Shadow of Yharnam Bloodborne Wiki » Bosses » Shadow of Yharnam

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Table of Contents

Gallery Page

Basic Information

Description

Preparation

Overview

Strategy

Environment

Old Hunter Summons

Notes

Attack Patterns Phase One

Attack Patterns Phase Two

Attack Patterns Phase Three

Basic Information

Location														Required
Forbidden Woods Forbidden Grave | Sword	3645	18600	89	89	89	89	73	110	83	200	180	-	-	Yes
Forbidden Woods Forbidden Grave | Candle	2302		89	89	89	89	73	122	83	200	180	-	-
Forbidden Woods Forbidden Grave | Fireball	2046		89	89	89	89	196	110	196	200	180	-	-
	► Defenses: Physical, Blunt, Thrust, Blood, Arcane, Fire and Bolt. Resistances: Slow Poison and Rapid Poison. Bonuses: Beasts & Kin.

Location & Discovery	Drop & [Rate]
Forbidden Woods Forbidden Grave	Blood Rapture [100%]; + 0 Insight for encountering the boss; + 2 Insight for defeating the boss.

Multipliers		Bonuses		Weak against	Additional Information
HP Multiplier	1	Is beast	No	Lowest defense: Arcane	Frenzy resistance is 999
Arcane Damage Multiplier	1	Is kin	No		Super Armor value 0
Fire Damage Multiplier	1	Is weak to serrated	No		Main Damage Type Physical, Fire
Bolt Damage Multiplier	1	Is weak to righteous	No

All information (HP, Echoes, Defences, Multipliers & Bonuses) was datamined directly from game files and can be accessed via spreadsheet | archived. Updated on January 31st, 2022.

The required bosses must be killed in order to finish the main game story and to proceed to the new game plus and further, whereas the optional ones may be avoided.

