Bloodborne Boss Order Revealed: A Comprehensive Guide

Conquering Bloodborne's challenging bosses requires strategy. This guide outlines optimal boss fight orders, differentiating between essential and optional encounters. While completing all bosses isn't mandatory, it yields significant rewards. Therefore, tackling as many as possible is highly recommended.

Table of Contents

• The Best Boss Order for Bloodborne
• Best Boss Order for Non-Optional Bosses in Bloodborne
• Best Boss Order for All Bosses in Bloodborne
• Our Best Boss Order, Explained
• Cleric Beast (Optional)
• Father Gascoigne
• Blood-Starved Beast (Optional)
• Vicar Amelia
• The Witch of Hemwick (Optional)
• Shadow of Yharnam
• Rom, the Vacuous Spider
• Darkbeast Paarl (Optional)
• The One Reborn
• Martyr Logarius (Optional)
• Amygdala (Optional)
• Celestial Emissary (Optional)
• Micolash, Host of the Nightmare
• The Old Hunters Bosses
• Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos (Optional)
• Mergo’s Wet Nurse
• Gehrman, the First Hunter
• Moon Presence (Ending Specific)

The Best Boss Order for Bloodborne

Several approaches exist, as not all bosses are required to finish the game. However, defeating most provides substantial benefits. We'll present non-optional and complete orders, then delve into the rationale.

The game features 17 standard bosses and 5 DLC bosses from The Old Hunters. Chalice Dungeon bosses are excluded. The DLC is theoretically accessible after Vicar Amelia, but many players (including myself) suggest delaying it until the game's later stages. The optimal DLC placement (before or after Mergo's Wet Nurse) influences dialogue.

Best Boss Order for Non-Optional Bosses in Bloodborne

1. Father Gascoigne
2. Vicar Amelia
3. Shadow of Yharnam
4. Rom, the Vacuous Spider
5. The One Reborn
6. Micolash, Host of the Nightmare
7. Mergo’s Wet Nurse
8. Gehrman, the First Hunter
9. Moon Presence (Ending Specific)

Best Boss Order for All Bosses in Bloodborne

1. Cleric Beast (Optional)
2. Father Gascoigne
3. Blood-Starved Beast (Optional)
4. Vicar Amelia
5. The Witch of Hemwick (Optional)
6. Shadow of Yharnam
7. Rom, the Vacuous Spider
8. Darkbeast Paarl (Optional)
9. The One Reborn
10. Martyr Logarius (Optional)
11. Amygdala (Optional)
12. Celestial Emissary (Optional)
13. Micolash, Host of the Nightmare
14. Ludwig the Accursed/Holy Blade (DLC/Optional)
15. Laurence, the First Vicar (DLC/Optional)
16. Living Failures (DLC/Optional)
17. Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (DLC/Optional)
18. Orphan of Kos (DLC/Optional)
19. Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos (Optional)
20. Mergo’s Wet Nurse
21. Gehrman, the First Hunter
22. Moon Presence (Ending Specific)

Our Best Boss Order, Explained

Each boss section will include an image. Due to character limits, detailed descriptions are not included for each boss, but the order is optimized for progression and difficulty scaling.

Cleric Beast (Optional)

Area: Central Yharnam

Father Gascoigne

Area: Central Yharnam

Blood-Starved Beast (Optional)

Area: Old Yharnam

Vicar Amelia

Area: Cathedral Ward

The Witch of Hemwick (Optional)

Area: Hemwick Charnel Lane

Shadow of Yharnam

Area: Forbidden Woods

Rom, the Vacuous Spider

Area: Moonside Lake

Darkbeast Paarl (Optional)

Area: Hypogean Gaol

The One Reborn

Area: Yahar’gul Unseen Village

Martyr Logarius (Optional)

Area: Forsaken Castle Cainhurst

Amygdala (Optional)

Area: Nightmare Frontier

Celestial Emissary (Optional)

Area: Upper Cathedral Ward

Micolash, Host of the Nightmare

Area: Nightmare of Mensis

The Old Hunters Bosses

The Old Hunters bosses follow a linear progression. After Ludwig, return to the Eye Pendant location to fight Laurence (the only optional boss in this area). Then, engage Living Failures, Lady Maria, and Orphan of Kos. All are exceptionally challenging.

Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos (Optional)

Area: Altar of Despair

Mergo’s Wet Nurse

Area: Nightmare of Mensis

After Mergo, complete any remaining tasks as the game's conclusion is near. Tackle any uncompleted DLC bosses at this point.

Gehrman, the First Hunter

Area: Hunter’s Dream

Moon Presence (Ending Specific)

Area: Hunter’s Dream

This concludes the optimal Bloodborne boss order.

For more Bloodborne news, explore our Bloodborne PSX, a remarkable fan-made PS1 demake. For FromSoftware content, check out Armored Core VI.

Related: How to Access the Hunter’s Nightmare for Bloodborne DLC on Attack of the Fanboy

Update: This article was updated on 2/3/2025 by Escapist Editorial to include more information about the various bosses, provide a high-level summary of the boss order, and to include the bosses from the Old Hunters DLC.