the exclusives. You can either keep asking for a PC port wich will never happen as Miyazaki himself said or just buy a cheap used ps4 and play it that way.
@@DionPanday A well maintained PC can last years. And I don't think I can play the Demon's Souls remake on PS4. Or the new Final Fantasy 7, if I were fan. Let's agree that it is impossible or very difficult for many people to have both at the same time. I'm growing tired of this discussion.
@@AiorosSagittarius When did demons souls get into this discussion? If you want to play that you should buy the original demons souls wich is superior in every way except for graphics. They’re called exclusives for a reason. And no there are minimum pc requirements for certain games so if you spend 1k now you might have to spend an additional 500 in a few years just to be up to date.
32:00 You can actually reach Paarl and the unseen village right after defeating the Blood-Starved Beast. I usually do this as the twin-shards you can find in the area let you upgrade a weapon to +6 before you fight Ameilia.
Dying to the One Reborn 7 times made me delve into the Chalice Dungeons, I had so much fun with those that when I finished, I breezed through everything else in the game, it got that easy Chalice loot is no joke
(23:51) Now I don’t know if I misinterpreted what you said but the beast-possessed soul found at the bottom of the healing church workshop also uses pyromancy like the boss variant! Also something about the Beast-possessed soul I don’t know until someone mentioned it was that if it’s grab attacks connects, it will gnaw on the player and afterwards will become buffed, which you can see because it’s eyes will glow red. Anyways great video! Just wanted to mention these things!
@@TheAkasharose I just finished the video a couple hours ago, and that was a very great showcase and examination of BB'S bosses! My 1st video I've seen of yours. I will have to check out some of your others for sure. Thanks for sharing.
This video confirms my theory: people dunk on elden ring reusing bosses and its asset reuse just to he contrarian and bait clicks. I see almost no video essays call out the chalice boss asset reuse. Brilliant video, on my favorite souls game.
I suppose it could also just be the fact that some of the reused assets in Elden Ring “kind of” have a reason to be discovered, usually on accident while exploring so even casuals will find them by chance, or drop an interesting gimmick weapon/reward Whereas in Bloodborne you have to go out of your way to do chalice dungeons, figure out which materials you need to farm to get the next layer, and on top of that mald through multiple layers with no real useful rewards for a trophy. Consequently also probably why not many have platinumed Bloodborne Regardless Hats off to you my fellow hunters
It hurt watching myself do some of these fights over and over again with some fights in editing. Nothing like watching yourself and thinking 'Wow, I absolutely deserved to die there'.
@@TheAkasharose wish I could relate. Anyway, good video. I found that all the Hunter fights (Father Gascoigne, Gehrman, the First Hunter, Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower) to be the best, most exhilarating fights in the game.
I feel bad cuz I love Cleric Beast so much =3= I can understand the camera troubles by D seems kind of harsh to me. It feels like the perfect first boss for Bloodborne to me. The way you can stagger it by hitting it's arms and leaving it stunned for a good bit. It's a very satisfying fight for me =w= Edit: Just watched up to Vicar Amelia and I'm kind of shocked that you'd say that it's not as clear when you get limb breaks off on the Cleric Beast. I feel like the crazy amount of blood that explodes out of it when you do it is decently clear. Maybe not animation-wise with how it actually react, but I feel like it's good.
There's a pretty consistent way of avoiding the Shadows of Yharnam's Snake Summoning. First focus completely on the Katana Guy. Once he's dead you kill the Pyro-Katana guy. Then you kill the pyro guy because he got the least health of the three. With him it's very important to stay up close to him and Interrupt pretty much everything he's doing, that way he can't summon the snakes. Also important to note, if you do it that way, the pyro guy only starts summoning once the others are dead.
just so you know for future playthroughs, if you stand in front of them you can dodge toward the watchdog's bite attacks to get to their side for a free couple hits. you can get limb breaks on them, so even though the damage is less on their sides it's still worth it
Rom is the greatest boss in video game history. The only flaw is that the mini spiders should just have been smaller Roms. I will not tolerate anti-Rom shenanigans. Pro Rom comments only.
Call me crazy but Defiled Watchdog is an easy S for me. Nonetheless, love the video! Part of the fun of these games is hearing how everyone has different experiences.
Pthumerian Descendant: "It's hard to point out anything he did wrong." His parry frames make no damn sense! I've lost count of the number of times I've managed to shoot him right in the middle of that lightning-fast backhand swing, and he doesn't even flinch let alone get parried like he's supposed to. Other times I've shot him while he was running around and not even attacking at all, and he got knocked to his knees. Not to mention how annoyingly cheap it is to get stun-locked to death if he manages to catch you in a combo. Mash that circle button all you want, you're not getting out!
