If you don’t yet have access to The Old Hunters, be sure to check out our quick guide on accessing the new content. If you’re playing through the main game, you should be at least level 65 before going through the Old Hunters DLC, and if you’re playing on New Game+ it’s recommended that you are at least level 115 for the DLC.
This walkthrough was written playing through New Game+ so a few of the items may be different if you’re still playing the main game. However, enemy and weapon locations should be the same for the most part. Boss battle strategies should also be similar.
Access the Hunter’s Nightmare lamp ahead, then make your way down the stairs and through the opening on the far side of the room. Before you go too far, head left to see a corpse behind the exit. Search the body to find a Frenzied Coldblood (8), but before you continue up the stairs in the opposite direction, go up the hill to the right of the stairs to find another corpse that holds Twin Blood Stone Shards.
There are multiple Hunters and a few other enemies around the stairs so watch out as you move around this area. One Hunter patrols the stairs while the other is found near the top of the hill if you follow the path around to the left. The Hunter on the hill will take out any other enemies he comes across, so let him finish off the two enemies on the hill before you get his attention.
This Hunter has a long whip-like weapon. It has a lot of reach, and he can swing it multiple times. Keep your distance and wait until he attacks. If you’re at a distance his first attack will be well out of range. As soon as you see this, move in and stay as close as possible. If he reels back to swing again, dodge behind him to avoid the attack and continue hitting him until he goes down. Repeat this process for the second Hunter in the area.
Once you’ve taken out both Hunters, head up the hill and circle around to the left. Look down toward the stairs to find a corpse. Drop down and search the body to find Old Hunter Gloves.
The stairs don’t lead anywhere of significance yet, but if you head to the top of the stairs and look around the far left side of the gate at the top, you’ll find a corpse that holds an Old Hunter Cap. Collect the item, then head back up the hill you were just on and follow the path around to the left. When you hit the junction that leads left to the graveyard below or right toward the city, there’s a body on the ground. Search the body to obtain Blood Vials, then head left to the graveyard.
When you reach the lower area, head left to find several enemies cowering in fear near a dead body. Slay the foes, then collect the Blood Vials on the corpse and head in the opposite direction. There are several more enemies ahead, including two more Hunters. Let the Hunters take out the enemies, then slowly more toward one to get his attention. You don’t want to fight both Hunters at once if you can avoid it.
Take out each Hunter individually then collect the loot in the area from the two existing corpses and the corpses of the recently deceased, then head through the only open gate out of the graveyard (on the far side). There are stairs ahead with several Blood Hounds at the top. The longer you linger near the bottom of the stairs, the more likely the Hounds are to head down to attack.
Watch out for the trap on the ground as you pick up the Quicksilver Bullets on the body to the left of the stairs (the body on the ground, not the unreachable body on the hill), then head up the stairs to engage the Hounds.
When you reach the top of the first flight of stairs you’ll also find a gunman alongside the Hounds. Finish off the enemies, then move into the small alcove to the right (as you’re moving up) just before the end of the first flight of stairs. Search the corpse here to obtain four Molotov Cocktails, then move up to the top of the first flight of stairs and circle around to the platform on the left to find a corpse that holds more Blood Vials.
Drop down through the broken fencing to the area below and take out the enemies on the rooftops, including a Hunter. Collect the item to the left of the enemies to obtain the Beast Cutter weapon. Head back up the first flight of stairs and circle around to the platform on the right. There are stairs leading down into the city or you can drop down to the path below (to the right of the stairs) to engage another Hunter to the far left.
This Hunter is far more agile than the last two. He uses a short-range weapon, but he’s fast and dashes in to attack when you think he’s out of range. Keep moving as you fight him and don’t let your guard down when he dashes back to avoid your attacks.
Finish off the Hunter, but don’t drop down into the city area below. There’s a corpse down there that holds Old Hunters Trousers, as well as three crows and a lever, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Instead, head right down the rocky path to find a corpse at the end which holds three Twin Blood Stone Shards. Continue to the left to see another corpse sitting above the graveyard you just came through. Before you drop down to search the corpse, keep moving left to find another corpse at the end of the path. Search the body to obtain a Frenzied Coldblood (9).
