Bloodborne is an action role-playing video game developed by FromSoftware. Set in the fictional city of Yharnam, players take on the role of a Hunter as they uncover the nature of the affliction that plagues the people of the city, turning them into monstrous beasts. As the Hunter, players navigate through nightmarish environments filled with grotesque creature. The game is known for its difficulty, with formidable boss fights and punishing mechanics that require precise timing and strategic decision-making.
Thanks to its difficulty, Bloodborne has become a popular choice for challenge runs. These involve self-imposed limitations that players impose on themselves to add an extra layer of challenge to the game. Most end up being quite interesting to witness. Some of these challenge runs in Bloodborne have gained a cult following in the gaming community, showcasing the creativity and determination of players who seek to push the boundaries of what is possible in this game.
9 BL4 Run
Waste of Skin is an infamous class in Bloodborne. Players who choose this class start off at Blood Level 4 with pitiful stats. While this class allows the highest level of freedom when it comes to forming a build, it does make the early game of Bloodborne pretty challenging.
In this challenge, players complete the entire game with their character at BL4, which should be pretty obvious given the name of this challenge. This severely limits their health, stamina, and damage, making each encounter much more dangerous and requiring precise execution.
8 No Hit Run
Given how fast and quick the enemies in Bloodborne really are, it's only a given that players are bound to be hit by enemy attacks at some point or the other. While taking a hit or two against tough enemies is completely normal, this challenge run doesn't allow a single lapse in judgment.
As the name suggests, this challenge run compels players to get through the game without getting hit by any enemy or boss attack. This requires exceptional dodging and parrying skills, as a single mistake can result in failure and the need to start over.
7 Flamesprayer/Rosmarinus Only
In this challenge, Bloodborne players restrict themselves to using only the Flamesprayer or Rosmarinus. These weapons are unique sidearms that either spit fire (Flamesprayer) or spew out an arcane mist that damages opponents over time (Rosmarinus).
These sidearms are pretty damaging, but have limited range and damage output, while also consuming Quicksilver Bullets at an alarming rate. This challenge requires players to rely solely on arcane damage, make strategic use of limited resources, manage bullet consumption, and optimize their positioning to defeat enemies and bosses.
6 Bare Fists Only
This challenge run takes the difficulty level up a notch. Players must rely solely on their character's bare fists to fight enemies and bosses. Since fists have minimal damage output and no range, players must rely heavily on dodging, parrying, and using the game's regain system to recover health after taking damage.
This challenge requires exceptional timing, precise dodging, and parrying. On top of all this, players also require careful resource management to overcome the game's challenges with their pitiful offensive capabilities.
5 Torch Only
The Torch is a unique item in Bloodborne that primarily serves as a light source, but can also be used as a weapon. In this challenge, players limit themselves to using only the Torch to deal damage to enemies and bosses. The Torch has limited range and low damage output, making this challenge particularly difficult.
Players must carefully manage stamina, dodge attacks effectively, and use the Torch's limited capabilities to their advantage to overcome the game's obstacles. This sidearm can stagger certain enemies and is one of the few benefits of this item that players must exploit if they wish to get through this challenge run without tearing their hair out.
4 Speedrun
Speedrunning any game is a popular challenge in itself, and Bloodborne is no exception. Many speedruns exist for this game regardless of how many times certain exploits have been patched out, showing just how dedicated the community is to getting the best time possible.
Players aim to complete the game in the fastest time possible, utilizing shortcuts, glitches, and optimized strategies to beat the game quickly. Speedruns can be quite hypnotic if carried out properly, and players need to practice over and over again if they want to record respectable times in the game.
3 No Blood Vials Run
Blood vials are consumable items that replenish the player's health in Bloodborne. They are downright necessary to get through the many hurdles and challenges in Bloodborne... so it only makes sense that a challenge run would discourage the use of these healing items whatsoever.
In this challenge, players refrain from using any blood vials, relying solely on their base health and other means of healing. This includes regaining lost health via rallying and using Caryll Runes strategically to gain health with Visceral Attacks, among other tricks.
2 Permadeath
Dying is a natural part of Bloodborne, and most people won't be faulted for seeing the You Died screen over and over again. While players come back at a Hunter's Lamp after dying, this challenge flips the script in this regard.
In the permadeath challenge, players attempt to complete the game without dying a single time. If they die at any point, they must restart the game from the beginning, adding an intense level of tension and risk management to each encounter.
1 No HUD Run
The heads-up display, or HUD, is one of the most critical aspects of any video game. It's important to keep a track of any critical information that is conveyed in the HUD so that players can react accordingly.
This challenge run forces players to turn off the game's HUD, giving them no clue about the status of their health bar, stamina bar, and other important information. This makes every encounter a nail-biting experience since players have no idea about the metrics of their Hunter.
Bloodborne was released on March 24, 2015, and is available for the PlayStation 4.