PvP in Bloodborne took a rather slow start, but it was understandable because of the game’s vastness, and also because your character only really starts to take shape when you reach around level 90/100.
However, if you’ve been casual with how you’ve been building your character’s stats and the weapons/runes/Blood Games you are using, you’ll get severely punished in PvP. For this reason, you need to think of creating builds for PvP combat early on.
For more help on Bloodborne, read our Character Builds Guide, Trophy Guide and Game Progression Guide.
Bloodborne PvP Builds
Most of the PvP-associated builds in Bloodborne work well in PvE as well because the game doesn’t have as many stats as the Souls games. So if you do have PvP in mind, you should make sure you start off building your character for the matches.
We’ve got a few builds for you that work very well in both PvP and PvE, but their primary application (and weapons) are for PvP. All these builds are at level 100, but it’ll be quite obvious which stats you’ll prioritize as you progress beyond that mark.
Cainhurst Assassin
Starting Class: Noble Scion
Main Build
- Vitality – 35
- Endurance – 37
- Strength – 14
- Skill – 30
- Bloodtinge – 35
- Arcane – 6
Attire
Cainhurst Set.
Weapons of Choice
Trick Weapon: Chikage
Firearm: Evelyn
Caryll Runes
Blood Rapture, Radiance, Clockwise Metamorphosis
How This Build Works
They’ll call it overpowered, they’ll call you a katana-wh**e, but let’s be honest: the powerful weapon is there to be used, and while it may not entirely fit the Victorian setting of Bloodborne, it does fit its gameplay mechanics.
The Chikage is one of the most powerful weapons in the game, and with the right build (this one), can become extremely overpowered. The only requirement is that you’ll need to upgrade Bloodtinge very regularly, and at the start that can be a bit problematic.
Nevertheless, the Chikage’s brilliance is not only in its S-scaled secondary transformation into a large, two-handed katana, but also its utilization of Skill when used in normal mode.
You will however need to be at a higher level when using the Chikage to counter its two-handed transformation’s health-drain mechanic – every time you will hit a foe, a portion of your health will be depleted. However, unlike many other health-drain effects, this one isn’t percentage based – it is static.
This means that whether you have 600 HP or 1000, the Chikage will chip away the same amount of health for every hit. This makes it a mechanic that can be countered easily with some clever Blood Gems, good Runes, and lots of Vitality.
Using this build in PvP is simple. You need to look for openings against your foe while you constantly harass them with your Evelyn.
When they do get closer, dodge and counter with the two-handed variant. This will do TONS of damage, and will force your opponent into going back, at this time you can switch back to single-handed, rinse and repeat. Even if you fail the dodge, just perform a couple of two-handed Chikage strikes and move back.
This will take a toll on your health, but the strikes will be so devastating with this large amount of Bloodtinge that your opponent will be forced to retreat even if your HP is fairly low. Rinse and repeat.
It’s definitely a high-risk game, but mastering the art of dodging will allow you to greatly utilize the Chikage’s immense reach and power.
Wheel of Fortune
Starting Class: Violent Past
Main Build
- Vitality – 50
- Endurance – 40
- Strength – 42
- Skill – 15
- Bloodtinge – 6
- Arcane – 7
Attire
Executioner Set or Yahar’gul Set.
Weapons of Choice
Trick Weapon: Logarius Wheel (primary), Kirkhammer
Firearm: Cannon
Caryll Runes
Clawmark, Formless Oedon, Clockwise Metamorphosis
How This Build Works
In order to make this build, you’ll have to follow a gameplay that is the exact opposite of the previously mentioned Chikage-based build. This is a pure Strength build that utilizes the extremely powerful Logarius Wheel and Kirkhammer weapons.
The Logarius Wheel is required only if you join the Executioners covenant. Once you acquire this weapon, you might find it a little hard and (very) strange to use. It has an interesting yet odd mechanic that can be absolutely destructive for you if not used properly.
Conversely, if you learn to use the Logarius Wheel to its full effect, then you might just become unstoppable in PvP matches.
The Logarius Wheel has no real transformation. Instead, on its transform you can spin the wheel up to four times using the L2 button. Each spin will vastly power it up but it will also increasingly deplete your HP.
That’s a rather unfair trade-off, right? Wrong. Every-time you hit a player when the wheel is powered up (and your health depleting), you will regain a decent portion back. This encourages you to be aggressive. Plus, the Logarius Wheel when powered up hurts A LOT.
The one downside of the wheel is its range. It’s an excessively blunt weapon (it’s a freakin’ wheel after all) that has a poor range. You’re basically going to be doing Hulk-smashes on the ground, and miss quite a bit because of the slightly telegraphed animation. However, once you do manage to hit a player, he’ll be doomed.
The stagger is immense, and you can quickly combo 2-3 rapid hits to KO an opponent in an instant. It is extremely overpowered in this sense, because once you manage to lay the first hit, the follow-ons become ridiculously easy, and players succumb to its wrath within seconds.
If you’re facing a clever foe who moves around, keeps his distance, shows patience, and only attacks in counter (the right way to play against a Logarius Wheel wielder), then you should switch to the Kirkhammer.
This weapon doesn’t have the same insane hit-box as the Logarius Wheel, but it has a larger reach, and its primary transformation is an elegant sword that will help you perform quick slashes against a fast foe who has mastered dodging.
Ludwig’s Arcane Disciple
Starting Class: Cruel Fate
Main Build
- Vitality – 36
- Endurance – 35
- Strength – 16
- Skill – 20
- Bloodtinge – 5
- Arcane – 40
Attire
Any set that gives good resistances and high physical defense.
Weapons of Choice
Trick Weapon: Ludwig’s Holy Blade
Secondary Weapon: Tiny Tonitrus
Caryll Runes
Great Lake, Hunter, Clockwise Metamorphosis
How This Build Works
I have considered Ludwig’s Holy Blade as perhaps the most balanced trick weapon in the whole game, and many would probably agree with me. It has a brilliant combination of power, speed, staggering ability, and reach. More importantly, it utilizes most attributes apart from Bloodtinge to perfection.
The build we’re using though isn’t just about the Ludwig’s Blade, but also about the Tiny Tonitrus. A lot of people don’t seem to be interested in using Hunter Tools instead of Firearms in PvP, which is strange.
Sure, the Hunter Tools are more telegraphed and aren’t exactly good for staggering, but with Bloodborne’s fast-paced mechanics, in PvP it is often wiser to acquire something that does large damage instead of something that can stagger.
The Tiny Tonitrus is a great initiator weapon that sets up the tempo for using your Holy Blade.
With an impressive S scaling in Arcane, you’ll have enough power to decimate your opponents if both the TT’s and Ludwig’s attacks manage to land successfully. This can result in instant KO for some, while others will be force to retreat in shock and attempt to heal.
If possible, you should throw a Numbing Mist at your opponent before initiating your Tonitrus-Ludwig combo. This will prevent them from healing after receiving some nasty Arcane blows and keep them on the back foot, allowing you time to reuse the TT and attack with your long-reaching Ludwig’s blade.
It’s also important to remember that most players come equipped with lots of physical and poison defense but hardly ever have any Arcane defense. This is the perfect build to punish such players, and works fairly well even against those who do have Arcane resistance.
