Hunter's Nightmare

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page revision: 48, last edited: 20 April 2019

Basic Information | Recommended: Player Level 80 & Weapon Upgrade +9

Timezones	Bosses	Enemies	NPCs	Important Items	Insight
None	► Ludwig the Accursed / Holy Blade ► Laurence, the First Vicar	● Old Hunter (B. Cutter) ● Old Hunter (B. Saif) ● Old Hunter (B. Saif & Rifle) ● Old Hunter (B. Hammer) ● Beast Patient (Male) ● Ashen Blood Beast Patient ● Church Servant (Cane) ● Huntsman (Torch & Axe) ● Huntsman (Sickle) ● Huntsman (Cleaver) ● Huntsman (Cutlass) ● Huntsman (Delayed Molotov) ● Old Hunter's Hound ● Wheelchair Huntsman (Pistol) ● Labyrinth Rat ● Carrion Crow ● Wandering Nightmare ● Nightmare Executioner (Axe) ● Nightmare Executioner (Church Cannon) ● Bloodlicker ● Blood-starved Beast ● Eye Collector ● Djura's Disciple ● Bestial Hunter ● Church Doctor (L. Holy Blade & R. Pistol) ● Church Doctor (Threaded Cane) ● Yahar'gul Hunter (Ch. Pick & R. Pistol) ● Brador, Church Assassin	● Brador, Church Assassin ● Simon, Seeker of Secrets ● Yamamura the Wanderer	● Old Hunter Cap ● Twin Blood Stone Shards ● Old Hunter Gloves ● Old Hunter Trousers ● Beast Cutter ● Old Hunter Garb ● Eye Pendant ● Boom Hammer ● Old Hunter Top Hat ● Blood Stone Chunk ● Amygdalan Arm ● Constable's Gloves ● Constable's Trousers ● Constable's Garb ● Beasthunter Saif ● Butcher Set ● Whirligig Saw ● Fist Of Gratia ● Laurence's Skull ● Church Cannon ● Pulsing Damp Blood Gem(5)	+ 2 for entering the Hunter's Nightmare + 1 for encountering Ludwig the Accursed / Holy Blade + 3 for defeating Ludwig the Accursed / Holy Blade + 1 for encountering Laurence, the First Vicar + 3 for defeating Laurence, the First Vicar

Description

A world drenched in blood, lit by a possessed moon. Its light shows familiar buildings half swallowed by sludge, leaning over, distorted. It is here that hunters of old, riddled by nightmares, endlessly pursue beasts.

How to access

1. Purchase The Old Hunters DLC
2. Defeat the boss of the Cathedral Ward and examine the altar in the back of the room to change the in-game time to night.
3. Go to the Hunter’s Dream and receive the Eye of a Blood-drunk Hunter from a messenger.
4. Go to the Oedon Chapel and leave via the left-hand exit to enter the square.
5. Go to the right-hand end of the square to trigger an event by letting Amygdalae to grab you. This event will take you to the Hunter’s Nightmare. Lighting the lamp in the new area will allow you to travel to and from the area via an Awakening Headstone in the Hunter’s Dream.

Connections

Cathedral Ward ► Hunter's Nightmare - (Previous Area)
Hunter's Nightmare ► Research Hall - (Next Area)

NPCs

Simon, Seeker of Secrets found after River of Blood next to the door shortcut back to the Hunter's Nightmare lamp
Brador, Church Assassin in lower inner cell after Underground Corpse Pile lamp in order to open it you need the Underground Cell Inner Chamber Key
Yamamura the Wanderer locked up in the cell after Underground Corpse Pile lamp. In order to open it you need the Underground Cell Key.
Ludwig, the Holy Blade (Head)

General Notes

This Location is part of The Old Hunters DLC

There are 3 summonable Old Hunter NPCs in this area: Old Hunter Henriett, Younger Mandaras Twin and Valtr

Nightmare Cathedral First Visit: While there is no lamp in the Nightmare Cathedral at this time, if you return here later after obtaining Laurence's Skull, you can trigger an event that will cause the lamp to appear.

Blood Vials for Ludwig: On path from Nightmare Church lamp to Underground Corpse Pile where Ludwig resides you encounter living corpse banging on the gate, it drops 5 Blood Vials each time its killed. Easing the Blood Vials drain in multiple runs against this boss. Interesting fact about this corpse is that it counts as NPC for cooperators & adversaries and cannot be damaged by them. [image]

Hidden Area in Recovery Room: There is a hidden area you can access if you wish by first taking the elevator back down. Once it stops, step onto it again to make it rise, and then quickly jump off off; the hidden altar will come into view, and if you pull the lever to lower the elevator and step onto it you'll reach another hidden room.

In order to summon after Underground Corpse Pile lamp you have to have Eye Pendant in your inventory.

