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Dark Souls 3 v. Bloodborne: Which is more difficult?

ubiblu

Member
BB is tougher due to wonky pacing and expansion bosses. DS3 only has a few tough fights near the end, but three of the DLC bosses (Friede, Demon, Midir) are up there for most difficult in the series. Tough call really.
 
After spending an hour learning how to beat this fucking asshole with a slower weapon, I have to give it to Bloodborne.

WrTh8P.gif



Speaking of EpicNameBro, he ragequit his last attempt to stream Bloodborne.
That fool was trying to do a no death no level up run of Bloodborne. Like why do that to yourself?
 
Everyone seems to have issues with different bosses and games.

DS3 was disappointingly easy for me. I died once on maybe 3 or 4 bosses and killed the rest on the first try. I've never played the DLC, to be fair, but I was definitely disappointed with the level of challenge in Dark Souls 3.

Conversely, there were 6 Bloodborne bosses that took me over an hour to beat. Orphan, Lawrence, Defiled Bloodletting, Pthumerian descendant, and Ludwig were all fights that felt completely hopeless on the first few tries. And despite knowing exactly what to do, the Defiled Amygdala took forever to execute properly. Hell, Orphan alone took me like 3 hours, which is longer than all of DS3's bosses combined.
 

Van Bur3n

Member
I don't like counting the half HP dungeon bosses because they're just gimmicks. The Defiled Watchdog was hard as hell to me, but it's the exact same fight as the regular Watchdog, but with a fuckton of HP and killing you in one hit (two if you have enough fire defense or a lot of HP).

Play Dark Souls 1 with a Broken Straight Sword and 1HP and suddenly every enemy is a Defiled Watchdog.

It's dumb. A fun challenge, but dumb. It's more comparable to the numerous challenge runs the community comes up with than a regular playthrough.

Exactly how I feel about it. Shit felt almost like the game's forced upon soul level 1 challenge run, and when comparing the difficulty of the games, I don't take it into consideration.

DS3 has

- Pontiff
- Dancer
- Oceiros
- Champion Gundyr
- Friede
- Demon Prince
- Midir

Oceiros? That's the "hit it while it's spazzing out" boss. And Ocerios is spazzing out all the damn time and is open to attack as a result. Would have at least replaced him with Gael and you're good to go.

But yeah yeah, different experiences with different players, therefore different things we find difficult.
 

Wamb0wneD

Member
Didn't play DS 3 yet, I just know that Ludwig and Orphan of Kos are the worst.Needed 40 tries for the latter. If DS 3 has multiple of bosses with that level of difficulty I might reconsider playing it lol. On the other hand I have a shield to turtle I guess.

Edit:

I just beat ORPHAN OF KOS yesterday. Was close to calling it quits a couple of times.
But he is nothing compared to the DS3 Dlc guys I think.

Uh oh...
 
I think Bloodborne is easier because you can master dodge and play in more aggressive ways, parrying is also easier. And DSIII has those bs mobs with 8 streak combos out of nowhere, poise is also screwed.

That being said, Orphan of Kos destroyed me in NG4. By far the most difficult fight ever in a Souls game, at least to me.
 

HenryEen

Banned
From my experience, Bloodborne starts out very difficult but become much easier the further you go. Dark Souls 3 starts out easy but become more difficult as you progress through the game.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Didn't play DS 3 yet, I just know that Ludwig and Orphan of Kos are the worst.Needed 40 tries for the latter. If DS 3 has multiple of bosses with that level of difficulty I might reconsider playing it lol. On the other hand I have a shield to turtle I guess.

Edit:



Uh oh...

DS3 is far, far harder imho. The add-ons in particular are obnoxiously difficult in places, whereas in Old Hunters there's an immediate shock value to the fact that everything is relatively high level, so once you are of a sufficient level its more or less the same as the rest of the game, the Ariandel/Ringed City are just straight mean no matter what level you are.
 

