Which path are you going to choose for ending the nightmare of blood and beasts?

When you first step into the world of Bloodborne, you're going to be confused. Where do I go? What do I do? Oh God, what is that thing!? This is the normal starting point for almost everyone, so don't worry. As you progress, you will see that there is a huge number of paths that you can take to ending the Dream, one of those being weapon and build choices. Weapons are a Hunter's primary means of defending themself, so you should choose carefully. In this guide I am going to list some of the most unique and fun character builds that you can use yourself to make your experience that much better. Fear the Old Blood.

10. Military Veteran (Classic Hunter)

Gameplay of the classic experience of Bloodborne

Military veteran is the class that many players will choose when they first start playing the game. That is understandable, seeing as it is also one of the most fun builds you can make for your playthrough. This class uses well-rounded stats and solid weapon choices to create a dynamic experience full of action and satisfying combat.

The starting class offers balanced stats between Strength and Skill, so the damage of the Saw Cleaver is boosted by both. Speaking of raw damage, the Saw Cleaver has the highest damage-per-second in the entire game, so it's ideal for a build such as this.

You should also pay attention to various blood gems you can slot into your weapon. They will boost your damage output a lot, along with beast blood pellets and fire/bolt paper.

Build Details:

• Starting class: Military Veteran
• Weapon: Saw Cleaver
• Sidearm: Hunter Pistol
• BL: 70-80
• Vitality: 30
• Strength: 25+
• Skill: 25+

What Military Veteran excels at:

• Simplicity. This build is ideal for players starting out since it will give you some guidelines, while not toning down the difficulty in any way.
• Satisfying. When you try this build, you feel like you're playing Bloodborne in the most ideal way. It is balanced between hitting hard and tearing enemies apart using visceral attacks, things a Hunter does best.
• Replayability. I've personally done quite a few runs with all weapons, but the one you always come back to is the Saw Cleaver. It is the original one, and also the most appealing.
• Dynamic gameplay. Every weapon is going to change your playstyle, and the Saw Cleaver is no exception. It utilizes transforming attacks to efficiently tear beasts apart, and because of this it allows you to move around a lot more. You're not limited by a slow, cumbersome weapon, instead you have a quick weapon that lets you dash in and out of the fight at all times. The use of transforming attacks massively increases the potential of Beast Blood Pellets, as well.

9. Full Strength

Video of the Full Strength build

Just like you have a quality, stat-balanced build in the Classic Hunter, you can also focus all of your points into one area. These builds have their pros and cons. For the full strength build you are forgoing a fast playstyle and high visceral damage for an absolute powerhouse of damage output through normal attacks. This build lets you beat the hell out of enemies and, let me tell you, it feels good! Unleash your inner caveman and let loose!

Best weapon choices include the Kirkhammer (for early game), and if you have the Old Hunters DLC, you can also use the Amygdalan Arm and the Whirligig Saw.

Build Details:

• Starting class: Violent Past
• Weapons: Kirkhammer, Amygdalan Arm, Whirligig Saw
• BL: 70-80
• Vitality: 50
• Strength: 25+ (if you can, get it to 50)
• Skill: 15

What the Full Strength build excels at:

• Simple. You have a big weapon, and you're going to hit things with it. Doesn't get much simpler than that.
• Slower gameplay. A slower, more methodical approach is a more suitable playstyle for many people, as it takes the panic out of situations and lets you calculate your approach.
• Good stagger potential. A larger, more powerful weapn will stagger your enemies more often than a smaller, quicker weapon, so you will ultimately be safer in many situations.

8. Full Skill

The Full Skill Build takes advantage of massive visceral damage

Just like the strength build, the skill build takes all of your levels and puts it into a certain area. For skill builds, you generally use smaller, quicker weapons that allow for faster, more diverse gameplay. It's hard for enemies to fight you when they're full of holes. Due to the points put into Skill, your visceral damage will be massive. Popular weapon choices include: Rakuyo, Blade of Mercy, Threaded Cane. Another option is to use Dirty/Murky bloodgems for poison effects.

Build Details:

• Starting class: Professional
• Weapons: Threaded Cane, Blade of Mercy, Rakuyo, Saw Spear
• BL: 70-80
• Vitality: 25+
• Strength: base
• Skill: 50

What the Full Skill build excels at:

• Fast gameplay. When you use a skill build, you are going to be dashing in and out of fights all the time, allowing for a very satisfying and intense experience. Skill weapons generally have very fast attack speed.
• Easy Beast Blood Pellet build-up. Building the beast meter is better done with strong attacks and transform attacks, so the quick nature of these weapons is great for that. You can usually get a full meter with 10 or so transform attacks with any of these weapons.
• Very high visceral damage. Skill directly impacts your damage from viscerals, so utilizing parries and backstabs to open up viscerals for massive damage is a must. Clawmark runes help boost this even more. Viseral damage is also well-paired with Heir and Oedon Writhe runes.