Whirligig Saw Jump: It is possible to obtain Whirligig Saw faster by jumping on wooden beams from top of ladder before Bloody Plaza and then subsequently jump on the tombstone it's on. [video]

Sinister Bell Ringer (Online): Bell Ringer is located at Left from Upper Stairs in front of Nightmare Grand Cathedral. Next is located at the very left dead end in Corpse Canal before path to Bloody Plaza. When “bell-ringer woman” is present, versus PvP invasions are possible.

Faction Conflict

Enemies in the Hunter's Nightmare belong to different groups, some of which are hostile and will fight each other if they are in close proximity. The groups are as follows:

► "Group A" consists of the Beast Patients, Nightmare Executioners and Djura's Disciple.

► "Group B" consists of the Old Hunters, Huntsmen, Old Hunter's Hounds and Carrion Crows.

► "Group C" consists of the Bloodlickers, the Eye Collector and the Bestial Hunter.

► The Blood-Starved Beast is unique.

The interactions are as follows:

► Group A and Group B have a hostile relationship.

► Group C has a neutral relationship with Group A and Group B.

► The Blood-Starved Beast has a neutral relationship with Group A, but a hostile relationship with Group B and Group C. If lured out of the cave, it will move throughout the area and fight with anything not part of Group A. If lured up to Laurence's boss arena, it will even attempt to fight Laurence through the Nightmare Fog.

World Changes

Ludwig the Accursed Defeated: Gain access to the Underground Corpse Pile Lamp | Open the way to Research Hall

Laurence, the First Vicar Defeated: Gain access to the Nightmare Grand Cathedral Lamp

Lamps


Hunter's Nightmare	Nightmare Church

Underground Corpse Pile (Boss Area)	Nightmare Grand Cathedral (Boss Area)

Old Hunter Summons

Location	Requirement
Old Hunter Henriett: Ludwig the Accursed in Hunter's Nightmare: Down the stairs from the Nightmare Church Lamp, directly to the left of the stairwell exit.	Summoning Henriett prevents you from being able to summon the two Confederate hunters in this area and vice versa.
Younger Mandaras Twin Confederate: Ludwig the Accursed in Hunter's Nightmare: At the end of the semi-hidden path in the Bloody Plaza where the first Nightmare Executioner (Axe) approaches from. ( Butcher Set).	The summon point will only be there if you haven't already killed him in the Forbidden Woods, are wearing the "Impurity" rune, and have not summoned Old Hunter Henriett.
Valtr Confederate: Ludwig the Accursed in Hunter's Nightmare: Along the right wall directly opposite the Eye Collector as you approach the boss room, slightly obscured behind the terrain. Laurence, the First Vicar in Hunter's Nightmare: In plain sight just inside the door of the Grand Cathedral.	You must not have killed Valtr in the Forbidden Woods. You must be equipped with the "Impurity" rune and have not summoned Old Hunter Henriett. Must have obtained Laurence's Skull from the altar elevator.
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.
Note: When you summon Valtr, he will appear wearing his helmet and will be identified as "Valtr, Master of the League" until you have completed his quest and obtained the Master's One-Eyed Iron Helm. From this point onward he will be summoned as "Valtr, Beast Eater" and will appear without his helmet. He is stronger as "Beast Eater" so it's worth completing his quest before summoning him for these fights.