Shadow of Yharnam ❘ ヤーナムの影	Boss

Description In-game Name (multi-language) English: Shadow of Yharnam; Japanese: ヤーナムの影; German: Schatten von Yharnam; Spanish: Sombra de Yharnam; French: Les Ombres de Yharnam; Italian: Ombra di Yharnam Internal Name Japanese: 闇の旅団; Translation: Darkness Bridage The Shadows of Yharnam are three faceless creatures that appear to be connected to the queen Yharnam. Preparation If you've cleared your way far enough into the Chalice Dungeons that Shaman Bone Blades are available from the Insight Shop, bring three; if you plan to use the Cannon, be sure to bring some Bone Marrow Ash. Bolt Paper and weapons that inflict additional arcane damage, such as the Burial Blade, are very effective against two of the shadows, but the third is resistant to lightning and arcane, so you'll need a backup weapon with a purely physical damage type. The Chikage is also a good choice, as all three shadows are equally weak against its physical and blood damage; scatterguns are useful for their ability to hit multiple targets, so consider bringing a Hunter Blunderbuss or Ludwig's Rifle as well. Overview The two swordsmen are weak against lightning and arcane damage, but the mace-wielding shadow is resistant to both elements; all three have low physical and blood defense, so melee weapons with either of these damage types such as the Chikage are most effective against them. The shadows with scimitars both use the same fighting style, though the one carrying a candle can also breathe fire and isn't as aggressive with its sword attacks; in addition to basic horizontal and vertical slashes, they'll sometimes perform longer combos and heavy swings that can knock you down or launch you into the air, the mace-wielder usually attacks with homing fireballs, though it'll occasionally take a swing at you with its mace if you're close; it's the least aggressive of the three and has the lowest maximum health, but the damage from its fireballs can become a serious problem. During Phase 1, the bosses are limited to their basic attacks; the swordsmen will chase you around the boss area while the mace-wielder bombards you with fireballs from afar When Phase 2 starts, all three shadows will begin using their stronger attacks and the one carrying a candle will cover its blade with fire. The swordsmen will use their knockdown attacks much more persistently, and will begin performing long-range stabs and launchers. Any shadows remaining at the start of Phase 3 will periodically summon a trio of giant snakes, which will strike you individually at mid to long range. Main type of damage dealt by Shadow of Yharnam is Physical, Fire. All melee attacks from Shadows are physical. Giant snake also deals physical damage. More information about main damage types for all bosses are on Boss Damage Types wiki page. Strategy Above all, focus on one shadow at a time to avoid triggering the next Phase with all three still alive. Interrupts are the best way to deal with the swordsmen; staggers are equally effective on the two shadows that use fire attacks. Shaman Bone Blades will turn the bosses against each other and can drastically turn the tide of the battle if used at the right time. All three shadows have no super armor and any melee attack will cause them to flinch; charge attacks from heavier weapons such as the transformed Hunter Axe and Burial Blade will knock them down, and are helpful for keeping them at a safe distance during Phases 1 and 2. If you have a Shadow in a one-on-one situation, you can exploit their defensiveness by alternating an R1 attack followed by a few steps forward while locked on. Most of the time, they will dash away after being hit, so by walking the distance they just dashed and using R1 again, you can lock them in an infinite cycle. As soon as you enter the boss arena the three shadows of yharnam will slowly walk towards you. The Chikage wielding Shadow is the most aggressive one of them all. He will mostly chase you down and pressure you will several melee attacks and combos. This one also has the most HP. The second Shadow uses a Chikage and a candle which he breaths fire with towards you. The third Shadow uses only fire attacks, like Homing Fireballs and Raining Fireballs, which only threaten you at long-range. The Fireball using Shadow also has the least amount of HP. All three Shadows will enter Phase two as soon as one of them has less than 30% of his HP or all Shadows are under 50% HP. As soon as they enter Phase two all there Shadows will have an extended moveset and will be harder to deal with. The key here is to focus on one Shadow first and take him out as quickly as possible. Taking out the aggressive Chikage wielding Shadow is the smartest idea here since he has the highest amount of HP and would be harder to deal with in Phase two. Taking him out can be achieved by separating him from the other two using the environment. There is a giant stone in the right side of the arena which gives you cover from the fire moves of the other two Shadows. Since the Chikage wielding one is over aggressive interrupting his moves with gunshots is very easy and a good way to bring him down. Outside of that he can also be stunned and taken out by well timed dodges and rapid attacks. Always beware of where you stand in the arena since having you back against the wall will kill you quick. Having an eye for the Fireball user and Firebreath user is also important since they can overwhelm you very easily. If you manage to take out the first Shadow the fight will be much easier from this point on. The next wisest step would be to kill the Sword and Candle wielding Shadow of the two that remain. Killing the Sword and Candle wielding one here is again the smart move, since he has more HP than the Fireball user. In Phase two the Sword wielders will gain Whip Thrust and Whip Uppercut. To make it easier to dodge those moves either dash sideways when they use them or stay close to them. Which is not too difficult when one Chikage user is dead. The Fireball user will gain another variation to his fireballs which now he can cast with AoE damage on the ground mid-range. Focus on one Shadow now and kill him. If you do so the last Shadow will enter phase three where he will summon a giant snake that attacks at close to mid-range depending on where you stand. Dodging the snake is rather difficult and sometimes very tricky because the attack moves of the snake are very quick, can be dodged by constantly dashing though. The best way to finish the fight in phase three is to kill the last shadow before he can summon those giant snakes. To do so you can stun the last remaining Shadow by constantly attacking him, also pushing him into a corner to limit his moves is helpful. This way he will not summon a snake and he will only try to attack you with his mace or try to dodge your attacks. His mace up close can also be interrupted by gunshots. Environment The boss area's uneven border creates a large number of nooks and corners which can become deathtraps if you're backed into them but the tombstones are essential for separating your enemies and blocking the fireballs thrown by the mace-wielding shadow. The nooks can also work against the bosses, though, and can be used to trap them if their constant backsteps are proving troublesome. Old Hunter Summons Location Requirement Old Hunter Henryk Confederate: Along the wall at the intersection leading to the boss area. He will not appear unless you have defeated him at the Tomb of Oedon (also Eileen has to survive the fight as part of her quest line) and are wearing the " Impurity" rune. Younger Madaras Twin Confederate: In the corner of the small gated area opposite the boss room, to the left of the corpse in front of the giant tombstone holding the "Clockwise Metamorphosis" rune. You cannot summon him if you have already killed him outside the Small Windmill or are not wearing the " Impurity" rune. With patch v1.07 you are able to summon NPCs to come to your aid, just like cooperative play, including inside Chalice Dungeons. To do so, first you will need to acquire the “Old Hunter Bell” from the messengers in the Hunter’s Dream. In some areas you may be able to summon up to two NPC Hunters. Notes Upon death of Shadows of Yharnam, the Forbidden Grave lamp will spawn. Giant snakes summoned during the third phase of the fight can be damaged. Unfortunately their health refills immediately after receiving damage and therefore cannot be killed. [Test with edited blood gems] All enemies and bosses (except hunter enemies) have 999 frenzy resistance, despite that they are still vulnerable to such status. The only way to see it without modding is to use Shaman Bone Blade on enemy inflicting frenzy to attack others. [test video] All three: Sword, Sword & Candle, Mace & Fireball are present as regular enemies in Mergo's Loft Middle in the Nightmare of Mensis Common misconception is mistaking Mace, which is Shadow of Yharnam Mace & Fireball using, for Tonitrus. After closer look we can see this is heavier Mace with less intricate design. [image]