7. Bloodtinge

Bloodtinge focuses your inner essence and massacres your foes with your own blood

Bloodtinge is often a skill path that players avoid due to lack of utilization. In reality, it is an incredibly fun and dynamic build that everyone should try out, if fundamentally a little unsanitary... Unfortunately there aren't many primary Bloodtinge weapons in the game. Three of the most notable ones are the Chikage, Bloodletter and Simon's Bowblade. Two of these are in the DLC so it takes some work to acquire them. However, if utilized properly a high Blooodtinge build can wreak havoc on enemies and bosses alike.

Build Details:

• Starting class: Noble Scion
• Weapons: Bloodletter, Chikage, Simon's Bowblade, Reiterpallasch
• BL: 70-90
• Vitality: 25+
• Strength (if using Bloodletter): 25+
• Skill (if using other bloodtinge weapons): 25+
• Bloodtinge: 50

What the Bloodtinge build excels at:

• Niche combat. You don't see too many bloodtinge builds usually, but when you do, it's an incredibly satifying build path to take. The Chikage belongs to the order of the knights of Cainhurst, so it makes sense that it would make combat be more elegant, almost like a dance. The Bloodletter lets you fight like a madman using your own blood to fuel the power of the weapon. That's just badass no matter how you look at it.
• Firearm combat. Bloodtinge affects firearm damage just as much as primary weapon damage. Utilizing this build you can carry some serious firepower with you into the heat of battle. Suggested weapons for this are the Cannon and Repeating Pistol.
• Rapid poison. The Chikage has a passive effect which triggers after landing enough hits in the transformed state. When it triggers it deals a certain amount of poison damage at once, unlike slow poison.

6. Simon's Bowblade

Archery is an uncommon sight during the Hunt, but a welcome sight nonetheless

Simon's Bowblade is a really interesting weapon, especially taking into account how it brings a freshness to combat that you sometimes don't see with normal weapons. Basically, it lets you live out your deepest Legolas-inspired fantasies. It's a Skill/Bloodtinge weapon that is fast, dynamic and it has the addition plus of transforming into a bow. The bow consumes one Quicksilver Bullet per shot, so Formless Oedon runes are recommended. The whole build allows you to switch between an in-your-face brawler approach and a calculated , methodical approach with the bow.

Build Details:

• Starting class: Noble Scion
• Weapon: Simon's Bowblade (found after completing Simon the Harrowed's questline, or killing him)
• BL: 70-90
• Vitality: 25+
• Skill: 25+
• Bloodtinge: 50

What the Simon's Bowblade build excels at:

• Good PvP weapon. Because of its moveset, the Bowblade is a notoriously good PvP choice, and is such for many players. Highly recommended.
• Simply fun. The idea of being an archer in a word predominantly filled with hand-to-hand combatants is quite attractive, so it's a good idea to do at least one playthrough with the weapon to experience it in full.

5. Gun Run

Go akimbo, and all out

And now, we arrive to the first meme run of the list. For this one it's preferable to have more experience in the game, but new players can try it as well, of course. The gun run utilizes only using guns for the majority of the run.

Build details:

• Starting class: Noble Scion
• Weapons: Any until you can get the Reiterpallasch + Repeating Pistol sidearm
• Vitality: 25
• Skill: 25
• Bloodtinge: 50+

What the Gun build excels at:

• Challenging combat. Without the aid of a standard weapon, the difficulty of the game rises significantly. You have to learn the proper parry timings and correct positioning for the entire game, so it takes getting used to.

4. Holy Moonlight Sword

Concentrated moonlight is capable of destruction in the right hands

The Holy Moonlight Sword (HMS) has always been a staple and popular weapon in Souls games, and you can utilize it for a very satisfying playthrough through the use of Arcane and Strength. It is found after you kill Ludwig the Accursed in the Nightmare Church. Ludwig used it as guidance during the hunt so you might as well use it too. Plus, it's shiny!

Build details:

• Starting class: Cruel Fate
• Weapon: Holy Moonlight Sword
• BL: 70-90
• Vitality: 25
• Strength: 16
• Skill: 14
• Arcane: 50+

What the Holy Moonlight build excels at:

• Mystical gameplay. With this weapon, you add a new level of combat that you do not experience with other standard weapons. The HMS' starting form is a one-handed sword, but transforming it gives you a glowing greatsword of pure moonlight. The transformed version replaces the sidearm mechanic with the ability to shoot beams of concentrated moonlight, to hit enemies from range.
• Lore. One of the first hunters, Ludwig, would recruit Yharnamites to serve as hunters under him. In dire times, he would turn to his guiding moonlight, the HMS to give him courage in the carnage of the hunt. After seeing what becomes of him, you inherit the sword to give you an immersive experience, even more than usual.
• Arcane potential. The build has a high Arcane focus, so you can use hunter tools to further increase your potential and damage output.

