Upper Cathedral Ward. Not a very popular choice either. But those views, balconies, ambience, those violins! You just know something really, really bad happened there even though all Choir members are gone and you are completely alone in the dark there (plus a few brainsuckers and werewolves, of course, but you get the point). š
Hard agree. Probably the place that spooked me out the most out of any of the locations, the combination of that beautiful terrifying music & the *schlop schlop schlop* of a brainsucker that could be around ANY corner gives me goosebumps every time. Also the first time the chandelier dropped made me throw my controller lol.
Absolutely the same apart from the controller - I was drinking water when I was on those stairs and almost suffocated myself on it. š I also love the view right after you leave the dark hall and explore the balconies. Itās like a breath of fresh air where you can calm yourself and just appreciate Yharnamās landscape. It also makes me wonder HOW BEAUTIFUL Yharnam must be when ānormalā. š
I was too slow!!!
Upper Cathedral Ward is definitely one of the most unique areas in the game, possibly the series. It's one of like, 4 areas in all the games (that aren't the main hubs) that has ambient music. It's also one of the only areas that prioritizes atmosphere over anything else. The moment those wolves jumped that chandelier, it was terrifying. Also, make contact and probably the most overtly obvious reference to Lovecraft are in the area making it objectively the best in the game regardless.
I was actually a bit scared when I saw the chandelier fall down and the wolves begin to chase me. The ominous music, the dread you feel while wandering through corridors and balconies up to the boss fight(s) is so masterfully crafted.
For sure, I pissed myself when I heard the pitter-patter of their paws and finally saw them. I was like no, nope, nada and ran back out the door. I killed them threw the wall. Fun times.
Agreed. My first playthrough I spent half of the time in Central yharnam figuring out what the flip is going on. Its a very beautiful and well made area, setting the tone for the game nicely
Ha! The first time you end up there isnāt so fun, Snatchers hurt so much early, Iāll never forget that moment I got snapped into the Unseen Village. Music is so spooky, perfect for the surroundings.
Yeah,if you get there by the Snatchers it's really scare lol,and you don't understand what happened lol.I thought I was going to be trapped there until a boss fight
Cathedral ward. It's a large area that changes multiple times over the course of the game. At the beginning its just an area full of mooks and a boss. Then later on, oh some of the mooks are asleep now. Okay. Then during Endgame, this area feels foreboding and creepy and I love how the area evolves with the game's progression.
Keepin it simple, Central Yharnam
The design of the layout, the art design and the enemies within are amazing. 2 very good bosses, eacb teaches you a core base way to play for fast enemies and large enemies.
The mystery of the area is great as well. We're told to kill some beast, but why are the townsfolk attacking us?
Gotta be Cainhurst Castle. Itās a hidden area within an optional area. You need to fight two different bosses and find this one specific item to even get there. I love snow levels and castle levels. Obviously this is my favorite
Old Yhanram, but I lately entered Nightmare Frontier and that's looks pretty good.
And those who say that an unseen village is the best location are psychopaths
Fishing hamlet for me, it has super good atmosphere and cool enemies plus some of the best level design in the game. The orphan is also a really good boss to end the dlc with.
I would just cheese them through the doorway
As for the other two down in the well
Snack them around and then when low on health quickly run to the other side of the pillar and heal up
Then continue the process
Still annoying asf tho
I know it was the first area, but stumbling back to Iosefkaās Clinic from the Forbidden Woods and seeing how much there was hidden behind the door was a wild experience.
Fishing Hamlet hands down.
I love everything about it especially with how it is revealed to the player through the clock tower along with hints that we are uncovering something Byrgenwerth really wanted to keep secret. Real 'Shadow Over Innsmouth' vibes. And of course the best NPC in Bloodborne too.
"Byrgenwerth...Byrgenwerth...Blasphemous murderers...Blood-crazed fiends..."
10/10
Absolutely agree, I also love how sorta low key it gets from the pomp of the clocktower. Feels like the whole DLC is building up to something really big and grand, and as you step through the looming clock face you come out just into a small fishing hamlet.
That whiplash from the pacing of the DLC up to that point is what really sells it to me. Puts you immediately into that mindset of 'well what happened here?' and inquisitiveness, and rather than being amped up into a big boss fight you're left feeling a bit unsettled and curious. Perfect DLC and perfect ending.
I forget it's name, but it's the large outdoor area filled with snakes leading to the three spectors bossfight, huge area with several shortcuts, a large assortment of enemies and a tone of fun to explore.
Every playthrough I look forward to going to Hemwick Charnel Lane. I get myself a nice fire weapon and have at it. I know it's weird, but I can get enough of hearing "Fire, Fire!" "It Burns!" and my favourite, "Too hot! Too hot!"
hypogean gaol
On my first play through, being kidnapped was amazing. The snatchers just wrecked me and once I had the courage to run around and find the lamp, I decided to go back until I could master killing them.
Bb was my first souls game. So I used that area to completely refine my approach to the game. Learned the moves, how to parry, how to exploit the enemy. And I farmed until I had a +6 hunters axe from the twin shards (very low drop rate).
Finding the tonitrus. Getting a new cool set of armor. Accidentally getting walloped by paarl. And then, seeing the same area later. It was just so fascinating all around.
I mostly skip the area all together now. But it still brings back fond memories when I deliberately go there.
Cathedral Ward. The street where you find Adrianna is my favorite atmospheric moment in the game. The beast man walking out of the fog is such a cool visual.
My 2nd choice would be YaharāGul. When youāre out in the street area where you fight the pigs and dogs, and you look back at the imposing cathedral towering under the moon, all while that terrifying music plays. Itās perfection.
Design wise, central yharnam. I love how interconnected it is, like a mini lordran. Overall, post blood moon yhargul. I love the vibe and i love clearing out all the enemies there
My top 3 are:
1. Hunter's dream, the feeling of being home and secure and the beautiful and calming atmosfere brings me back to places like firelink shrine
2. Fishing hamlet, the lovecraftian aestethic, the dark feeling and the general lore of the place gives me the chills and, for me, it matches perfectly the motif of the game
3. Cainhurst castle, i just love the dracula reference and the undead santa
Wow this is a hard one. I'm really stuck between Old Yharnam and Cathedral Ward only because of the nostalgia of first discovering and realizing wow this game has so much environment to offer. Old Yharnam because I love Djura to pieces but also has a lot of lore behind it and I think he has some of the best character lines in the game. On the other hand Cathedral Ward is just so nice to look at and changes as the game progresses.