I just realized how much of a missed opportunity it was to not give us Logarius's weapons. Imagine the scythe doubling as a catalyst when transformed that scales with arc and dex or something. Using quicksilver bullets to shoot the spells. That would be badass
Man, I will never forget the feeling of playing the DLC. Beating Ludwig on my second try, and Maria and Orphan on my first tries. The pure adrenaline and emotions of the fights, I dare say it's From's best dlc.
Great work on this! I finally posted MY Bloodborne boss review a few days ago and I love seeing what other small channels have to say! Can’t wait to see more from you!
You NEED to mention that a huge weakness the Blood Starved Beast has is that if you throw a blood pungent cocktail at the corner of the wall, the Beast walks over to it and you can get free hits in. Add some fire paper to your arsenal and it’s a very easy fight
Working at Fromsoft must be amazing. Imagine not only being allowed to say the words "this boss should wield his own placenta" but actually inplementing that
I feel like with moon presence, it fears you. it cant control you. you've killed other old gods, the music plays is your boss music. it's frantically trying to kill you like just another beast, because its true power wont work on you. its not S tier, but i feel its better than C. that context boosts it imo.
Also lil art note his arms are scratched to hell and like hes been scratching them out of crazy urge and it draws attention to to smack em when the legs dont work
You do know the emblem you can buy for 10k is optional since a different path opens up as a result of killing blood starved, and that path loops around to connect you to the rest of the church.
Maria is my favorite but yeah I can’t argue with your points on Ludwig. In my opinion, Ludwig, orphan, Maria are some of the best FROM has ever given us.
Lady Maria is my personal favorite from Bloodborne due to the excellent character reveal backed by the story buildup, fantastic music and original phase changes. It's just a shame she's so easy to parry and she needs way more HP, something like Orphan of Kos' massive health pool.
I do think that there is a bit of characterization that also comes from Maria being a Glass Cannon - it adds to that feeling of equal footing, feeling like you're fighting a Hunter who's just more skilled then you.
100% - that Bridge takes so much away from the Cleric Beast it's almost sad. I wish the Cleric Beast showed up in the Chalices over some of the other bosses, just so I could fight it in those circular rooms.
I... I don't know. It just always did, and now I'm questioning how I got that while playing the first game. I'm gonna go stare at a mirror and wonder what's happening in my brain.
Someone probably said it already, but your comment about the damage variance you take during the Cleric Beast fight depends on counter-damage. Bloodborne has a mechanic where your character will take 2 to 3 times the damage if they get hit while dodging, attacking, or running. That's why it seems off. But for me, overall your analysis was solid. ☺️
The Maneater Boar in the chalices actually does have a new move, a somewhat quick "Get off me" back legs kick if you backstab fish it. Still not enough to be a boss though.
I personally would rate Darkbeast Paarl and One Reborn an A tier, as they allow me to do my most favorite thing in the game ever, breaking bones. Everytime I beat Blood Starved Beast I immediately rush to the secret route straight to the first Snatcher to get kidnapped and go to Darkbeast Paarl, all so I could get that sweet satisfying limb breaking action. I love just breaking each of his limbs as he's about to get up. Its so satisfying.
Context with the Moon Presence is definitely the best part. It NEEDS its mind and body controlling powers to truly be a threat. The moment it realises it won't work on you, it becomes a fight against a creature that isn't attacking with rage and fury, but instead fear and desperation.
It knows it's vulnerable now and since it's probably never had to fight before, all it can do is frantically jump around and flail at you. Get the feeling that Gherman would have ripped it to shreds if he had the three cords as well.
That's a great point. It's definitely one of the biggest surprise movesets compared to the intro cutscene.
It’s funny that the grand mastermind behind most of the hunt is, in and of itself, just another mangy beast.
Obviously, the Madman lost his mind and his pants at the same time. It's a package deal- the mind goes, and so do his pants. They just evaporate along with his sanity.
Bloodborne: Prepare to Cry
Deepest lore.
Is this not common knowledge? My uncle experienced this irl. Went crazy &, pantsless all in one fluid motion.
Saying gassycoins is a tough boss is complete bullshit and you know it.
You can literally stunfuck him to death with heavy attacks.
