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Conquering Bloodborne's challenging bosses requires strategy. This guide outlines optimal boss fight orders, distinguishing between mandatory and optional encounters. While completing all boss fights isn't strictly necessary to finish the game, doing so yields significant rewards. We recommend tackling as many as possible.
Table of Contents
- The Best Boss Order for Bloodborne
- Best Boss Order for Non-Optional Bosses in Bloodborne
- Best Boss Order for All Bosses in Bloodborne
- Our Recommended Boss Order Explained
- Cleric Beast (Optional)
- Father Gascoigne
- Blood-Starved Beast (Optional)
- Vicar Amelia
- The Witch of Hemwick (Optional)
- Shadow of Yharnam
- Rom, the Vacuous Spider
- Darkbeast Paarl (Optional)
- The One Reborn
- Martyr Logarius (Optional)
- Amygdala (Optional)
- Celestial Emissary (Optional)
- Micolash, Host of the Nightmare
- The Old Hunters Bosses
- Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos (Optional)
- Mergo's Wet Nurse
- Gehrman, the First Hunter
- Moon Presence (Ending Specific)
The Best Boss Order for Bloodborne
Several approaches exist, as not all bosses are mandatory. However, we strongly advise defeating as many as possible. We'll present both non-optional and complete orders, followed by a more detailed explanation.
The game features 17 main bosses and 5 DLC bosses from The Old Hunters. Chalice Dungeon bosses are excluded. The DLC can theoretically begin after Vicar Amelia, though most players recommend waiting until near the game's end. Playing the DLC before or after Mergo's Wet Nurse impacts certain dialogue.
Best Boss Order for Non-Optional Bosses in Bloodborne
- Father Gascoigne
- Vicar Amelia
- Shadow of Yharnam
- Rom, the Vacuous Spider
- The One Reborn
- Micolash, Host of the Nightmare
- Mergo's Wet Nurse
- Gehrman, the First Hunter
- Moon Presence (Ending Specific)
Best Boss Order for All Bosses in Bloodborne
- Cleric Beast (Optional)
- Father Gascoigne
- Blood-Starved Beast (Optional)
- Vicar Amelia
- The Witch of Hemwick (Optional)
- Shadow of Yharnam
- Rom, the Vacuous Spider
- Darkbeast Paarl (Optional)
- The One Reborn
- Martyr Logarius (Optional)
- Amygdala (Optional)
- Celestial Emissary (Optional)
- Micolash, Host of the Nightmare
- Ludwig, the Accursed/Holy Blade (DLC/Optional)
- Laurence, the First Vicar (DLC/Optional)
- Living Failures (DLC/Optional)
- Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (DLC/Optional)
- Orphan of Kos (DLC/Optional)
- Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos (Optional)
- Mergo's Wet Nurse
- Gehrman, the First Hunter
- Moon Presence (Ending Specific)
Our Recommended Boss Order Explained
Cleric Beast (Optional)
Area: Central Yharnam
An early encounter, the Cleric Beast is fast, aggressive, and deals significant damage. Target its hind legs to trip it, then focus on its head.
Father Gascoigne
Area: Central Yharnam
A challenging early boss, Father Gascoigne is fast and utilizes his gun frequently. Mastering parries is key to a swift victory.
Blood-Starved Beast (Optional)
Area: Old Yharnam
Found in Old Yharnam's Church of the Good Chalice, this boss hits hard. Maintain distance and utilize fire/explosive weapons for an advantage.
Vicar Amelia
Area: Cathedral Ward
A large creature with melee attacks and self-healing abilities. Exploit its immobility during self-healing for attacks.
The Witch of Hemwick (Optional)
Area: Hemwick Charnel Lane
This fight involves both the Witch and her minions. She's invisible at a distance; use firearms when visible and anticipate her corner-camping tactics.
Shadow of Yharnam
Area: Forbidden Woods
A large club-wielding creature. Dodge its attacks, target its head with firearms, and slash its legs to create openings.
Rom, the Vacuous Spider
Area: Moonside Lake
Located in Byrgenwerth's Moonside Lake, Rom uses poisonous and physical attacks, and summons spiders. Prioritize spider kills and maximize damage on Rom between movements. Defeating Rom alters the game world, so plan accordingly.
Darkbeast Paarl (Optional)
Area: Hypogean Gaol
A large brute found in Yahar'gul, the Unseen Village. Best fought after Rom.
The One Reborn
Area: Yahar’gul Unseen Village
This boss uses physical and magical attacks; keep your distance and attack when he's grounded. He also summons smaller enemies.
Martyr Logarius (Optional)
Area: Forsaken Castle Cainhurst
A challenging boss inflicting Arcane damage. Mastering parries is highly effective.
Amygdala (Optional)
Area: Nightmare Frontier
A massive, tentacled creature with a long reach and varied attacks. One of the game's most difficult bosses.
Celestial Emissary (Optional)
Area: Upper Cathedral Ward
Fast-moving with powerful arm swings. Roll towards its legs to avoid attacks.
Micolash, Host of the Nightmare
Area: Nightmare of Mensis
A non-optional boss who hides in fog and summons underlings. Learn his patterns to effectively counter his attacks. Poison knives are a viable strategy.
The Old Hunters Bosses
The Old Hunters bosses follow a linear progression. After Ludwig, return to where you obtained the Eye Pendant to fight Laurence (the only optional boss in this area). Then, face Living Failures, Lady Maria, and Orphan of Kos.
Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos (Optional)
Area: Altar of Despair
Ebrietas utilizes damaging tentacles and magical attacks. Beware of her head slam attack.
Mergo's Wet Nurse
Area: Nightmare of Mensis
A challenging but potentially easier fight than some preceding encounters. She uses tentacles and water projectiles, and obscures vision with fog.
After Mergo's defeat, complete any remaining tasks before proceeding to the final bosses. If you haven't completed the DLC bosses, do so now.
Gehrman, the First Hunter
Area: Hunter’s Dream
The final non-optional boss. He uses a scythe and firearms. Parrying is highly effective.
Moon Presence (Ending Specific)
Area: Hunter’s Dream
The true final boss. Requires obtaining three One Third of Umbilical Cords before fighting Gehrman. Refuse Gehrman's offer to fight him. The Moon Presence utilizes tails, claws, and dark orbs.
This concludes the optimal Bloodborne boss order.
(For more Bloodborne news, see our Bloodborne PSX demake. For FromSoftware content, check out Armored Core VI.)
(Update: This article was updated on 2/3/2025 by Escapist Editorial to include more information about the various bosses, provide a high-level summary of the boss order, and to include the bosses from the Old Hunters DLC.)
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