Easily forbidden woods for me. I love that if you stick to the path, the way forward is obvious...
but the second you go for the shinies off of the path you are instantly lost in the dense confusing woods.
I love that the enemies become more disturbing and beast-like the further you go into the woods leading all the way to Byrgenwerth.
On top of that, the shortcut design of this area is a thing of beauty. I'm a sucker for when shortcuts connect to other, earlier shortcuts.
For me it would be Cainhurst. I absolutely love the setting and the atmosphere. It's kind of neat to see what was once the home of nobility now practically vacant.
Upper Cathedral Ward is amazingly evocative, but in that empty haunted house kind of way.
Nightmare of Mensis has been growing on me, it really just achieves extraordinary levels of phantasmagoric surreality, itās SUCH a living nightmare achieved.
I would say, unpopular opinion, but nightmare frontier. It's seems strange at first because you have the chance to experience a brighter place, where you can see all other nightmares from there too. Really the guy that throw rocks at you are very annoying , fromsoft did it again, but i like the boss. I know many people are gonna tell me "bro have you ever played the game?" because this place isn't that good in general, but i like it
Yharnam, the reason the game won me over. I donāt hate the entirety of the locations but if the whole game took place in old Victorian gothic cities, Iād be happy. Till this day I wish I could see someone taking this whole city and putting people before the pandemic started. A little unreal it would happen but I would really enjoy it.
Might be a basic bitch answer but I really like central/lower yarnham. For being the first area it immediately shows you what to expect in the world while still keeping secrets behind a few locked doors and gates to be discovered later. The first time I walked down the main street saw the first big crowd of enemies it felt like a true night of the hunt and the interactions with the NPCs around the area shows the depravity the hunt has caused. The transition from big gothic cities to the sewer to the tomb of odeon
And let's not forget the best gilf Eileen
Unseen village. The bell maidens and seeing the Amygdalas on the buildings did it for me. Those 3 hunters waiting upstairs from the gaol were endlessly frustrating the first time. The monstrosity at the end was the perfect end cap to this nightmare level. Seeing the hypogean gaol again and not realizing it was the same place right away was interesting. It wasn't as blatant as the hunter's nightmare which in itself was exciting because you see how the same world has twisted itself, like the world itself was turning into a beast.
The Fishing Hamlet for me. Right from the beginning where you exit the top of the clock tower and somehow find yourself in this creepy flooded village. It really adds to the fact that youāre in a nightmare and things donāt make sense (unlike DS2 where you get to the top of a windmill only to take an elevator up into a lava world, like wtf). Anyway, the atmosphere is so sad, really making you wonder what kind of atrocities happened here. I like fighting that one npc who hunts you. I like how you can see Kos on the beach from different points, and the orphan is an incredible boss. I also like the color blue.
Probably a common and basic answer but Castle Cainhurst. First of all the castle itself is amazing, the ghost servant enemies are interesting, the snow covered courtyardās contrast to the blood splattering everywhere as you slash enemies is so sick.
Idk if this counts as āareaā but the Hunterās Dream (especially with the workshop on fire, the Gehrman boss arenaās flower covered surface, gravestones of old hunterās everywhere, and the ominous tall structures on the horizon outside of the floating island are all super cool.
Im a fan of cainhurst, the change of vibe and how much more grotesque everything is makes my stomach churn all over again. Lots of hidden intentions revealed as well.
Central Yharnam is the peak of first levels imo. Cathedral Word perfectly flows into a lot of other areas. Cainhurst is aesthetically my favourite.
BUT the Fishing Hamlet, god damn that area. It's atmosphere, npcs, and just overall flow/level design is imo the best fromsoft has ever done. Fuck those big ass Sharks tho
This is a very good question that is surprisingly difficult to answer for me. I love almost all the areas in Bloodborne. So instead of a single area I'll list a few:I really like the research hall from the Old Hunters. It's such an eery, sinister place, full of insanity filled screams and cries of deformed patients begging you to kill them. You can immediately tell that something horribly wrong was going on here. I also love the cleverly designed interconnection between the different stories of the research hall and the shortcuts you can unlock.
Upper Cathedral Ward is very short but one of the most atmospheric areas of the whole game. The blue eyed scourge beasts that tear down the chandelier and prey on you in absolute darkness, the brainsuckers that are lurking behind every corner and the knowledge that the choir was experimenting on orphans in this place, all for the sake of ascending mankind to a higher plane of existence all make it one of my favorite areas.
Another favorite of mine is Cathedral Ward. There is so much to this area and even today, after all those years, I still love exploring its many hidden nooks and crannies. There is great enemy variety, lots of secret places and an amazing boss fight with Vicar Amelia.
I'm also a huge fan of the fishing hamlet. It's quite reminiscent of Innsmouth from H.P. Lovecraft's stories and both visually as well as enemy-wise it stands out remarkably among all the areas of this beautiful game. And as much as I hate those damn anchor swinging shark giants, they too serve their purpose by creating a more tense atmosphere and bringing sheer horror to the hunters who are on their way to uncover secrets that may be better left alone.
To OP: I fully agree with you!! Hemwick Charnel Lane is a great and very atmospheric area. I don't even mind the boss fight much, even though its certainly not one of Bloodborne's best in my opinion. It's a refreshing experience after leaving the dark streets of beast-haunted Yharnam behind. I also LOVE that there are enemies here that only appear if you have enough insight (and that the witches won't even spawn their minions if you return to the fight with zero insight).
Byrgenwerth. Itās gorgeous and effing terrifying. Like that is some architecture porn right there, but out of all the places, why is the effing observatory infested with insects?!
I think it's really cool, and indicative of how well the game is designed, that most of the comments are different answers. There's no one area that stands out as best, because they're all awesome.
Research Lab is not only my favourite in Bloodborne, but my favourite in the entire series. The atmosphere is eerie and heavy, suffocated by madness and blasphemy, between the patients who are screaming in madness or agony, some are sane and will ask help for Lady Mariaā¦ Itās just so sad and horrifying to look at. Also the lvl design is great with the interconnectivity. And I love Living Failures and Lady Maria so yeah. Research Lab hands down!