"Pants are what separate us from the animals" --some star wars propaganda parody
The Blood-Starved Beast does have build-up and environmental storytelling, it's just easy to miss. In the cathedral earlier in Old Yharnam, where the beast patients are making that droning chant noise before they notice you, there is another BSB strung up almost like a crucifix, and that's what the beasts are worshiping in that building. Presumably the placement of the one that we fight in a church implies that it is also an object of reverence for the lesser beasts. We also know that the people of Old Yharnam during the beasthood outbreak there were treated with antidote despite the fact that the beasthood is a curse transmitted by blood ministration, so the fact that these "most special" beasts in the area produce poison from their bodies (which the antidotes do treat) invites a ton of interesting questions.
Blood starved beast does have a story! Hunter Djura looks after the beasts in Old Yharnam, believing that there is Still a human inside them capable of remembering their past selves. Blood starved beast is one of them, locking itself away in a church far from any humans it is compelled to consume. It's only the hunters close proximity where its beast nature takes over, and it attempts to devour the player.
That's actually really sad. Imagine you could talk to it through the church doors
There is also a theory that the reason it's back is cut open is because it used it's own blood to feed the beasts of Old Yharnam
Laurence, THE most important figure in the lore being nothing more than a cleric beast is the point. The beautiful phase 2 violin contrasting with whatever is left of him crawling across the floor in his own lava vomit is amazing, you truly see how he has fallen from grace.
Exactly!
so glad someone said this. while the cleric beast is optionally the first boss, he's optionally one of the last ones (and definitely scaled to be such), and his beefed up moveset really makes the fight demand every bit of skill you've learned from the game. the lore is great, the music is great, and the fight is great--I really don't think the hitboxes are nearly as bad as people always complain about, and the second phase was a shocking and cool surprise.
This is cope. It’s a reskinned cleric beast because they ran out of dev time.
@@Sbrick521 didnt know you had insider info into Fromsoftware's development cycles.
Thank you for saying this!!! I've always felt like people are WAY too harsh on what's arguably a fantastic choice when it comes to lore
Im a simple person, I see a bloodborne analysis and i click
He just like me fr fr
I think lots of frustrations you mention in this video are balanced out in Sekiro and outside of From Soft in Lies of P. Both have main bosses that are the actual bosses and non of them are easy. And then you habe „small bosses“, that feel outstanding compared to mobs, but are also clearly a step down from the main bosses.
Makes you realize they were still learning in Bloodborne, although it’s a masterpiece for sure.
Im glad to see that you included the Chalice Dungeon Bosses. There are actually quite a few good fights in them, but a lot of people ignore the fights because they find the dungeons to be tedious and boring.
I would also like to point out that during the Amygdala fights, you can attack the arms for ok damage... obviously not the arms that have been ripped off.
I love how the S tier is *exclusively* hunters.
There are beasts. There are abominations. There are gods.
But *nothing* will ever really surpass (and I know this is cheesy) the indomitable human spirit !
Its a shame the Bloodletting Beast is so...middle of the road, since his model design actually hints at him being the real Laurence in the present day because of his models skull being the exact same model that you touch after fighting and killing Vicar Amelia. Then Laurence in the Old Hunter DLC is supposed to be this middle ground of Lawrences transformation, anyways great video!! can't wait to see what else you create.
Just once I would like to see Fromsoft without being seemingly limited by scope/ time constraints. It seems like every game they leave something substantial either half baked, or on the cutting room floor. It’s just crazy how it doesn’t really negatively impact their games that much.
@@kode-man23
Elden Ring was this. It had five years in the oven, and it shows.
I agree with everything you said about the cleric beast but one thing I do love about it is that Manus basically the last, most challenging boss of dark souls 1 shares a very similar design to the cleric beast. pretty much telling you through a design easter egg to get ready for this whole game to be on the same level as that dlc.
Amygdala also takes significant damage when you hit the glowing forearms! It’s actually much safer to do so most of the time IMO rather than rushing in for the head, but the head takes more damage and has better stagger potential so I tend to focus on it anyways
Also, the weapon he's using has a vertical L2 attack!
You didn't mention how the Moon Presence also has an attack that prevents you from using blood vials for about 60 seconds. When combined with the 1hp attack it's a more threatening fight, although I guess it's worth mentioning that combo doesn't happen consistently. Loved the video, Ludwig is also my favorite fight.
The one thing I'll say about the "rematches" with Rom and Ebrietas is that I don't think it's a second copy of an otherwise unique boss, I think they really are meant to be the exact same boss, that when you are exploring the chalices, you are reenacting events prior to the start of the game, reenacting the battles where Rom and Ebrietas were first discovered and captured.
I feel this is backed up by the final chalice boss being Queen Yharnam who unlike when you see her in the mane game, is still visibly Pregnant in her boss fight, her child having not yet been stollen by the church.