III-V

Member
Its easier to get started in DS3. But Nameless King, my god. Just rick rolled me for a week or something. Same with chalice dungeon Amygdala in BB. FML. Other than that, yes both challenging, BB was more difficult for me, as Father G punished the shot outta me. Once past that, wasn't too bad for me.
 
I gotta say though, for any souls game, i don't think comparing what boss is easy or hard when using MAX PERFECT tactics is fair at all. Most people go into the bosses completely blind which changes a lot compared to using the best weapons and armour for each boss.
 
DS3,I thought Bloodborne was gonna be a harder game for me because of the lack of shields,but turned out I really preferred the new combat style in Bloodborne
 

Nasbin

Member
With DLC and Chalice dungeons included, I'd give the edge to Bloodborne. Base game vs base game DS3 definitely has harder bosses, but then again you can cheese Dark Souls bosses much easier if you go a caster route. Rally system + generous healing also makes clearing trash between bosses feel easier in BB. Hard to compare 1:1.
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
I honestly think nothing in Bloodborne is as difficult as Friede. That 3 HP bar is total bullshit. Even Ludwig has the decency not to refill his HP by the time he takes his 2nd form.
 

Toxi

Banned
I honestly think nothing in Bloodborne is as difficult as Friede. That 3 HP bar is total bullshit. Even Ludwig has the decency not to refill his HP by the time he takes his 2nd form.
On the other hand, Ludwig's health bar is probably as big as all three of Friede's combined. :p
 

TitusTroy

Member
DS3 has the hardest boss ever in any Souls game- Sister Friede- but other then that Bloodborne overall has the more difficult bosses
 

Aomber

Member
The answer is neither because different factors are going to be easier or more difficult for different players. That's what makes the series so interesting.
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
On the other hand, Ludwig's health bar is probably as big as all three of Friede's combined. :p

Doesn't feel that way when you got killed a million times by her, lol.

Also, you basically have to memorize 3 different battle styles with her, as each phase she changed it, and the 2nd phase you need to fight two at the same time too. Ludwig, on the other hand, his 2nd phase is much easier to learn and in fact it is pretty much agreed by everyone playing Bloodborne that his 1st phase is more difficult than his 2nd.
 

Toxi

Banned
Doesn't feel that way when you got killed a million times by her, lol.

Also, you basically have to memorize 3 different battle styles with her, as each phase she changed it, and the 2nd phase you need to fight two at the same time too. Ludwig, on the other hand, his 2nd phase is much easier to learn and in fact it is pretty much agreed by everyone playing Bloodborne that his 1st phase is more difficult than his 2nd.
I actually find his 1st phase easier, but that's because I've learned his 1st phase incredibly well. :p The 2nd phase is probably easier once you learn it well, but that double sword swing just annihilates low level characters.
 

HeelPower

Member
You cant even block in BB.

Dodging is pretty lenient in DS3(probably just as good as BB) plus you can block and tank your way.

Also,embers get you a ton of extra health in DS3.

DS3 is undoubtedly the easiest of all souls games.
 

MGrant

Member
What about Princes, Nameless King and Slave Knight Gael?

Oceiros? That's the "hit it while it's spazzing out" boss. And Ocerios is spazzing out all the damn time and is open to attack as a result. Would have at least replaced him with Gael and you're good to go.

But yeah yeah, different experiences with different players, therefore different things we find difficult.

True, depends largely on your own personal style of playing and your build. Nameless King and Gael are pure pattern recognition bosses.

A normal, appropriately leveled playthrough should see you killing the King of the Storm in one or two cycles of attacks if you hit its head. Then, it's just a matter of keeping distance from the grounded Nameless King and memorizing his openings; he has many. Hardest thing about that fight is not getting cheapshot by the lightning slam attack when he's still on his mount.