Enemies

			Drop
Regular Enemies
Old Hunter (B. Cutter)	1727	842	Random gem based on area x1 [16%], Blood Vial x3 [20%]
Old Hunter (B. Cutter) Red Eyes	3331	1126	Vermin x1 [100%]
Old Hunter (B. Saif)	1520	771	Random gem based on area x1 [16%], Blood Vial x3 [20%]
Old Hunter (B. Saif) Red Eyes	3109	994	Vermin x1 [100%]
Old Hunter (B. Saif & Rifle)	829	811	None
Old Hunter (B. Hammer)	1865	913	Random gem based on area x1 [16%], Blood Vial x4 [20%]
Old Hunter (B. Hammer) Red Eyes	3559	1237	Vermin x1 [100%]
Beast Patient (Male)	552	203	Random gem based on area x1 [4%], Blood Vial x1 [8%]
Ashen Blood Beast Patient	1451	507	Random gem based on area x1 [8%], Blood Vial x2 [30%], Antidote x2 [10%]
Church Servant (Cane)	2064	871	Blood Vial x2 [21%], Blue Elixir x1 [1%]
Huntsman (Torch & Axe)	760	355	Blood Vial x1 [21%], Quicksilver Bullets x2 [10%], Molotov Cocktail x1 [5%]
Huntsman (Sickle)	483	338	Blood Vial x1 [8%]
Huntsman (Cleaver)	483	270	Blood Vial x1 [8%]
Huntsman (Cutlass)	760	338	Blood Vial x2 [32%]
Huntsman (Delayed Molotov)	483	331	Blood Vial x1 [21%], Molotov Cocktail x1 [10%]
Old Hunter's Hound	483	372	None
Wheelchair Huntsman (Pistol)	841	980	Quicksilver Bullets x4 [76%], Antidote x2 [12%], Sedatives x1 [4%], Beast Blood Pellet x1 [4%]
Labyrinth Rat	535	1198	Poison Knife x2 [5%], Poison Knife x1 [15%]
Carrion Crow	483	220	Pebble x1 [6%], Pebble x2 [3%], Beast Blood Pellet x1 [1%]
Wandering Nightmare (Small)	186	27	Blood Stone Chunk x2
Strong Enemies
Nightmare Executioner (Axe)	3455	2366	Blood Vial x6 [24%]
Nightmare Executioner (Church Cannon)	3455	2366	Quicksilver Bullets x10 [24%]
Bloodlicker	1658	517	Random gun type gem x1 [16%]
Blood-starved Beast	5183	2366	Random gun type gem x1 [100%]
Eye Collector	760	304	Pebble x6 [35%], Pebble x3 [61%], Bloodshot Eyeball x1 [4%]
Hunter Enemies
Djura's Disciple	3196	7326	Gatling Gun [100%]
Bestial Hunter	4134	6105	Firing Hammer Badge [100%]
Church Doctor (Ludwig's Holy Blade & Repeating Pistol)	3332	8820	Madman's Knowledge x1 [100%]
Church Doctor (Threaded Cane)	2194	11025	Quicksilver Bullets x10 [100%]
Yahar'gul Hunter (Church Pick & Repeating Pistol)	2739	9923	Church Pick [100%]
Brador, Church Assassin	1855	5220	Brador Attire, one piece for killing each projected appearance

Items Treasures

Item	Location	Item	Location
Frenzied Coldblood (8)	turn left right outside of the Nightmare Chapel with Hunter's Nightmare lamp	Frenzied Coldblood (8)	behind the cargo on the other side of Blood of River - Downstream
Old Hunter Cap	up the stairs outside of the Nightmare Chapel	Blood Stone Chunk x1	inside the Beast Cave from River of Blood - Downstream where Blood-starved Beast is
Twin Blood Stone Shards x1	right side of upper path right outside of the Nightmare Chapel	Twin Blood Stone Shards x1	right when you enter the Beast Cave accessed from the River of Blood - Downstream where Blood-starved Beast is
Old Hunter Gloves	on the small rooftop where you can drop from the upper path outside of Nightmare Chapel	Blood Stone Chunk x1	inside the Beast Cave from River of Blood - Downstream where Blood-starved Beast is
Blood Vial x3	corpse as you go down from upper path to the Nightmare Plaza	Twin Blood Stone Shards x2	deep within the Beast Cave accessed from River of Blood - Downstream
Frenzied Coldblood (9)	corpse as you go on the upper path above Nightmare Plaza	Twin Blood Stone Shards x2	deep within the Beast Cave accessed from River of Blood - Downstream
Twin Blood Stone Shards x3	on top of Plaza Gate from upper Plaza Path	Amygdalan Arm	deep within the Beast Cave accessed from River of Blood - Downstream
Madman's Knowledge	in Nightmare Plaza where hunters and beasts fight	Blood Vial x3	corpse right at the bottom of stairs from River of Blood - Downstream to gate leading to Chapel Tunnel shortcut to the first lamp
Madman's Knowledge	in Nightmare Plaza where hunters and beasts fight	Quicksilver Bullets x6	up the gate from River of Blood - Downstream leading to Chapel Tunnel shorcut to the first lamp
Blood Vial x6	furthers point of Nightmare Plaza from upper Plaza Path	Constable's Gloves	on the end of the path left from the Chapel Tunnel shortcut to the first lamp
Twin Blood Stone Shards x3	drop down on tombstone platform from upper Plaza Path to enter Nightmare Plaza	Constable's Trousers	corpse guarded by the three Bloodlickers in the River of Blood - Upstream
Old Hunter Trousers	drop down from upper Plaza Path after Old Hunter with Beasthunter Saif, behind Nightmare Chapel Gate	Frenzied Coldblood (9)	end of the path left from the Corpse Canal in the River of Blood - Upstream
Blood Vial x3	Nightmare Cathedral stairs behind Old Hunter with Piercing Rifle	Constable's Garb	before Bloody Plaza jump on Balance Beams to access the platform on the other side
Beast Cutter	Drop down to platform on the other side of Plaza Gate from Nightmare Cathedral lower stairs	Beasthunter Saif	before Bloody Plaza jump down to your left where Old Hunter with Beasthunter Saif is
Quicksilver Bullets x4	righht next to the Nightmare Cathedral lower stairs on the ground, beware of gun trap contraption	Butcher Set	turn to the left in Bloody Plaza to enter the small alcove

