Bloodborne, a masterpiece by esteemed video game studio FromSoftware and created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, is one of those video games that will at first seem like has a very minimal story. On the surface, this game looks like its all about the gameplay and it simply leaves the story up to the players.
One can't be blamed for thinking as such, especially if they're familiar with FromSoft's previous works. However, dig deep enough and players will find a treasure cove of brilliant narrative beats that tells a grand story about ambition, humanity, and its imminent failure. Bloodborne's story is incredibly bizarre yet so fascinating, and going through them will surely be worth any lore digger's time.
Updated March 24, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Bloodborne is considered by many to be the greatest game in FromSoftware's esteemed library, which is saying something given the massive critical and commercial success of Elden Ring. The game's amazing fast-paced combat and brilliant lore make for one of the best experiences on the PlayStation 4, with the game featuring a ton of amazing stories that most fans weren't even aware of. The best tales ever told in Bloodborne are mentioned below.
15 Everything Began At The Dungeons
Beneath the world of Yharnam, what can only be accessed through magical chalices, are the chalice dungeons. An endless labyrinth of tombs, mysteries, monsters, and answers. This place is a favorite among hunters as it provides them with an endless hunt. Scholars have also frequented this place to learn more about the ones who came before. Little did they know that the dungeons hold even more secrets than they've expected.
A lot of signs indicate that before the spread of the scourge happened in Yharnam, it occurred first in Loran. Until it spread way too much, it essentially made the entire dungeon a haven for monsters and beasts.
14 The Curiosity of Scholars
The scholars of Byrgenwerth, headed by Master Willem, are students with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. When they happened upon the ancient labyrinth beneath Yharnam, they knew the place held answers to questions that deserved to be pondered. Hungry for more information, the scholars kept exploring and exploring until they stumbled upon traces of ancient beings, the Great Ones.
This is when the humans of Yharnam first had a glimpse of beings that are greater than them, which in turn made them crave ascension. The scholars wanted to learn more about the Great Ones so they could eventually become like them — or at least, climb to their level.
13 Master Willem & Laurence
Master Willem & Laurence are the two most prominent figures to be associated with Byrgenwerth. Master Willem, oftentimes referred to as Provost Willem, is the headmaster of the school. Laurence, on the other hand, is thought to be the right-hand man of Master Willem. These two characters were very close, until they were divided by the very thing that made them bond in the first place — knowledge.
Master Willem believed that the blood of the Great Ones was not the key to ascension. Rather, it is insight and eyes that will help man ascend to godhood. Laurence disagreed. He knew the key was in the old blood. This caused a rift in their relationship, and Laurence eventually had to leave the school to form his own organization: the Healing Church.
12 Fear The Old Blood
Despite keeping the adage of Byrgenwerth, Laurence kept on searching for the old blood. He wanted to learn more and more about it and manufacture more and more of it. He eventually found that the blood of the old ones was capable of curing any diseases. With this knowledge, he gave this freely to the people of Yharnam.
Whether this act was done out of kindness or out of research is highly debated. Whatever the case, this initial act of charity would inevitably lead to the scourge of the beast in Yharnam. Laurence was told by Master Willem to fear the old blood. He should have listened to him.
11 The Beginning Of The Hunt
In time, the spread of the scourge had become too rapid that the church had to formulate something to contain the disease. What they came up with was the Hunter's Workshop. Hunters, lead by Ghernam, were trained in the art of culling the beasts. Initially, hunters had to do this under the cover of night. They had to be as stealthy as they are cunning. It is believed that the Hunters had to hunt in secrecy as to not spread panic across Yharnam.
Eventually, the beasts were too many and secrecy was no longer an option. It was then the church decided to be more outright and disciplinary. They formed the Church Hunters, lead by Ludwig.
10 Djura's Guilt
Djura was an early hunter that worked under Gherman's workshop. Djura was said to have been skilled in the art of hunting beasts. He was ruthless, cunning, skilled, he was everything a hunter should be.
One day, Djura witnessed how the scourge of the beast had spread so widely and rapidly across Old Yharnam. It seems the town had been stricken by something called the "ashen blood" which was likened to being poisoned. The ravaging was too strong for the hunters to stop, so there was only one way of solving this problem: burn Old Yharnam to the ground.
Djura was there on that fateful day, contemplating whether the option they opted for was the best way to go. He eventually had no choice and went along with the deed, but it haunted him forever that he vowed to remain atop the area to protect the beasts he once swore to destroy, for he knew they were once human.
9 Master Logarius, The Martyr
Martyr Logarius is the intimidating and towering figure that guards and hides the entrance to the Queen's chamber in Cainhurst Castle. Logarius was the head of the Executioners, a group of hunters belonging to the Healing Church who swore to fight against the Vileblood of Cainhurst, as they believe their blood was unholy and was not the right way of using the blood of the old, Great Ones.
Master Logarius eventually learned of a secret held by the Queen of the Vilebloods. So taken aback by the secret, he swore to himself to guard the entrance of the area which holds the secret so no one will ever discover it. Until the hunter came along.
