Unraveling the Enigmatic Shadows of Yharnam: A Gateway to Bloodborne's Phenomenal Midgame

The encounter with the Shadows of Yharnam in Bloodborne is a peculiar one, occurring in the middle of the game's Forbidden Woods. It concludes with a challenging boss fight that can easily overwhelm new players due to both being outnumbered and the unpredictable nature of the later stages of the battle.

FromSoftware, the developer, has extensive experience creating boss fights where multiple enemies appear, effectively turning the tables against the player. In keeping with this trend, Bloodborne presents the Shadows of Yharnam as a progressively more difficult encounter as the player successfully reduces the group's numbers.

Three Varied Enemies in Bloodborne's Gank Squad

One reason why the Shadows of Yharnam stand out in multi-boss encounters is because each variant presents unique challenges for the player. The sword-wielder focuses on close-range attacks, while the other two rely on powerful ranged magic from a distance. This creates a tense arena where the player must constantly monitor the actions of all three enemies, even if it seems like the ones not currently targeted are out of attack range.

This dynamic allows for various strategies, as players can choose which Shadow to defeat first based on the difficulty they pose in later phases of the fight when they become stronger. Taking out the sword-wielder initially may eliminate the melee threat before their attacks become more aggressive and deal additional damage towards the end. However, this leaves the more elusive enemies, requiring players to rely heavily on Bloodborne's dodge-centric combat to pursue and defeat the long-range variants.

Dealing With an Unfair Final Phase in FromSoftware Games

Towards the end of the fight, the effectiveness of this strategy often diminishes as only one Shadow of Yharnam remains. The difficulty intensifies throughout the three phases of the battle, setting the stage for a one-on-one encounter, similar to most of Bloodborne's boss lineup, in which the player can finally level the playing field. Notably, the final Shadow initiates the third phase by summoning a swarm of colossal snakes. This transforms the fight from a nerve-wracking experience of managing multiple targets and sources of damage into a chaotic event that relies heavily on chance, potentially resulting in the player's demise.

Among the devoted FromSoftware fan base, there is a prevailing argument in defense of the developer's unrelenting difficulty: the claim that games like Bloodborne are challenging, yet fundamentally fair. However, despite this stance being valid for many encounters, it does not hold true for the climactic phase of the Shadow of Yharnam battle. During this phase, the boss summons an onslaught of serpentine creatures that attack indiscriminately, emerging unexpectedly from various areas within the environment. As a result, it becomes an insurmountable task to have a comprehensive view of all potential attack points simultaneously, as these serpents can spawn at any location within the arena.

However, there is a simple way to bypass this stage by strategically keeping one of the Shadow of Yharnam alive and utilizing a specific technique to trap them in a repetitive cycle that prevents them from summoning the snakes. Currently, players have discovered the most effective method which involves sparing the candlestick-wielding Shadow till the end and delivering a single light attack followed by allowing them to dodge away, then pursuing and repeating this process. It may be seen as an exploitative tactic, but at times it is necessary to confront the most infuriating elements of FromSoftware's game design, including the occasional disappointing boss phase.

Bloodborne is currently available for the PS4.