From Software have developed a wide universe of incredibly difficult games that are known as Soulsborne, named after the developers' own games like Demon Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. The release of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice further evolved its own form and introduced another beautiful world full of frustratingly difficult yet rewarding battles.
Yet, we seem to keep finding ourselves back to the Victorian-inspired Bloodborne, which is full of interesting lore and includes a number of secrets and hidden areas, which have become a pre-requisite for any Soulsborne game. While Bloodborne may not hold as many secrets as the Dark Souls franchise, there are still a number of hidden areas fans might still not have found.
Updated on March 6, 2021 by Scoot Allan: While fans have been waiting to hear news of a possible sequel to From Software's 2015 hit Bloodborne, which took players to the gothic setting of Yharnam. Like other Soulsborne games, Bloodborne is absolutely filled with hidden areas and very little direction in the game about their location. Bloodborne in particular had a number of difficult-to-reach places that hid some of the best areas of the game. Today we are going to take a further look at a few more hidden areas, or places that are accessible in alternate ways throughout the game, as well as a couple of hidden features still being found years later that reveal a bit more about the lore and story of Bloodborne.
15 Access Iosefka's Clinic's Backroom Through A Hidden Path In The Forbidden Woods
While players first wake up in the sick room of Iosekfa's Clinic, it isn't until players return there later that they are able to interact with a mysterious presence behind a locked set of doors requesting survivors be brought to her for healing.
However, using a hidden path in the Forbidden Woods will bring players to the backrooms of the Iosefka's Clinic, which is populated by the survivors who have been transformed into a Celestial Emissary by Iosefka. This area unlocks another secret area and provides the needed Third of Umbilical after killing Iosefka required to unlock the "true" ending.
14 The Nightmare Frontier Is An Optional Area That Can Be Accessed With The Tonsil Stone
The terrifying Nightmare Frontier is just one of the many horrifying locations that can be accessed in Bloodborne, though players could unexpectedly find their way there later in the game if they are grabbed by the (initially) invisible monsters known as Lesser Amygdalas.
You can also access this area early after locating the Tonsil Stone in the Forbidden Woods. There is an entrance to the right of the Grand Cathedral that will give you access to the Nightmare Frontier before the later Lecture Hall option.
13 Find A Key To Unlock The Upper Cathedral Ward And Access Multiple Hidden Areas
The Cathedral Ward is home to the Healing Church Workshop which branches into a few different areas of Bloodborne, including the Upper Cathedral Ward. This area is only accessible if players found the key in the hidden cell located in Yahar'gul Chapel.
The Upper Cathedral Ward is then located above the Healing Church Workshop using an elevator. While the Upper Cathedral Ward is considered an optional area, it is a crucial part of Bloodborne that should not be missed.
12 The Hidden Orphanage Features A Boss Battle With The Massive Celestial Emissary
One of the areas that can be unlocked after accessing the Upper Cathedral Ward is the Orphanage, though players will need to pick up a special Orphanage Key from the deadly Brainsucker enemies that can be found in the first hidden area.
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Once inside the Orphanage, more of Bloodborne's hidden narrative is slowly revealed as the cosmic origins of the eldritch monsters that haunt Yharnam are further teased. The Orphanage also features an epic battle with a giant alien Celestial Emissary surrounded by Frenzy-building Larvae to really make this hidden area worth the extra effort.
11 The Hypogean Gaol Is A Dark Prison Located In The Hidden City Of Yahar'gul
Over the years, From Software has become known for their brutal and grueling style of gameplay that requires the player to die... a lot. Of course, even dying is never that easy, as players of Sekiro discovered when Dragonrot began sweeping the countryside. Bloodborne's twist on death was a little different but proved to be very rewarding if it wasn't missed early in the game.
The Hypogean Gaol is a location in Yahar'gul that can only be reached at a specific time; after the sack-carrying Snatchers appear but before you enter Yahar'gul in the regular storyline. To access the Hypogean Gaol lamp and a very decent Blood Echo farming spot, players only had to get killed by a Snatcher to wake up in the secret prison.
10 The Abandoned Old Workshop Is The Prototype For The Hunter's Dream
After the player's initial death at the beginning of the game, they will be transported to what could be considered the only safe place in the game, the Hunter's Dream. there they will meet the Doll and Gehrman the Hunter, who will drop an interesting clue in conversation about a secret above Oedon Chapel after you've killed the Blood-Starved Beast.
The actual location is found on the way to the locked Upper Cathedral Ward. When traversing downward through the inside of the tower after the elevator there are a series of jumps across wooden platforms to get to an open door, which takes you to the Abandoned Old Workshop, a Yharnam prototype for the Hunter's Dream that is full of lore and loot.
9 The Cainhurst Castle Can Be Difficult To Access But Is Definitely Worth It
If you've met the NPC Arthur or seen some of the other clues in the game that point towards it, you may have heard of the Forsaken Cainhurst Castle. Arthur is an Executioner who is hunting for the Castle to take out the Queen of the Vilebloods (more on her later). However, reaching the Castle requires a few different actions that most players missed on their first playthrough.
First players must defeat Vicar Amelia, then find the secret entrance in Forbidden Woods that takes you to Iosefska's Clinic discussed above, where you can find the Cainhurst Summons. Then the player has to find the giant obelisk in Hemwick Charnel Lane just before the Witch's Abode to activate the carriage that takes you to the optional but important Forsaken Cainhurst Castle area.