Gael is even easier; wait for the last sword slam of his attacks (or the double flip-slam in his last form) and unleash hell. Strafe the crossbow out of range of his ring attack, roll the red ghosts. Easy peasy.

Twin Princes are a fight against the camera more than anything else. But same thing applies: keep distance, wait for a big sword slam or the flame carpet, then wail on him. Roll the spells and hit from behind in the second phase to damage both brothers. Done.

Oceiros for me is entirely dependent on your build. If you play one-handed plus shield and 25+ vigor, he's a cakewalk. But if you play shieldless dex builds, pyro, or sorcery, that slide will eat your lunch every time. Definitely one of the hardest bosses for me, as I never play with a shield or high vig.

Same thing in DS2 with Burnt Ivory King. High Vig with shield and quality build? No problem. Solo shieldless caster? He's the hardest boss in the series.
 
BB on the front half, DS3 wayyyy more on the back half.

I think BB is the easiest of all of them (except 2 cuz lol), DS3 maybe the hardest.
 

Soar

Member
From all these replies it seems that your first foray into the series will probably be your biggest challenge. I started with Nioh actually so when I got into BB it was not that much of an adjustment. Keep dancing.
 

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Depends on your playstyle. Overall I think they're similar if you count chalice dungeons (and DLC of course), though overall I'd say Dark Souls 3 is harder.

If you really really struggled with Bloodborne that badly, there is no way you will be totally cool with DS3, unless maybe you play very defensively with a big-ass shield and Bloodborne's aggressive playstyle is what throws you off.

Orphan of Kos is the most difficult boss between the two games. Took me around 50 tries.
Orphan ain't got nothing on Sister Friede.

That boss was freaking cake. His pattern is easy, as long as you're patient, he's not a challenge. Yet you say nothing in DS3 compares. Have you fought Unnamed King or Midir?
Midir is easy if you stay in front of him the whole time and just attack its head. He can also be cheesed with Pestilent Mercury.

Watchdog is harder. For DS3, Friede and Gael are harder than Midir.

I honestly think nothing in Bloodborne is as difficult as Friede. That 3 HP bar is total bullshit. Even Ludwig has the decency not to refill his HP by the time he takes his 2nd form.
Agreed haha. Sister Friede is like: Lady Maria, then S&O, then Artorias on steroids, in a row. xD
 

Koopatrol

Member
Bloodborne was my very first Soulsborne game, and I actually beat a lot of the bosses first try. I don't think I beat as many bosses first try in DS3, but the first few bosses felt extremely easy, especially in comparison to those first few in Bloodborne (Bloodborne didn't really have a "tutorial" boss like DS3 did, but still). Bloodborne's DLC was the hardest part of Bloodborne, and might be harder than the hardest parts of DS3 for me... but I haven't played DS3's DLC so can't really say. Plus the final boss in DS3 was pretty difficult for me, I struggled with him more than any boss in the main game of Bloodborne, or DLC for that matter.

Overall they're pretty similar tho in terms of difficulty. The games can be as easy or as hard as you make them out to be for the most part.
 

Kieli

Member
I had more trouble with DS3 than any of them, and I've finished each game multiple times and platinum'd BB. Generally it felt like all of the enemies in DS3 had Bloodborne-level speed, but my character didn't have the tools to keep up with them in some situations (quality build). I never felt that way in Bloodborne or previous Souls games.

I felt the same way for most of the game (referring to DS3). In Bloodborne, your character has the techniques and tools to handle the situation. The dodge and rally mechanics were fairly generous and favoured an aggressive approach.

DS3 keeps the traditional rolling mechanics (albeit with longer invulnerability frames and faster animation), but the enemies/bosses were almost just as fast (if not faster) and aggressive as anything in BB. They also nerfed the shields as well (more stamina consumption, lower poise, and longer stun window).
 

Calamari41

41 > 38
Bloodborne had a brutal beginning, but by the time you get past it and head toward the end of the game you should be rolling. That's a testament to the game's systems, the fighting had a great flow to it.

