Bloodborne was arguably the PS4 first big exclusive. It was the game that gave the console the legitimacy it needed to not only survive, but thrive in the latest console generation. With the PS4 on its way out and the next generation of gaming on its way, it’s easy to forget just how important and exceptional a game Bloodborne was.
And still is, frankly. There’s never a wrong time to go back to Bloodborne. For many, it’s tempting to start over and play fresh, but there’s actually quite a lot to do in an already completed file. In fact, Bloodborne is arguably even better after beating the game.
10 New Game Plus
Unlike Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III, Bloodborne immediately thrusts players into New Game Plus as soon as they defeat the final boss. As is the case with other games in the Souls franchise (Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls,) Bloodborne features a system of New Game Plus cycles that progressively get harder with each iteration.
Bloodborne’s New Game Plus in particular is especially challenging, upping the difficulty considerably. The jump in difficulty can be overwhelming for those who aren’t expecting it, but it’s worth playing through. Bloodborne feels like a different game the harder it gets, which is never a bad thing.
9 The Old Hunters
Doing The Old Hunters DLC on New Game Plus can be a recipe for disaster given how challenging the expansion is on base difficulty. It’s worth playing either way, though, as The Old Hunters offers so much in terms of content. The best weapons, the best bosses, and the best stages are all located within this one expansion.
It wouldn’t be any stretch of the imagination to call The Old Hunters the single best piece of DLC FromSoft has put out. It’s just so thoughtful, so cohesive, and it fits nicely at the end of a playthrough. The Old Hunters gives players a chance to really sit down and appreciate Bloodborne.
8 Chalice Dungeons
Slightly randomized dungeons featuring truly ludicrous encounters, Bloodborne’s Chalice Dungeons are weirdly ignored by the community. Perhaps it’s because they’re just so pushed in the background, even less of a side quest than most side quests in the game, but there’s just so much depth at play with the Chalice system.
There are so many dungeons to explore and the Chalice system not only paves the way towards better items, it offers better boss fights. Anyone looking to take advantage of everything Bloodborne has to offer absolutely must play the Chalice dungeons. No ifs, ands, or buts. They’re worth the effort.
7 PvP
PvP can be daunting and even intimidating for those brave souls who play a Souls game offline (or those who understandably want to play undisturbed.) PvP is incredibly fun, though, especially with friends or friendly opponents who are in it for the sport of player versus player action.
Perhaps Bloodborne’s PvP isn’t as good as other games’— and it certainly isn’t as active considering the game is locked to the PS4— but Bloodborne maintains a very active and healthy community, one where members eagerly play with one another. All an online community needs is passion so get out there and engage in some PvP.
6 Try A New Build
For those who regularly replay Bloodborne, it’s easy to become complacent. After all, if a build works, why change it? It’s reliable and it’s sturdy, but experimentation is the key to any healthy game. Bloodborne doesn’t have as much stat variety as any of the Dark Souls games, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Bloodborne still allows for plenty of build variety through its weapon system. Stats just help smooth things along the way. Because there are so few stats, it’s not hard to course correct a build either, allowing players to experiment freely and quickly with new characters.
5 Trophy Hunt
When push comes to shove and the game’s still not dry to the bone, there’s only one place people can turn: Trophy hunting. The PlayStation 4’s Trophy system helps give games a longevity they otherwise wouldn’t have. The scoring and leveling system for PSN profiles also gives players an incentive to hunt them down.
While Bloodborne has some truly tedious Trophies, it’s an incredibly fun and rewarding game to do everything in. Getting lost in the minutia of Bloodborne will help anyone appreciate it on a deeper level, which is by no means a bad thing. It may not be particularly pleasant at times, but Trophy hunting seldom is.
4 New Game Plus PLUS
It’s not enough to finish Bloodborne once when New Game Plus is right around the corner. Just the same, it’s not enough to finish New Game Plus when New Game Plus Plus is right around the corner. Bloodborne is a game that gets harder the more it’s beaten, so why not try to beat it as many times as possible before getting stonewalled?
It’s theoretically possible to continue beating the game, but there will come a certain point where an insane amount of skill will be necessary in order to deal with a difficulty curve that just keeps getting harder and harder to such extremes.
3 Explore
Anyone playing Bloodborne blind likely won’t have found everything worth finding in a single playthrough. This is a game with multiple secret bosses and areas, all of which are worth putting in the effort to find. Some simply offer worthwhile gameplay rewards while others are more lore focused, fleshing out the world of Bloodborne considerably.
Either way, this is one of the best FromSoft games to explore in. It isn’t as interconnected as Dark Souls, but Bloodborne’s stages feel like the natural next step coming off of Demon’s Souls. Few games make exploring as rewarding as Bloodborne, but that applies to every FromSoft game.
2 Get The Full Ending
Like most FromSoft games and entries in the Souls series, Bloodborne actually has multiple endings. Specifically, it has three. The first ending is achieved by refusing to fight the final boss. The second ending is achieved by fighting and defeating them. The final, full ending features an extra final boss and a completely different finale.
It can only be triggered by finding and consuming three umbilical cords over the course of the game. It makes sense in context, but only with an insane amount of context. It’s an ending worth tracking down, though, as it can help shine light on some of the game’s mysteries (while making everything more mysterious.)
1 Read The Item Descriptions
At the end of the day, all anyone can really do is sit down and read. Bloodborne is a game with such extensive lore and it’s pretty much all tucked away in the item descriptions. Pretty much every FromSoft game will have item descriptions worth reading, but few players actually sit down and take the time to read what they’re using.
Which is a shame because, again, these item descriptions shine so much light on the games they’re from. Bloodborne’s items in particular do a very necessary job at filling in major plot details that the game doesn’t go over narratively. Pretty much the only way to truly understand Bloodborne is to read the item descriptions.