This is the other side of the path that you originally took to the graveyard (if you had gone right instead of left). Going this way allowed the Hunter you just killed to clear the enemies along the path. Now drop down to collect the three Twin Blood Stone Shards on the corpse you just passed, then head back up the stairs.
Go right when you reach the top of the first flight of stairs and head down the stairs you passed before. When you reach the bottom, clear the three cowering enemies to the left, then head down the next flight of stairs to the right. This is area behind the hill where you fought the Hunter with the short-range weapon. The Old Hunter Trousers are above, but for now kill the crows to the right of the lever, then pull the lever to open the gate ahead. This is the gate that was closed at the top of the stairs you encountered when you first entered the area. You can head back around to where you fought the last Hunter and drop down to get the Old Hunter Trousers if you wish.
With that area out of the way, head back to the previous flight of stairs and as you approach the top you’ll see more enemies, while a flaming ball drop from the top of the stairs. Move out of the way to avoid the flaming ball as it kills all of the enemies, then dissipates. Don’t head down the stairs you passed before that lead into the city. For now, continue up this flight of stairs then head to the platform on the left before you reach the enemies at the top of the next flight.
Search the body at the end of the platform to find an Old Hunter Garb, then head back up the stairs toward the two enemies near the top. As you approach they run into the building ahead and engage a large enemy that quickly kills them both. Unfortunately, now you have to fight the enemy.
This is the strongest enemy you’ve encountered in this area so far. It has a lot of reach with a very long axe, and it will lean back and unleash a tentacle attack that inflicts significant damage. If you see it lean back, quickly move around to its back to avoid this. The easiest way to defeat this enemy is to run past it (or move down the stairs until it turns around), then sneak up behind it for a visceral attack. You can fight it head to head, but be aware that it will attack up to three times with its axe before you have an opening to counter attack. If you can stay behind it, you’ll remain clear of the attacks, but it will turn around.
Finish off the enemy, then head to the balcony just before the final flight of stairs. To the left (if you’re head up the stairs) is a corpse holding three Molotov Cocktails and to the right is another corpse that holds six Blood Vials. To the right of the Blood Vials there’s a cave that leads into the city, but before you make your way down there, head up the stairs and collect the Eye Pendant in the hand of the flaming creature ahead. Don’t worry, you aren’t fighting this creature, just picking up the pendant before you move on.
Head through the cave to find two enemies and several guns on the far side. Approach the constantly firing guns from the left, but watch out for the traps on the ground that trigger other guns. You can attack the gun in the middle and the one on the left to destroy them, then finish off the enemy manning the guns. There’s another enemy just ahead, but he’s standing right next to another trap that fires a gun right at you if you step on it. Be careful attacking this enemy to ensure you don’t step on the trap and take unnecessary damage.
Finish off the enemies, then continue down the path to engage four more enemies, including another Hunter. Take them out, then head down the stairs to the right to find another enemy and a corpse that holds Twin Blood Stone Shards. Ignore the blood bag enemies below as you can’t engage them now and go back up the stairs. Head right into the building ahead.
There are two enemies that are difficult to see, but they will attack once you get inside the building. Have your lantern or other light source ready so you’re not surprised by the enemies. Collect the five Delayed Molotov explosive items on the corpse on the far side of the room, then pick up the Old Hunter Top Hat through the opening at the top of the stairs.
Head to the right to find a doorway that leads back inside the house, but do not fight the enemies outside just yet. Take out the enemy inside the house, then collect the Boom Hammer weapon on the far side of the room. Don’t worry, the old man in the wheelchair near the item is already dead. Turn around and head through the door on the left (the one on the right leads out to the area with the blood bag enemies) and continue up the stairs ahead.
