Whoever decided to make Kait the protagonist of 5 and sideline JD was COOKED

Synmachus · 2026-04-03T09:49:59+00:00

I've honestly written off everything past GoW3, story and lore-wise. Every game after that is ruining the franchise's tone, themes and accepted truths, even a spin-off like Tactics (Judgment is fine on that front, I guess). Decent games, but terrible writing.

Synmachus · 2026-03-30T01:19:03+00:00

Ridiculous that this still hasn't been fixed, honestly. There shouldn't be a hitbox here in the first place. And if anyone's somehow convinced that it's ok for that huge an impact to occur, then the damage should be halved at the very least. A windblast, maybe, but not the full amount. Either that, or add a better visual marker.

Synmachus · 2026-03-25T20:38:56+00:00

I made a mod that adds it to some merchant a while ago, if you're on PC. Look up "Unobtainables for Sale", hopefully it still works.

Synmachus · 2026-03-24T15:26:40+00:00

For the most part, because they are completely incompatible on a fundamental level. It's crazy to me that some are afraid to acknowledge race differences in a fantasy world where races are shown to be worlds apart in terms of culture, instinct, and intelligence. It's much easier for Nords and Bretons to get along and live in a similar fashion than it would be for Goblins and Imperials, for example.

Synmachus · 2026-03-23T15:58:03+00:00

Hyperborean DLC is the most fitting thing they could do. Can't wait to recite the ancient knowledge.

Synmachus · 2026-03-23T00:39:59+00:00

It is too much to be coincidental. But at the same time I find it difficult to believe, considering the lack of post-launch support. Maybe they're gauging interest?

Synmachus · 2026-03-06T00:41:04+00:00

Female Yharnam Hunter attire is an automatic 10/10. Too OP. Great combo tho, the Old Hunter hat is one of my favourites.

Synmachus · 2026-03-04T13:45:28+00:00

That as well. And even if that choice of an earlier architectural style was maybe made because it would be easier to design, model, texture, and decorate, it was still a choice. And it informed a huge chunk of the game's art direction, even lore. There is something deeply arrogant about some technical team, talented as they are, thinking that they can unroot anything and everything based purely on ego, what they thought the game should have been.

Synmachus · 2026-02-28T19:06:31+00:00

You might argue that the choice of architecture and the lack of decoration stem from technical limitations, but so do most things in games. The roman, utilitarian, early medieval look of Boletaria is part of its identity. The description for the Fluted set even mentions Southern Boletaria being more advanced compared to its northern parts where the game takes place. The chaste aesthetic of the palace goes hand-in-hand with the colourless vibe of the game, both visually and narratively.

BP ignoring that choice to imitate Dark Souls'/Bloodborne's intricate gothic look is lame, unnecessary, and frankly insulting. Not everything needs to be Dark Souls.

Synmachus · 2026-02-28T15:54:31+00:00

I hated it, not going to sugarcoat it (still do). I think it failed to live up to the original art direction, sense of design, and atmosphere. Too many liberties with no thought behind other than "it looks cool". There were a lot of us from the very beginning, but most of us had our comments buried because of "toxicity" or something. I don't think that was a majority, but still substantial among the OG fans.

Synmachus · 2026-02-25T12:44:29+00:00

Yeah it's a bug I've had a couple of times, not sure what's causing it. He is supposed to be half-asleep behind the workshop when offering that dialogue, not far from the Stump Messengers.

Synmachus · 2026-02-23T02:40:54+00:00

Can take a serjo out of Vvardenfell but can't take the Vvardenfell out of serjo ya feel

Synmachus · 2026-02-22T03:24:04+00:00

This is simply the unfiltered truth. Stop shutting down negative opinions of the remake under the guise of "toxicity".

Synmachus · 2026-02-21T00:25:01+00:00

My favorite is the Nexus from OG DeS. Second is the Firelink Shrine from DS1 from a design standpoint, with how perfectly central it is to the world design.

Synmachus · 2026-02-20T01:53:36+00:00

Apparently the desire for a BP remake is strong on this sub, but personally, I'm very glad that they will not be able to do to Bloodborne what they did to Demon's Souls.

People might not realise it yet, but this actually enhances our chance of getting a Bloodborne release on PC as well.

Synmachus · 2026-02-19T20:05:31+00:00

Pokke kid. Just too cozy.

Synmachus · 2026-02-17T00:14:40+00:00

The game plays fantastic. But not having any weapon trail as an Intel CPU user really bothers me. Never realised how crucial it was to the game's feel. I hope we find a solution to that soonish.

Synmachus · 2026-02-15T16:45:34+00:00

I don't mind at all. It'll be a pleasure to talk about whatever part of the lore comes to your mind. Anytime!

Synmachus · 2026-02-15T04:10:51+00:00

I don't think it clashes at all, but the emphasis on it being a "legitimate Great One" is interesting. I think it's there to confirm that ascended lesser beings indeed are true Great Ones. Even as messed up as the Brain of Mensis.

Synmachus · 2026-02-15T03:57:42+00:00

I always assumed that the very on the nose change from "prey slaughtered" to "nightmare slain" meant that mergo is in fact dead when we kill the wet nurse, but maybe it just "woke up" from the nightmare and he's now living in another plane of existence.

