u/StormBro111111

Bloodborne is definitely a great game.

So I've nearly finished my first playthrough of the base game (only Mensis and Upper cathedral ward left plus the boss fo cainhurst) and I've been reflecting on Bloodborne.

I've played the other Soulsebornes (not Sekiro) multiple times and decided to play Bloodborne after seeing how much hype it gets from some YouTubers.

The controls and combat speed must have been a revelation after demon's souls and darks souls 1/2. It's a totally different game highlighted by the lack of proper shields and also the rally mechanic that lets the player regain lost health by attacking enemies. I prefer the faster and fluid combat of Bloodborne and I'm really glad FromSoft continued with this philosophy for Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring.

Bloodborne's combat feels the most balanced of any FromSoft game and it feels like I can move and dodge as quickly as any enemy or boss, something which can't be said about DS3 or Elden Ring lol.

However the lack of ranged options (bows or magic) is a bit annoying versus the other Souls games and ER. Also the lack of magic (at least from what I've seen so far) is a bit jarring because I really enjoy doing int and faith builds in the other FromSoft games on my second and third playthroughs (unga bunga strength is usually my first playthrough). It's heaps of fun firing projectiles and using health spells on subsequent playthroughs after using a gigantic sword to smash things in my first playthrough.

I've really enjoyed Bloodborne but I don't know if I'll do another playthrough anytime soon because of the lack of build types versus the Souls trilogy and ER.

The level aesthetics are amazing and while I appreciate that FromSoft was trying to do the interconnected levels from Dark Souls 1 and Demon's souls (each level is usually a loop that ends in a shortcut back to the start) I think I actually prefer the more linear design of Dark Souls 2/3 and Elden Ring. It allows for more surprises while exploring levels.

The game was surprisingly short in length! I was surprised how quickly I've gone through it, but it's refreshing that FromSoft went for quality over quantity with Bloodborne.

Bloodborne's lore is also really cool and interests me in a way that other FromSoft games don't. I can actually follow the story of Bloodborne for the most part whereas the other FromSoft games.... I still have no clue what the lore and stories are even after many playthroughs lol!

It's a great game no doubt and it was definitely worth the price of a used PS4 Pro to experience it. Bloodborne needs either a sequel or at least a 60 FPS patch because the combat of this game would really be fun at higher frame rates!

This is my first time playing Bloodborne and each level has been better than the last... But I've just gone through Cainhurst (haven't defeated the boss yet) and this place is absolutely spectacular!

What a moody, beautiful, and killer setting for a level!

I've cleared the woods and found the entrance to Iosefka's clinic.

This game has the greatest vibe / atmosphere of any FromSoft game. Legit it gives me the same creepy feelings I get when watching the original Alien, before the Xenomorph is revealed.

You know there's something just not quite right about the world but can't put your finger on it.

This game is 10/10 for the world and atmosphere it creates, perhaps even being FromSoft's best. Incredible.

This area is a cool concept but is too confusing.

And the boss - seriously who at FromSoft thinks gank fights are a good idea?!

I ended up running through the second half of the area and using the summons to defeat the boss.

I think I'll just be rushing through this area in future playthroughs. Yuck.

I'm making my way through the forbidden woods, which I think means I'm nearing the halfway point of the game.

Honestly the game's technical performance is better than I was led to believe. The various threads and YouTube videos on the topic made it sound like the game was a stuttering mess.

But on a PS4 Pro the game is actually a great experience. Yes I'd love to see the frame drops eliminated but it's not detracting from my enjoyment of the game at all.

In fact Bloodborne has aged so well that it really only needs a 60FPS patch and higher resolutions and it'll look like a modern game!

I started a deprived playthrough.

The club just seems so bloody good. It's fast, staggers enemies, and doesn't consume much stamina.

Is the mace actually better than the club? Or should I just stick with the club?

I've played DS3 many times. However I played Demons Souls OG recently on PC emulator and jumping back into DS3 is absolutely transformational.

Combat is more fluid than the older title, player movement and animations are better, enemies are more fun to fight, etc.

I didn't realise how clunky the older FromSoft games were until I played DeS and then DS3 back to back.

Each has their own charm of course but in terms of player experience, combat and control, FromSoft made the right move by shifting from slower methodic combat to freer flowing and faster combat.

So I started a deprived build after a few years since my last play through. I had every intention of replacing the club with either the claymore or the deep axe ASAP...

But holy heck does the club do damage! I just have to spam R1 and every enemy is poise broken and killed lol!

I'm playing DS3 for the first time in a few years and have started with the class that is naked to begin with (I think it's called Wretched?).

I've noticed that locking onto the tutorial boss means I can't sprint around home because the sprint button is instead programmed to roll when I'm locked on... That appears to make it harder for me to avoid some of the attacks in the second phase.

Do you guys recommend getting used to fighting this boss and others like him without locking on? Will that make it easier due to being able to sprint around the boss arena?

edit: thanks I didn't realise that sprinting was still possible while locked on! I thought only rolling was possible.

So a lot of people have the view that magic is Demon's Souls easy mode.

My unpopular opinion is that melee is easier because only a handful of stats need to be levelled (vit, end, str).

