With players still excited for the prospect of Bloodborne 2 possibly making it onto PS5, even if From Software isn't currently developing a sequel to the PS4 exclusive title. However, if the series were to make it's return on next-gen consoles, there is one mechanic within the game that may need careful attention in order to make up for one of the biggest issues with the original.
The Chalice Dungeons from Bloodborne may be the game's single biggest drawback, due in part to the repetitive nature of the repeating dungeons and lackluster boss fights that don't match up well to the main story encounters. With variant weapons and hidden items like the Ring of Betrothal locked away inside the Chalice Dungeons, the otherwise optional area becomes mandatory for players looking to become as strong as possible and uncover the game's secrets
Better Boss Encounters
One thing that made the Chalice Dungeons so underwhelming when compared to the rest of the game is the boss battles that are exclusive to the area. While there are standouts like the Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen, enemies like the Merciless Watchers being upgraded to boss status without much alterations to their mechanics feel more like padding than worthwhile encounters. This is especially frustrating when considering that Bloodborne has some of the best bosses from From Software's lineup, causing the less than spectacular Chalice bosses to stick out like a soar thumb.
A lot of this felt like a problem of quantity over quality, with the Chalice Dungeons being built to have three bosses per level and the levels being relatively limitless with the procedural design. As a result, it seems that From Software went with a variety of easier bosses to make those first two levels easier with simpler bosses or mini-bosses before better encounters like the Watchdog of the Old Lords shows up to be the final boss of a dungeon. However, there is an argument to be made that players would get a lot more out of these sections if either the first and second level bosses were upgrade to full encounters, or removed all together in order to not bog down the experience with lackluster fights and exploring the future of the concept is why there needs to be a Bloodborne 2.
Repetitive Designs
It's natural for dungeons that are procedurally generated to begin to make every dungeon feel like more of the same as players continue to dive deeper into sections like the Chalice Dungeons. That being said, even as the player finds new locals and the purposefully designed opening levels to each individual depth before opening up access to the generated ones, it's difficult to differentiate one level from the next. This becomes especially jarring for players who have explored some of Bloodborne's more varied locations, like the Forbidden Woods.
Combining the uninspired dungeon designs with the underwhelming boss fights, most players who make the trip down into the deepest depths of the Chalice Dungeons are often long tired by the time they reach Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen. It was a worthwhile experiment for From Software to attempt something new in Bloodborne, and while there is room for improvement, games like Dead Cells have proven what a procedurally generated should look like. However, some mechanics that came out of the nature of the procedural design of some of the rarer seeds of these dungeons could be the key to making sure Bloodborne 2's dungeons are more successful.
Wandering Bosses
A lesser known aspect of the Chalice Dungeons is that many of the bosses that appear throughout the dive to the bottom are actually capable of being spawned in the dungeon itself, instead of the boss room. Enemies like the Merciless Watchers are already common occurrences within these dungeons, as well as bosses, but it seems this is also possible for other bosses like the Undead Giants and even the Pthumerian Descendant. Unfortunately, the likelihood of players finding these dungeons randomly are slim at best and in most cases require guides to find the right seeds for these strange encounters.
Adding these wandering bosses in future Chalice Dungeons for Bloodborne 2 as a more common occurrence as players dive into deeper dungeons could add a level of difficulty and uncertainty that can help flesh out the feeling of exploration. This could even be tackled as early as a Bloodborne Remaster for the PS5, if From Software wants to test some Chalice Dungeon changes before diving into the sequel. That is of course assuming that either the remaster or sequel will ever make it into development in the first place.
Nightmare Frontier
The lore implications of the Chalice Dungeons in Bloodborne are clear from the first time players step into them, and connect directly to the beastly scourge and Yharnam's connections to Great Ones and Old Ones that fuels the story of the game. However, if Bloodborne 2 wants to double down on the Eldrich lore that was established in the original, maybe the biggest change should be to get rid of the Chalice Dungeons all together and instead allow the player to explore Nightmare Frontiers. These extra-dimensional areas appear in the original game as the home of Great Ones that the player is sent to hunt by the Moon Presence, and one even serves as the hub area known as the Hunter's Dream.
Switching from the Pthumerian Tomb where the Chalice Dungeons take place to a procedurally generated Nightmare Frontier could solve a number of problems that the original dungeons had. To start, Nightmare Frontiers come in a variety of designs with infinite possibilities to make the different depths look much more distinct from each other than the original's. From a lore perspective, Bloodborne's multiple endings could also fit well with the idea of infinite Nightmare Frontiers, where different player decisions could lead to different worlds, making all three endings canon all at once.
Diving into the Nightmare Frontiers can also bring in new, twisted bosses as the locations open up into more unique environments, giving the developers a chance to dive into more Great Ones and Old Ones than previously possible. In this case, the sequel has a huge chance to make up for the deficits of the series and make improvements on Bloodborne, which has so few flaws already.
Bloodborne is available now for PS4.
