The optional dungeons in FromSoftware titles like Bloodborne have a lot of buildup that needs to be paid off, given the hoops players have to jump through just to find them. In the case of Bloodborne's Cainhurst Castle, this payoff comes in the form of the boss fight against Martyr Logarius, who is every bit as hard to beat as he is to find.
Access to Cainhurst Castle in Bloodborne can come as early as the Forbidden Forest, just after beating Vicar Amelia and leaving the Grand Cathedral. However, both the intense fight against Martyr Logarius and the path to him are something that might better incentivize players to come back later to try challenging after leveling up and upgrading a good weapon.
The Path to Martyr Logarius in Bloodborne
The long road to Martyr Logarius is a classic example of FromSoftware's long, interconnected questlines, with players needing to backtrack across several early areas in order to find the entrance to Cainhurst Castle. If attempted early on, this could mean having to fight the imposter Iosefka just to get the Cainhurst summons item, although this can be circumvented by waiting until after beating Bloodborne's Rom, the Vacuous Spider. Then it's a quick trip to the end of Hemwick Charnel Lane, where approaching an otherwise innocuous obelisk will activate a cutscene that has the player spirited away to Cainhurst Castle.
After finally making it to the castle, there is the area itself to contend with. It's a level filled with powerful enemies and more than a few ambushes that can easily catch a player off guard on their first foray into Cainhurst Castle. From the bloodlickers at the castle gates to the ghosts ready to pop out and catch a player with an unexpected knife slash, the castle is difficult enough to make it through. Then there's the actual boss fight against Martyr Logarius to contend with, who can easily dominate his arena and send players flinging back to the Hunter's Dream in a second.
Logarius as the Reward for the Runaround
In most games, the reward for finding a place like Cainhurst Castle would have to be some armor set or new weapon, which the location does actually have a few of, but the real prize at the end is the fight against Martyr Logarius. As one of Bloodborne's hardest bosses, Martyr Logarius is a representation of everything that players enjoy in FromSoftware's games. He has a lightning-fast moveset and can crowd control the area to keep the player on their toes across both of his punishing phases.
The key to Martyr Logarius' control of the space comes from the way that many of his attacks can send out an array of glowing, red skulls that can launch out toward the player. Some of these skulls will even chase the player down, forcing them to either dodge through the projectile in order to send it off in a random direction or run away until it disappears. However, the boss won't often let the player run around freely while avoiding these skulls, usually following up the projectiles with a swing from either his scythe or his sword. All of this makes for one of Bloodborne's creepier boss fights as the mummified Logarius chases the player down in a field of flying skulls.
On top of Martyr Logarius' brutal speed and strength, there is also a second phase to contend with, indicated by the boss sticking his sword into the ground and summoning spectral blades to hound the player. This means that the player now needs to break focus from the boss in order to break the sword into the ground and keep from getting randomly attacked at all angles. It's a high-pressure situation that helps to push Martyr Logarius into becoming one of Bloodborne's most iconic enemies, even if some players might miss finding him in Cainhurst Castle.
Bloodborne is available now for PS4.