Whereas magic users have to level at least 5 stats (vit, end, str or dex, int, mag).

I've just done two back to back playthroughs, the first was an ungabunga melee playthrough and the second was a magic playthrough.

The magic playthrough ended up feeling trickier because, despite having strong ranged attacks (which melee users can replicate with bows BTW), I had to level so many stats that I felt like a glass cannon for much of the game.

I found that I was tanky and powerful relatively quickly with the strength melee build. The magic build took a bit longer to get going. Crescent falchion obviously helped a lot lol.

Looking for some advice and a sanity check.

And please spare me the holier-than-thou advice. I'm asking for genuine feedback.

Our 4.5 year old son is extremely argumentative, particular with how things need to be done, controlling, has a couple of fears that make him meltdown (e.g. wetting his hair, cutting his hair, shampooing his hair), and is very emotionally clingy. He's also highly intelligent (he can already read and has a ridiculous memory), and when he's behaving well is a really funny kid with a big heart.

We also have a 7 month old baby too and between the needs of a newborn and raising a 4.5 yo, the increasingly difficult behaviour of the 4.5 yo is becoming unbearable.

These days I get to the end of the day almost regretting having him, which is a terrible thing to say because I love him. But his bad behaviours are just getting to be too much to deal with considering I also have a stressful job, big mortgage, a wife and a baby to also look after. I find myself getting angry very quickly with the 4.5 yo and resorting to discipline (usually yelling or time out or a smack on the bum) more frequently than I used to.

Any advice on how to improve myself? I don't know what to do and am near my whits end.

edit: there is some solid advice here, thank you.

to clarify, I spend a lot of one on time with my son. like today my wife and baby were sick to I took a day of sick leave and took him out to the park and the shops for a couple of hours. then we went out again in the late afternoon. and we just did a bath and read a book before bed.

the bad behaviour that ultimately results in yelling timeout, or a smack on the bum is usually when things aren't done exactly as he wants (e.g. we turn off the TV instead of him turning off the TV [after we've asked him 10 times to turn off the TV], or we say no to junk food and offer him fruit instead), or when he's just wilfully ignoring us (e.g. being rough with the baby, or climbing into the fridge to get his desired food. we've explained many times that climbing into a fridge is dangerous). the bad behaviour is probably only 5-10% of the time but it often happens later in the day when I'm emotionally worn out. maybe it just gets to me more later in the day and I have less patience to deal with it.

our days are full of "deals" e.g. you can watch TV for 10 mins and we're going to set a buzzer as a reminder, clean your toys and we'll put a dollar in your piggy bank, etc.

I definitely need to watch what I say around him because I've been guilty of complaining to my wife about our son within eat shot of our son. that's not good behaviour and I'll be mindful to change that

edit 2:

re: bathing, yes I've tried having him wash my hair, douse me with water using his bucket, etc. we did this for weeks and had a great laugh but still didn't fix his fear.

re: controlling behaviour, we do give him options to choose from. e.g. green socks or red socks, brown or black pants, bowl or plate, peanut butter and bread or oats/yoghurt/honey, etc. this has definitely helped. We wouldn't have coped otherwise.

Looking for some advice and a sanity check.

And please spare me the holier-than-thou advice. I'm asking for genuine feedback.

Our 4.5 year old son is extremely argumentative, particular with how things need to be done, controlling, has a couple of fears that make him meltdown (e.g. wetting his hair, cutting his hair, shampooing his hair), and is very emotionally clingy. He's also highly intelligent (he can already read and has a ridiculous memory), and when he's behaving well is a really funny kid with a big heart.

We also have a 7 month old baby too and between the needs of a newborn and raising a 4.5 yo, the increasingly difficult behaviour of the 4.5 yo is becoming unbearable.

These days I get to the end of the day almost regretting having him, which is a terrible thing to say because I love him. But his bad behaviours are just getting to be too much to deal with considering I also have a stressful job, big mortgage, a wife and a baby to also look after. I find myself getting angry very quickly with the 4.5 yo and resorting to discipline (usually yelling or time out or a smack on the bum) more frequently than I used to.

Any advice on how to improve myself? I don't know what to do and am near my whits end.

As per the title.

My 4.5yo son argues about everything, doesn't leave me alone ( I need me time), and doesn't shut up the entire day. He's literally constantly talking/singing/being silly/ jumping around the furniture unless he's watch TV.

I'm worn out at the end of the day.

I'm starting to dislike him. Is this normal?

Will we be the first team to win a prem having conceded 50 in the regular season?

I'm about 2/3 of the way through my PC playthrough. So far I've finished all of Stonefang and shadow world, and Boletaria 1-1 to 1-3 (I just killed the dragons the black Phantom before Allant).

I played DeS 15 years ago... 15 years later and after finishing DS1/2/3 and Elden Ring, Boletaria Palace still leaves a heck of an impression. In fact it might be my favourite FromSoft castle level.

Of all the grand castles in the Souls games and ER, something about Boletarian Palace just hits different. The vibe, the layout, the difficulty, the mood. Everything about is absolutely epic. I don't know what it is but there is just something about this castle that is brilliant.

And FS did it in their first game, which is incredible.