Now, that still doesn't entirely excuse the implementation of Rom and Ebrietas in the chalices, but I do think it maybe at least gives them actual context for existing.
Bloodborne's bosses are pretty incredible when you think about they were created directly after Dark Souls 1. The leap in quality is crazy. I'm aware DS2 came out in between these games but Miyazaki did not direct it. Bloodborne added many iconic fights and invented the multi-phase boss battle. Elden Ring players that started there have no idea.
I don't think that there's any studio that we've been able to so directly watch the improvement of. The number of ideas that evolve, they way the role of a boss in their games evolve - we've been watching them evolve from fights like the Penetrator to the knights of Elden Ring in barely 15 years, which is absolutely wild.
The chalice dungeons were a nice idea in theory. The main problem is that they fucking suck ass
omg i’ve watched SO MANY bloodborne analysis videos, it’s my favorite game to learn about bc playing it for me was impossible, and i loved this video! even if my next attempt to get past yarnham doesn’t succeed, i’ll feel much more equipped w this analysis under my belt…
so interesting and well made! i hope you get as much love as some of the other big souls channel, you totally deserve it
I can't believe you didn't mention Vicar Amelia's voice acting OR music! Along with all the other good points you made about her, her screams are chilling, and the music perfectly fits the horror of the fight. One of my absolute favourites!
My boi hitting us with another Analysis
This video has given me so much inspiration for my dungeons and dragons campaign. Good bosses has been something I’ve really been trying to get right and this video has been very helpful/informative
I can respect your opinions, and I think there’s a lot that can (and should) be criticized with the reuse of bosses in the Chalice Dungeons. However the way you talk about Rom, Ebrietas, etc. as unique individuals that you already killed shows a certain ignorance of how the Great Ones and the Chalices actually work. And that’s fine, I get the impression that your grading system and opinions are focused far far more on gameplay and mechanics which is totally fair, but from an in universe lore perspective their inclusion is absolutely 100% justified and viable.
Absolutely agree with all the S rankings, though I’d personally place Maria as my favorite. Hard disagree on Lawrence criticisms. Apart from visually being a cleric beast I find him totally distinct and a fantastic fight. I’d grade Micolash a bit higher purely for atmosphere and that haunting, maddening music, but mechanically he really is tedious and insufferable.
I think the Loran Silverbeast is just there to establish the beastly electricity theme, being followed by an Abhorrent Beast and the Loran Darkbeast
I feel like the design of the Chalice did that - the lightning jumping around the floor and walls does a great job setting a ton. Silverbeast may technically cement it, but the area design carries enough weight that Abhorrent & Darkbeast's theme still fits.
I think another major feather in the insane cap of Gascogne’s design is that he begins to break established rules in phase 2. He starts to slide in blunderbuss shots where there should be gaps and actively switches in an instant between the trick mode of the axe to dodge and fire and shows that he’s something you’re not. You’re bound to the rules of your move set and need to work in and around the gaps your move set leaves while Gascogne rips the gaps apart and starts to just slam against you like a beast which he’ll soon become. He’s an amazingly designed boss and it’s insane he’s essentially the tutorial of bloodborne especially since I’d fully expect him to act as this game’s Solaire with him even being a special summon to fight against the cleric beast
Holy shit you’re on a roll with these videos. Keep up the amazing work
These videos are remarkable for how quickly you seem to be making them. Well done!
I kinda liked the detail of Lawrence just being a cleric beast. It shows that no matter how important you are or how much influence you have in the world of bloodborne in the end if you succumb to madness you turn into nothing but a simple beast sometimes indistinguishable from the thousands of other beasts.
Even in the couple months since the video, I've come to appreciate the lore aspect of it - it still loses me as a gameplay challenge for the hidden, optional boss of the DLC.
My favorite game of all time hands down. So good I was inspired to make a ttrpg partly inspired by this and lovecraft. I just found your channel today. I love your insight. I'm a lore nerd myself so there's not really any news for me here but I love seeing what other people think about this amazing game, and your deliverance is wonderful and refreshing. You do a great job keep your head up.
Mad mad Noah Caldwell Gervais vibes here. Love it. Instant sub.
Excellent video, very observant analysis in terms of gameplay design. Great stuff, keep it coming.
You deserve way more than 41 subscribers! Keep it up mate, amazing work :D
Great video my man can't wait to see how far u can go brother!!