Pick up the three Beast Blood Pellets on the corpse and head up the next flight of stairs to engage a formidable enemy in the next area. This enemy is agile and will dodge your attacks, but also has good range on his attacks and inflicts significant damage if he hits you. Move down to the area below so you have more room to move around while you fight. This isn’t a difficult battle if you have room to dodge his attacks, but in a confined area it can be difficult to take on this enemy.
Defeat the enemy to obtain the Firing Hammer Badge, then head back inside the building you just left and head out the other door to the area where the blood bag enemies await. These enemies aren’t overly difficult to defeat, but you want to avoid fighting too many at once. They have ranged attacks in the form of a blood spray and a lunging physical attack, but dodging that and moving around behind them will leave the enemies virtually defenseless.
Some of the enemies have their backs to you, which allows you to sneak up behind them, and while you can use a charge attack, you can’t follow with a visceral attack. Don’t attack them from behind once they are aware of your presence or you’ll take a mule kick for your troubles.
The corpse across the blood stream holds a Frenzied Coldblood (8), but now you should head into the blood stream and make your way up the stairs to the right. If you go left down the blood stream you’ll reach a cave behind the carriage and battle another Hunter. Defeat him and you’ll obtain a Gatling Gun weapon. You’ll also find five Twin Blood Stone Shards, two Blood Stone Chunks and an Amygdalan Arm weapon. The Amygdalan Arm is guarded by a Blood-starved Beast without the poison side effects when you fought him as a boss. You can lure it out and collect the loot without fighting it, but if you slay the beast you’ll obtain a Damp Bloodtinge Gem (5).
Side loot or not, when you head the other direction down the stream (toward the bridge), at the base of the stairs is a corpse that holds three Blood Vials, and at the top of the stairs is another corpse holding six Quicksilver Bullets. There are also a number of enemies at the top of the stairs, including a few Hunters. Don’t try to engage too many at once. If you get into trouble you can knock them off the bridge here to give yourself some breathing room while they slowly work their way back up the stairs. If you move too far across the bridge the blood bag enemies below will join in on the fight, so try to stay close to the toppled over stage coach.
Once the enemies are cleared, move across the bridge and head up the path to the left to find a corpse around the corner at the very end of the path. Search the body to find Constable’s Gloves, then head back down the path and to the left to enter the corridor ahead.
Speak with the NPC at the end of the corridor, then head through the door to the left to get back to the lamp where you started. You now have a direct short cut, skipping the first portion of the area.
Go back to the bridge and head down the stairs to the right (before you cross). Take out the blood bag enemies under the bridge and look to the right to see four more enemies, three of which are surrounding an item. The item they’re guarding is the Constable’s Trousers, which are roughly equal to the Old Hunter’s Trousers you should already have. They have the same physical defense, slightly better against blunt and bolt attacks, with a bit more resistance against poison and beasthood. However, they have lower defense against thrust, blood and fire attacks, with lower resistance from frenzy.
If you feel the need to own the Constable’s Trousers clear the enemies and collect the loot, but either way you need to head through the cave to the left. As you clear the cave and move up the hill two Blood Hounds attack. Take them down and head toward the fallen tower. Once you pass the tower, there are crows and another Hunter to the right, but if you head left and circle around to the corner you’ll find a corpse that holds a Frenzied Coldblood (9).
Head back and finish off the Hunter and crows, then climb up the ladder to the left. At the top of the ladder head left and drop down to the balcony below. There’s a Hunter in this area, bring him down then collect the Beasthunter Saif weapon (the same weapon the Hunter was using) on the corpse in the corner. Drop down to the area below, kill the two enemies, then head back up the ladder.
When you reach the top, head left and then up the hill to the right. Climb down the next ladder to find another large enemy ahead. This enemy wields a large gun that covers a moderate range. It can’t hit you from the ladder, but if you move much closer you’ll be within range. There’s a second large enemy to the left that’s similar to the one you fought on the stairs in the previous area. If you had trouble with the last one, you’d be better off just running to the right (where the an item on a corpse is located), dodging the incoming fire and then running past the two enemies. In our New Game+ the first item is a Madman’s Knowledge, with the item on the far side of the blood pool offering six Blood Vials.
