Bloodborne Collector's Edition Strategy Guide

And so the nightly hunt begins...
From the same team that created the critically acclaimed Dark Souls II guide comes a new invaluable treasure. We've gone behind the scenes with Bloodborne's creators to unearth every secret hidden within the mysterious city of Yharnam. Your hunt through the streets of Yharnam will be your most exciting and rewarding journey yet, and the road will be hard. But fear not! This guide is your key to mastering the merciless challenges and navigating the darkest depths of the city.

BONUS CHEST
=> Exclusive interview with Bloodborne's creator, Hidetaka Miyazaki
=> Lore index to aid in your research of this dark world
=> The Art of Bloodborne -- every page is a masterpiece of its own
=> Exclusive Dynamic Theme: let the Hunter's Mark adorn your PS4*

*This US edition guide includes redeem codes that are only redeemable in the US and Canada. For customers from PAL territories (incl. Australia), please contact us at support@future-press.com so we can swap your Dynamic Theme code.

Training Manual
Yharnam's no place for novice hunters. Understanding how Bloodborne works starts here, and anyone who doesn't arm themselves with understanding of its intricate systems will be quickly cut down. 

Hunting Grounds
From the streets of Yharnam to the end of the nightmare, critical routes and rewarding detours are plotted on detailed, invaluable maps. Text points highlight events, encounters, and tactics for each area's key landmarks. This hunter's compendium leaves no paving stone unturned.

The Bestiary
A good hunter knows his enemy's weaknesses. He knows their behavior. He knows what it takes to kill them efficiently. Study your prey carefully and discover all of the elements that make them what they are -- and then the hunt is on!

Arsenal and Attire
Your weapon's only lethal if you know how to use it. Here you'll learn about weapon properties, hidden damage modifiers, attack ranges, swing speeds, and much more. Whether you're hunting beasts or other hunters, you'll have the knowledge... and the advantage.

The Chalice Dungeons
These mean labyrinths of death provide an unending treasure trove of discovery and despair. Though the walls may shift and the denizens may change, we have prepared exhaustive notes detailing the horrifying and mysterious Chalice Dungeons. Their rewards are matched only by their challenge; don't rush in unprepared.

Hunter's Appendices
The world of Bloodborne is deep and populated by fascinating people and deadly creatures. Finding all of the NPCs is a first step, and completing their quests is another. We offer more than that, though; here you will find behind the scenes info on the world and its characters from the people who created it! If you seek 100% completion and total mastery of Yharnam, search no further.

A Brief about – 

Redefining Game Guides for more than 16 years

Ever since being founded in 1998, Future Press has been dedicated to producing the highest quality game guides in the world. Our team of highly professional authors and designers work together to guarantee a harmonious and logical interplay between content and design. We've worked closely with the most renowned and successful publishers and developers in the industry, always aiming to redefine what a game guide can be. 

Our focus is, and always has been, on creating the best possible guide for the game we're covering. This is why we only produce one guide at a time, with our entire staff dedicated to its production. Our core team of authors is made up of exceptionally skilled gamers, working alongside single-project specialist players who are among the best in the world at the type of game we're writing about. Our ultimate goal is to give the reader the best possible understanding of the game they are playing and to deepen their enjoyment of playing it, regardless of their skill level.

SAMPLE CUSTOMER REVIEWS –

1) Well worth the wait, excellent guide. - I received my copy today (April 20th, Noon CDT). It was well worth the wait. Future Press has always done an impressive job. The guide is well laid out, a gorgeous hard front, bind and back cover. I've included some photos to help give you an better idea.