The big fire puppy actually takes less damage on the head until you break it. It's easier to break the limbs and use the stagger to break the head. Once the head is broken it takes a lot more damage. The real trick is just to not lock on and run and roll around it, makes for a way more fun fight imo
I'll give it a shot the next time I loop around to it!
Loved the video! On the part about Rom, I do agree with everything you said. However, as far as I know, her reuse is justified because theorized that the chalice dungeons exist outside of the flow of time. Queen Yharnam's fight is evidence of this, as she is pregnant in the chalice dungeon, but not in the main game.
Celestial Emissary and Ebrietas is also evidence of this.
You kill them to get the Isz chalice and in that very same chalice you fight Celestial Emissary and Ebrietas again
It's a good point lore wise, but it lends the question - is Rom in the chalice as a step to introduce that lore component, or is the lore component there as an explanation to reuse Rom, Ebrietas, and the Emissary?
That said, I hadn't noticed that about Yharnam - that is a super cool detail.
@TheAkasharose The reason for why that lore exists could be just to excuse the reuse of the fights, but it does make sense, at least (in my opinion). With the exception of the Amygdala (which rhere are several of anyway), all reused great ones have a direct connection to Ebrietas in some way, or is Ebrietas herself. Ebi was found in the chalice dungeon in the first place. Rom ascended to greathood likely with the help of Ebrietas' blood. There's a petrified Rom in the Altar of Despair in Ebrietas' main-game boss room. We know the Altar of Despair has some time shenanigans going on since it's used to reverse Annalise's pulpification at the end of Alfred's questline. We also know that the chalice dungeons don't generally follow the same laws as the waking world does. It doesn't make tge reuse any less jarring, but it does open up some interesting talking points about how the powers of the great ones work.
At least the reuse is better justified than Godefroy lol
I really think the lack of boss souls (or an equivalent) hurts a lot of the lore for this game. In Dark Souls or even Elden Ring you at least were guaranteed like 2-3 item descriptions for each major boss. Take that away and you have many bosses who’s lore is nonexistent or bare bones.
If there was one thing I could change in Bloodborne, it'd be adding some equivalent to Boss Souls. I don't read every item description, but those major souls are the one item that I will always read in full every time.
That and we can't use boss weapons either. Only ones we got is the amygdala arm in the old hunters and the axe.
So glad to have stumbled upon this video and your channel! Listening to you has been a thoroughly relaxing and interesting experience. Subscribed, I'm going to dive into your other videos now and am looking forward to your future analysis as well! Bloodborne will always hold a special place in my heart, even though I prefer fantasy settings, and I almost feel like going back to playing it, despite bosses in and of themselves being my least liked aspect of these games in contrast to discovery, lore, npcs and gameplay, all of which I adore.
OH, and for me, the first boss I fought was Gascoigne, who I believed to be the first of this game period, and he was so difficult, every time I replay the game, even if I've learned a lot since then, the thought of facing him always fills me with dread. I also beat Lady Maria second try the last time, but in my head they are both formidable opponents.
Glad to hear you like the video!
And yeah - the atmosphere that Gascoigne brings to Bloodborne is incredible. Easily one of the best introductory bosses in any game. And I think that feeling of Dread is one of my favorite parts of Bloodborne - maybe it's because it's the FROM Soft game I'm probably the worst at - but so many bosses still make me terrified to fight them again in the best way.
this is awesome. Wasnt aware of a bunch of boss behaviors. Well done mate.
How do you have only a few subscribers this is incredible!! Kudos ✨
Keep it up man, this is high quality content!
Great job buddy. I love the content
Finally someone not overrating bloodborne.
I swear this Bloodborne has so many cool ideas, the best aesthetic, the best weapons and it's wasted on a game with 30 fps and some of the worst mechanics and design decisions in soulsborne
Downvoted for Cleric Beast slander.
What an awesome video. You deserve thousands of subs
2 minutes in i thought to myself "dude i gotta see his version of this to dark souls 3" but you haven't uploaded it yet, how dare you? Subscribed and hyped as fuck, gonna watch the whole series, tysm for the great content
My hope is to post them every other week on Sundays! One week I do my Pathfinder 2e Podcast, other one I do one of these! I have DS3 ready and just record Sekiro, with Demon's Souls scripted out. Elden Ring is probably going to have a longer gap, but I'm hoping to have the remainder series done by the end of May!
Consider me a new fan mate. Looking forewarda
Oh Boi do I have news for you
Parroting what everyone else has said, holy crap this is such great production quality for someone with no subscribers. Keep up this quality and you’ll have a ton soon. Once you get a video to hit the algorithm you’ll blow up!