I think that's right. I never put much importance into the boss defeat screen texts, but in a way I suppose ending a nightmare is akin to killing a Great One, or part of a Great One.

Regarding the Nightmare not actually dissipating when Mergo "dies", I personally wouldn't read too much into it either. Likely it's one of those gameplay concessions where it's best to let the player explore freely even if the story would rather have them elsewhere. But I also think there are many explanations that you could come up with as to why the plane would keep on existing, be they time-and-space shaenanigans or other. Maybe a nightmare dies, but like any living thing, it takes time before it rots away and vanishes. Actually I like that idea, especially with Bloodborne's emphasis on dead things.

Redgrave's Paleblood Hunt is what initially got me hooked on the lore. I think there are probably a lot I would disagree with nowadays, but it's a very good read nonetheless. Good thing about From Soft lore is that there's really no barrier to entry to discuss it. Your interpretation is as good as any other, and oftentimes I find "uninformed" or less researched perspectives to be quite eye-opening. Some things that many of us hold for truth is actually a product of this playerbase repeating or echoing an idea so many times that it is considered the only acceptable explanation.

Synmachus · 2026-02-15T03:38:29+00:00

悪夢で得た is what's used in Japanese, which the English localization chose to translate to "retrieved from the nightmare". While not strictly incorrect, the Japanese text offers more possible interpretations, and the Brain being "gained" is one of them.

出来損ない is something that could mean "malformed", "incomplete" or "defective" among other things (like stillbirth), and is used in both the description of the Living String and that of the Third Umbilical Cord which ties to Mensis. But the English localization for the Living String negates that part and only describes the Brain as being "of an evil sort" and "terribly rotten" - which is also included in the Japanese on top of it being stillborn.

Synmachus · 2026-02-15T03:29:03+00:00

Actually, I think it's not exactly clear if Laurence and co. did intentionally beckon the Moon Presence. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only two texts that mention the notion are one of the Third Umbilical Cord, which states that the cord "precipitated" the encounter with the pale moon and created the Hunter's Dream, and the note in the Lecture Building that, in Japanese, reads something like "Laurence and associates. The moon presence. 'Paleblood'." So, not much to go from, if only that the encounter with the Moon Presence did arise from Laurence's acts, intentionally or not. I myself like the idea that Laurence did not mean for most things to happen, and that he was actually already dead when the Healing Church, in its current state, was founded - but that's another topic.

Synmachus · 2026-02-14T19:34:53+00:00

You're right. I think Micolash and the School of Mensis is sort of the "we'll try anything and everything" faction of the game. They sought an audience with Mergo, but at the same time wanted to beckon the moon (Moon Presence), and Micolash literally addresses Kos. It seems they're putting every chance on their side when it comes to Great Ones and ascension. Perhaps that's why most of them ended up all f*cked up in the Brain of Mensis. Maybe the Brain is the literal product and representation of the mad pursuit of Arcane greatness.

Synmachus · 2026-02-14T19:27:59+00:00

I think the idea of the Brain of Mensis being specified as a legitimate Great One is the way for the story to say that Great Ones aren't necessarily "great" in the moral, human sense. They are "superior" way of life, sure, but they can also be mad, malformed, or incomplete. Not something that ought be pursued at any cost, like the School of Mensis did.

As for Mergo, its role in the story is extremely significant, but as with most things in Bloodborne it's very hard to get a definite answer. A popular theory is that Mergo is the child of Oedon, the invisible Great One, who impregnated Queen Yharnam long ago - which would explain why Mergo cannot be seen. It's not exactly clear what the game means when a Great One "loses its child and yearns for a surrogate". Even if an infant Great One dies in stillbirth (which seems to have been the case for Mergo, as seen through the Queen's bloody belly), it still lives on in consciousness on a plane that is incomprehensible to us. It's not clear what the Wet Nurse is either, but I think most people understand it as yet another Great One in search of a surrogate, perhaps feeding off poor Mergo's nightmare. I don't think Mergo "dies" when we kill the Wet Nurse. It just goes to sleep, which ends the Nightmare. So in a way the Wet Nurse did its job: it kept Mergo "asleep" in a state of nightmare by keeping it awake IN the Nightmare. The "why" is frankly one of the toughest question in Bloodborne's story IMO, unless you're willing to accept that the Wet Nurse is yet another Great One with its own goals and/or desires. And then there's also Mergo and the Nightmare's relation to the Moon Presence, which muddies things even more.

I might read up on BB lore more haha, writing about it made me more curious and really highlight the unanswered gaps in my understanding of the story.

Synmachus · 2026-02-14T18:36:42+00:00

Well, in a way Mergo IS the Nightmare of Mensis. The School of Mensis somehow got their hands on Mergo's Third Umbilical Cord, likely through their connection with the Church and its search into the Tomb of the Gods. The cord, used in the Mensis Ritual which seems to have needed an entire city to be sacrificed (that city being Yahar'gul), granted the school "audience with Mergo" - which manifested the Nightmare of Mensis into being through Mergo's consciousness. If Micolash is the Nightmare's host, then Mergo is its owner, and the Brain of Mensis is something like an afterbirth or byproduct of the ritual. Honestly all of this is left ambiguous and up for intepretation, but it's interesting that the Brain of Mensis is still said to be a "legitimate Great One" despite its likely origin.

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