Summary
The Old Hunters DLC inBloodborneintroduced some of the game’s best bosses and hunter gear, with the majority of the new content being hidden behind an enemy that creates a brick wall for newer players. This wall comes in the form of Ludwig, the Accursed, a character heavily featured inBloodborne’s deep and stellar lore, whose beastly form is a challenge that may be best faced later than when he first becomes available.
Ludwig is only one of many difficult bosses inBloodborne, both in and out of the DLC, but his specific placement makes him a considerable point of interest throughout a playthrough. The effect of Ludwig’s placement is made even more of a warning to send players away when they burn down the first half of his health bar and reveal the second phase that wields an iconic weapon from the FromSoftware catalog.
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Ludwig’s Accursed Moveset Against Green Builds
One of the major aspects of Ludwig, the Accursed is in his complex moveset that comes with a varied group of attacks that all compliment his screaming, beastly form. Slashing out wildly with claws, or firing a mysterious liquid from the second head sprouting out of his neck, Ludwig’s attacks are relentless and will usually close the distance between him and the player in seconds. Even if players could create some distance, attacking at range long enough to inflict consistent damage isn’t exactly whatBloodborne’s firearmswere built for.
The result is a frantic battle against an opponent that almost never seems to relent as he furiously jumps across the arena and slams players with excessive damage for low-level builds. However, this is more a feature than it is a bug of Ludwigs' design, as the DLC was built to be tackled after getting further into a playthrough or even after starting New Game Plus after reachingone ofBloodborne’s insane endings. So, players coming to the Old Hunters content as soon as it opens up may want to explore the base game for a while, at least getting to the point that they start picking up twin-bloodstone shards regularly before coming back with reasonable damage.
Ludwig’s Moonlight is Half Deterrent and Half Incentive
Of course, as much as saving Ludwig for later is a great way to make sure that players have the damage they need, the boss' second phase revealsFromSoftware’s iconic Holy Moonlight Sword. In this case, the long-running magical weapon is being used as Ludwig, the Holy Blade’s primary weapon as he begins to gain his senses and start attacking with purpose instead of wild, animalistic swings. This adds several layers to the fight, the first being a much more methodical enemy who slashes with his sword to catch players in the middle of dodges and introduces a number of area-of-effect attacks to his arsenal.
As far as continuing the feeling of Ludwig being a deterrent to stay away until the late game, these sword swings gain increased damage and will kill low-level players even faster. This comes with a trade-off of Ludwig’s more purposeful slashes being a bit more predictable, which can lead to attentive players having an easier time dodging away from danger. However, the increased risk of eating a hit will immediately send players back toBloodborne’s Hunter’s Dream if they slip up even once during this newly purposeful onslaught.
On top of the dangers of the new phase, Ludwig then has the potential to become an enticing incentive to continue further, as the promise of the Holy Moonlight Sword is a must-have for any Arcane build. Longtime fans of the FromSoftware catalog especially might be drawn to face off against Ludwig as quickly as possible to get their hands on the iconic weapon. That being said, as compelling as collectingFromSoftware’s most iconic weapon in every gamemight be, Ludwig is still better left until later, with the reward of the Holy Moonlight Sword being something to enjoy in the late game.