There was not a clip of saying "no" to Ludwig after talking about it in the video.
I just went to go watch it. That's so sad :'(
Loved the video but don't you dare disrespect the threaded cane again.
Nice video, I always love Bloodborne content. Even though it always sends a shiver down my spine when someone pronounces the word 'Vicar' wrong. 😅
Amazing video, enjoying it so much so far, but I have to comment on the watchdog analysis, as you said that his weak spot is his head and you stood in front of his head trying to hit it but kept getting hit by the flames. He’s a beast boss, which means his legs are the weak spot, and gets staggered when you break his legs, and the best position to be in is to either of the sides where you can choose which leg to hit since he’s built like a rectangle. It’s a pretty cool boss but not great
And rippp I loved the cleric beast but I can see why you gave it such a low grade haha
I beat bloodborne recently for the first time and i cant stop thinking about it, i always enjoy these long analysis for souls games and you definitely need more subs than this
Ty for analyzing the chalice dungeon bosses! 🥰🙏
BL4 shadows with the snakes is epic. Rolling away from the chomp. Some of the most fun I have ever had playing.
To add, you never mentioned damage reductions. Defiled chalice behooves you to be mindful of it. Up your fire reduction for Keeper and Watchdog and you don't get one shot with at least 40 vitality, which is what it appeared you had. Depth 4 and 5, Lake runes help a lot.
Finally, someone who hates Laurence as much as I do. It's not even that it's hard, it's that it's boring! I don't mind hard bosses as long as they are hard in some exciting way, but a boss I have literally already fought with new particle effects and an extra helping of bullshit is NOT exciting. Not even a little bit.
If you're going to make a boring boss, and least stop it from ever one shotting me.
One thing to mention with the repeat old one fights in the Chalice Dungeons is that there is an implication that the Chalice Dungeons you experience in game are a sort of pocket dimension in time, where you are entering a past version of said area rather than the real world dungeons. This explains why Rom and Ebrietas are here, but the biggest piece of proper evidence is Queen Yharnam still pregnant with Mergo when you find here in the Chalice Dungeons, as opposed to every other time in the present time where she clearly doesn't
"Convinced to buy a Playstation 4 by the blood." 😂😂😂😂😂 What a line, what an intro!
Unfortunately I couldn't and still can't afford a PS. Bloodborn on PC when, person who is responsible for that desicion? I finally wanna play Bloodborne too.
Aren’t PC’s more expensive than a 11 year old console?
@@DionPanday Maybe. But they last longer and don't have generations like the PS. You can play stuff on PC no matter when it came out. One can maybe play the old stuff on the new PS (is that even correct?) But you can't play most of the new stuff on the old consoles, if I am not mistaken. Lastly - most people have a PC anyways. It's much easier and cheaper to buy a PC you can also play games on for years and years if you buy one anyways, than having to keep updating your console. And I don't think that the PS5 is 11 years old. The first PS may be, but again - console generations.
@@AiorosSagittarius im pretty sure people who bought a pc even 10 years ago can’t play games like Cyberpunk or Elden ring. And that’s why consoles exist, because of the exclusives. You can either keep asking for a PC port wich will never happen as Miyazaki himself said or just buy a cheap used ps4 and play it that way.
@@DionPanday A well maintained PC can last years. And I don't think I can play the Demon's Souls remake on PS4. Or the new Final Fantasy 7, if I were fan. Let's agree that it is impossible or very difficult for many people to have both at the same time. I'm growing tired of this discussion.
@@AiorosSagittarius When did demons souls get into this discussion? If you want to play that you should buy the original demons souls wich is superior in every way except for graphics. They’re called exclusives for a reason. And no there are minimum pc requirements for certain games so if you spend 1k now you might have to spend an additional 500 in a few years just to be up to date.
Really, really good audio mixing on this. I'm very impressed.
32:00 You can actually reach Paarl and the unseen village right after defeating the Blood-Starved Beast. I usually do this as the twin-shards you can find in the area let you upgrade a weapon to +6 before you fight Ameilia.
Dying to the One Reborn 7 times made me delve into the Chalice Dungeons, I had so much fun with those that when I finished, I breezed through everything else in the game, it got that easy
Chalice loot is no joke
You sir, earned a subscriber. Ane many more to come!
how to dodge ebrietas charge move: stand mid range in between attacks so you’re at mid range when she does the move- dodge directly to the left TWICE
(23:51) Now I don’t know if I misinterpreted what you said but the beast-possessed soul found at the bottom of the healing church workshop also uses pyromancy like the boss variant! Also something about the Beast-possessed soul I don’t know until someone mentioned it was that if it’s grab attacks connects, it will gnaw on the player and afterwards will become buffed, which you can see because it’s eyes will glow red. Anyways great video! Just wanted to mention these things!