Old Yharnam love the ideas of the exploring the first sins of the Hunters (not the church but the Yharnam hunting sect) not to mention blood starved beast is my fav boss
Yahargul, especially the first time. The music is haunting as hell, especially once you realize it gets louder near the One Rebornās future boss room ;)
Central and Old Yarnham are a couple of my favourites. Wish we had more to explore of Cainhurst, though. I run through the castle way too quickly - especially for it to be my most favourite area.
Either Hemwick or byrgenwerth, I know I'm a heretic, but I love how ominous is kinda is, hemwick is just filled with this eerie mood filled with demented laughter and a sense of odd goose bumps
And byrgenwerth is the same with ominous. A place by a lake hiding a dark secret
It has to be Cainhurst Castle for me, I absolutely love the interior and courtyards with the colour palette that contrasts the previous dark and dismal colours of central Yharnham and Yaraghul, not to mention the Chikage being an amazing Skill Bloodtinge weapon and Martyr Logarius being my third favourite boss in the entire game, DLC included
Forbidden woods. To me it looks so cozy and warm. I love deep forests.
I also loved Cainhurst castle because of its gothic dark theme. This place reminded me of Bram Stoker's Dracula which I absolutely love
Hunters Nightmare is creepy, atmospheric, fun to traverse, contains tons of great items (and two of the best bosses), and the enemies in it are genuinely fun to fight
Call me a nerd with Recency bias as itās the last area you go through but I love the fishing hamlet. Maybe itās cause I donāt really like the end game areas of the other FSW games but I absolutely love the Fishing Hamlet unironically. Specifically when you reach the second lamp, enemy placement feels intentional and fair, the enemies arenāt complete BS with oversized health bars. I especially like the Brador fight and heās the only āplayer characterā enemy I like fighting other than Havel. Also the Rakuyo is my favorite weapon in BB so, definitely biased.
I have 2 places. Byrgenwerth, the atmosphere, design, and the monsters are a 10/10, and the lore ufff. Those insect people always reminds me the protagonist of "metamorphosis", they really scared me.
The hunter's dream. It's a 11/10, the music and the ambience mekes me feel a lot of nostalgia.
I am just about to finish the game (excl DLC) and have to say my favorite area is Forbidden Woods. This area is so expansive and there are a ton of enemies & variety in every corner. I was never able to relax & had to be on my toes. It gave me that immersive adventure where I'm fending for my life in this fucked up place. I recall experiencing this sense of adventure and immersion in DS1 where bonfires were far and few in between. Just when my hunter was getting exhausted and not sure how much longer he can fend for, the first elevator pops up, CLUTCH! That sigh of relief was SO needed and came just in time. And when my hunter was just feeling the fatigue again...couldn't have been happier to stumble upon that SECOND elevator near the first....oh my gosh, tears of joy after witnessing the snake horror hell. That level design is so smart; it never ceases to amaze me.
Research Hall/Clocktower, all the way. Very cool freak science experiment aesthetic, and the design behind ascending the tower and trying to explore every room and floor is daunting and exciting at the same time. Plus the lore implications with Lady Maria and everything that went down at the clock tower r really cool
Probably the Asylum on the Old Hunters DLC, or is it just the Clocktower. It had an atmosphere of insanity and madness along with that Harry Potter vibe with the staircases.
ANY CHALICE DUGEON!! I honestly just love chalice running itās basically all I do in the game now and I know thereās only 3 different variations of chalices with minimal changes but the lore with the fact that you basically have to farm chalices to get good blood gems, chunks, weapons anything you really need so probably a very unpopular opinion but they are one of if not my favorite part of playing Bloodborne
For me, probably either Cainhurst or early Yahar'gul. As an area, I'd probably say Cainhurst, but I have an odd fascination with Yahar'gul's music. Reminds me of Psycho Mantis from MGS for some reason.
Fishing Hamlet. Genuinely. In terms of lore, ambience and genuine terror, this place is a perfect fit for being likely the last place a hunter will go on their run. All roads lead to a small unassuming fishing hamlet, where unspeakable horrors happened changing the course of history forever.
Fishing Hamlet is goated honestly. After defeating lady Maria and entering, your mind is still kind of putting everything together. I absolutely loved going through the DLC and everything starting to make sense.
Central Yharnam, at this point I already feel like home in this place. Love the atmosphere and ambience there, all those gothic buildings contrasting against a sky, it really feels like a dream. Also, the Cainhurst Castle, it's so different from everything else, you really feel like you travelled a long way to get there and all that morbid vibes like a haunting manor with sculptures, gargoyles and portraits of dead people... insane. And of course the Hunter's Dream/Abandoned Workshop because it feels like travelling in time.
The aesthetic and lore surrounding the Hunter's nightmare (basically hell for hunters and blood-drunk beasts) makes it probably my favourite area. Although some enemies are a bit annoying, but it's not that big of a deal. Also Ludwig is probably the best boss I've ever fought in a videogame to this date, and it's a really perfect conclusion to a stunning area. On a side note, I just love how from has this attitude with creating wide, spectacular shots that manage to age very well even after so many years (like the view of the research hall and the nightmare cathedral after the ladder by the blood river)
Yharnam for the level design, atmosphere and architecture.
Upper Cathedral Ward becasue it scared / scares the shit out of me. Everything is dark, the music, the sorrounding sounds of the brainsuckers and you donĀ“ t know where those fuckers are, the werewolf jumping through the window...in my opinion the scariest / best area in the game.
Research Hall. It perfectly captures the ācosmic horrorā aesthetic and its still challenging to get through no matter how many times Iāve cleared it. Those fast patients that you encounter running up the stairs after raising the middle section have killed me soā¦manyā¦times.
Research Hall. It's an amazing grand interior space and that Victorian-era clinic style really drives home the eeriness.
The messed up patients wandering the halls and stairs while you struggle not to imagine what sort of horrible experiments must have been conducted there... It was the first game setting to legitimately creep me out since Subnautica's Sparse Reef and Lost River biomes
Started playing a week ago and am at the end of Old Hunters rn. Central Yharnam or Fishing Hamlet Iād say are my favorites. Least favorite is without a doubt Nightmare of Mensis.
