By the end of Bloodborne, one could reasonably say that the good hunter the player controls has already had quite the night on the town. Besides literally causing the streets of Yharnam to run red with rivers of that good old human fluid, players will collect a bazillion of the following items: Blood Echoes, Blood Vials, Blood Bullets, Coldblood, Blood Gems of various shapes and sizes, Blood Stone Shards, Blood Stone Chunks, a Blood Rock (or three), Blood Dregs, Ritual Blood, Blood Cocktails (tasty), Beast Blood Pellets, and maybe even the Eye of a Blood-drunk Hunter. Players will have slain the Blood-Starved Beast, Bloodsucking Beasts, and a Blood Doberman or two. They’ll have (possibly) met the Queen of the Vilebloods and the Blood Queen of the Old Labyrinth. One might think: what else is there to achieve after meeting the queen? What else is there to do in Bloodborne besides turn in a thesis and receive a PhD in blood-studies?
Quite a lot, actually! Beyond the quite reasonable desire to play a game as narratively and mechanically rich as Bloodborne again and again, there are tons of things that even a careful player might have missed. Maybe the good hunter didn’t mine every Chalice Dungeon and meet (and subsequently kill) the Blood Queen of the Old Labyrinth. Perhaps one never even went to the Abandoned Old Workshop. There are tons of reasons to dive back into the nightmare after beating the main game, but it can get a little confusing to know where to start. Fear not, though: this guide will cover the best things to do after beating the main game (but fear the old blood).
Best things to do after beating Bloodborne
Head into the Hunter's Nightmare
Bloodborne takes the intricate level design sensibilities of its big brother, the sun to set. Under the cover of night, players will then have to walk into the area directly to the left of the Cathedral Ward lamp. In this area, there is a dead body that has a version of the Hunter’s Set with a Top Hat. Usually, if one lingers by said dead body too long, they’ll get killed by an invisible monster that’s hanging off a nearby building. But with that good old eyeball in a pocket, they’ll get taken off to the Hunter’s Nightmare and can then enjoy the glorious DLC that is The Old Hunters.
Play it again, good hunter
Hopefully, no one missed out on the DLC before beating the main game of Bloodborne--especially since upon defeating the final boss, the game kicks the player right back to the beginning. But if that’s the case, why not play through New Game Plus? By this point in their experience, players might finally feel confident in their beast slaying abilities. To temper that, all enemies will hit harder and have more health. Even after keeping all the gear from a complete playthrough, New Game Plus presents a challenge that can be as rewarding as the first. Beyond the pure joy of playing the game, New Game Plus also gives the player the opportunity to unlock the alternate endings.
Become a cosmic slug
None of the three possible endings are exactly uplifting, but each is thematically and artistically interesting. If the above-mentioned heading doesn’t make much sense, that means they haven’t all been seen. One of those endings can be a little obtuse to unlock, though, so here’s a small hint: eat the umbilical cords. That’s right--umbilical cords. These items can be picked up throughout the game and are technically named, “One Third of Umbilical cord.” So eat three of them and see what happens.
Collect blood-stuff
Speaking of eating umbilical cords, there’s plenty of reason to head back into Bloodborne to collect all those trinkets that might have been missed the first time around. Blood Rocks, especially, are hard to come by. If players want to fully upgrade more than just a few items, they’ll have to get through more than just a single nightmare.
Try out different weapons
Tired of killing things with a cane that can transform into a serrated whip? Rather use a human-sized pizza cutter instead? There are tons of delightful mess-inducing, blood-producing weapons to experiment with. Whether it’s in New Game Plus or in an actual New Game, it’s worth experimenting with different builds and play styles. Who wouldn’t want to use the severed arm of a cosmic alien to beat up Blood Dobermans?
Take part in some jolly cooperation
Perhaps it’s been a long night, though, and the good hunter is tired of beating up Blood Dobermans and Blood-starved Beasts and Bloodsucking Beasts and Bloodletting Beasts. Nothing warms the soul more than helping out others and Bloodborne has a pretty robust co-operative mode. Simply ring the Small Resonant Bell to open oneself up to being summoned into someone else’s world. PvP is always out there, too, but it's much more of a pleasure to team up with a pal against a half-man, half-horse monstrosity.
Dive into Chalice Dungeons
The Chalice Dungeons are a rather obscure corner of Bloodborne, but they make up a big one. These entirely optional, semi-procedurally generated dungeons were practically made for players who can’t get enough of the hunt. They’re not as polished as the regular areas in the game (they’re arguably boring, visually), but they do host some of the wackiest creatures in the whole game, and it gives tons more for players to do.
Explore the lore
Like the chalice dungeons, the lore is also optional--most of it is tucked away in item descriptions and environmental detail. Unlike the chalice dungeons, the lore is exceptional. There's a bonanza of story here, and while it can be a bit obtuse at first, it’s worth delving into and reading the reams of text that there are (or reading some of the books that inspired the game). The game itself is exceptionally literary with its twin influences: gothic and Lovecraftian horror. Bloodborne does more than simply retread those tropes, though. Lovecraft's stories--while foundational and important for what they were--are also deeply xenophobic and racist. Bloodborne undercuts those insidious themes and motifs by making the player an outsider in this deranged and prejudiced city. Some Yharnamites might come at the hunter with pitchforks and burning torches, but others simply fling insults against the player for being a foreigner. It adds to the unsettling (and unwelcoming atmosphere) but also creates a richer and deeper experience, one that might stick in your dreams for years to come.
Bloodborne is available on PlayStation 4.
