Bloodborne is not your typical linear action game. In fact, it’s more of an action-RPG that requires a complex structuring of your playthrough. With the help of our Bloodborne Game Progression Guide, you will be able to traverse the world in a much better manner without running into any sort of problems.
A lot of players will just go to the most obvious locations in the game, but there’s a lot of extremely important things you could miss if you do that, including bosses, items, and covenants. More importantly, how you progress and what you do can indirectly affect your game ending as well. This is where our Bloodborne Game Progression Guide comes in.
For more help on Bloodborne, read our Character Builds, Messenger Skins Locations, and How to Join Covenants.
Bloodborne Game Progression
For this very reason, we have compiled a basic Bloodborne Game Progression Guide for the game. This is not a walkthrough, but only general step-by-step directions of where you should be going next, and what you should be doing in every area. Follow this and you’ll have a complete gaming experience, with every boss encountered, every place visited, and all the essential items acquired.
Note: This Bloodborne Game Progression Guide may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk!
1st Floor Sickroom
- Head to Central Yharnam
- You can die from the werewolf enemy and simply reach Hunter’s Dream first
Hunter’s Dream
- If you die from the first enemy, you’ll head to Hunter’s Dream. Purchase necessary items from there and head back to Iosefka’s Clinic.
Central Yharnam
- From Central Yharnam, progress to the Tomb of Oedon. You can locate and talk to several NPCs in Central Yharnam (Gilbert, Eileen the Crow, Viola’s Daughter) and carry out their small sidequests.
Great Bridge
- You can fight the first boss of the game, Cleric Beast (optional), at the Great Bridge.
Tomb of Oedon
- Defeat Father Gascoigne the boss here
- You should pick up the Blood Gem Workshop Tool as well from here.
- After defeating Father Gascoigne, you should have 10 Insight. Now, you can use the Upper Bath Messenger in Hunter’s Dream to buy a Small Resonant Bell for co-op and PvP.
- Head to the Cathedral Ward
Cathedral Ward
- There are two options for you here.
- You can either proceed to Old Yharnam (optional) or buy the Hunter Chief Emblem from the Lower Bath Messengers for 10,000 Echoes and proceed to the boss Vicar Amelia.
- It is recommended that you go to Old Yharnam, as there are plenty of goods and a boss.
- Meet all the NPCs in Cathedral Ward (Alfred, Lonely Old Woman) and perform their various sidequests.
Old Yharnam
- After entering the area, avoid Djura for now and proceed through Old Yharnam
- Defeat the Blood-Starved Beast and then get yourself killed by one of the Snatcher enemies
- This will transport your to Hypogean Gaol. Here, explore the area, then kill Darkbeast Paarl
- After this, approach Djura without aggroing him and attacking other enemies, and select “Spare the Beast”
- This will make Djura friendly and get you a gesture and a badge (killing Djura previously only gets you the badge)
- Defeating the Blood-Starved Beast will open the way to the Healing Church Workshop
Healing Church Workshop
- Obtain the Radiant Sword Hunter Badge (highly recommended) from this area
- Head to the Abandoned Old Workshop from here (very highly recommended) before proceeding to the other side of the Cathedral Ward.
Abandoned Old Workshop
- Acquire One Third of Umbilical Cord (very highly recommended) from this area.
Cathedral Ward (From Healing Church Workshop)
- Head to Vicar Amelia by coming to Cathedral Ward through the Healing Church Workshop.
- Defeat Vicar Amelia
- After acquiring the password, use the altar after the Vicar Amelia boss fight
- Before going to the Hemwick Lane or Forbidden Woods, find Arianna and direct her to the Cathedral Ward (very highly recommended).
- After defeating Vicar Amelia, it is possible to get a Tonsil Stone from one of various red-lantern NPCs.
Hemwick Charnel Lane
- Optional area that can be found by going to the left of the Grand Cathedral when outside it
- Defeat the Witch of Hemwick here
- Obtain the Rune Workshop Tool to start using Caryll Runes.
Lecture Building 1st Floor
- If you’ve acquired the Tonsil Stone after defeating Vicar Amelia, you can use it to travel here by getting grabbed by the invisible Lesser Amygdala that is at the dead end to the right of the Grand Cathedral outside.
- You can acquire multiple runes in this area.
- Avoid going to the Nightmare Frontier for now
Forbidden Woods
- Defeat the Shadow of Yharnam here.
- Find the hidden passage from here to Iosefka’s Clinic (back-end).
- Be sure to kill the Suspicious Beggar if you encounter him. Do not send him to safety!
Iosefka’s Clinic (Rear Entrance)
- Optional area, but important for several reasons
- Obtain Cainhurst Summons
- Do NOT kill Iosefka yet, return here after killing Rom, the Vacuous Spider.
Castle Cainhurst
- Optional and difficult area. You can consider coming here later on.
- You can only go to Cainhurst Castle after obtaining the Cainhurst Summons. After acquiring the item, you need to go to Witch’s Abode via the lantern. This area will only appear if you have killed the Witch of Hemwick
- Here, interact with the large obelisk at the end to summon a carry that will take you to Cainhurst Castle
- Defeat Martyr Logarius in Cainhurst Castle
- Join the Cainhurst Vilebloods Convenant
Byrgenwerth
- After defeating Shadow of Yharnam, head to Byrgenwerth
- Find the Lunarium Key and defeat Rom, the Vacuous Spider
- The entire game world will change drastically once you defeat this boss. Make sure you have sent every NPC to safety (especialy Arianna) before killing the boss. Hypogean Goal will no longer be accessible either.
- Head back to the back-side of Iosefka’s Clinic and defeat her. Obtain the One Third of Umbilical Cord from her.
Nightmare Frontier
- Head back to Lecture Building 1st Floor
- Leave it from the main gates through the large halls.
- Defeat Amygadala here.
Yahar’gul, Unseen Village
- Acquire the Upper Cathedral Key
- Defeat The One Reborn
- Before interacting with the Mummy, head to the Upper Cathedral Ward
Upper Cathedral Ward
- Once you have the key, go to Cathedral Ward. From the lamp post, take the door to the right and travel up the elevator. Head to the top of the tower and use the key on the door there to get to the Upper Cathedral Ward.
- Obtain the Orphanage Key from here from an enemy, then head to the Orphanage.
Orphanage
- Defeat the Celestial Emmisary to acquire access to Ebrietas
- Defeat Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos.
- Head back to Yahar’gul and interact with the Mummy to be transported to Lecture Building 2nd
Lecture Building 2nd Floor
- Open the shortcut to Lecture Building 1st Floor
- Exit the area to the Nightmare of Mensis
Nightmare of Mensis
- Defeat Micolash, Host of Nightmare
- Defeat Mergo’s Wet Nurse and acquire your third One Third of Umbilical Cord.
End Game
- Trigger one of the Three Possible Endings to the game in Hunter’s Dream.
This is all we have in our Bloodborne Game Progression Guide. If there is anything else that you would like to add, let us know in the comments section below!