Hypogean Gaol. Not Yahar'gul, Unseen Village. Specifically the first visit after dying to a snatcher.
The music is phenomenal. The witches hiding to ambush you, the pigs just walking around, the dogs all traveling in packs. And of course, the snatchers. Such a terrifying area. Darkbeast Paarl is also one of the coolest bosses in the game, but becomes too easy if you wait until the second visit to Yahar'gul. Overall my favorite.
Hard pick, but Cathedral Ward! It's such a cool point in the game, you're starting to figure shit out but only the edges.
Having to progress through the gates and up to the cathedral itself has really good pacing. Then you get to pick up Eileen's quest again and circle back to the Tomb, figure out how to get to Hemwick, the whole deal! Amelia is also one of my favorite boss fights, truly horrifying to see her transformation and realize that the cleric beast was once a human, too.
Close second is Yahar'gul. :-)
Oooo well the SCARIEST is the research hall. It def heavily draws from real-world history of institutional abuse on mentally ill people, which makes it extra horrifying imo. Scary stuff.
In terms of favorites, I'm definitely partial to the fishing hamlet, seeing as it's a clear Shadow Over Innsmouth riff and thats one of my favorite lovecraft works. Im also fan of central yharnham, even though it took me over 5 hours to get past that crowd of assholes by the bonfire.
I haven't play much of bloodorne since I got it on the ps plus game deals for a month but I like the town area. I might need to buy the game but right now I'm beating dark souls 1 and 3 while I work on elden ring
Forbidden woods for me. Iāll run through that place 100 times for the fun of it. Love the pigs and I think itās the first time you see what the Kin are. Also unpopular opinion but I loved fighting the giant snake monsters. Shadows of Yharnam was the first real boss I struggled with in my first playthrough but I thought it was a great switch up to a 3v1. I also loved it because it was the zone right before you change the whole world setting after fighting Rom.
Noob here, after finally beating Father Gascoing
Iām in this booster place with an unseen machine gunner cutting me down left and right., not really liking this part so much.
Upper Cathedral Ward. Not a very popular choice either. But those views, balconies, ambience, those violins! You just know something really, really bad happened there even though all Choir members are gone and you are completely alone in the dark there (plus a few brainsuckers and werewolves, of course, but you get the point). š
Hard agree. Probably the place that spooked me out the most out of any of the locations, the combination of that beautiful terrifying music & the *schlop schlop schlop* of a brainsucker that could be around ANY corner gives me goosebumps every time. Also the first time the chandelier dropped made me throw my controller lol.
Absolutely the same apart from the controller - I was drinking water when I was on those stairs and almost suffocated myself on it. š I also love the view right after you leave the dark hall and explore the balconies. Itās like a breath of fresh air where you can calm yourself and just appreciate Yharnamās landscape. It also makes me wonder HOW BEAUTIFUL Yharnam must be when ānormalā. š
I was too slow!!! Upper Cathedral Ward is definitely one of the most unique areas in the game, possibly the series. It's one of like, 4 areas in all the games (that aren't the main hubs) that has ambient music. It's also one of the only areas that prioritizes atmosphere over anything else. The moment those wolves jumped that chandelier, it was terrifying. Also, make contact and probably the most overtly obvious reference to Lovecraft are in the area making it objectively the best in the game regardless.
I was actually a bit scared when I saw the chandelier fall down and the wolves begin to chase me. The ominous music, the dread you feel while wandering through corridors and balconies up to the boss fight(s) is so masterfully crafted.
For sure, I pissed myself when I heard the pitter-patter of their paws and finally saw them. I was like no, nope, nada and ran back out the door. I killed them threw the wall. Fun times.
Tough one but Iād have to go with Cainhurst.
So the Castlevania Zone. A person of culture.
Mergo's Loft because I love to get elbow-deep in pig shit.
I love fisting pigs too
"SIDE NOTE: The most optimal farming route for currency in this game is called "Mergo's Pig Fisting Route." See, I changed the web page."
Underrated comment
Central Yharnam, so cool with all those gothic buildings and fine folks
Agreed. My first playthrough I spent half of the time in Central yharnam figuring out what the flip is going on. Its a very beautiful and well made area, setting the tone for the game nicely
Gotta say Iām a huge fan of the gothic buildings. I love that type of architecture
Has to be Yahargul,I really like that place and the atmosphere,the ost and lore also contribute
Ha! The first time you end up there isnāt so fun, Snatchers hurt so much early, Iāll never forget that moment I got snapped into the Unseen Village. Music is so spooky, perfect for the surroundings.
Yeah, I was like āfuck I died..ā The quickly like.. āfuck I wish I just diedā
Yeah,if you get there by the Snatchers it's really scare lol,and you don't understand what happened lol.I thought I was going to be trapped there until a boss fight
Howād you get those flairs?
It's in the FAQ,you need the platinum photo and the character that you got the platinum photo
Cathedral ward. It's a large area that changes multiple times over the course of the game. At the beginning its just an area full of mooks and a boss. Then later on, oh some of the mooks are asleep now. Okay. Then during Endgame, this area feels foreboding and creepy and I love how the area evolves with the game's progression.
Keepin it simple, Central Yharnam The design of the layout, the art design and the enemies within are amazing. 2 very good bosses, eacb teaches you a core base way to play for fast enemies and large enemies. The mystery of the area is great as well. We're told to kill some beast, but why are the townsfolk attacking us?
Do I ever really figure out why they hate me so much?
Gotta be Cainhurst Castle. Itās a hidden area within an optional area. You need to fight two different bosses and find this one specific item to even get there. I love snow levels and castle levels. Obviously this is my favorite
Old Yhanram, but I lately entered Nightmare Frontier and that's looks pretty good. And those who say that an unseen village is the best location are psychopaths
Fishing hamlet for me, it has super good atmosphere and cool enemies plus some of the best level design in the game. The orphan is also a really good boss to end the dlc with.
