Bloodborne Chalice Dungeon bosses are a unique challenge in a unique location. Chalice Dungeons are semi randomly generated challenges players can create and run. Pushing through the descending levels means more risk and more reward. Just surviving the basic Bloodborne enemies you can find can be tough but there are also numerous Bloodborne Chalice Dungeon bosses that can test the skill of even the most seasoned pro with an OP character. Some help is definitely not a bad thing so here’s a run down of what Chalice Dungeons you might encounter and how best to deal with them.
Undead Giant
Being the first boss, the Giant is quite a pushover. In fact, he only has two attacks at his disposal. The first is a simple swipe of his arm blades – easily avoided with a sidestep. He may also hunker down and start charging up. Give a little ground, as he’ll burst outward with an area-of-effect blast.
The Watchers
Though not as easy as the Undead Giant, the Watchers can be taken down fairly quickly if you avoid getting surrounded. Two Watchers wield cleavers, the other a rifle. Your first move should be taking out the rifle-toting one. Once he’s down, focus on one of the other Watchers, avoiding their cleaver swings with sidesteps. Take them down one by one, and you should have no problem.
Watchdog of the Old Lords
The Watchdog has three attacks: a close-up chomp, a long-range fiery leap, and a fire area-of-effect blast. For the chomp, sidestep back or to the side to avoid damage. As for the leap, the easiest way to avoid damage is to dash forward, causing the Watchdog to leap over you. If you see him charging up, retreat to avoid the fire blast. Pro tip: you can roll under his hind legs and do massive damage to his belly.
Maneater Boar
You’ve seen this guy before: his the giant pig enemy you’ve encountered in the main game. Watch out for his charges, using sidesteps to avoid damage. If you’re directly behind him, you should also step away in case he bucks. Finally, be ready to dodge at short range if he starts shaking violently. Keep these in mind, and whale on Mr. Boar whenever possible.
Beast-possessed Soul
You’ve probably encountered this guy in the main game already – he hasn’t changed. He’ll either throw fireballs at you or swipe with his giant claws. In both cases, a sidestep is all that’s necessary to avoid damage. Take him down!
Keeper of the Old Lords
The Keeper can be a little tricky – he’s pretty quick with his kitana and fire magic. Leap back to avoid his slashes, and leap to the side to avoid his fire blasts. He’ll add fire effects to his blade after taking enough damage, so be extra careful during this time because you’ll take additional damage.
Pthumerian Descendant
This old, but large foe isn’t too tough. He wields a sickle, which he’ll attack with while lunging slashing. In both cases, sidestep around him to get at his weak back. After taking enough damage, he’ll split the sickle into two. He’ll use the same basic attacks, but learn a new leaping one. When he springs up, dash under him to avoid being pounced on. This attack will also break your lock-on, so be ready to swing the camera around and find him again.
Bloodletting Beast
The Bloodletting Beast is very similar to the Cleric Beast, but a bit more annoying – finding an attack opportunity can be tricky. His attacks consist of paw swipes, fist slams, and long range lunges. In all cases, your best bet is to dodge backwards manoeuvre around him. As far as dealing damage, you can actually dodge right under him and through his legs, opening up his back to attack. Just be aware that he may also stomp at you while back there.
Abhorrent Beast
The Abhorrent Beast may be the toughest random boss you’ll face. Be on your toes, always dodging for the duration of the fight. His punches and swipes hit hard, and reach much farther than you think. Make sure he’s done with a combo before leaning in to damage him yourself. Be sure to immediately dodge away too, as there’s barely any time to even move in this (honestly, pretty cheap) fight. When he powers up halfway through the battle, be sure to sidestep his two-handed attack, as it’ll now send a damaging sound wave forward from his fists.
Brainsucker
If you’re fighting the Brainsucker at this point, you’ve encountered him before – the only difference here is more HP. Sidestep his puny punches, and take care not to get grabbed. If you’re caught, he’ll dig into you with his tentacle, causing a decent chunk of damage.
Forgotten Madman
The Madman can be tricky boss, since he’s basically an NPC Hunter. Use sidesteps to avoid his enchanted sword slashes and blunderbuss blasts, and keep an eye on his left hand. When it’s in a tentacle form, he will also use a medium range tentacle strike. He may even perform a large area of effect spell, so keep your distance if you seem him powering up.
Things heat up (quite literally) when the Madman’s Escort shows up when the Madman is past half HP. He’s another Hunter wielding the Kirkhammer and Flamesprayer. Focus on getting rid of the Madman first, then turn to his buddy. Keep sidestepping the hammer blows, and be sure to give a wide berth when he starts firing the flamethrower your way.
Pthumerian Elder
The Elder wields possibly the coolest weapon in the game, but don’t get distracted – it packs a punch. At a distance, the flaming sceptre will become a crossbow, so use sidesteps to avoid getting pierced by bolts. If it turns into a flaming scythe, be prepared to dodge to the sides as echoes of the scythe will fly toward you. If he swings it like a staff at close range, dodge around him and strike at his back. Finally, if he slams it into the ground as a mace, give some distance, because it will burst in an area of effect attack.
Loran Silverbeast
You’ve likely fought plenty of these guys, so keep the same general strategy. Use sidesteps to avoid their swipes and fire-spitting. They may also charge up an area-of-effect shock attack – give some distance to avoid damage. If they drop the torch and enter their crawling form, be ready to dodge their lunges and claw swipes.
Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen
The Queen isn’t too tough to take down, but you have to be cautious. The main rule of the fight is this: attack once or twice, then back off as you hear the baby cry. Otherwise, you’ll be caught in a binding spell, completely open to attack. When it comes to the Queen’s attacks, she’ll begin with area-of-effect and ranged blood blasts, both of which can cause rapid poison damage. Sidestep up to her, deal damage, and back off. Once she breaks her handcuffs and starts using dagger swipes and charges, be ready to dodge a little quicker.
Your strategy should change once she starts moving more. If she spawns clones (which she will do frequently), take them out first. They go down in one blow, but use all the same attacks. You also need to watch for when she starts channeling into her dagger. She may either cause a row of blood spikes to chase you or multiple burst from the ground. In either case, keep moving and keep your distance from her. Finally, watch for any large glowing ring around her, and get out quickly if you spot it – it’s a pretty big energy attack.