3. Arcane

Bombard your enemies with volleys of magic

Arcane offers a wide selection of options for combat. It is a build that is difficult to execute at the beginning, since you have to collect enough levels and items to make it work. The recommended approach is to use the Saw Spear with fire gems as a fire weapon, and the Saw Cleaver with bolt gems as a bolt weapon. In between, you can use whatever Hunter Tools you find useful. Formless Oedon runes are recommended as well.

Build details:

• Starting class: Cruel Fate
• Weapons: Saw Spear, Saw Cleaver, Tonitrus
• Hunter Tools: Augur of Ebrietas, A Call Beyond, Blacksky Eye, Executioner's Gloves
• BL: 70-90
• Vitality: 25
• Strength: 12
• Arcane: 50+

What the Arcane build excels at:

• Versatility. As you make your way through the game, you will notice that the Arcane build is useful in almost any situation. You can fight any enemy effectively, due to the gems in your weapons. There is a Hunter Tool for every situation, so you can get creative with your approach.
• Crowd control. With the use of the Flamesprayer along with Hunter Tools, those swathes of enemies are no longer a problem. Have to make your way through Old Yharnam? Burn everything down at once with the Flamesprayer. Groups of pesky enemies blocking your path? A Call Beyond. Have to pick off an enemy from a distance? Blacksky Eye.

2. Lumenwood Tree

Embrace the transcendace of insight and reach new horizons

Bloodborne offers two paths in its lore: consume the Old Blood and succumb to beasthood, or line your brain with eyes, gaining insight and transcending to a Celestial Kin. This build chooses the latter, and with good reason. While the build itself is not particularly strong on its own, it's bolstered by Arcane. To achieve this, you must memorise the Milkweed rune given to you after completing Saint Adeline's questline.

After memorising the rune, your Hunter will turn into a Celestial Kin, unbound by the nature of humanity (yes, it does look like you turned into broccoli, just roll with it) With this transformation, you gain a new moveset if you use the Kos Parasite.

Build details:

• Starting class: Cruel Fate
• Weapon: Kos Parasite (obtained after killing the Orphan of Kos in the DLC) + Milkweed rune
• BL: 70-90 (best used in NG+)
• Vitality: 25
• Arcane: 50+

What the Lumenwood build excels at:

• It has the same benefits as the Arcane build, but with one thing different. The Kos Parasite causes your Hunter to have a different moveset, which includes an explosion attack, vomit attack, and tentacle swipes for decent damage and general appeal to anime fans. This change makes playing the Arcane build even better, since it changes the dynamic of the game and adds another layer of intrigue.
• Slightly higher Discovery stat. Points in Arcane increase Discovery, or your chance of finding extra items from enemies. The Milkweed Rune allows you to increase the stat even further.
• Slightly higher mobility. You gain a different dodge animation and you can dodge a slightly larger distance.
• Gives you the opportunity to get the Accursed Brew. If you equip the Milkweed rune and talk to the madman at the beginning of the Fishing Hamlet, he will continue his rambling and give you the Accursed Brew Hunter Tool, which allows you to hurl a ball of curses at enemies.

1. Beast

The inner workings of man and beast alike are similar in many regards

At the top of the list, we have what I consider to be the most fun build you can make in Bloodborne. In the Chalice Dungeons, more specifically, the Ailing Loran Chalice, you can find the Beast Claw, a makeshift hand of a beast that can be used as a weapon. On its own, this weapon is a basic strength weapon with a decent moveset and good scaling.

However, if you defeat Laurence, the First Vicar, you get the Beast's Embrace rune, which allows you to turn into the embodiment of evil and rage – a honeybadger. The Beast Claw gets an improved moveset, just like the Kos Parasite. The behavior of the Hunter changes, making you shout, grunt and scream as you tear your way through enemies. The transformed L2 is a built-in Beast Roar which deflects projectiles. Probably the most powerful thing in the build is the innate beasthood meter, which your character gains upon transforming.

Build details:

• Starting class: Violent Past
• Weapon: Beast Claw + Beast's Embrace rune
• BL: 70-90
• Vitality: 25+
• Strength: 50+
• Skill: 25

What the Beast build excels at:

• Intense gameplay. While the Beast's Embrace rune is equipped, your Hunter will become a rapid killing machine. The moveset features a massive jumping attack, high beast meter potential, rabid claw slashes and slams and a screech that deflects projectiles.
• High damage. As a weapon with excellent Strength scaling, you will have no problem with damage during your run. The beast meter will increase this bonus even more.
• Generally a very fun and rewarding experience. This build adds freshness to a playthrough, through all of the changes it implements. It takes you out of your comfort zone, away from the formal playstyles of other builds, and tosses you into chaotic situations where your only choice is to destroy everything in front of you.
• Significantly lowered fall damage.

To conclude, Bloodborne is a game where you can make many choices, any of which will alter you gameplay in some way. This list shows you possible builds that you can implement into your game to make your experience better. You don't have to follow everything to a T, as you can customize and experiment with them in any way you see fit. Do challenges, restrictions, go all-out, have fun, and most importantly, Fear the Old Blood.