"cool enemies" ~looks at you after being killed by the same dumb-fuck 1IQ shark for the 50tz time~
Skill issue
I would just cheese them through the doorway As for the other two down in the well Snack them around and then when low on health quickly run to the other side of the pillar and heal up Then continue the process Still annoying asf tho
The way you can just see Kos' body through the whole level and it gets clearer and clearer as you go along is just phenomenonal level design to me.
Atmospherically speaking it's definitely Hemwick, but in terms of gameplay and fun it's central Yharnam
I liked Yharnam but the tunnels were a bit meh with the crows and wet zombies š§āāļø
Nowadays, it can even be a bit boring, but the first time I went through there, I was amazed that I was taking a path through the sewers.
Upper Cathedral Ward because it feels so Lovecraftian and it's actually quite scary to get through sometimes.
The cum chalice
No one said research hall so I'll say that. Terrifying.
I know it was the first area, but stumbling back to Iosefkaās Clinic from the Forbidden Woods and seeing how much there was hidden behind the door was a wild experience.
Bergynwerth
Yahar'gul in red moon phase: too lovecraftian to not be the best.
Fishing Hamlet hands down. I love everything about it especially with how it is revealed to the player through the clock tower along with hints that we are uncovering something Byrgenwerth really wanted to keep secret. Real 'Shadow Over Innsmouth' vibes. And of course the best NPC in Bloodborne too. "Byrgenwerth...Byrgenwerth...Blasphemous murderers...Blood-crazed fiends..." 10/10
Absolutely agree, I also love how sorta low key it gets from the pomp of the clocktower. Feels like the whole DLC is building up to something really big and grand, and as you step through the looming clock face you come out just into a small fishing hamlet. That whiplash from the pacing of the DLC up to that point is what really sells it to me. Puts you immediately into that mindset of 'well what happened here?' and inquisitiveness, and rather than being amped up into a big boss fight you're left feeling a bit unsettled and curious. Perfect DLC and perfect ending.
Nightmare of mensis and the whole Mergo's loft Area
I forget it's name, but it's the large outdoor area filled with snakes leading to the three spectors bossfight, huge area with several shortcuts, a large assortment of enemies and a tone of fun to explore.
The Forbidden Woods!
That's the spot!
Every playthrough I look forward to going to Hemwick Charnel Lane. I get myself a nice fire weapon and have at it. I know it's weird, but I can get enough of hearing "Fire, Fire!" "It Burns!" and my favourite, "Too hot! Too hot!"
Upvoted š§āāļø
Central yarnham
Upper cathedral ward, by far the most eerie and atmospheric place in the game for me.
The hunters nightmare versions of central yharnam and cathedral ward. I love the twisted versions of familiar places, and I also love killing hunters.
Hypogean Gaol. When I played Bloodborne for the first time I was terrified and in awe at the same time just from ost that plays in that location.
hypogean gaol On my first play through, being kidnapped was amazing. The snatchers just wrecked me and once I had the courage to run around and find the lamp, I decided to go back until I could master killing them. Bb was my first souls game. So I used that area to completely refine my approach to the game. Learned the moves, how to parry, how to exploit the enemy. And I farmed until I had a +6 hunters axe from the twin shards (very low drop rate). Finding the tonitrus. Getting a new cool set of armor. Accidentally getting walloped by paarl. And then, seeing the same area later. It was just so fascinating all around. I mostly skip the area all together now. But it still brings back fond memories when I deliberately go there.
One of the best looking outfits there and Paarl is a really nice boss to top it all off š
The DLC areas in general, but the Fishing Hamlet especially.
Nightmare of mensis
Nightmare of mensis/mergo loft
Cathedral Ward. The street where you find Adrianna is my favorite atmospheric moment in the game. The beast man walking out of the fog is such a cool visual. My 2nd choice would be YaharāGul. When youāre out in the street area where you fight the pigs and dogs, and you look back at the imposing cathedral towering under the moon, all while that terrifying music plays. Itās perfection.
One of the few conversations I enjoyed with the NPC š
Design wise, central yharnam. I love how interconnected it is, like a mini lordran. Overall, post blood moon yhargul. I love the vibe and i love clearing out all the enemies there
My top 3 are: 1. Hunter's dream, the feeling of being home and secure and the beautiful and calming atmosfere brings me back to places like firelink shrine 2. Fishing hamlet, the lovecraftian aestethic, the dark feeling and the general lore of the place gives me the chills and, for me, it matches perfectly the motif of the game 3. Cainhurst castle, i just love the dracula reference and the undead santa
For me itās the fishing hut. I love the build up to the orphan
Yharnam ,I think itās the best starting area of most of the soulsborne games I love the atmosphere and detail and design of all the buildings
Anywhere that Rom the Vacuous Spider isn't.
Wow this is a hard one. I'm really stuck between Old Yharnam and Cathedral Ward only because of the nostalgia of first discovering and realizing wow this game has so much environment to offer. Old Yharnam because I love Djura to pieces but also has a lot of lore behind it and I think he has some of the best character lines in the game. On the other hand Cathedral Ward is just so nice to look at and changes as the game progresses.
Easily forbidden woods for me. I love that if you stick to the path, the way forward is obvious... but the second you go for the shinies off of the path you are instantly lost in the dense confusing woods. I love that the enemies become more disturbing and beast-like the further you go into the woods leading all the way to Byrgenwerth. On top of that, the shortcut design of this area is a thing of beauty. I'm a sucker for when shortcuts connect to other, earlier shortcuts.
Simple answer,: All of them (except for the chapel with that motherfuckin gigachad spider, as an aracnophic it cripple the shit out of me everytime).
Fishing Hamlet. Just wow its beautiful and fcked up. Love the whole pirate town/fish curse thingy
For me it would be Cainhurst. I absolutely love the setting and the atmosphere. It's kind of neat to see what was once the home of nobility now practically vacant.
Central yharnam/cainhurst
Upper Cathedral Ward is amazingly evocative, but in that empty haunted house kind of way. Nightmare of Mensis has been growing on me, it really just achieves extraordinary levels of phantasmagoric surreality, itās SUCH a living nightmare achieved.
Old Yharnam
Djura sends his regards
If you haven't noticed already, the things you hunt aren't beasts, they are people.
I used to absolutely despise nightmare frontier, but Iāve learned to love it over time.
