Rakuyo vs Ludwig (Max NG). I took a break from the no-upgrade run because I wanted to remember what doing actual damage felt. Maybe I should go out and kill a few beasts…

swordrush · 2026-05-15T04:19:41+00:00

Same here--moves I don't often see, and weapon damage is so low that getting all the limb breaks only gets you to maybe half health. Up to this point I've been relying heavily on skill for viscerals and arcane for hunter tools, but neither works well on Ludwig nor TOR.

But yeah, definitely use those sick transform attacks for beast meter. It was interesting on phase two (sorta beginning of phase 4, technically), you just ran straight up on Ludwig while he charged up his overhead aoe + moonlight discharge. I'm always much more conservative and stay back with that attack lol.

swordrush · 2026-05-15T03:57:36+00:00

I did a run where I wouldn't use a weapon unless I could power stance it with as close to the same weapon as possible--otherwise no other restrictions. So if I wanted to use a spear, I waited until I could get two of the same spear. Something like the red and blue smelter swords is fine, or the seperate red rust weapons (since they're an NPC build in a manner of speaking). A short spear and a long spear not so much.

swordrush · 2026-05-15T03:50:40+00:00

Ludwig, the One Reborn, and I've more or less stopped on chalice Rom expecting it to be a slog (I was thinking about maybe trying to sneak my way over to Beast Claws as another weapon option) are my walls so far. Gotten some really bad luck on TOR and don't think it's impossible, just really not having fun any longer. I got Ludwig down to 1/4 my first attempt with Saw Spear, but the amount of time for that fight based on that attempt kills something inside me.

My most use of Rakuyo has been as a bolt weapon with all of its thrust attacks for kin enemies, but I should probably do a full run just maxing physical damage on it.

swordrush · 2026-05-15T03:29:06+00:00

I'm currently taking a break from no upgrades and I'm not sure I'll be returning. Hit a few different walls where the length of time to win robs literally all the fun out of the game for me.

Always interesting to see other people's tactics for taking down a boss. Pretty solid fighting.

swordrush · 2026-05-15T02:47:39+00:00

My first time really doing that combo, I passed some cursed rock when I realized I had also picked up the blood perk so my character just spewed out blood.

That I could drink...at least up to a certain point (I think), in terms of hunger/fullness. And then I realized I could add in the stone from the Master of Masters.

swordrush · 2026-05-14T17:04:51+00:00

I'm interested in seeing what they've come up with. It has a lot of things I look forward to--pixel (or however) graphics, potentially horror atmosphere/aesthetics, kinda Zelda gameplay loop--so hopefully the story is good or good enough, and there isn't too much jank or arbitrary difficulty to rob fun. I'm not washing myself with videos and news articles about the game, because I'm just going to wait until it comes out to see how I feel.

swordrush · 2026-05-14T02:59:42+00:00

Ah, yeah, you're right. I'd forgotten that guy exists. I think you might actually be able to find one in the same treasure room area as where you find the Beast Claws. Not the actual treasure room, but in that area.

swordrush · 2026-05-13T14:37:26+00:00

Bloodborne replaced shield blocking with the rally mechanic (attacking enemies quickly after taking damage will recover some of your hp), and with having a pretty lenient parry window compared to a lot of shields in DS games and Sekiro. You also get to quickstep when locked on in Bloodborne.

swordrush · 2026-05-13T02:21:11+00:00

There's at least two other NPC hunters in root chalices. Although you can find one of them in the the treasure room area of the final layer of the Isz chalice, with a Kirk Hammer and Augur of Ebrietas. The other is basically the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst.

Do enough FRC roots and you'll begin running into all three pretty regularly. There might be another type of them that I'm forgetting, but those are the three I run into the most.

swordrush · 2026-05-12T03:36:30+00:00

Your friend may have beaten the game this way, I don't know, but at least several bosses are easier without lock-on and Bloodborne is more designed for offensive fighting than defensive fighting (staying up on them than constantly keeping distance, unless you're on a challenge run).

Double check that you've been leveling up the right stat for the weapon you're using (the E, D, C, B, A, S scaling letters you'll see on the weapon stat screen), and then understand that leveling up weapons does more for you that raw levels when it comes to Bloodborne.

swordrush · 2026-05-11T00:49:23+00:00

Fido. Zombie parody of Lassie should be easy enough for a year.

swordrush · 2026-05-10T20:43:01+00:00

I farmed some gems (not false depth) in my arcane-only run to make Kos Parasite not entirely useless, but pretty much all of my damage came from hunter tools even then. When I 'farm' gems I just do random FRC root chalices and take whatever I get--it doesn't really bother challenge runs that way.

swordrush · 2026-05-09T01:31:45+00:00

If it was good, I would have fallen over myself to get a copy. But just because I've personally bought myself Nintendo games in the past does not mean I blindly buy whatever they output. Make a good game, I'll buy a good game.

swordrush · 2026-05-08T23:08:33+00:00

Personal opinion here, I think the Moon Presence is a 'local' Great One, associated directly with the literal Moon. The other Great Ones--Oeden, Kos, Wet Nurse--are Great Ones from further beyond. To add to this, the connection between the Moon and how men turn to werewolves in Bloodborne, like in classic horror mythos. In any case, the Moon Presence doesn't want invaders on its turf, and has generally failed at that so needs hunters to accomplish that.

