Combat

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page revision: 31, last edited: 01 July 2017

Press R3 to focus on a nearby enemy. If there are multiple enemies present, you can then switch between them by moving the right stick. If there are no enemies nearby, this will orient the camera to face in the same direction as your character. If you press R3 while already locked-on, you'll break your lock-on.

Locking-on to enemies can help you keep the camera on them and aim your attacks, but there are plenty of occasions when not locking-on is much better. For example, fighting near ledges with lock-on can be risky, as your camera and your movement orientation are influenced by the enemy. Fighting small or agile foes is another example; the default aiming of your weapon's attacks while locked- on may be insufficient Consider breaking lock-on and aiming the attacks manually by moving the camera.

In Bloodborne, even large foes tend to be agile, and the camera tracks their bodies (which are often above your character's head). If you are getting frustrated while fighting a boss because the camera is interfering with your movement or you can't see what you want to see, try unlocking and controlling the camera yourself. It's more challenging at first, but it will give you a greater degree of control and ultimately will be less frustrating.

When you are not locked-on, you can control the camera freely using the right stick. You can and should use this to examine the environment very closely. The camera helps to determine your movement controls, as well. If the camera touches a wall, the camera will be automatically adjusted by default; if you don't like that behavior, there is an option called "Camera Auto-Adjust" in the Controls section of the Game Options. Turn it off if you are having visibility or control issues caused by the camera in small spaces. You can also adjust the Camera sensitivity or flip the axis controls if you like.

As previously mentioned, pressing R3 will immediately reset the camera to face the same direction as your character. Push DOWN and then quickly press R3 for a fast turn. Use this feature when you hear a suspicious noise behind your character!

Pressing R1 will allow you to perform a basic attack. These attacks tend to be quicker and consume less stamina than other attacks, but they also deal less damage in a single hit. They can be chained together easily, though, and are thus very important. R2 attacks are slower, cost more stamina, and generally don't combo as well as R1 attacks, but they usually deal more damage and have a stronger impact on the enemy. Weapons that are held in both hands also have L2 attacks.

All of the weapons in Bloodborne are trick weapons with two modes: normal mode and transformed mode. Pressing L1 will allow you to swap from one mode to the other. Most weapons are very different in normal mode and transformed mode.

Pressing the L1 button while performing another action will prompt your character to execute a special transformation attack. This is a good way to change modes in the middle of combat, and the transformation attacks of many weapons combo very well. They also instantly break the guard of blocking toes, so use this against shield-wielding opponents.

Be advised that the first R1 attack following a transformation attack might not be the first R1 in the chain. In order for your attacks to flow smoothly, you may see an alternate version of another, attack, and some attacks may repeat in order for the chain to correct itself. The damage values for attacks with alternate animations don't change.

For example, if you perform normal mode R1 > L1 > R1 with the Saw Spear, you'll see an alternate animation for the transformed R1 (2). Additionally, for normal R1 > L1 > R1 > R1, the alternate animation of transformed R1 (2) will be followed by the regular version of transformed R1 (2). From there, the chain will continue as normal.

Sidestepping attacks can cause a similar issue In the first place, sidestepping to the left and attacking with an R1 (sidestep) will give a different animation than sidestepping to the right and performing an R1 (sidestep). If you follow-up those attacks with a normal R1, they will begin the chain at different points It's critical that you practice with your weapon of choice to master these details.

Sometimes, enemies will be waiting near traps or hazards that are very dangerous. You can lure the enemy out with Pebbles or Throwing Knives, or by running close enough to get their attention. After you have the enemy's attention, retreat back to a safer location to do battle. Always try to have a safe zone prepared. Pull the enemies to that spot with ranged attacks and deal with the traps separately.

You can bait enemies to attack you by intentionally stepping into their attack ranges. Let the enemy get close enough to attack and then roll away. This is very important for fighting both normal enemies and bosses. For bosses, you can even bait specific moves; each attack tends to be used most often at a certain range Stand at that distance, and you can fool the boss into performing only the moves that you want!