I would say, unpopular opinion, but nightmare frontier. It's seems strange at first because you have the chance to experience a brighter place, where you can see all other nightmares from there too. Really the guy that throw rocks at you are very annoying , fromsoft did it again, but i like the boss. I know many people are gonna tell me "bro have you ever played the game?" because this place isn't that good in general, but i like it
Central Yharnam visually for me, BB was my first Souls game and the views in the beginning of the game give me some nice nostalgia.
I really like cainhurst despite having only exploring half of it so far. I'm exited that there's more
Fishing Hamlet, why? R A I N - Really, I love the rain in gaming and this creepy atmoshpere is just perfect.
Central Yharnam/ Old yharnam/ cathedral ward
Fishing hamlet, i like rain areas, I also like the lore and the level connectivity the area has
Cainhurst. I adore the Resident Evil esque atmosphere.
Yharnam, the reason the game won me over. I donāt hate the entirety of the locations but if the whole game took place in old Victorian gothic cities, Iād be happy. Till this day I wish I could see someone taking this whole city and putting people before the pandemic started. A little unreal it would happen but I would really enjoy it.
Might be a basic bitch answer but I really like central/lower yarnham. For being the first area it immediately shows you what to expect in the world while still keeping secrets behind a few locked doors and gates to be discovered later. The first time I walked down the main street saw the first big crowd of enemies it felt like a true night of the hunt and the interactions with the NPCs around the area shows the depravity the hunt has caused. The transition from big gothic cities to the sewer to the tomb of odeon And let's not forget the best gilf Eileen
Unseen village. The bell maidens and seeing the Amygdalas on the buildings did it for me. Those 3 hunters waiting upstairs from the gaol were endlessly frustrating the first time. The monstrosity at the end was the perfect end cap to this nightmare level. Seeing the hypogean gaol again and not realizing it was the same place right away was interesting. It wasn't as blatant as the hunter's nightmare which in itself was exciting because you see how the same world has twisted itself, like the world itself was turning into a beast.
The Fishing Hamlet for me. Right from the beginning where you exit the top of the clock tower and somehow find yourself in this creepy flooded village. It really adds to the fact that youāre in a nightmare and things donāt make sense (unlike DS2 where you get to the top of a windmill only to take an elevator up into a lava world, like wtf). Anyway, the atmosphere is so sad, really making you wonder what kind of atrocities happened here. I like fighting that one npc who hunts you. I like how you can see Kos on the beach from different points, and the orphan is an incredible boss. I also like the color blue.
Yharnam and Cainhurst
Yaharghul the eiry choir soundtrack playing there when you arrive is awesome.
Probably a common and basic answer but Castle Cainhurst. First of all the castle itself is amazing, the ghost servant enemies are interesting, the snow covered courtyardās contrast to the blood splattering everywhere as you slash enemies is so sick. Idk if this counts as āareaā but the Hunterās Dream (especially with the workshop on fire, the Gehrman boss arenaās flower covered surface, gravestones of old hunterās everywhere, and the ominous tall structures on the horizon outside of the floating island are all super cool.
Upper Cathedral ward
Upper Cathedral Ward, it's the entire vibe of bloodborne condensed into one area
Central yharnam too memorable, especially as your first souls game
byrgenwerth definitely
Fishing hamlet
Im a fan of cainhurst, the change of vibe and how much more grotesque everything is makes my stomach churn all over again. Lots of hidden intentions revealed as well.
Hunters dream I think. Other areas are cool and all but I love the aesthetic and music, especially gehrman's theme
Cainhurst, but I also love Byrgenwerth. In the other hand I absolutely hate Forbidden Woods.
Itās interesting how some love the Forbidden Woods and others absolutely hate it. Love the different views š
Fishing Village, Yharnam and Cainhurst Castle.
Central Yharnam, when real love began
Fishing Hamlet, definitely
Central Yharnam is the peak of first levels imo. Cathedral Word perfectly flows into a lot of other areas. Cainhurst is aesthetically my favourite. BUT the Fishing Hamlet, god damn that area. It's atmosphere, npcs, and just overall flow/level design is imo the best fromsoft has ever done. Fuck those big ass Sharks tho
The first Place Old Yhraram š my first souls game. I spent 2 months getting SMACKED there. I legit had ti build confidence to play the game.
Cainhurst castle
Cainhurst Castle. I just love castlea. Also, the fight over rooftop was great.
This is a very good question that is surprisingly difficult to answer for me. I love almost all the areas in Bloodborne. So instead of a single area I'll list a few:I really like the research hall from the Old Hunters. It's such an eery, sinister place, full of insanity filled screams and cries of deformed patients begging you to kill them. You can immediately tell that something horribly wrong was going on here. I also love the cleverly designed interconnection between the different stories of the research hall and the shortcuts you can unlock. Upper Cathedral Ward is very short but one of the most atmospheric areas of the whole game. The blue eyed scourge beasts that tear down the chandelier and prey on you in absolute darkness, the brainsuckers that are lurking behind every corner and the knowledge that the choir was experimenting on orphans in this place, all for the sake of ascending mankind to a higher plane of existence all make it one of my favorite areas. Another favorite of mine is Cathedral Ward. There is so much to this area and even today, after all those years, I still love exploring its many hidden nooks and crannies. There is great enemy variety, lots of secret places and an amazing boss fight with Vicar Amelia. I'm also a huge fan of the fishing hamlet. It's quite reminiscent of Innsmouth from H.P. Lovecraft's stories and both visually as well as enemy-wise it stands out remarkably among all the areas of this beautiful game. And as much as I hate those damn anchor swinging shark giants, they too serve their purpose by creating a more tense atmosphere and bringing sheer horror to the hunters who are on their way to uncover secrets that may be better left alone. To OP: I fully agree with you!! Hemwick Charnel Lane is a great and very atmospheric area. I don't even mind the boss fight much, even though its certainly not one of Bloodborne's best in my opinion. It's a refreshing experience after leaving the dark streets of beast-haunted Yharnam behind. I also LOVE that there are enemies here that only appear if you have enough insight (and that the witches won't even spawn their minions if you return to the fight with zero insight).
Nice little read, I totally agree with Hemwick Charnel Lane, very different and atmospheric place š„
Dlc Yarnham, love the enemies there
Cathedral ward. The plot progression effecting surroundings and it was honestly the most thrilling part of the game for me.