If you wish to fight both enemies, slowly move forward from the ladder until the first enemy fires so you can determine the range. Watch the left side of the blood pool to see where the second enemy is located. If he’s not already moving toward you, inch forward until you get his attention. You do not want to fight him within range of the other enemy’s gun. You need to fight him near the ladder and stay in that area, which doesn’t give you a lot of room to maneuver.
You can also run past the two enemies so you can sneak up from behind them for a visceral attack. However, you decide to deal with the enemies, if you head into the small area behind where the axe-wielding enemy spawns, there’s a corpse holding the Butcher Mask, Butcher Garb, Butcher Gloves and Butcher Trousers. If you collected all of the other armor pieces up until now, you probably have no use for these.
Take down the two enemies or run past them to the far right side of the area (past the corpse that held the Madman’s Knowledge). Approach the structure ahead and continue up the stairs to find the Nightmare Church lamp here.
Head down the stairs to find a summon bell for Henriett to the left and an Imp scrambling off just ahead. Quickly take down the Imp to secure two Blood Stone Chunks, but before you summon Henriett move toward the item in the far right corner. As you approach another Hunter jumps down to engage you. Move back toward the stairs so you have room to avoid his attacks, then collect two Twin Blood Stone Shards in the corner once the Hunter has been defeated.
Head over to the rocky area near the stairs and slide down to the blood stream below. Search the body here to find three Oil Urns, then take down the crows as you make your way to the far side to find two Blood Vials on the other corpse.
Go back down the blood stream and continue through the short cave to find yourself near the first ladder you climbed up, by one of the Hunters and the crows. Pick up the Whirligig Saw weapon on the corpse at the top of the ramp, then drop down into the area below and climb up the ladder again.
Head back to the Nightmare Church lamp, and this time head down the stairs to summon Henriett. With an NPC helper along for the ride, head back up the stairs and outside and make your way up the hill just ahead and to the right. Look to the right to see an enemy with their back to you. Use a visceral attack to take it down, watch out for the crows in the area below and kill the skeleton banging on the gate to earn a few Blood Vials.
Through the cave ahead (collect the Pebble on the corpse to the left), you’ll enter the room where you must battle against Ludwig the Accursed.
Boss Battle: Ludwig the Accursed
- Reward: Vermin
- Reward: Guidance Rune
Ludwig the Accursed is more difficult to fight than a vast majority of the bosses in the main game. He changes to a second form once you deplete his health to 50 percent, so don’t think you’ve won the fight once you see the cut scene.
Ludwig Phase One Strategies
When you first engage Ludwig, he almost always attacks with a far-reaching claw swipe from his right hand. Dodge to avoid this attack and try to stay on his right side (your left if you’re facing the boss). You can stun Ludwig if you attack its heads repeatedly, but you’re also more susceptible to his attacks from that frontal position.
Ludwig uses a long-range sweeping attack with his right claw, a quick double swipe attack that moves him backward, a low-damage nudge with his left head (the real head, not the stub), a giant leap that leaves Ludwig in the air for some time, a charge attack, a double stomp attack that hits all around him, a long-range spitting attack and a back kick if you’re standing behind him.
If you stand in front of the real head, Ludwig will use the nudge attack, but it doesn’t inflict much damage compared to his other attacks. From a distance Ludwig will usually use the right claw sweeping attack he generally starts the fight with. However, he will occasionally use the giant leap from a distance (although he can also use it at close range). If you see Ludwig jump high into the air, watch the blood dripping from above to determine his location. He stays airborne for a few seconds before dropping back down, but if you’re not dodge rolling when he lands, you will take significant damage. Even with our level 120 character, it drained 80 percent of our health.
While there isn’t much warning, as soon as you see Ludwig tap his hoof on the ground like a bull would just before they’re about to charge, you need to get out of the way. This is the very short warning sign that Ludwig is going to charge across the room, and if any part of his body makes contact with your Hunter, it’s going to inflict a significant amount of damage. Our Hunter took 40 percent damage from hitting the back of Ludwig during this attack, and it drained 80 percent of our health taking the attack head-on.
