As is fairly common in games developed by FromSoftware, particularly in the Dark Souls series, much of their game's history, lore, and character backstories are found in obscure dialogue or item descriptions. Following this trend was the PS4 exclusive Bloodborne, which has many gameplay and story similarities to Dark Souls.
Like the games that came before it, Bloodborne's lore comes from items and dialogue, with very little of the world being explained directly. As such, there are aspects of the world and its people that are easily missed which can make some of the more abstract concepts explored even more confusing.
10 What Is The Significance Of Umbilical Cords?
To unlock one of the final bosses in the game and the "true" final boss, they must find and consume three umbilical cords hidden around Yharnam. Doing this will trigger a slightly different cutscene during the end game in which Gehrman will summon the Moon Presence to fight the player.
In the item description for the umbilical cords, it is said that all Great Ones lose their children and will seek out a surrogate, making a quite obvious connection to the items themselves. This also indicates that either Gehrman or the player character might be that surrogate child for the Moon Presence, though this is never confirmed.
9 What Is The Moon Presence?
Although it isn't specifically called as such, the Moon Presence is likely one of the Great Ones, beings who have transcended mortal existence and are essentially gods when compared to humanity. While they can be killed, as evidenced by the fact that many of them are killable boss fights, they have powers far beyond regular beasts and prove to be far more of a threat to the player as a result.
8 Why Do Hunters Use Trick Weapons?
The signature arms of the Hunters in Yharnam are the Trick Weapons, which are capable of transforming into different forms to deal with different threats. For the most part, they are based on Gehrman's weapon, the Burial Blade; he was the first hunter, and the first to use a Trick Weapon, while also being responsible for the creation of many more Trick Weapons.
There are several Hunters in the game who use their own variations on Trick Weapons, such as the Stake Driver used by Djura in Old Yharnam and the Amygdalan Arm, which aren't traditional Trick Weapons, though they serve the same functions.
7 Who Controls Yharnam?
Unlike Dark Souls, there is no hierarchy shown in the game, and very little is said about who is in charge of Yharnam outside of some item descriptions and short dialogue. That being said, considering how ingrained the Church is in like for those in Yharnam, as well as the time period the game is set it, it is most likely that the Healing Church, or some offshoot of them, are in charge of the political side of the city's runnings. It can then be inferred that figures like Laurence, The First Vicar and Vicar Amelia were as close to governing officials as could be found in the city.
6 How Are The Beasts Created?
In the opening hours of the game, it is said that the beasts that roam Yharnam and are in need of some killing by the player character are the result of a plague that is infecting the people. While the lycanthropic design of many of the beasts might seem to confirm this, the truth is actually much more sinister.
To keep its citizens healthy, the Healing Church uses Old Blood, the blood of Great Ones, to keep them healthy and heal the sick, but it transformed them into wild beasts, instead. This is also the most likely the reason why the game is called Bloodborne, as the plague that is running rampant across Yharnam is the result of blood transfusions and not a disease.
5 What Is Insight?
One of the currencies in Bloodborne is an unusual one called Insight, which changes how NPC's and enemies interact with the player character, as well as showing what is hiding behind the veil if enough is collected. This Insight is earned when a person gains knowledge of the world around them, which, by extension, allows them to see what the world as it really is.
Insight often drives people mad, as they see things that have remained hidden from humans for a long time such as the Great Ones, though, for those in the Healing Church, they can never seem to have enough Insight.
4 What Happened To Old Yharnam?
One of the early areas players can explore in Bloodborne is Old Yharnam, a decrepit town overrun with beasts and a handful of Hunters looking to rid the area of the plague once and for all. Through some dialogue and items found in the area, it is revealed that Old Yharnam was overtaken by a disease known as Ashen Blood, which acts like the poison status that can be inflicted.
This explains why many of the enemies in the area inflict the poison status when attacking the player, as well as why the Blood Starved Beast is coated in poison.
3 Why Are Many Characters Blinded?
In short, it is likely due to the gain of too much Insight, which reveals the more monstrous nature of the world. As people would be driven mad had they still had their eyesight, many characters either wear a blindfold or remove their eyes entirely to keep them from seeing the horror of the real world. The eyes also show the first signs of beast transformations, which is likely why many citizens chose to hide them in the fear that they will be killed by Hunters.
2 Is The Hunter's Dream A Real Place?
Like much of the world of Bloodborne, it is based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft and his numerous monstrous creations. In particular, the Hunter's Dream is based on the collection of short stories titled known as the "Dream Cycle," which posits that dreams allow people to transport themselves to alternate worlds that are just as real as the one we live in.
This, along with the fact that items can be taken to and from the Hunter's Dream, means it is highly likely that it is just as real as the city of Yharnam.
1 What Is Paleblood?
Many forms of blood are mentioned in Bloodborne, but the one that sets off the player's quest is Paleblood and is the sole reason for them traveling to Yharnam in the first place.
There aren't many mentions of Paleblood in the game, with it being one of the more mysterious aspects of the story, though there are several interactions with NPCs and items that give an idea of what it is. With references to the pale moon and Great One's blood, it is likely that Paleblood is, in fact, the Moon Presence itself.