Not many like the Bloodstarved Beast, it's often neglected in these discussions. Great analysis
Such a short video! What a pity XD I look forward to seeing how this small measly little tiny morsel is!
Brevity is my greatest quality.
@@TheAkasharose I just finished the video a couple hours ago, and that was a very great showcase and examination of BB'S bosses! My 1st video I've seen of yours. I will have to check out some of your others for sure. Thanks for sharing.
This video confirms my theory: people dunk on elden ring reusing bosses and its asset reuse just to he contrarian and bait clicks. I see almost no video essays call out the chalice boss asset reuse.
Brilliant video, on my favorite souls game.
I believe in Equal Opportunity dunking on reusing unique enemies.
I'm coming for you, Godefroy. You cannot hide.
I suppose it could also just be the fact that some of the reused assets in Elden Ring “kind of” have a reason to be discovered, usually on accident while exploring so even casuals will find them by chance, or drop an interesting gimmick weapon/reward
Whereas in Bloodborne you have to go out of your way to do chalice dungeons, figure out which materials you need to farm to get the next layer, and on top of that mald through multiple layers with no real useful rewards for a trophy.
Consequently also probably why not many have platinumed Bloodborne
Regardless
Hats off to you my fellow hunters
@@idrawalot8000 well said
Watching you fight some bosses have me gritting my teeth, I wanna scream "let me do it!" and take the controller.
It hurt watching myself do some of these fights over and over again with some fights in editing. Nothing like watching yourself and thinking 'Wow, I absolutely deserved to die there'.
@@TheAkasharose wish I could relate. Anyway, good video. I found that all the Hunter fights (Father Gascoigne, Gehrman, the First Hunter, Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower) to be the best, most exhilarating fights in the game.
I feel bad cuz I love Cleric Beast so much =3= I can understand the camera troubles by D seems kind of harsh to me. It feels like the perfect first boss for Bloodborne to me. The way you can stagger it by hitting it's arms and leaving it stunned for a good bit. It's a very satisfying fight for me =w=
Edit: Just watched up to Vicar Amelia and I'm kind of shocked that you'd say that it's not as clear when you get limb breaks off on the Cleric Beast. I feel like the crazy amount of blood that explodes out of it when you do it is decently clear. Maybe not animation-wise with how it actually react, but I feel like it's good.
There's a pretty consistent way of avoiding the Shadows of Yharnam's Snake Summoning. First focus completely on the Katana Guy. Once he's dead you kill the Pyro-Katana guy. Then you kill the pyro guy because he got the least health of the three. With him it's very important to stay up close to him and Interrupt pretty much everything he's doing, that way he can't summon the snakes. Also important to note, if you do it that way, the pyro guy only starts summoning once the others are dead.
Amygdala can also be damaged well via hitting its arms- thought not the ripped off ones in the third phase.
i wonder how many hour plus long videos ill watch about bloodborne until i play it
just so you know for future playthroughs, if you stand in front of them you can dodge toward the watchdog's bite attacks to get to their side for a free couple hits. you can get limb breaks on them, so even though the damage is less on their sides it's still worth it
I really wish we had gotten more information and time spent on Loran. There’s potential there, I can FEEL it!
New video, woo Hoo!!!!
Rom is the greatest boss in video game history. The only flaw is that the mini spiders should just have been smaller Roms.
I will not tolerate anti-Rom shenanigans. Pro Rom comments only.
Bsb probably has my favorite theme in the entire game, it's so stressful and unnerving!
Don't lock on to large-sized beast enemies to get rid off camera issues and to enjoy limbbreak system at its best
Ludwig is still MY FAVOURITE BOSS FIGHT OF ALL TIME
Call me crazy but Defiled Watchdog is an easy S for me. Nonetheless, love the video! Part of the fun of these games is hearing how everyone has different experiences.
Pthumerian Descendant: "It's hard to point out anything he did wrong."
His parry frames make no damn sense! I've lost count of the number of times I've managed to shoot him right in the middle of that lightning-fast backhand swing, and he doesn't even flinch let alone get parried like he's supposed to. Other times I've shot him while he was running around and not even attacking at all, and he got knocked to his knees. Not to mention how annoyingly cheap it is to get stun-locked to death if he manages to catch you in a combo. Mash that circle button all you want, you're not getting out!