Ludwig may also use his long-range spit from any distance. This comes out of his stub head and he’ll start from his right (your left if you’re facing him head-on) and then move across the screen to his left. As a constant stream of spit, the damage from this attack can add up quickly if you continually get hit by it.
Once you see him hunch down in preparation for the attack move as close to him as possible to attack from either side during the attack. In most cases you’ll be attacking from his left, which means you need to watch out for the head nudge attack once the spitting is complete. You can also shoot Ludwig during the start-up of this attack to get a proper stun and visceral attack.
If you’re daring, you can attack Ludwig’s head to stun him, but it takes a few attacks and Ludwig will throw everything he’s got at you while you’re standing there. If you’d like to play it safe, focus on attacking Ludwig’s right side (your left when facing him head-on). Most of Ludwig’s attacks will miss if you’re standing to his right, however you still need to watch out for his double stomp.
The only warning you’ll get that this attack is coming is that Ludwig will stop attacking for a moment. If you see him pause and he’s not stunned, quickly back away. If you get hit with the first stomp while Ludwig is flailing about, chances are you’re going to eat the second one as well, followed by a head nudge if you end up too close to his real head. All of these attacks add up to nearly 100 percent of your health, so it’s important that you avoid this.
If you stay to Ludwig’s right, he will eventually dash backward with two swiping attacks. It’s very difficult to avoid the first attack, but because he’s moving backward, as long as he’s not pinned into a corner, the second will automatically miss you more often than not. Just stay focused on Ludwig’s right side (the side with the stub head) and when he jumps away from you, wait for the right claw swipe, dodge it, then move in for another barrage to his right side. All the while you should be looking for the giant leap, charge and double stomp attacks.
Ludwig Phase Two Strategies
Once you have Ludwig down to 50 percent health, there’s a cut scene followed by his true form. In this form Ludwig has a long sword at his disposal and his attacks completely change. From a distance he will charge up his sword for a very short time, then swing it toward you multiple times, causing projectile attacks to emit from the blade. These are fairly easy to dodge as they’re vertical slashes, but you’ll need to dodge two in a row so be ready for them. He may also use a horizontal slash that requires a bit more timing to dodge, but you can still avoid it if you time your roll accordingly.
When you’re close to Ludwig he uses a two-slash combo attack that generally starts with a slash from his right hand, then a quick second slash from his left hand. He may also use a three-slash combo with a bit more delay between slashes, but using three attacks instead of two.
If you stay behind Ludwig as much as you can, you’ll just need to dodge the first slash of either combo as he’ll turn to face you for this. The remaining attacks will not track you if you moved behind him again. However, for the three-hit combo it’s best to only attack once or twice so you’re ready to dodge the next set of attacks. Depending on the speed of your weapon you may be able to get three or even four attacks in, but it could be risky if you’re not adept at dodging.
After a few attacks Ludwig will move the sword to the center of his body and pause before planting it in the ground. This is your warning to get away from the area immediately surrounding the boss. What follows is a large area attack that covers a moderate radius from the boss. Back away to avoid the attack, then quickly move back in.
When Ludwig drops below 30 percent health, he adds a second area attack to his arsenal, which encompasses a larger area of attack. Instead of pointing his sword down toward the ground, he lifts it high in the air. This wider area attack is followed by a massive sword attack that shoots a constant and very wide beam toward you. This attack inflicts huge damage if don’t get out of the way as quickly as possible. As soon as the larger area attack completes, run toward Ludwig to get as close as you can before the wide beam attack. If you can avoid it, you can lay into Ludwig for the duration of the attack or until he gets stunned.
Once you have the timing down to dodge Ludwig’s sword attacks, it’s generally much easier to fight his second form compared to the first form. Unfortunately, if you have an NPC helper, chances are they will die shortly after phase two begins due to the fact that they don’t tend to dodge the area attacks.
We’ll have the next section of the Old Hunters DLC very soon, but for now you can find more information on Bloodborne and The Old Hunters in our free guide and walkthrough.