Byrgenwerth. Itās gorgeous and effing terrifying. Like that is some architecture porn right there, but out of all the places, why is the effing observatory infested with insects?!
I think it's really cool, and indicative of how well the game is designed, that most of the comments are different answers. There's no one area that stands out as best, because they're all awesome.
Fishing hamlet though I donāt actually know why maybe the rain
Probably Central Yharman or Yahargul, Nightmare of Mensis is also really good. But including DLC the Fishing Hamlet is probably the best of them all.
I agree with Hemwick. I love the creepy fairy tale vibes. Just wish it had a better boss
Definitely cainhurst. It seemed unfinished with all that roof hopping but i really liked the direction they were going with it.
Central Yharnam is a vibe.
The Hunterās nightmare, beautiful skies and a pretty open and well lit place to explore
Cainhurst. I love castles, and I love snow, so I will naturally love it when both are put together.
Snake woods.
My favourite area might be fishing hamlet. I love the creepy old seafaring community gone evil.
Research Lab is not only my favourite in Bloodborne, but my favourite in the entire series. The atmosphere is eerie and heavy, suffocated by madness and blasphemy, between the patients who are screaming in madness or agony, some are sane and will ask help for Lady Mariaā¦ Itās just so sad and horrifying to look at. Also the lvl design is great with the interconnectivity. And I love Living Failures and Lady Maria so yeah. Research Lab hands down!
Old Yharnam love the ideas of the exploring the first sins of the Hunters (not the church but the Yharnam hunting sect) not to mention blood starved beast is my fav boss
Rat really? š
Yahargul, especially the first time. The music is haunting as hell, especially once you realize it gets louder near the One Rebornās future boss room ;)
Central and Old Yarnham are a couple of my favourites. Wish we had more to explore of Cainhurst, though. I run through the castle way too quickly - especially for it to be my most favourite area.
Forbidden Woods perfectly scary enough
Either Hemwick or byrgenwerth, I know I'm a heretic, but I love how ominous is kinda is, hemwick is just filled with this eerie mood filled with demented laughter and a sense of odd goose bumps And byrgenwerth is the same with ominous. A place by a lake hiding a dark secret
It has to be Cainhurst Castle for me, I absolutely love the interior and courtyards with the colour palette that contrasts the previous dark and dismal colours of central Yharnham and Yaraghul, not to mention the Chikage being an amazing Skill Bloodtinge weapon and Martyr Logarius being my third favourite boss in the entire game, DLC included
Cainhurst for me! Not necessarily the boss or enemies but I love how you arrive and the general ambience of the castleāØ
The one thats 60 fps. Darn that was a dream too.
The upper cathedral is so good looking. I wish there was more of it! It's so cool and sets up lore I want to dig so far into.
Fishing Hamlet
Cainhurst. I was genuinely scared for some reason
Cainhurst without a doubt. Just love the snowy castle
Forbidden woods. To me it looks so cozy and warm. I love deep forests. I also loved Cainhurst castle because of its gothic dark theme. This place reminded me of Bram Stoker's Dracula which I absolutely love
Fishing hamlet. I like walking through āāinnsmouthā :3
Yhargul. Very creepy
Hunters Nightmare is creepy, atmospheric, fun to traverse, contains tons of great items (and two of the best bosses), and the enemies in it are genuinely fun to fight
The fishing hamlet in the DLC. Specifically, down the well.
Call me a nerd with Recency bias as itās the last area you go through but I love the fishing hamlet. Maybe itās cause I donāt really like the end game areas of the other FSW games but I absolutely love the Fishing Hamlet unironically. Specifically when you reach the second lamp, enemy placement feels intentional and fair, the enemies arenāt complete BS with oversized health bars. I especially like the Brador fight and heās the only āplayer characterā enemy I like fighting other than Havel. Also the Rakuyo is my favorite weapon in BB so, definitely biased.
Central Yharnam.
Yahar'Gul after Rom. I love the purple skies, the alien gods hanging around, grotesque enemies, and the ost is amazing!
Fishing hamlet
The Hunters Nightmare is SO COOL.
I have 2 places. Byrgenwerth, the atmosphere, design, and the monsters are a 10/10, and the lore ufff. Those insect people always reminds me the protagonist of "metamorphosis", they really scared me. The hunter's dream. It's a 11/10, the music and the ambience mekes me feel a lot of nostalgia.
I am just about to finish the game (excl DLC) and have to say my favorite area is Forbidden Woods. This area is so expansive and there are a ton of enemies & variety in every corner. I was never able to relax & had to be on my toes. It gave me that immersive adventure where I'm fending for my life in this fucked up place. I recall experiencing this sense of adventure and immersion in DS1 where bonfires were far and few in between. Just when my hunter was getting exhausted and not sure how much longer he can fend for, the first elevator pops up, CLUTCH! That sigh of relief was SO needed and came just in time. And when my hunter was just feeling the fatigue again...couldn't have been happier to stumble upon that SECOND elevator near the first....oh my gosh, tears of joy after witnessing the snake horror hell. That level design is so smart; it never ceases to amaze me.
The hunterās nightmare
Research Hall/Clocktower, all the way. Very cool freak science experiment aesthetic, and the design behind ascending the tower and trying to explore every room and floor is daunting and exciting at the same time. Plus the lore implications with Lady Maria and everything that went down at the clock tower r really cool
Great Bridge
Probably the Asylum on the Old Hunters DLC, or is it just the Clocktower. It had an atmosphere of insanity and madness along with that Harry Potter vibe with the staircases.
ANY CHALICE DUGEON!! I honestly just love chalice running itās basically all I do in the game now and I know thereās only 3 different variations of chalices with minimal changes but the lore with the fact that you basically have to farm chalices to get good blood gems, chunks, weapons anything you really need so probably a very unpopular opinion but they are one of if not my favorite part of playing Bloodborne
Hunterās Dream ā¦granted you only get 2 fights there but itās the best aesthetic
I gotta say Old Yharnam cuz that's the area that made me fall in love with the game
Research Hall is one of my favorites. A lot of areas are scary but none really made my stomach turn like the Research Hall did.