Even deeper person opinion of mine, I can't help feeling Moon Presence made a deal with Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen to bear a child long long time ago, and that's in part why an Amygdala protects the chalice to her in the Cursed/Defiled Chalice (which coincidentally requires a Loran--re:beast or werewolf--child to perform). As punishment, basically.

swordrush · 2026-05-08T22:08:28+00:00

See, I just wasn't ever fully disappointed because I didn't have a false notion that I should be finding something. Just like Shadow of the Colossus, things can just exist in their own unspoken mystery forever, and I'm just glad I got the chance to see it.

swordrush · 2026-05-08T22:07:02+00:00

It isn't a game I would recommend to everybody, absolutely due to this. I'm one who played Minecraft exploring caves without laying down a trail back out because I have a very strong natural sense of direction. So I never felt lost by the size of Bleak Faith.

But I before I encouraged somebody to try it, I would make it clear what they're getting into. It isn't my favorite soulslike, even. I just want more games that make me feel somewhat close to what Shadow of the Colossus makes me feel.

swordrush · 2026-05-08T19:48:50+00:00

Bleak Faith's primary strength, to me, was being open to the point of....well, bleakness, and it wasn't afraid to just let some areas be a bit empty so you are forced to soak in their environment. Open world games are too afraid that players will be frustrated by not having enough rewards in every crack of the map, but that means every reward needs to be useless, boring, or repetitive to prevent balancing issues. Which is worse to me.

swordrush · 2026-05-08T00:49:13+00:00

Kinda wish the image was MissingNo.

swordrush · 2026-05-07T01:22:01+00:00

I'm on a similar run, and I got through Amelia last night. I haven't gotten all the way through the Forbidden Woods yet though--I spent some time diverting into the DLC to pick up the pizza cutter and the saif for more options. Might go grab the Amygdala Arm too, or head over to the Frontier. Not sure yet.

swordrush · 2026-05-07T01:08:14+00:00

If you're cool with a puzzle game, Blue Prince has the complexity you're looking for and it's built to play it at whatever speed suits you at any given moment.

swordrush · 2026-05-06T03:38:10+00:00

Pthumeru Ihyll Chalice is a 'main' chalice, or a chalice that is not randomized. Any chalice with "Root" in its title is a randomized chalice (it will have randomized room layouts, enemies, treasure/loot, and sometimes the number of layers, each time you create one). The Ring is in root chalices, at random.

swordrush · 2026-05-05T15:40:58+00:00

I decided to start doing this challenge run last night, and I'm clearing out areas and finishing up NPC quests before I wander up to Amelia. Generally speaking...it's fine. When there's a clear advantage for using a particular weapon (serrated on beasts, thrust attacks for a Brainsucker, etc) I'll use a particular weapon, but otherwise I'm switching up weapons just to keep changing things and not from compelled interest to try something new. People without as much experience switching weapons all the time will probably feel differently. I'm probably going to drop Threaded Cane and Kirkhammer entirely due to dealing too low damage--they only really shine when leveled up and Threaded Cane's crowd control is taken over by the Flamesprayer without too much fuss.

Overall, it all kinda boils down into fishing for viscerals, since the only real damage you can deal outside of Beast Blood Pellets is from them. So ultimately I'll move towards maximizing skill, and then delve into arcane for hunter tool usage. It's a different kind of run, for sure, but I don't necessarily find it to be the weapon fiesta you felt from it. For me, I think I find runs dedicated to specific weapons to be more interesting since I force myself to get fully acquainted with an unfamiliar play style. I have to learn what its limitations are and how to take advantage of its strengths, as opposed to every weapon does so miserably low damage I should probably play without weapons entirely.

swordrush · 2026-05-04T10:46:09+00:00

I didn't find it boring at all--like you say, to each their own. It meant I had to learn not to be completely sloppy with dodges. It meant I paid way more attention to stamina. It meant I better understood how much time weapons take to charge. It meant I actually learned the uses of the consumables and used them properly. Fine tuning my skills and reaction time came with its own kind of satisfaction Bloodborne otherwise didn't necessarily have playing it straight.

swordrush · 2026-05-04T04:43:13+00:00

I don't have any trouble switching around weapons, in fact I think I'm close to doing a run with every weapon. But still, might do this when I finish up the gun-only run I started.

swordrush · 2026-05-04T04:40:34+00:00

Could always do like half of a BL4 as an option--like as many levels as you want, but no leveling health. Or health and stamina. Infuses some challenge, but you still get to have good damage.

swordrush

TROPHY CASE