Item	Location	Item	Location
Molotov Cocktail x4	right side of the Nightmare Cathedral lower stairs	Madman's Knowledge	small island of rocks in Bloody Plaza to your right
Old Hunter Garb	on the ground left side of Nightmare Cathedral upper stairs	Twin Blood Stone Shards x2	on top of Corpse Ravine path after the Nightmare Church with lamp, beware of ambush
Molotov Cocktail x3	turn left from Nightmare Cathedral - Upper Stairs	Blood Vial x2	in Corpse Ravine after the Nightmare Church
Blood Vial x6	corpse on the right from Nightmare Cathedral - Upper Stairs leading to the Turret Bridge	Oil Urn x2	on path from Corpse Ravine (after the Nightmare Church) to your right
Eye Pendant	Inside the Nightmare Grand Cathedral held by Laurence	Whirligig Saw	on tombstone on the end of path from Corpse Ravine leading back on path before Bloody Plaza
Twin Blood Stone Shards x1	After the Turret Bridge down the small stairs to the right	Blood Vial x6	After Bloody Plaza on path to Underground Corpse Pile where Ludiwg resides
Delayed Molotov x5	inside the Nightmare Residence's upper floor	Pebble	right before you enter the Underground Corpse Pile where Ludwig is
Boom Hammer	inside the Nightmare Residence lower floor, beware of explosion trap	Laurence's Skull	on the lower altar in the Recovery Room
Beast Blood Pellet x3	outside of Nightmare Residence on path to Nightmare Gate where Beastly Hunter is	Blood Vial x3	inside the Underground Corpse Pile on top of the stairs
Old Hunter Top Hat	ouside of Nightmare Residence on path to River of Blood	Church Cannon	in the chest when you take the lower altar down
Blood Stone Chunk x1	inside the Beast Cave from River of Blood - Downstream where Blood-starved Beast is	Frenzied Coldblood (9)	in the left Underground Cell before Recovery Room
		Frenzied Coldblood (9)	in the right locked Underground Cell before Recovery Room
		Blood Stone Chunk x1	right behind you when you enter the Recovery Room guarded by the Labyrinth Rats
		Great One's Wisdom	on the bed to your left in the Recovery Room

+ Walkthrough

» To the River of Blood Downstream

Nightmare Chapel:
After being squeezed out of existence by Amygdala you'll find yourself in an eerily familiar area. Before moving ahead too far to investigate, make sure you light the Hunter's Nightmare lamp in the room. Stepping outside of the chapel reveals the world to be a twisted nightmare version of the Cathedral Ward, but do not expect past knowledge to be enough to get by on.

If you approach the bottom of the chapel stairs, an Old Hunter will start to make his way slowly down towards you, and while you can skip this enemy if you want, it's worth taking the time to fight him. You'll encounter Old Hunters frequently during this area, so learning how to fight them is extremely important. Since you can fight this one on its own and near a lamp, there is no better time to practice. The stairway here leads up to a large gate that you cannot open from this side, so when you're ready to continue, head up the narrow path to the side of the stairs.

Rooftop Path:
As you start to round the corner about halfway along this path, you'll see a pair of Beast Patients further ahead of you; if you hang back without alerting them, another Old Hunter will appear over the crest of the hill and kill them for you, netting you some easy Blood Echoes. The Old Hunters will often tend to kill any other beasts in the area if they spot them first, and you can use this to your advantage if you pay attention.

Due to the distances here, it's best to wait until the Beast Patients have been killed before moving up to take on the Old Hunter. Near that halfway point of the path there's a partially exposed rooftop that you can drop down onto for some Attire. It's also possible to lure the Old Hunter onto the rooftop, and once there he sometimes gets stuck, which allows you to drop down to the stairs below and use ranged attacks to kill him.

Nightmare Plaza:
As you make your way down into the plaza, a number of Beast Patients will begin to congregate near an archway, so hold your ground and wait for them to finish grouping up. In addition to that main group, there's also a group of three Beast Patients around the corner to the left, and another group far to the right. While it may seem like a large amount of enemies, the Beast Patients in this area are a lot more timid than usual and spend most of their time recoiling in fear. You're not the only one hunting them either; there are Old Hunters hidden and you can use the natural hatred both enemies have for each other to take advantage of the situation.

Plaza Path:
This narrow path that follows alongside the plaza provides you with an alternate route to the Nightmare Cathedral Stairs, just in case you want to avoid the fight in the plaza. Just as you reach the narrow gap between the large arch and a tower, you'll see a section of rooftop leading down to the plaza, and if you follow it you'll be able to find an item hidden on a ledge. Be careful, however, as you will not be able to go back the way you came, and if you haven't already cleared out the plaza you'll have to fight or run past a large number of enemies to get back to where you were.

