One of the reasons why the PlayStation 4 was such a huge success was the vast wealth of exclusives that accompanied this console, basically turning it into a must-have for any gamer who wished to play the latest Triple-A titles. Out of all the exclusives released on this platform, one game that received critical and commercial acclaim across the board has to beBloodborne.
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Miyazaki ended up using his genius to help develop what is easily one of the greatest action-adventure titles of all time, butBloodborneis definitely not a game for the weak-willed or faint-hearted.The hard-as-nails nature of the game’s combat, coupled with some truly horrific imagery, makesBloodbornean oppressive yet satisfying experience from start to end. Players should definitely avoid the following mistakes if they wish to have the best time possible with this masterpiece.
Updated July 19, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:Bloodborne is a brilliant action-adventure title that served as a stark departure from theDark Soulsformula, while retaining a somewhat familiar feeling at the same time. The game is full to the brim with amazing bosses, breathtaking environments, bone-chilling horrors, and fast-paced combat that all feel absolutely amazing. That being said, players are prone to making mistakes while playing this title. With that in mind, this list has been updated to include some more of the common pitfalls that players should avoid.
15Forgetting To Use Transformation Attacks
For the most part, the R1 combo is all that most players will need to get through the game with their weapon of choice. However, in doing so, they’re missing out on some of the most potent attacks in the game.
Byhitting L1 during an R1 combo, players trigger a transformation attackthat hits for serious damage. It’s pretty fast and is a great way to transform the weapon mid-combat as well, adding more flair to the fight.
14Accidentally Aggroing Friendly NPCs
There are several NPC questlines that players can engage with inBloodborne. However, they can miss out on these if they accidentally end up aggroing these friendly NPCs.
A great example of this isduring Eileen’s battle against Henryk. Players who try to help her might unwittingly hit her instead, causing her to lash out at the player as well. This mistake can cost players time and story.
13Not Using The Move To Get Extra Bullets At The Cost Of Health
Given the emphasis on staggering and visceral attacks in the game, it’s only a given that players will start running through their Quicksilver Bullets sooner rather than later. This can be quite frustrating in the middle of a run, when players have no bullets to attack their enemies with.
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What most people don’t realize is thatpressing Up on the D-pad lets them use their own life force for three Quicksilver Bullets.It’s a small but useful move when the player has run out of bullets completely.
12Leveling Stats After Their Hard Cap
Just likeDark Souls,Bloodbornealso has soft and hard caps for its stats. While progressing past the soft cap is fine, the same can’t be said for the hard cap.
Past the 50 mark, most stats — except for Arcane — give minimal return on player investment. So, players should invest in other stats after reaching this number to maximize their benefits.
11Ignoring The Messengers In The Hunter’s Dream
The Messengers are oddly cute, butmost players tend to ignore them after a point. For a beginner, however, this is akin to a death sentence. Paying attention could save a player’s life.
This is especially true for the Messengers in the Hunter’s Dream, who have valuable information to share with the player. Players should roam around the Hunter’s Dream and read as many messages as possible to get a basic understanding ofBloodborne’s systems.
10Getting Greedy With Landing Hits
One of the worst things that people can do inBloodborne— or any FromSoftware game, for that matter — isgetting greedy in combatand failing to account for self-preservation.
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Without being patient in combat, it goes without saying that the player will get frustrated sooner rather than later. So, the player needs to read enemy movesets and be familiar with their own to maximize the damage they deal in combat.
9Playing The Game Like Dark Souls
One major thing that people will notice inBloodborne, especially during the Father Gascoigne boss, is that the game’s combat is extremely fast-paced. It leaves no room for a defensive player to get their bearings.
Trying to equip a useless shield, which is pretty much a joke item of sorts, or staying away from enemies like one would do inDark Soulswill only work for so long. The player will soon need to adapt to the fast combat ofBloodborne, lest they wish to become the hunted over and over again.
8Failing To Rally After Taking Damage
Bloodborneintroduces a brilliant rally mechanic that allows players to get back some of their lost health after taking damage. It’s a mechanic that encourages aggressive gameplay and rewards the player for the same.
Failing to make the most of this mechanic implies that the player is not aggressive enough, something that needs to change if they wish to get to the end of the game without pulling their hair out in the process.
7Ignoring The Countershot Mechanic
The visceral countershot attack inBloodborneis easily one of the coolest and most damaging attacks in the entire game. Players should definitely get acquainted with it if they don’t want to get frustrated by the aggressiveness of most enemies.
Getting a visceral attack mandates that the player shoots an enemy just when they’re about to land an attack. Given the fact that most enemies in the game can be countered like this, it’s imperative that the player master the timing of their shot so that they can send most enemies to an early grave without facing too many problems.
6Making A Random Build Without Any Research
As is the case with most From Software games, the act of creating a new character inBloodborneand choosing a background isn’t that big of a deal. However, the part where players need to start paying attention is when they used their hard-earned Blood Echoes to level up.
Strength and Skill are two sides of the same coin, and the player should ideally only invest in one of these attributes —unless they want to make a quality build, that is. Stamina and health are governed by Endurance and Vitality, while Bloodtinge and Arcane are generally reserved for more special builds that require way more thought and preparation. If all of this sounds alien to the player, then they definitely need to do their homework when it comes tothe various attributes present inBloodborne.