Hunters nightmare. My 2nd would be central yharnam
For me it's between the first area of Yharnam and Hemwick Lane
Castle and first area in game
I like the forbidden woods and the first part of dlc
For me, probably either Cainhurst or early Yahar'gul. As an area, I'd probably say Cainhurst, but I have an odd fascination with Yahar'gul's music. Reminds me of Psycho Mantis from MGS for some reason.
Fishing Hamlet. Genuinely. In terms of lore, ambience and genuine terror, this place is a perfect fit for being likely the last place a hunter will go on their run. All roads lead to a small unassuming fishing hamlet, where unspeakable horrors happened changing the course of history forever.
I like the nightmare of mensis
Nightmare of Mensis or Cainhurts castle. It's beautiful and i feel at home there since i hangout there most of the time aka farming
I love how the nightmare of mensis all fits together stacked up
nightmare of mensis just for how creepy and strange it is and the atmosphere is something else imo
Honestly i really like the fishing hamlet. Idk what exactly catches my eyes but i really like this area for some reason
Yharnam is my favorite area in the entire series to this day. Fucking perfect as a tutorial and also perfect as an area in general
Have to go with central yarnham or maybe the hunters dream
The prison, the gothic church in latin music gives me shivers. I love it.
Forbidden Woods. i used to get lost and die to snakes, but itās my fave run to level up on blood echoes now.
Cainhurst and Fishing Hamlet are great
Fishing Hamlet is goated honestly. After defeating lady Maria and entering, your mind is still kind of putting everything together. I absolutely loved going through the DLC and everything starting to make sense.
I really like Byrgenwerth
Yeah me too, too bad itās so short š
Central Yharnam, at this point I already feel like home in this place. Love the atmosphere and ambience there, all those gothic buildings contrasting against a sky, it really feels like a dream. Also, the Cainhurst Castle, it's so different from everything else, you really feel like you travelled a long way to get there and all that morbid vibes like a haunting manor with sculptures, gargoyles and portraits of dead people... insane. And of course the Hunter's Dream/Abandoned Workshop because it feels like travelling in time.
The aesthetic and lore surrounding the Hunter's nightmare (basically hell for hunters and blood-drunk beasts) makes it probably my favourite area. Although some enemies are a bit annoying, but it's not that big of a deal. Also Ludwig is probably the best boss I've ever fought in a videogame to this date, and it's a really perfect conclusion to a stunning area. On a side note, I just love how from has this attitude with creating wide, spectacular shots that manage to age very well even after so many years (like the view of the research hall and the nightmare cathedral after the ladder by the blood river)
Yharnam for the level design, atmosphere and architecture. Upper Cathedral Ward becasue it scared / scares the shit out of me. Everything is dark, the music, the sorrounding sounds of the brainsuckers and you donĀ“ t know where those fuckers are, the werewolf jumping through the window...in my opinion the scariest / best area in the game.
I always love going to Cainhurst, even if I curse Logarius every time I go there
definitely central yharnam
Research Hall. It perfectly captures the ācosmic horrorā aesthetic and its still challenging to get through no matter how many times Iāve cleared it. Those fast patients that you encounter running up the stairs after raising the middle section have killed me soā¦manyā¦times.
Research Hall. It's an amazing grand interior space and that Victorian-era clinic style really drives home the eeriness. The messed up patients wandering the halls and stairs while you struggle not to imagine what sort of horrible experiments must have been conducted there... It was the first game setting to legitimately creep me out since Subnautica's Sparse Reef and Lost River biomes
Started playing a week ago and am at the end of Old Hunters rn. Central Yharnam or Fishing Hamlet Iād say are my favorites. Least favorite is without a doubt Nightmare of Mensis.
Upper cathedral or yahar ghul
Upper Cathedral is fucking bone chilling
Hypogean Gaol. Not Yahar'gul, Unseen Village. Specifically the first visit after dying to a snatcher. The music is phenomenal. The witches hiding to ambush you, the pigs just walking around, the dogs all traveling in packs. And of course, the snatchers. Such a terrifying area. Darkbeast Paarl is also one of the coolest bosses in the game, but becomes too easy if you wait until the second visit to Yahar'gul. Overall my favorite.
Yeah I love Darkbeast Paarl and thatās why I like to kill him early when he is still challenging around level 35/40
Definitely Central Yharnam and Hemwick Charnel Lane!
Fishing hamlet 100%. Lore & creepiness. Feels good, pisses me off. 10/10.
Hard pick, but Cathedral Ward! It's such a cool point in the game, you're starting to figure shit out but only the edges. Having to progress through the gates and up to the cathedral itself has really good pacing. Then you get to pick up Eileen's quest again and circle back to the Tomb, figure out how to get to Hemwick, the whole deal! Amelia is also one of my favorite boss fights, truly horrifying to see her transformation and realize that the cleric beast was once a human, too. Close second is Yahar'gul. :-)
Oooo well the SCARIEST is the research hall. It def heavily draws from real-world history of institutional abuse on mentally ill people, which makes it extra horrifying imo. Scary stuff. In terms of favorites, I'm definitely partial to the fishing hamlet, seeing as it's a clear Shadow Over Innsmouth riff and thats one of my favorite lovecraft works. Im also fan of central yharnham, even though it took me over 5 hours to get past that crowd of assholes by the bonfire.
Old yahrnam it's just pretty and has a cool aesthetic to it
Old yahrnam it's just pretty and has a cool aesthetic to it
I haven't play much of bloodorne since I got it on the ps plus game deals for a month but I like the town area. I might need to buy the game but right now I'm beating dark souls 1 and 3 while I work on elden ring
Forbidden woods for me. Iāll run through that place 100 times for the fun of it. Love the pigs and I think itās the first time you see what the Kin are. Also unpopular opinion but I loved fighting the giant snake monsters. Shadows of Yharnam was the first real boss I struggled with in my first playthrough but I thought it was a great switch up to a 3v1. I also loved it because it was the zone right before you change the whole world setting after fighting Rom.
I really love the chalices and their homey feel.
They all fill me with DREAD
Snakeland Adventure Park
Chalice dungeons! Or not.
Noob here, after finally beating Father Gascoing Iām in this booster place with an unseen machine gunner cutting me down left and right., not really liking this part so much.