Just as you pass through that narrow gap, a pair of Old Hunter's Hounds will come running towards you. Wait for them to reach you before attacking them, because there is another Old Hunter just up ahead on the right. Behind that Old Hunter is a path that you can take to open a shortcut. This path splits near the end, and it's better to go up the slope on the right, as the platform will block the shots A of the Old Hunter that will start attacking you.

Nightmare Alley:
Be careful when dropping down to this area because there's an item on a ledge that you can drop onto, and it's very easy to overshoot it if you're running too fast or rolling. When you land you'll also have to face a small group of Carrion Crows, so begin attacking straight away before they get a chance to react. Pulling the nearby lever will open the large gate next to it, creating a shortcut between the Nightmare Chapel and the narrow stairs leading up to the middle of the Nightmare Cathedral Stairs. At the mid-point of those narrow stairs there's a group of Beast Patients huddled in the corner with their backs to you - either spare them or finish them off.

Nightmare Cathedral - Lower Stairs:
As soon as you reach this point you'll come under fire from a Old Hunter with a Piercing Rifle so you'll need to use the environment for cover. If you're coming from the Plaza Path you can use the platform as cover, but if you're approaching from Nightmare Alley you'll need to use the statues at the top of the stairs. This enemy usually fires twice in quick succession before pausing briefly and firing again, so stay behind cover until you see him fire twice, and then run over and attack him quickly. If you did not previously clear out the Plaza, you'll also have a couple of Beast Patients and another Old Hunter at the bottom of the stairs, but if you want to take them out, it's far better to follow the path along the Nightmare Cathedral - Rooftops rather than to go straight down the stairs.

Nightmare Cathedral - Rooftops:
To reach this area you'll need to drop down from the ledge at the top of the Lower Stairs, after which you can follow a narrow pathway to reach the rooftops. Along the rooftops are a number of completely docile Beast Patients that will not attack you regardless of how close you get. If you attack one of them, however, they will all become hostile. To make matters worse, attacking them gets the attention of a nearby Old Hunter and he will drop down from the tower at the end of the rooftops and start attacking whatever is closest. As before, try to get him to focus on the Beast Patients first, and then run up and attack him. Make sure to grab the Beast Cutter weapon that's sitting at the end of the path before dropping back down.

If you previously avoided the Plaza, you'll also have to fight your way past another Old Hunter at the base of the Lower Stairs after you drop off the rooftops. This Old Hunter will also become alerted if you attack the group of Beast Patients above, but if that happens, you can hide at the back of the rooftops out of sight until he forgets about you. Then you can drop down and land a hit on him for an early advantage in the fight. Also in this area is a pressure plate that, when stepped on, activates a nearby turret that fires directly back towards the pressure plate. You can use this to attack the Old Hunter after you start fighting him, but you need to be careful not to get shot yourself.

Nightmare Cathedral - Upper Stairs:
As soon as you start making your way up these stairs you'll see a group of Beast Patients coming towards you from just ahead, but do not run up to attack them. Shortly after you see the Beast Patients, two Huntsmen near the top of the stairs will unleash a giant flaming ball of hay towards you - as soon as you see it coming you should run back down the stairs and onto one of the side platforms to avoid it. Thankfully, it should also take care of the Beast Patients for you. That's not the only trick those Huntsmen have up their sleeve, however, because once they start rolling the hay ball down towards you, they'll turn around and try to open the Nightmare Cathedral doors.

Unfortunately for them, a rather angry Nightmare Executioner is standing on the other side. This enemy is very deadly and you should be extremely careful when engaging him; if at any point you see him raise his axe vertically, you should close in as quickly as possible and attempt to land a charged (R2) to his back before he can complete the attack. Not only does this attack cause a large blast around him, but afterwards he'll power himself up and become even more dangerous. After you've defeated him, enter the Cathedral and retrieve the Eye Pendant before coming back out and continuing along the path.

Turret Bridge:
As soon as you exit the tunnel and look out over this bridge you'll come under fire from a number of turrets. Try to stay on the left-hand side of the path, as it has the most cover available. The turrets are being controlled by a Huntsman on a pressure plate just behind them, which means you have to cross the bridge to reach him. There is plenty of cover scattered along the bridge, and there are short breaks in the turrets' firing patterns - use these to move safely from cover to cover. Be careful as you approach the body of an Amygdala near the middle of the bridge, because there's another pressure plate just before it; stepping onto that plate will cause a turret on the opposite side of the bridge to fire on your position.

The best way to continue from the middle of the bridge is to keep hugging the left-hand side as much as possible, since that will keep you out of the turrets' line of fire. Once you get close enough to the turrets you can either destroy them, or wait for the Huntsman to step off the pressure plate and come after you. Behind that first line of turrets you'll also find a second Huntsman standing on another pressure plate that controls a turret shooting in the opposite direction to the others; simply attack him to knock him off the pressure plate to stop the turret from firing.