Pungent Blood Cocktails don't attract this enemy, making the item ineffective. Shaman Bone Blades affect this enemy, making it hostile to other enemies. Boss Defenses (Sword) 89 73 180 89 110 - 89 83 - 89 200 Boss Defenses (Candle) 89 73 180 89 122 - 89 83 - 89 200 Boss Defenses (Mace & Fireball) 89 196 180 89 110 - 89 196 - 89 200 Game Cycle 1st NG 3645/2302/2046 18600 2nd NG+ 14468/9146/8124 97948 3rd NG+2 15481/9786/8693 107742 4th NG+3 15915/10061/8936 122435 5th NG+4 16349/10335/9180 146922 6th NG+5 16638/10518/9343 195896 7th NG+6 17362/10975/9749 244870 Cooperation & Boss' HP Having a summoned ally doesn't alter the health or difficulty of the enemies you'll fight, but it does affect the bosses. To ensure they are still a challenge, boss health, showed in table above, is increased to 1.5x when a second co-op player enters your world, and to 2.0x when a third enters.

Attack Patterns Phase One

Key Attack	Interrupt	Notes
Sword, Sword and Candle
Upward Slash	Yes	Swift close-range launcher used in combos and on its own.
Running Slash	Yes	Mid-range running knockdown attack.
Sword Combo	Yes	Up to five rapid swings and a delayed sixth swing.
Sword and Candle
Fire Breath	No	Mid-range fire breath with continuous slow tracking.
Mace and Fireball
Triple Homing Fireball	No	Launches three long-range fireballs homing fireballs.

Phase 1 Strategy: Hit-and-run tactics are the safest strategy while being pursued by all three shadows; the giant tombstone is especially helpful for separating them, though beware that the mace-wielder's fireballs can sometimes curve around it. Interrupt the Sword Shadow and finish it with visceral attacks, or stab it with a Shaman Bone Blade before it gets up and lure it toward the others. Don't get greedy with melee combos during this Phase; instead, use single R1 swings or quickstepping attacks, so that you can keep moving out of your enemies' reach. We recommend defeating one of the swordsmen first to reduce the pressure during later Phases, but the mace-wielder is the easiest target during Phase 1 and getting rid of it early will prevent you from having to constantly watch for its fireballs.

Attack Patterns Phase Two

Key Attack	Interrupt	Notes
Sword, Sword and Candle
Whip Thrust	Yes	Long-range forward thrust with slightly delayed start up.
Whip Uppercut	Yes	Identical to the sword-only version. Long-range launcher.
Mace and Fireball
Triple Raining Fireball	No	Throws three arcing mid-range fireballs that converge on your location and create large spherical explosions.

Phase 2 Strategy: When one shadow's health drops below 30% or all three reach 50%, snakes will burst from their bodies and they will begin using their Phase 2 attacks. Finish the weakest shadow as quickly as possible and continue using hit-and-run tactics on the remaining two; as before, focus on a single shadow and use the tombstones for cover, but beware that the sword-wielders' whip attacks can hit you through the giant tombstone Interrupts, staggers and knockdown attacks are still the most effective melee strategy during this Phase and with one of the swordsmen gone, you'll have safer and more frequent opportunities to interrupt the other.

Attack Patterns Phase Three

Key Attack	Interrupt	Notes
Sword, Sword and Candle, Mace and Fireball
Snake Summon	No	Summons three giant snakes that perform long or mid-range strikes depending on their distance to you. Roll in any direction to dodge.

Phase 3 Strategy: When all three shadows drop below 25% health or only one remains standing with a full life bar, the survivors will begin summoning giant snakes that will attack you from far away. If the snakes appear near you, stand as close to them as possible and roll sideways to avoid their attacks; otherwise watch them carefully and dash or roll away when they strike. Finish any weakened stragglers immediately and pressure the remaining shadow with melee attacks to minimize its opportunities for summoning the snakes; if you're having trouble hitting it, back it into a corner along the outer edge of the arena.