By Josh on April 20, 2015

2) Fear the Old Blood, A Hunter Must Hunt - A video game getting delayed is one thing... but a strategy guide? Such was the case when Bloodborne was released. Coming from Future Press, the guys who brought us two excellent guides for the Dark Souls games, many of us were ecstatic to find they'd be by our side with Bloodborne. Considering the depth and usefulness of those Dark Souls guides, it was great to see Future Press returning to publish a guide for yet another FromSoftware title. Unfortunately the guide was delayed for nearly a month after the game's initial release. Those of us who realize that Future Press guides are genuinely useful (as well as collector's items) were forced to trek through Bloodborne without it. This brought about the question, would the guide be worth it after the wait? The answer is a resounding yes. It's worth every penny. As a collector's item and a guide through the world of Bloodborne for those who haven't yet found everything, this guide is well worth the time.

Coming in at over 550 pages, the Bloodborne guide is one of the thickest by Future Press. This is because when the game was initially released, Future Press wanted to make sure everything was good and accurate. Of course, we all know how FromSoftware works. Even though this guide is here and it's great... some things could be subject to change. Though right now the information is as accurate as it can be, it's always possible that FromSoftware will change things up that the guide won't update on. The good news is that it's more likely to be data and your strategies will still work.

So let's dive in. The training manual is quick. Very quick. That's saying a lot for this guide because every chapter has so much information it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by everything you're reading. This moment is only here to tell you how the basics of the game work. By now most of you are familiar with the controls and the flow of combat. What's helpful here, though, isn't all that stuff, but rather reading about how the various different abilities and attributes work. For instance, the guide has a break down of how your stats look at each statistical level. So if you increase your HP to level 50, the guide will tell you how much HP you should have. Some of these tables are useful because you'll definitely want to know how to distribute your stats. For instance, once your Arcane reaches 50 there's not much more reason to keep increasing it. It's good to have these tables. For those just starting Bloodborne... you definitely want to start here. The manual you can access via the game is only good at pointing out what this stuff is... but this guide will actually tell you how it works. It's very important for beginners and inexperienced players to start here. You don't just learn about the basics, but also how they work and why they work the way they do.

The second chapter is, aptly enough, The Hunting Grounds. This is the guides fancy way of saying "Walkthrough." It's over 150 pages and it's one of the most helpful parts of the entire guide as a whole. You'll be spending a lot of time here so you better get familiar with it and how it works. If you've picked up the Dark Souls II guide you'll be able to better understand the walkthrough sooner. Again, it can feel like the guide is providing way more information than it appears. Each section begins with a quick introduction and then it shows a series of maps. On these maps it points out all the items (in a nice handy chart) shows where the bosses are and even has page references for the bosses (you'll need those). There is also a handy table to show you all the enemies in the area, how much health they have, telling you whether they're strong or weak... and finally a page number to find them in the guide's bestiary. Again, really helpful stuff.

However, the walkthrough also breaks down each section. Yes, there are lots of maps in each new area, but the walkthrough prefers to take it one section at a time. So you have the overall map and then smaller area maps. In these maps they have diagrams showing you how to run through each area. They also show you all the items in each area while also pointing out unique locations. The text itself is very detailed, but you're going to need to use the maps along with it in order to get the most out of it. The guide is helpful enough to point out where every enemy is as well. If there are branching paths the walkthrough calls it out. If an area looks to be too difficult, the guide will suggest ways in which to lure enemies out and take them down with very little danger to you. As you might also expect, there are lots of screenshots scattered throughout. The text will always tell you which screenshot to look at because every screenshot is numbered. At times it feels like you're using a textbook for Bloodborne. The walkthrough looks like it's complicated at first, but it's actually really easy to use.

One thing that is of note, however, is how some spots in the walkthrough are color coded. For instance, in Yharnam, you can go after either the Cleric Beast first or Father Gascoigne. The walkthrough is covering ALL of Yharnam so it shows diagrams for each path. Taking the red path the walkthrough guides you to the Cleric Beast (and thus the red headers refer to this). Taking the blue path takes you to Father Gascoigne (and thus the blue headers refer to this path). This is important when reading because you don't want to get easily lost. Always figure out where you want to go and use the guide accordingly. Blue header sections refer to the blue path and red to the red one. In some cases just showing a different path may also just be pointing out a different way to run through an area or show a diverging path. Either way, it helps to keep this in mind as it makes the walkthrough far easier to use and makes it feel less overwhelming with information.