River Overlook:
When you reach the bottom of the hill, a group of Huntsmen and a Old Hunter will be approaching. These particular Huntsmen primarily attack by throwing Delayed Molotovs. Avoiding the constant blasts while fighting the Old Hunter is very difficult, but thankfully the Huntsmen will not pursue you very far, so you can lure the Old Hunter back up the hill and fight him away from the other enemies, If the turrets are all still intact, you can even lure him up to the bridge and use them to kill him.

Nightmare Residence :
Have your weapon at the ready when you get near the stairs leading down in this house, because a pair of Huntsmen will come running up to attack you. The open doorway on the upper floor leads out to a small ledge where you can find the Old Hunter Top Hat. It's worth clearing the rest of the house first, however, because there's no way back up through that doorway, and you'd have to go along the River of Blood to get back into the house.

There's another Huntsman on the bottom floor waiting for you, and past him you'll see an item on the floor next to a corpse in a wheelchair. Be extremely careful when you approach the item, because when you get close to it, a Delayed Molotov on the wheelchair will activate and the ensuing blast will cause a large number of oil urns around the room to explode. To avoid the blast you can either trigger the Delayed Molotov, and then quickly run back to the other side of the room, or shoot one of the oil urns to detonate them all beforehand, leaving only the easily avoidable Molotov blast.

Nightmare Gate:
An extremely aggressive and agile Hunter awaits you at the top of the stairs here, so make sure you're fully healed up and ready. The enemy is equipped with Beast Claws and the Beast's Embrace Caryll Rune so you'll need to contend with that weapon's alternate moveset, which includes a lot of quick attacks, and long range jumping attacks. Upon defeating him you'll automatically get the Firing Hammer Badge, adding some new items to the shop inventory.

River of Blood - Downstream:
There are a number of Bloodlickers along this section of the river, but if you take a cautious approach, you can pick them off one at a time and avoid getting ganged up on. Closest to you is one stationary Blood- licker, and another one that patrols up and down a short section of the river; the patrolling one will not move very far from the end of its patrol route even if it detects you, so use a pebble and lure the stationary one back and take it out first, and then kill the patrolling one. Just past those enemies you'll see two more Bloodlickers with their backs to you; use a pebble to lure one of them away from the other before killing it, which will let you sneak up on the undisturbed one and use a charged (R2) to start the fight. Once all of the Bloodlickers have been taken care of, continue up the river past the large carriage and try to kill the Wandering Nightmare there before it can get too close to the cave entrance.

Beast Cave:
Be careful as you get near the end of the tunnel leading into this cave, because just inside it Djura's Disciple is waiting with a deadly Gatling Gun in hand. It can be quite hard to approach this enemy while he's constantly firing at you, so it's best not to take a direct approach instead, run towards the circular rock formation beside him. By moving around this rock you can easily block his shots and time your attacks for when he gets close. You'll also be able to easily move away to let your stamina restore. After killing him you'll get to take his Gatling Gun with you.
Further into the cave you'll see two more openings, both of which lead to same place where a Blood-starved Beast is laying in wait. If you go to the opening directly opposite the entrance you can spot the beast and lure it towards you with a ranged attack. Since the ledge there stops it from reaching you, you can keep using ranged attacks to whittle its health down. If you decide to take the beast on at close range, it's worth remembering that it's susceptible to the effects of Pungent Blood Cocktails, so you can use them to create openings to attack. Killing the beast is extremely worthwhile, because doing so will allow you to claim the Amygdalan Arm weapon that it was guarding.

» Beyond the River of Blood Downstream

Bridge over the River of Blood :
As you approach the bridge that crosses the river, a Huntsman will spot you and signal your arrival to a Old Hunter nearby. This Old Hunter is armed with a rifle, and trying to fight the group of Bloodlickers just below him will put you right in his crosshairs. Similarly, there's another Old Hunter on the other side of the bridge covering that section of the river. Trying to fight the Bloodlickers in the tight confines under the bridge, without straying into the line of fire from one of the Old Hunters above is very dangerous, so it's best to take out the Hunters first. With that in mind, hug the left side of the river and sprint up the stairs on that side to avoid the Hunter's shots, and then stop behind the overturned carriage. You are totally safe at this position because the Hunters won't move and the Bloodlickers won't follow you this far if they detected you, so you can take a moment to survey the area. Once you're behind the carriage you'll also be out of the Old Hunter's line of sight, and if you stay there they'll forget about you after a short while. There are other enemies on the bridge that you need to be aware of before moving out to attack anyone: the first is another Huntsman just on the other side of the carriage, and then a third one on the stairs at the opposite side of the bridge. Your first goal should be to take out the two Huntsmen on the bridge, and you can do this by taking advantage of the fact that the Old Hunters won't move. If you target and try to shoot the Huntsman just on the other side of the carriage, the sound will cause him to come running around to where you are so you can kill him behind cover.

