Any Souls-like game is going to be full of challenging fights. The Shadow Of Yharnam is the first boss fight in Bloodborne that feels unfair. This is because there are, in fact, three Shadows you have to fight and kill. This fight is tough as you have to be aware of three devastatingly powerful enemies while also trying to kill them all.
Though you can do a somewhat pacifist run in Bloodborne, this fight might singlehandedly make you want to viciously ignore that option. After getting through the snake-infested, maze-like forest, this fight is an added slap in the face. But this guide will give you all the tips there are for how to make it through in one piece.
Why Did It Have To Be Snakes
Two of the Shadows are quite susceptible to Bolt damage, so either use the Tonitrus or Bolt Paper to help take them down. Don’t get carried away just yet though. Remember the enemies in the forest that suddenly have snakes sprout from their heads? These guys can do that, too. When you knock off one health bar’s worth of health from them, they’ll all transform.
So, what you want to do is get all of them to about 40% before you finish one off. They’ll also transform if the fight goes on for too long, so using upgraded weapons is a must with your strength or skill also being high enough.
The one with a katana is called number one, the one with a sword and a candle is number two, and the one with the flame in its hand is number three. From top to bottom, this is also how their health bars are displayed. The first two are aggressive and will chase you, so use the large rocks in the arena to split them up and attack them individually.
Try to parry their melee attacks when you can and, once they’re all at 40%, focus on three as his fireballs will get a lot more deadly in his second phase. Charge him and take him down as fast as possible. The other two will start to transform and you can use this time to heal or get some hits off on the closest one.
Focus One At A Time
In their second phase, their melee attacks will have an unlimited range as their limbs will stretch. Sidestepping is the only way to dodge them. Kill number one first as he’s the most aggressive. Again, use the environment to separate the bosses before going in to attack. Once one is dead, two will be able to summon giant snakes.
These can do massive damage to you, but you can interrupt the summon if you stagger him. Rush in and do as much damage as you can while he is staggered. However, be cautious: this stage can trigger if all of them hit 30%, so make sure you’re managing their health properly.
This fight is hard. The Shadows use their numbers to great advantage against you, so follow the steps outlined above to have any hope of winning. Here's the TL;DR:
- Get their HP down quickly
- kill the third, first, second
- minimise the time they’re in their most dangerous states
The Shaman Bone Blade is a consumable item that works especially well against these bosses. For some breathing room in the fight, use some at the beginning if you need to confuse them. After this fight, defeating an optional boss might feel like less of a Sisyphean task.