I found Dark Souls 3 to be difficult all the way through. The last string of bosses, from Sullyvahn through the Princes and Nameless King, I thought were a lot harder taken as a whole than the last string of bosses in Bloodborne. None of them took more than a couple of tries, even Ludwig and Ebreitas. Orphan is a different story though.

Those two shark things in the well, though, are definitely the most difficult instance in all of the games. And Orphan of Kos the hardest single boss.

Edit: I haven't played the DS3 DLC yet
 

Kieli

Member
Bloodborne is harder because there is no shield to save yourself unlike most of cases in Dark Souls 3. You are forced to play more aggressively in this game, hence you are more likely die even more.

Btw chalice dungeon in BB doesn’t make the game hard. That dungeon is just a pure bullshit and very cheap.

I didn't find this to be the case in DS3 actually. I had a very frustrating time with the game because a lot of the bosses had chains just long enough to drain all of your stamina even with a high stability shield and a decent chunk of stamina.

As reluctant as I was to ditch the shield (because I love being the Rock), I had far more successful as a naked glass cannon.
 

Kieli

Member
It really depends. For some people Bloodborne can be considered harder because you have no shield while Dark Souls 3 does and you're also faster in DS3 compared to DS2.
Then you look at how tough the bosses are. For me Dark Souls 3 had harder bosses compared to Bloodborne in the base game, but the Chalice Dungeon bosses are MUCH harder than the bosses in the base as well. Watchdog of the Old Lords is clearly the hardest boss I've face in the Chalice Dungeon when you fight it a second time.

But, guess what? The hardest enemy that I've faced in all of the Souls games and Bloodborne wasn't even a boss, it was these fuckers from the DLC.
maxresdefault.jpg

Fighting 2 of them at the same time is a real pain in the ass. You will DIE by default.

They're only challenging because they have absolutely INSANE tracking. One time, I decided to just run around the sharkmen in circles while they were revving up a heavy swing, and I think he must have rotated 400+ degrees pirouetting perfectly to smack me. :\
 

Ratrat

Member
I had more trouble with Bloodborne.

Ludwig
Lady Maria
Orphan of Kos
Laurence

DS3 is the hardest Souls game though. Only a handful were easy for me.
 

TitusTroy

Member
the hardest non-boss in DS3 for me were those Monstrosities of Sin in Profaned Capital...followed by Pus of Man and Sulyvhan's Beasts
 

Kieli

Member
True, depends largely on your own personal style of playing and your build. Nameless King and Gael are pure pattern recognition bosses.

A normal, appropriately leveled playthrough should see you killing the King of the Storm in one or two cycles of attacks if you hit its head. Then, it's just a matter of keeping distance from the grounded Nameless King and memorizing his openings; he has many. Hardest thing about that fight is not getting cheapshot by the lightning slam attack when he's still on his mount.

Gael is even easier; wait for the last sword slam of his attacks (or the double flip-slam in his last form) and unleash hell. Strafe the crossbow out of range of his ring attack, roll the red ghosts. Easy peasy.

Twin Princes are a fight against the camera more than anything else. But same thing applies: keep distance, wait for a big sword slam or the flame carpet, then wail on him. Roll the spells and hit from behind in the second phase to damage both brothers. Done.

Oceiros for me is entirely dependent on your build. If you play one-handed plus shield and 25+ vigor, he's a cakewalk. But if you play shieldless dex builds, pyro, or sorcery, that slide will eat your lunch every time. Definitely one of the hardest bosses for me, as I never play with a shield or high vig.

Same thing in DS2 with Burnt Ivory King. High Vig with shield and quality build? No problem. Solo shieldless caster? He's the hardest boss in the series.

While the Nameless King has well-defined patterns, he can do mix-ups and delays on his attacks. When you demand precision-timed dodges from players, having mix-ups and delays can completely throw their game off.
 
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