The Huntsman that issued the signal is just beyond the Old Hunter, and since firearms or Pebbles don't have the range to reach him, you'll need to use a Throwing Knife or similar thrown weapon. Once you hit him, he'll come running down towards you again so that you can fight him behind the carriage. You should only have the two Old Hunters left on the bridge now, and how you deal with them will depend on what you have left in your arsenal. If you still have plenty of ranged options you can stick near the carriage and use them to pick off one of the Hunters while ducking back behind cover when they turn to shoot. Alternatively, you'll need to rush up to one of them and try to take him out as quickly as possible while keeping an eye on the other one and dodging whenever he shoots.

Since you'll get spotted by the Old Hunter regardless, it's generally best to go for him first; when you run behind the other one he'll usually try to use a melee attack on you, and rolling to avoid that should put you within range of the other one with a bit of time before you have to worry about dodging again. Try to kill that enemy quickly, and then retreat back to take on the other Old Hunter, because the Huntsman will usually start coming up the stairs once the fighting starts and begin throwing Delayed Molotovs.

Once all of the enemies on the bridge have been killed, all that's left to deal with are the Bloodlickers under the bridge. To do that, start by going down the stairs. These Bloodlickers do not venture far out from beneath the bridge, so you can sneak up behind them and use a charged (R2) attack, then retreat up the stairs to safety, wait for them to reset and repeat until they're dead.

Chapel Tunnel:
When the Path splits on this side of the bridge splits, take the one going left, because it leads to a dead-end where you can get another piece of the Constable's Attire set. After collecting that, take the path to the right, enter the tunnel and speak to Simon when you reach him. A short distance past Simon you'll come to a large door that you can open, which leads back into the Nightmare Chapel and the lamp within it.

River of Blood - Upstream:
There's a large group of Bloodlickers near the cliff at the back of this area, but If you just want to proceed you can Ignore them and head straight into the nearby tunnel. If you want the piece of Constable's Attire they're guarding, however, you'll need to kill them all. The easiest way to do this is to lure them out one at a time using Pebbles, and fight them away from the main group. Should you happen to get the attention of more than one, they will only follow you to the base of the stairs near the bridge behind you, so you can always run back up to safety.

Corpse Canal:
A Old Hunter's Hound will come running down to attack you just as you reach the collapsed tower in this area, so have your weapon at the ready. After defeating it and rounding the corner near the tower, another Hound will come running around a corner ahead. Instead of coming after you it will stand its ground and bark, so you'll have to move up and take it out. The path the Hound was guarding leads to an item you can grab before moving on. When you round the top of the tower a Old Hunter will start walking towards you from the far end of the canal, and although he walks quite slowly, It's best to wait for him to come to you; there are a large number of Carrion Crows along that section of the canal and it's much easier to fight him away from them. Once you've battled past all of the Crows, climb the ladder to get out of the canal and head along the path directly ahead.

Balance Beams:
From the top of the ladder, if you follow the railing to the left you'll come to a gap through which you can drop down onto a wooden beam below. Crossing that beam will lead you to the top of the section of wall, where you'll find the constable's Garb. After picking that up, drop down and make your way back up the ladder again. Head left from the top of the ladder again, and this time look for a gap just to the right of the pulley system that you can drop through, but make sure you're well prepared before you do. The Beasthunter saif weapon is in this area, but before you can pick it up safely, you'll need to defeat a tough Old Hunter that's also using it.

Bloody Plaza:
When you drop down into the plaza, a Nightmare Executioner with a Church Cannon will start walking towards you from the opposite end while firing grenades at you, so it's best not to stand around in the open. At the same time, a second Nightmare Executioner with an Axe will start making his way into the plaza from a path on the left. It's important to avoid having to fight both of these enemies at the same time. The best way to accomplish this is to quickly sprint up along the right-hand side of the plaza until you come to a large circular statue that you can use for cover. Move around to the back the statue, and after waiting for the Nightmare Executioner to fire, run up and attack him before he can fire again.

if you keep the fight far enough away from the second Nightmare Executioner, he won't become aware of what's going on, and will then take up a stationary position near the middle of the area with his back to you. After killing the first one, you can then quietly approach the second one and use a charged R2 to stagger him for a Visceral Attack follow-up.

Nightmare Church:
Before heading down the stairs inside the Church, make sure you light the lamp to the side of the sarcophagus to give yourself a restart point in this area. A Wandering Nightmare can be found at the bottom of the stairs, and you'll need to be quick to catch up to it and kill it before it can disappear. Just to the left from the base of the stairs you can also find the summon point for Henriett (providing you haven't already summoned Younger Madaras Twin). Choosing to summon Henriett will lock you out of summoning both Younger Madaras Twin and Valtr if you're a member of the League, which will mean you'll only have one partner to help you instead of two.

