The Choir

Preface When it comes to factions in Bloodborne, the Choir might be considered the most underutilized. Compared to the School of Mensis, they certainly don’t play as up front a role in the game’s plot. That said, I would argue that their presence is felt even in their absence. Indeed, anonymity is part of the […]

Caryll

Although referred to as a “runesmith” in the localization, Caryll, or Karel, (カレル) is more accurately a “copyist” (筆記者) known for transcribing the Great Ones’ speech into script. No other student of Byrgenwerth was apparently so keen to capture the arcane potential of such inhuman sounds into the written word. This isn’t too surprising, since […]

The Holy Blades

Item descriptions cite Ludwig as both the source of the Healing Church Workshop and the first of its hunters. What possessed him to become a hunter is evident from the emblem his workshop first issued: a sword hilt possessing nigh-blinding radiance. In a Victorian-style setting, this Radiant Sword Hunter’s Badge harkens back to a time […]

Forbidden Woods

Preface When I first shared this analysis, I was taken aback by its popularity, especially as my first public foray into Bloodborne. However, in retrospect, I can understand the interest. The Forbidden Woods is an area with little exposition but plenty of detail, exemplifying the game’s ability to interweave multiple stories from different areas at […]

Hemwick

Grave History Despite the localization dubbing it a “Charnel Lane”, Hemwick is more accurately a “graveyard town”, (墓地街) as seen by the plethora of headstones crowding its grounds. This cemetery extends to the forest outside the main village and continues into a cave before spilling out a little into the Cathedral Ward on the other […]

Archibald

Unlike the Powder Kegs, Archibald remained part of the Healing Church’s workshop in spite of his own deviancy. The man was merely considered an “eccentric” according to various item descriptions, and this was likely because his inventions weren’t that far removed from the church’s ideals. Rather than aim to create weapons emphasizing flash over usability […]

Powder Kegs

Where there is an orthodoxy, there is always a heresy. And in the case of the Healing Church, theirs is perhaps the most involatile — ironic, considering they call themselves “Powder Kegs”. For rather than defy the church exactly, this colorfully-named group of miscreants challenges the methods of its hunters’ workshop. As hunters gravitated toward […]