8 Alfred, Hunter Of Vilebloods
At a glance, Alfred seems like nothing more than a run-of-the-mill hunter with one of the coolest weapons in Bloodborne history. However, it's only when people pursue his questline that they realize how tragic his tale really is.
Throughout the entire game, Alfred praises Logarius and how he wanted to fulfill the latter's wish to kill Queen Annalise. If players give him the Unopened Summons after killing Martyr Logarius, they'll find him bathed in the blood of his enemy and satisfied that he fulfilled his goal.
However, Martyr Logarius realized that Queen Annalise was immortal, and he wore the Crown of Illusions to prevent anyone from knowing this truth. He never fulfilled the wishes of his idol, and killed himself with the false knowledge that he'd supposedly put an end to the reign of the Vilebloods.
7 Eileen, The Crow
Eileen, The Crow is a hunter who seeks out other hunters who are falling victim to madness. It's quite ironic, given that she also shows signs of falling to this bloodlust a little later down the line.
While this aging hunter is pretty powerful in her own right, even she can't deal with the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst. After the player deals with this immensely powerful threat, she breathes her last, dying on her own terms without falling to the madness of the hunt.
6 Adella, Nun Of The Healing Church
Adella is a character that players can find imprisoned in the Hypogean Gaol. She seems pretty normal at first glance... until players realize that she's insanely jealous about another woman that players can also bring to the Grand Cathedral.
If players constantly take the blood of Arianna, she will be killed by Adella who tries to attack the player when the Blood Moon appears. Killing her nets the Oedon Writhe rune, which is indicative of the fact that this Great One had driven Adella to madness, to the point where she wasn't even in control of her own actions.
5 Arianna, Woman Of The Night
Arianna is a pretty mysterious and intriguing character that players can rescue from the Cathedral Ward. Her questline is integral for one of the game's endings... and pursuing it reveals a rather twisted event indeed.
Apparently, during the events of the game, Oedon impregnated Arianna with a cursed child. Players can actually find her after she's given birth and kill the child, netting the One Third Umbilical Cord item. Interestingly enough, Arianna also passes away after the child dies, implying that the connection between them was truly of a different and otherworldly kind.
4 Father Gascoigne
Father Gascoigne was a hunter of the church who arrived at Yharnam from a faraway land, where he was once known as a "Father." When he arrived at Yharnam, he learned of the Healing Church. It is unknown what urged him to become a hunter, but he eventually did and got paired up with Henryk. The two had gotten close, and the two were apparently effective in combat together.
Father Gascoigne hunted and hunted and hunted. He was also a father of two daughters and a husband. Eventually, the hunt caught up to Father Gascoigne until he could no longer differentiate man from beast. Mistaking his wife for a beast of the night, he struck her down in cold-blood and continued to hunt for the night until he finally fell at the hands of the hunter.
3 Iosefka's Clinic
Iosefka's Clinic is a place that contains more than its letting on. It is where the hunter's adventure first begins. It is where the hunter becomes a hunter. The owner of the clinic, Iosefka, is a kind-hearted and decent woman who genuinely cares for treating people. Unfortunately, the world of Bloodborne is no place for kind hearts.
When the hunter revisits the clinic once again later, they will find that the nurse's demeanor behind the door has changed. This is because that person is no longer the real Iosefka, but an impostor. She wishes to receive "patients" so she can perform experiments on them. Her purpose is to learn more about the old blood and the Great Ones so she can ascend to godhood. She eventually becomes impregnated by a Great One, but the endeavor proves too much for her human body.
2 The Old Hunters
The legendary hunters of Yharnam were once the talk of the town, until they eventually vanished. It is later discovered that once a hunter becomes too drunk with the blood of beasts, they get sent to the Hunter's Nightmare, never to return. Unfortunately, this is what happened to most of the legendary hunters of Yharnam. This is where they await the hunter.
Ludwig, the first Church hunter, Maria, a student of Gherman and the inspiration for the Doll, and Laurence, the founder of the Healing Church, can all be found in the Hunter's Nightmare. Ludwig has taken on the image of an incredibly horrifying creature, more horrifying than the most horrid beast he's ever slain. Laurence has taken the form of a Cleric Beast, ever-burning similar to the victims of the scourge he had to burn. Finally, Maria guards the entrance to the Fishing Village. The most terrible secret of the hunters, where an Orphan of a Great One lies in sleep.
1 The Curse On The Fishing Hamlet
Most people tend to agree that the scholars of Byrgenwerth killed Kos in the Fishing Hamlet, although this fact is up for debate. This led to a curse on the village, with the residents turning into monsters that were corrupted by what can only be the rage of the Great Ones.
This led to the scholars of Byrgenwerth performing horrid experiments on these transmogrified villagers as well, which shows just how savage their thirst for knowledge really was. Ultimately, the Fishing Hamlet became a torrid footnote in the history of Bloodborne and a dark moment in history that the Old Hunters strived to forget.
Bloodborne was released on March 24, 2015 for the PlayStation 4.