Corpse Ravine:
If you follow the path along In this area you'll come to a wooden bridge that leads to a ledge with an item on it. Be very careful as you start to cross the bridge, because a tough Old Hunter will drop down and attack you from behind. Try to fight this enemy on one of the ledges rather than the bridge to reduce the risk of getting knocked down to the area below, where there are numerous Carrion Crows. Dropping down afterwards, however, is worthwhile, because after fighting through the crows and following the ravine along, you'll be able to acquire the Whirligig Saw. Once you have the weapon you'll need to drop down from the stone tablet into the Corpse Canal area again and make your way back to where you started this detour.

Mouth of the River:
Hiding behind the wall at the top of the hill here is an Eye Collector with its back to you, so take advantage of the opportunity that presents itself and use a charged R2 from behind. From there, if you drop down to where all of the bodies are piled up in front of a gate you'll see that one of them is futilely banging away on the gate, and if you kill this enemy it will drop a number of Blood Vials. If you're a member of the League and haven't summoned Henriett in this area, you'll also find the summon point for Valtr hidden behind a rock, and you'll be able to bring him and Younger Madaras Twin with you into the upcoming boss fight if he's still alive. When you've made all of your preparations, go through the nearby tunnel to reach the room where you will face Ludwig the Accursed.

BOSS Ludwig the Accursed:
Ludwig can be an extremely difficult fight, so it's highly recommended that you bring at least one of the NPC summons in this area into the fight with you. This is especially true if you've joined the League and can bring both Younger Madaras Twin and Valtr with you, as they will be able to hold the boss's attention most of the time allowing you to attack freely. Upon defeating Ludwig you'll automatically receive a Guidance Caryll Rune, and the Underground Corpse Pile lamp will appear in the room.

If you inspect the room after killing Ludwig, you'll find his severed head lying on the ground close to where you killed him, and if you approach it, you'll be able to strike up a conversation with it.

Ludwig's head is key to obtaining the highly coveted Holy Moonlight Sword, and there are a few ways you can go about it. The most direct method is to simply kill the head either before or after talking to it, at which time it will drop the weapon for you. Alternatively, if you equip a chest piece of church attire before talking to it, he will ask you a question; answer yes to the question to receive the sword.

Underground Cells:
When you get near the top of the stairs you'll hear a mysterious voice coming from up ahead. Once you get to top, if you turn to the left you'll see that the voice was coming from a person in a prison cell. The occupant of the cell is called Yamamura the Wanderer, but until you find the key to his cell there is nothing you can do for him. If you want to find out how to acquire the key. At the far end of this corridor there is a Church Servant along with a Wheelchair Huntsman, and it's best to kill them before exploring the cells.

The easiest way to deal with them is to take advantage of the fact that the Church Servant moves faster than the Wheelchair Huntsman. Run along the corridor and go through the large open gate on the left, then descend the stairs a little. Once there, wait for the Church Servant to walk just past the gate, and then run up and kill the Wheelchair Huntsman, who should be trailing behind him, and then kill the Church Servant. With the area now clear you can explore freely, so start by going all the way down the stairs from the open gate and approaching the door to start a conversation with the occupant of the cell, a man named Brador. Before leaving the Underground Cells, make sure to pick up the Fist of Gratia from one of the open cells; it's the only melee weapon that you can equip in your left hand.

Recovery Room:
Before venturing too far into this room, double back around from the top of the stairs and kill the group of Labyrinth Rats in the dark alcove. On the opposite side of the room is the surgery altar that you need to reach, but it is being guarded by two Church Doctors and you'll need to defeat them first. The one in the Black Church Garb will almost exclusively use Ludwig's Holy Blade and is extremely aggressive, constantly rushing towards you and attempting to stay within melee range. The one in the White Church Garb, however, is primarily ranged focused and will use the Blacksky Eye to launch projectiles at you unless you get very close.

The White Garb Doctor also moves a lot slower than the one in Black Garb, so the best approach is to always try and keep them as far apart as possible. Since the one in Black Garb will always run to you, it's best to focus on taking that one out first, while using the beds in the room to block incoming projectiles from the one in White Garb. Once both of them have been killed, approach the altar at the back and insert the Eye Pendant to trigger a cutscene and move to the Research Hall.

Video Walkthroughs:

[24.11.2015] Bloodborne The Old Hunters DLC 100% Walkthrough Hunter's Nightmare (all Items & Secrets) by Die NooB
[25.11.2015] BLOODBORNE: THE OLD HUNTERS #1 - 100% EFFICIENT WALKTHROUGH - THE HUNTERS NIGHTMARE by Lucians_Sword

Bloodborne & The Old Hunters Collector’s Edition Guides