I just realized how much of a missed opportunity it was to not give us Logarius's weapons. Imagine the scythe doubling as a catalyst when transformed that scales with arc and dex or something. Using quicksilver bullets to shoot the spells. That would be badass
Man, I will never forget the feeling of playing the DLC. Beating Ludwig on my second try, and Maria and Orphan on my first tries. The pure adrenaline and emotions of the fights, I dare say it's From's best dlc.
I prefer ringed City, but Old Hunters is a heavy contender for the title - and both are among the best DLC ever made for games in general.
Great work on this! I finally posted MY Bloodborne boss review a few days ago and I love seeing what other small channels have to say! Can’t wait to see more from you!
You NEED to mention that a huge weakness the Blood Starved Beast has is that if you throw a blood pungent cocktail at the corner of the wall, the Beast walks over to it and you can get free hits in. Add some fire paper to your arsenal and it’s a very easy fight
Working at Fromsoft must be amazing. Imagine not only being allowed to say the words "this boss should wield his own placenta" but actually inplementing that
Damn just begun the vid and Cleric Beast just got done dirty 😭
I feel like with moon presence, it fears you. it cant control you. you've killed other old gods, the music plays is your boss music. it's frantically trying to kill you like just another beast, because its true power wont work on you. its not S tier, but i feel its better than C. that context boosts it imo.
My favorite part of amygdalas fight are the weakpoints arms and head make it such a rewarding fight when you risk hitting its weapons lol.
Also lil art note his arms are scratched to hell and like hes been scratching them out of crazy urge and it draws attention to to smack em when the legs dont work
You do know the emblem you can buy for 10k is optional since a different path opens up as a result of killing blood starved, and that path loops around to connect you to the rest of the church.
I was in fact convinced to buy a ps4 just by the blood. Pretty much just a Bloodborne machine now
Ah hell yeah more long form Souls content 🎉 Keep up the good work man, this video was great! Can't wait for Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring videos
Maria is my favorite but yeah I can’t argue with your points on Ludwig. In my opinion, Ludwig, orphan, Maria are some of the best FROM has ever given us.
The blood starved beast is scary until you gain insight and learn that all you gotta do is parry him the whole fight
See, all you've got to do there is be like me and suck at parrying the Blood-Starved Beast. Then it's always scary!
Lady Maria is my personal favorite from Bloodborne due to the excellent character reveal backed by the story buildup, fantastic music and original phase changes. It's just a shame she's so easy to parry and she needs way more HP, something like Orphan of Kos' massive health pool.
I do think that there is a bit of characterization that also comes from Maria being a Glass Cannon - it adds to that feeling of equal footing, feeling like you're fighting a Hunter who's just more skilled then you.
An arena shaped like a cage or ring would suit cleric beast better. Even if it was less area than the bridge.
100% - that Bridge takes so much away from the Cleric Beast it's almost sad. I wish the Cleric Beast showed up in the Chalices over some of the other bosses, just so I could fight it in those circular rooms.
Great video! Just... in your mind, how does Pth make an "N" sound?
I... I don't know. It just always did, and now I'm questioning how I got that while playing the first game.
I'm gonna go stare at a mirror and wonder what's happening in my brain.
@@TheAkasharoseI'm so sorry lmfao
I love bloody crow so much, he really seems like the only truthfully imposing npc with presence understandable ranking tho
Someone probably said it already, but your comment about the damage variance you take during the Cleric Beast fight depends on counter-damage. Bloodborne has a mechanic where your character will take 2 to 3 times the damage if they get hit while dodging, attacking, or running. That's why it seems off. But for me, overall your analysis was solid. ☺️
The Maneater Boar in the chalices actually does have a new move, a somewhat quick "Get off me" back legs kick if you backstab fish it. Still not enough to be a boss though.
For some reason, I remember the overworld boars having the same attack - I might be misremembering that one, though!
Watching you struggle with the cleric beast was painful.
I love overleveled Watchdog, even if you are veteran of Souls games, it still kills you with whatever hitboxes it has.
pronunciation aside, this is fantastic! I didn't mean to listen to four of these in a row, but here I am
I personally would rate Darkbeast Paarl and One Reborn an A tier, as they allow me to do my most favorite thing in the game ever, breaking bones. Everytime I beat Blood Starved Beast I immediately rush to the secret route straight to the first Snatcher to get kidnapped and go to Darkbeast Paarl, all so I could get that sweet satisfying limb breaking action. I love just breaking each of his limbs as he's about to get up. Its so satisfying.
getting off a charged heavy with the kirkhammer and smashing Paarl makes me feel like Guts loll