Highlights

  • Watchdog of the Old Lords could seamlessly join Bloodborne's main boss roster, fitting in with infamous beasts like Amygdala.
  • The Watchdog's hidden location in the Chalice Dungeons is a missed opportunity for players not diving into these areas for a thrilling encounter.
  • Risk and reward are key in facing the Watchdog, with a head-on approach and strategic weapon choice offering the most efficient way to defeat this fiery beast.

Few Bloodborne bosses suffer from being trapped in the Chalice Dungeons like the Watchdog of the Old Lords. While this isn't the only boss to appear solely in these procedural dungeons, it could easily find a place among the regular roster throughout Yharnam. This is because the Watchdog is a far cry from being compared to Chalice Dungeon duds like the Undead Giant and instead matches up better alongside infamous beasts like Darkbeast Paarl or Amygdala.

As a result of being locked away in the Chalice Dungeons, the majority of players likely haven't challenged the Watchdog of the Old Lords, even if they have managed to beat the main campaign of Bloodborne. It is a shame to have such an impressive beast-type boss only be available in this section of the game, considering how few people bother to actually dive into these dungeons unless they're hunting for blood gems or trying to earn the Platinum Trophy.

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The Watchdog of the Old Lords Could Fit in with Any FromSoftware Boss Roster

A Hidden Watchdog, Waiting in Yharnam's Dark Corners

One aspect of FromSoftware's game design that often gets a lot of attention is the attention to detail in making large, interconnected worlds that wrap back over themselves and streamline progression and exploration. However, as important as the design of each hallway, alleyway, and abandoned cave are, the items and encounters found along the way are equally important. This is where the Watchdog of the Old Lords deserves to shine, as a beast hidden in a far-off corner like Bloodborne's Darkbeast Paarl.

As it stands, the Watchdog is a predictable encounter found at the end of the cookie-cutter Chalice Dungeon design. This is one of the issues that comes with the design of the Chalice Dungeons and building them to be capable of being procedurally generated from a series of pre-made templates. Even a boss this unique and interesting is made worse by not getting to shine in an arena to match that is made to live within the rest of the stellar world of Bloodborne's Yharnam.

Risk and Reward for Standing in the Danger Zone

To say that any Bloodborne boss is uniquely difficult might sound odd on its head, but this is an accurate description for Watchdog of the Old Lords. This is because unlike bosses like Ludwig or Ebrietas, the optimal strategy is much less about strafing around giant attacks to punish limbs and instead focuses on going head-to-head with the giant dog. Similar to other hulking monstrosities like Amygdala, the Watchdog's weakest point is its head, and striking that particular location repeatedly is both the fastest way to finish the encounter and also the most efficient for pro and casual players alike.

Weapons like Bloodborne 's Saw Spear or Hunter's Axe that have decent range in their transformed state are particularly useful against the Watchdog of the Old Lords, allowing players to keep their distance while reaching forward and striking at the head.

Like any other beast, the Watchdog can also have its limbs broken for increased damage and a quick stagger, but this provides its own dangers as many of the ways the boss retaliates make keeping to its side and rear difficult. The result is a fight that is best spent breaking the boss' head and keeping safe by staring down the beast's dreadful maw, dodging when appropriate, and responding with crippling attacks to take it down as quickly as possible.

A Fiery Flare for the Dramatic

Taking on the Watchdog of the Old Lords head-on also lends itself to the design of the beast itself, as this will let players fully see the extent of the boss' telegraphs and attack animations. Many of these attacks come with a flare that goes a step beyond simply spewing fire and lava around the arena throughout the fight.

It's an intense spectacle of fire, teeth, and fur that makes for one of the best canine fights since Sif from the original Dark Souls. The only shame is that so many players will miss this dramatic spectacle if they don't brave far enough into Bloodborne's Chalice Dungeons to find the boss.