OK so I've never played a souls game or a demon game or any other game associated with bloodbourne, and I'm struggling massively, like I just wasted an hour and I'm still at the same checkpoint lol.

 what the hell is going on? Why am I outside when everybody else is hiding inside lol and what the hell are these big scarecrow looking mofo's? Basicly I'm bear the beginning, fight loads off these guys, kill the shooter on top off the carriage, big boss thing banging gate I ignore, up more stairs kill load more guys use all my blood vials die, respawn miles back with no blood vials and all the enemy's have respawn too cept now I have no health so I die. Repeat. Am I missing something?

"i just wasted an hour and i am at the same checkpoint". i posted almost exactly the same thing when i first stated just a few months ago. so dont worry, that hour isnt really wasted, its just you getting along with the game and understanding it more, getting better at it.

The trick is to find short cuts, see these gates that are closed? you have to find a way (by exploring) to get to the other side and open them. once you do that, you can get to reach places faster and not have to fight hordes of enemies.

you cant upgrade your character level until you meet the first boss. you dont have to beat him, you just have to meet him, if you lose its okay. once at the Hunters Dream, you will see a female character, "The Doll". you can upgrade your skills when you talk to her.

You can upgrade using bloodEchos, currency you gain once you kill an enemy, each enemy gives a different amount of blood echos. if you die, you will lose your blood echos, you can go get them back by going to the same location you died at, you will either find them on the ground, they look like a red stain on the ground, with a purple light coming out from them, or the enemy who killed you or an enemy near by, will have them, their eyes will be glowing purple, that way you can identify them. to gain them back, you must kill that enemy.

if you lost your bloodechos, you only have one chance to gain them back, if you die again, you lost them for ever.


My advice, gain enough blood echos, and go upgrade your weapon, since you cant upgrade your skill yet. and keep exploring, try memorizing the way you go, and memorizing the map. when facing a new enemy, dont go crazy on them right away, see how they fight and try to find a way to counter/dodge and hit at the right moment.

if you have any questions feel free to ask. also, the game at the start is the hardest, once you get the hang of it it will become easier.

You have to proceed carrefully, collecting blood vials and going back to the hunter's dream to use your blood echoes (level up with the doll). The doll will be active when you have at least 1 insight point. You can earn one by consuming "knowledge" things (don't remember the name in english, it's a skull).

To avoid redoing the same area again and again, you can open shortcuts. Try another way, near the crows, behind wooden boxes, there's a hidden passage.

It is normal to be killed like a hundred times at the beginning of this game, especially if you have never played a Souls game. Don't worry about that.

You're a hunter, you're supposed to be able to deal with the dangers arround this place. Other people only can lock themselves into their houses and hope for the hunters to stop this never ending nightmare.

Never fight more than two enemies at once. Explore every square, every area, every alley in the game. You'll find shortcuts that will help you to not being repeting the same long path over and over again. When you open a shortcut, it will keep open even if you die. Don't be afraid of using vials, you'll find more. Dodge. Use your gun when a strong enemy is about to land a blow on you. If you do it at the right time, he will fall down its knees and by pressing a button you'll perform a visceral attack that does TONS of damage.

At the start it's mostly grind to get echos which you use to level up but you need 1 insight to do that. There is a shortcut you can find to do this if you are getting your arse handed to you. A few things will help before, first, get some echos and spend them at the font in the Hunter's Dream for a better hunter set (more armour, or find the hunter set later but guess you aren't there so...) and upgrade your weapon. Either follow the shortcut below or if you have some 'Madmad's Knowledge', use it.

Might be spoilerish explanation but.....Anyway, if you kill all those guys in the center by the fire and go to the left, do not go down the stairs and kill the 'big boss thing' banging on the gate, he's not a boss at all. Anyway, stay at the top of those steps and stick to the left, smash some coffines and there is a hidden path there. Jump down and run immediately to the left and you should see a door in front of you, open it, in that house, open another door opposite, then you should see some stairs, go up and open a gate to get to the first lantern again. You have opened up a shortcut. Still no insight however. For the Insight you need to find a boss, (doesn't matter if you die... you will). Go back down the stairs and into that house, go up the stairs then exit through a door up more stairs, then immediately left (go right and you'll get killed by some wolves). Fight or run past the crows and ogre towards the end of the area and that is the first boss, you'll get insight for discovering him, if you die, goto the Hunter's Dream and the doll will be awake. You level up with echos and spend them with her.

EDIT: Tried to find a video of the shortcut I mean, can't. You should drop down to some dogs.

Meet the first boss, he is very big, you can't miss him. You can run to avoid enemies until you find him. The first boss is on a bridge.

Once you die fighting against him (and you certainly will!) you can now talk to a tall woman in your "home" and level up by paying blood echoes.

I strongly advise to level up vitality first.

Once you open the way to the boss just rush your way through as fast as you can, just run past the enemies. The bosses are a bit hard so you will die a couple of times until you understand how to beat them.

Parry like a boss
(Aka shoot the pistol when they are almost about to hit you)
Then plunge your hand into their guts

This question is a brilliant summary of the gaming world's first reaction to the Souls series. Then you start to understand.

Working as intended.

Tip: Use Molotov Cocktail on boss. Shoot boss just about he swings to attack you.

dump your echos into HP/Stamina, and the stats that will boost your weapon of choice attack power.