Highlights

  • Chalice Dungeons offer infinite Bloodborne fun, blending fixed and randomly generated challenges for exploration.
  • They offer a reliable way to level up, farm gear, and improve skills without repetitive grinding, including unique boss battles.
  • Future FromSoftware games could benefit from a streamlined version of Chalice Dungeons, enhancing replay value.

The Chalice Dungeon feature is one of Bloodborne's most memorable and unique, if not its most universally beloved. With a Bloodborne sequel seeming less likely as the years go by, FromSoftware should instead evaluate the Chalice Dungeon system, extract its strengths, and inject them into a future, non-Bloodborne release.

Chalice Dungeons essentially present an infinite Bloodborne experience, allowing players to use in-game items to seed dungeons that can either be fixed or randomly generated depending on which materials are used. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the methodology surrounding the creation and completion of these dungeons is a bit convoluted and obtuse, but once players figure out how they work, they can offer novel, satisfying, and rewarding ways to engage with Bloodborne's combat and exploration. Sadly, FromSoftware never truly revisited this system, with the closest parallel being Elden Ring's minor open-world dungeons, though these are notably different in several key ways.

In true FromSoftware fashion, Chalice Dungeons are closely linked to Bloodborne 's lore, making them more than just a non-canon side activity.

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Elden Ring still has better chances getting more installments under FromSoftware alone than the developer's previous co-published titles.

Future FromSoftware Games Could Benefit from a Chalice Dungeon Equivalent

Chalice Dungeons Serve a Useful Role in Bloodborne

Alongside Bloodborne's co-op and NG+ features, Chalice Dungeons are one of the game's deepest fonts of replay value. While the fixed dungeons are predictable upon repeated playthroughs, the Root Chalice Dungeons, which are randomly generated, lay the foundation for theoretically infinite, fresh combat and exploration opportunities.

This is not only great for veteran players looking to squeeze everything they can out of the Bloodborne gameplay loop, but also for novices looking to hone their skills and farm Blood Echoes and other key materials.

For better or worse, Bloodborne's brand of Soulslike combat relies heavily on finite consumable resources, primarily blood vials for healing and quicksilver bullets for sidearm use and various special abilities. The Chalice Dungeons, accessible directly from the Hunter's Dream hub world, offer a convenient and fairly enjoyable way to acquire not just QS bullets and blood vials, but also blood gems, insight, and even the Beast Claw, a weapon that can't be looted in the overworld.

Chalice Dungeons are thus a reliable way to improve player skill, level up, and collect essential gear and consumables without resorting to overly repetitive grinding. It's also worth mentioning that there are several bosses exclusive to Chalice Dungeons, including:

  • Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen
  • Loran Darkbeast and Silverbeast
  • Pthumerian Elder
  • Keeper of the Old Lords
  • Undead Giant

Future FromSoftware Games Can Laser-In On the Best Parts of Chalice Dungeons

Chalice Dungeons shake up Bloodborne's core gameplay and serve a practical purpose, but they aren't without their flaws. For one thing, the actual process of seeding the dungeons via ritual materials can be somewhat confusing and ultimately underwhelming, adding an unnecessary and inconvenient layer to the whole process.

Another common criticism is the lack of exclusive loot, which can undermine Chalice Dungeon progression and the risk-reward balance for some players. But if a future FromSoftware game could isolate the strengths of Chalice Dungeons—convenience, XP- and consumable-farming potential, and meaty endgame content—while axing some of its lesser elements, it could make for a great inclusion in any kind of game.

Whether this hypothetical game has the mechanical framework of Dark Souls, Elden Ring, or Sekiro, an evolution of Bloodborne's Chalice Dungeons, perhaps without the needlessly complicated ritual material process and with more unique rewards, it could offer better replay value and a solid challenge for players who have exhausted the mandatory base-game content. At the very least, adapting Bloodborne's approach to Chalice Dungeons could make farming and material acquisition a more convenient, less bland process.