For the most part, the maps and the text are really easy to use. There are also boss call outs and sometimes helpful hints called out in the text to help you along. Either way, the walkthrough is extremely useful. If you are feeling lost exploring Bloodborne it's very easy to reorient yourself using this guide.

If you want to explore and just use maps, the guide has a small "Progression Guide," after the walkthrough which is basically just the maps and basic objectives of each level. This is quicker less in depth guide for those who want the joy of exploring for themselves without the walkthrough being too intrusive for you in doing that.

Beyond the walkthrough is the Bestiary, which is where I have my only real complaint with this guide. The bestiary works exactly as you expect. It tells you how every enemy works. Their stats and their attacks. It also provides strategies for defeating each enemy one-by-one. Every enemy has their own unique strategy called out. The reason I have some small complaint here is that I wish they'd organized this similar to the Dark Souls II guide. That way certain enemy strategies would actually be in the walkthrough instead of having to flip through several pages. In particular, if those boss strategies in the walkthrough seem like they aren't enough... it's because the REAL strategy is detailed in the Bestiary under the boss themselves. These are totally valuable strategies, pointing out how each phase of a battle works. I just wish it were in the walkthrough as opposed to being in the bestiary. Considering the 120 page length of the bestiary, though... I'll deal.

We then get a huge breakdown of the Chalice Dungeons. Usually in instances like this where things seem more "random" guides typically just toss in some tips. Not here. In the case of this guide, it's like you're getting a whole second strategy guide. This explains the rituals, gives maps and step by step advice on how to tackle each one. At a mere 90 pages, this is actually the smallest section in this guide outside of the game basics.

We then come into all of the attire and weapons. Every weapon is given several pages of explanation. Several. With each trick weapon we are told how to get it, how its stats increase (as well as scaling when using blood shards) and how they increase with increasing certain stat levels when leveling up. You also get some hints on how to use gems with it. Beyond that the guide will then also give you charts detailing how much stamina gets used, inherent attack bonuses and the impact of said attacks. It'll detail all of these things for charge attacks, dash attacks and the various step attacks. It'll do this for all weapons and it will do it for all of the weapons forms as well. Again, all of this stuff feels like information overload, but you are getting A LOT out of it. The runes and gems are also talked about here. Including how to get them, what they do and how best to utilize them.

This section also talks about the various NPCs and how their quest progression goes and when things will change within them. Should you want to kill them there are also basic stats. If you want to befriend some, it'll tell you how to do it. If you want to get the best items out of them it'll tell you how to do it. This is really useful stuff. There is even a flow chart to help you get through every NPCs quest in order so that you miss nothing. Once beyond this there is also a trophy guide which will help you get every trophy you can in the game.

The last thing is a bonus. You get an interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki. This isn't some short two page spread. This is a fourteen page interview that'll help you learn everything there is to know about Bloodborne. You'll get a lot of insight out of this. The interview is also peppered with lots of artwork as well.

The guide is so huge that you'll feel exhausted just looking at it sometimes. There is an index in the back to help you find your way. Really, though, I think a couple of ribbon book marks would've been nice. With how much you'll be flipping around the pages in this guide it would've been nice to actually mark your place.

That being said, the guide was well worth the wait. I was still able to uncover things I didn't know, utilize strategies I hadn't thought about and improve my game. I've already completed Bloodborne once, but I have no problem revisiting utilizing this guide for a different kind of experience. In some ways that makes me glad for the delay. I got to discover Bloodborne for myself before truly getting to know the game. Nevertheless, as a collector's item it's solid. As a guide to Bloodborne its one of the best resources you can find.

By S. Rhodes VINE VOICE on April 21, 2015

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