When Bloodborne came out in 2015, it was widely received with positive responses. A vast majority of the people who played the game absolutely loved it. Just a couple of months later, FromSoftware Games released a DLC for the game, much to the delight of the game's wide fanbase.
The DLC for Bloodborne was just as beloved as the base game itself. Many noted that it was even more difficult than the base game, and it offered some of the game's best weapons and most challenging bosses. On top of these surface-level gifts, the DLC also houses a ton of information that adds to the game's lore, or simply hidden surprises that'll reward the most observant players.
10 The Eye Of A Blood-Drunk Hunter
The Eye of a Blood-drunk Hunter is the item needed for you to gain access to the Old Hunters DLC. Similar to the Tonsil Stone, which takes the players to the Nightmare Frontier when grabbed by a specific Amygdala, this stone takes the players to Hunter's Nightmare when grabbed by the Amygdala above Cathedral Ward.
According to the item's description, all hunters who have become blood-drunk will be taken to the Nightmare. However, it seems as if the Amygdala's perception of this is not quite linear, as it is possible to trick them into capturing you if you're not blood-crazed yet, so long as you are in possession of an eye of a blood-drunk hunter.
9 "Curse The Fiends, And Their Children Too..."
"Curse the fiends, their children too... Their children, forever true." This is the line uttered at the beginning of the DLC, perfectly capturing what the atmosphere is going to be like moving forward. If you listen closely to the voice, however, this line is uttered by Lady Maria herself.
When you reach the Fishing Hamlet, the priest at the beginning of the area also utters something very similar, among other things. This line is more than just an uttered line, but it seems like this is an actual curse placed on those who violated the fishing hamlet, as the most gruesome monsters in this Nightmare had a hand on the massacre.
8 Djura's Disciple
The Hunter's Nightmare is a notoriously challenging location, mainly due to the enemies here consisting of mostly other hunters. One of those hunters is Djura's disciple. He's the hunter located inside a cave who's wielding a Gatling gun. Despite being in the Nightmare, Djura's disciple seems to remember his oath to Djura: protect the beasts.
That's exactly what the disciple is doing here. Behind him is a pack of beasts, and a smaller blood-starved beast. Interestingly, Djura was also an obstacle between you and the blood-starved beast in Old Yharnam.
7 Ludwig's Moonlight Sword
Ludwig is the first boss you will encounter in the Old Hunter's DLC. If you're not careful, he will absolutely wipe the floor with you on your first try, which is awful and disgusting considering how filthy the floor is in this area.
Ludwig has now taken the form of a vile-looking, horse-like monster. He's fast, agile, he can jump around, and he hits as hard as a speeding train. If you manage to lower his health to half, he will fall down, only to find his Moonlight Sword, which somehow allows him to regain a bit of his humanity and he will fight you even harder this time, using his weapon. However, if you look closely at Ludwig, you can actually already see the sword strapped to his back during the first phase. It has indeed been by his side all along.
6 The Healing Church Hunters At The Bottom Of The Research Hall
Before you'll reach the Research Hall after your fight with Ludwig, you'll encounter two Healing Church hunters. One is wearing a white garb and is wielding a Threaded Cane and the other wears a black garb while wielding Ludwig's Holy Blade. It was thought that the white garbed hunter is Vicar Amelia in her human form as she is uttering the same prayer Amelia did in the waking world.
However, that doesn't seem to be the case. Contrary to previous beliefs, her garb and Amelia's garb is not the same. They also have different voice actors. The reason why she's uttering the same prayer is that this could be a common prayer among Healing Church members.
5 The Wolf Underneath The Table
Before you can ascend to the Research Hall, you must first place an "eye" inside the skull of the statue lying down on the table. The said eye can be located in the Grand Cathedral, held by Laurence's fiery corpse in his monster form. Aside from the beauty of this symbolism, there is another detail here that adds detail to the game's lore.
Back on the elevator before the Research Hall, what seems to be portrayed here is a Blood Ministration, similar to what happened to you in the game. If you look underneath the table, you'll spot a wolf figure, just as you saw a wolf when you were being administered blood. It seems this is something that didn't only happen to you, but happens to everyone who undergoes blood ministration.
4 The Patients In The Research Hall
The Research Hall is one of the most unsettling areas in the DLC, and in the whole game in general. Throughout this level, you will fight clocktower patients and witness non-hostile ones. Their heads have been enlarged, presumably after being injected with some kind of fluid.
The fate of these patients can be linked to the Healing Church's previous beliefs that the Great Ones are somehow tied to the ocean. This experiment has caused the patients to feel extreme pain, or go mad.
3 Lady Maria And The Doll
If it isn't obvious yet, the Doll was created in the image of Lady Maria. Maria was once Gehrman's favorite student, and during their time together, he developed a strange "mania" towards her. When Lady Maria disappeared after the events of the Fishing Hamlet, a distraught Gehrman created the Doll and prayed to a Great One to revive her in the body of the doll.
Lady Maria and the Doll do share a couple of similarities outside of their image and voice. The way Lady Maria lets go of your hand after catching you off guard is similar to the way the Doll holds your hand when you're lending her your strength. When Lady Maria is killed, the Doll will have an extra dialogue saying how she feels she has been freed.
2 The Astral Clocktower
When you finally defeat Maria, you will be given the Celestial Dial. Holding up this dial in front of the clocktower will open a path to the Fishing Hamlet, the secret Lady Maria is trying to guard.
When the Astral Clocktower opens, its hands will wind until it reaches a specific rune. Interestingly, the rune the hands will end up on is the Great Lake rune. The Great Lake rune description reads "Great volumes of water serve as a bulwark guarding sleep, and an augur of the eldritch Truth. Overcome this hindrance, and seek what is yours." This is a perfect description of what the Fishing Hamlet represents.
1 The Hunter's Nightmare Is Connected To The Other Dream Worlds
Bloodborne is filled with worlds that use dreams and nightmares as themes. The Old Hunter's DLC is literally one whole nightmare. The nightmare was placed by Kos who cursed the hunters for being blood-crazed, after the Fishing Hamlet massacre. All hunters who end up blood-crazed end up in this nightmare.
There are also other nightmare worlds in this game, and they all seem to be placed atop one another. The ship masts at the end of the Fishing Hamlet can be slightly made out while you're in the Nightmare of Mensis. The snail woman that falls from the sky in the Hunter's Nightmare also seems to come from the Fishing Hamlet.