8 The Hidden Altar Of Despair Is Home To Ebrietas, Daughter Of The Cosmos
The Alter of Despair can be a difficult place to find, as it requires not only the Upper Cathedral and Orphanage Keys, but a keen eye and a desire to smash windows as well. Following the boss fight with the Celestial Emissary, a lamp will be opened for Lumenflower Gardens. Behind this lamp is an odd pane of glass that players will be able to see slight movement behind.
Breaking this glass opens up the elevator to the Altar of Despair and another optional boss, Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos. While not the most difficult boss in the game Ebrietas can prove challenging. however, she drops a required chalice if players are hoping to clear out all of the Chalice Dungeons (more on them later).
7 The Brain Of Mensis Can Be Found In A Black Room At The Bottom Of A Deep Elevator
While exploring the frustrating Nightmare of Mensis level, your hunter is subjected to Frenzy attacks from a glowing room in the distant tower. After jumping through a hidden entrance, players have to cross a bridge of Brain Trusts (Winter Lanterns) and find a switch that drops the giant Brain of Mensis down into a deep dark hole that you can access through an elevator in Mergo's Loft.
It can be difficult to find the Brain of Mensis offline once you exit the elevator, as even with a torch equipped the room is shrouded in complete darkness. That makes the sudden appearance of the giant shattered brain out of the darkness in front of you all the more jarring. The secret here was to do the "Make Contact" gesture in front of its eye for over 30 seconds to get the final Moon rune.
6 The Vileblood Queen's Chamber Is A Secret Place In A Hidden Area
The Executioner Arthur's quest to end Annalise the Vileblood Queen is entirely dependent on the player being able to discover her location, which can be a tricky place to find without trial and error or this handy guide. Her location is found after defeating Logarius at Castle Cainhurst, which itself was a challenge to find.
Logarius drops a fairly unimpressive Crown of Illusions which should be the first clue that it has a different purpose than armor. With the Crown of Illusions equipped, players moving towards Logarius' throne will be transported to the Vileblood Queen's chamber, where they can join the Vileblood Covenant, learn a new gesture, and finish Arthur's questline.
5 Players Have To Go Through Extra Hidden Steps To Unlock Secret Final Bosses
While these aren't hidden areas per se, they do require a bit of extra effort to reach the game's secret endings. Throughout the main game, players can acquire up to four One Third of Umbilical consumables that don't reveal much about their purpose. Eating them before killing Gehrman will unlock the final fight with the Moon Presence, and a different ending for our hunter.
Likewise with the DLC The Old Hunters, players have to go through a few extra steps to fight the secret final boss Laurence, the First Vicar. Players will have to find both the Eye Pendant and Laurence's skull in the Research Hall, which will revive Laurence's fiery Cleric Beast form, which can be one of the hardest boss fights in the game.
4 Some Chalice Dungeons Are Procedurally-Generated And Can Hide The Real Final Boss
The existence of the Chalice Dungeons is no secret to players, as they surely received both ritual chalices and materials that were required to use on the altars in the Hunter's Dream. As is common with any Soulsborne, this procedure is never very clear, so it's understandable if some players didn't dive too far into the Chalice Dungeons.
The Chalice Dungeons offer players a whole underground world to explore full of new enemies, boss battles, and great pieces of loot. The Chalice Dungeons also flesh out the lore a bit more and even gave players a chance to face off against the real final boss, Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen, whose name alone teases her importance to the lore of Bloodborne.
3 Hidden Illusory Walls Unlock Deeper Depths And Hidden Enemies In The Chalice Dungeons
While the Dark Souls franchise was full of illusory walls that led to secret rooms full of treasure and vital shortcuts, the feature only appears in Bloodborne when players are exploring the Chalice Dungeons. And while some will only lead to loot rooms and deadly enemies, there are some illusory walls that will unlock deeper depths to the Chalice Dungeons.
These illusory walls are crucial in reaching the final Dungeon boss, the Pthumerian Queen, and they can be found fairly easy once the player knows what to look for. Basically, an illusory wall appears on those walls that look like they should have a door, such as those with arches and no doors or blank wall panels when they should be textured or overgrown.
2 Fans Mined Data Files To Unlock Unused Content In The Chalice Dungeons
Players have been exploring the data files of Bloodborne, which unlocked a ton of unused content that players have been able to access through the Chalice Dungeon using glyphs. This data revealed cut character models, beasts, and designs left over from early trailers and game designs that players could data mine and mod for use in the game.
Some of the unused content includes an alternative to the lamps called Warp Chairs, alternate dialogue for Father Gascoigne, alternate locations for bosses, unused armor sets, and unused boss designs including an available (but unfinished) fight with an alternate Moon Presence that can be accessed using a Chalice Dungeon glyph.
1 Tomb Prospectors Found An Isz-Type Chalice Dungeon With A Wandering Boss
Players spent years mapping out the various levels of the Chalice Dungeons that could be accessed using the ascending levels of chalices, with the Isz Chalice granting players access to the most difficult level of dungeons. A group of players found a way to access glitched hidden sections of the Isz-level Chalice Dungeons, which eventually revealed something new years after the initial release.
After months of creating new dungeons, the team discovered a previously unseen dual-wielding wandering boss known as the Pthumerian Descendant, which only further revealed the still unexplored depths of Bloodborne that even die-hard players are still finding.