Forbidden Woods: Yes, finally. I’m out of the ugly city with its overly shiny fake looking cobblestones and finally in the woods. I love this part of the game. In my initial time through Bloodborne, you can check upthread, I was mostly just hate-posting through the game until I got to the woods.
I got up early this morning before work so I could explore them further. What I really love about this area is that there’s no big enemies or bosses. It’s all about traps and more traps, and smaller enemies, and fire, and dogs, and falling into traps. I love it. This part is the best. It’s just all exploration based Soulsborne gameplay at its best.
I did manage to circle back around and open the door back to the lamppost this morning. But I’m not going to give up on that first area just yet. Last night I found a cave, and there was a message that said there was a gemstone down there, but also worms. I picked up the gemstone, but got killed almost instantly by the worms. Still, when I went through the area this morning, I thought I explored every nook and cranny but I didn’t run into that cave, so I clearly didn’t. I’ll try to find that cave again if I get the chance to play later today.
Kolbex
1644
Oh man, I hated the woods. So easy to get lost, so much damn poison! There’s a pig in there (big enemy!) and a boss at the end, too, though.
I like that it’s so easy to get lost. I really like what the level designers have done with the terrain and the paths they’ve setup. They did such a good job of turning you around. It’s the equivalent of blindfolding you and turning you around and then taking off the blindfold. No matter how many times I’ve run through that initial area, I still find it almost impossible to picture in my head. And that’s also why it’s so easy to miss secrets.
I’m really loving playing this online by the way. I love that users leave messages for every little thing. For example, there’s a shiny loot by a gravestone ahead, you can see it, because you’re not blind. And there’s a message next to it that essentially says loot ahead. That always makes me laugh.
Scuzz
1646
I really missed the online nonsense when I played Bloodborne. But I had to play it offline.
Kolbex
1647
I’d be damned if I was gonna pay 10k echoes just to get through some door, so into Olde 🧶🍔 I went, and it was surprisingly quick since I wasn’t trying to search every nook and cranny. BSB crushed with the help of an online partner and now I’m sitting there waiting to see if I can get anybody to beckon me in so I can close the loop.
I never did find a way between the two areas.
Though when I was looking for that password door by revisiting the whole damn game again yesterday, I did find someone who gave me something to use in that chapel where a hand grabs you and kills you. I wonder if that’s the door that leads to Old Yarhnam?
I’m “Rock8man” on PSN btw, are you already on my friends list?
Kolbex
1650
I don’t think so. I’m TheRealKolbex, although I have to stop for the time being so I can go to class. When you beat the BSB the little door on the side in Oedon Chapel opens; I think the back door into the cathedral is that way, although I’ll have to explore later. There’s definitely some interesting stuff behind that door.
I eventually got a beckoner, although he died against the BSB. However he came back and the second time we were victorious. Love it when that happens.
Oh wow. So I went there with this item and I got transported to The Lecture Hall!!! Holy moly, that’s a pretty late game area.
Kolbex
1652
Oh yes,I think you’re on your way to my least favorite area in the whole game.
Kolbex
1653
Man, I forgot how much brainsuckers suck ass. There are so many annoying things in this game why do I like it.
That door is the backdoor to the cathedral, FYI, although the path is semi-circuitous and potentially more dangerous than normal, if you take a wrong turn.
I was going through the first part of the Forgotten Woods again last night, trying to find that cave again. I found a path thanks to messages on the ground, I’d already looted the end of the path, but at the end, there were a bunch of messages telling me to roll up the hill at the end of the path. So I did it. I rolled and rolled and rolled like a fool. Eventually I took a running jump (not easy in this game) and then rolled up the hill at the end of the jump and that did it. And it allowed me straight into that little town where people are standing on roofs, but I clearly wasn’t meant to be on this side of the town because I was clipping through the terrain and I was stuck trying to roll my way out of the rocks. Ugh. Stupid messages encouraging me to break the game. And for what? I’ve already been through that area once and cleared everything out, so it wasn’t even a useful path into a new area or something.
I found the cave! Woohoo!
You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach as you’re about to explore an area for the first time? You’ve never seen it before, you don’t know if it’s easy or difficulty or in the middle, you don’t know if there’s something useful to be found here, you don’t know if it will lead to a whole new area, you’ve never seen these enemies before, will they be easy to take down? And what is that liquid? Am I going to be able to walk in it without taking damage? Or going crazy?
God, I love that anxiousness mixed with excitement. That’s what this game is all about, baby. This is the essence of Soulsborne games distilled into a single moment.
Kolbex
1656
That cave was very tough to locate, even with a map.
I didn’t get to play this morning before work, and now I feel like I’m obsessed with this game. I can’t stop thinking about it. I want that 3rd Blood Chunk so bad so that I can finally upgrade my Whirligig Saw.
I’ve been getting so many Twin Blood Shards lately it’s ridiculous. And don’t even talk to me about Blood Shards, those are so common now. I think I had over 65, and last night I got tired of it and started selling them and using the rest to upgrade more things. My Hunter Blunderbuss is now +6 (same as my Whirligig), and I found a Cannon and upgraded it to +6 as well, using more twin shards, and having a strength character is nice, because I used said Cannon and laughed and laughed. It uses 12 bullets at a time though, so you can only really use it once, which is a shame. Still hilarious though.
I just need to find a few more twin shards and I’ll then have 4 weapons at +6 when I finally upgrade my Saw blade to +6 as well. Maybe then I’ll finally find that 3rd Blood Chunk so that I can get my Whirligig to +7.
The Whirligig is not bad (in its pizza cutter mode) against somewhat slower enemies by the way. The R1 combo is just fast enough so that if the enemy is slow enough, I can get a series of hits in and keep interrupting them. Interrupting enemies is pretty key in this game, but damn sometimes they don’t get interrupted and you’re screwed at that point because you already committed to interrupting them.
Kolbex
1658
Don’t forget about blood bullets!
newbrof
1659
Stuck again at Amelia. I had 2 insight and used it to summon Heriett, 1st time she died on the way to the boss, then we did pretty good with the boss, but I was greedy and died.
Went back to the first chalice dungeon, fighting the giant. I had trouble a couple of months ago, I know I spent a few hours and all healing items …
But this time I somehow was more patient and got him on 3rd try. That felt great. Now I have insight again … can you by madmans knowledge somewhere?
it is a great game, but I miss my shield, I feel vulnerable.
What weapon are you using? Make sure you use the short range version of it. That was finally what made the difference for me. The first 6 or so times, I kept trying the long range version of the weapon and trying to stay away from the attacks, but got killed each time.
And then I tried the short range version of the Saw Blade and was forced to get closer to Amelia. It was actually easier to dodge her attacks if you’re trying to stay close.
How do those work again? You press a button, and you sacrifice health to get more bullets, something like that?
newbrof
1661
the axe from the start of the game upgraded to +5 … yes, I was using the long range mode, I will try the shorter version. Thanks!
Kolbex
1662
I’m happy to help, too, although I haven’t quite got to Amelia yet (got derailed by curiosity on my way to her yesterday).
