Gehrman, the First Hunter | Boss Fights Bloodborne Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Attacks
- wide scythe swing - enemy will make a wide scythe swing and move for a long distance at the same time. The moment when Gehrman prepares for attack gives you a chance to give a shot and stun him
- drag player with a scythe - boss drags the player towards himself with a scythe, if (when being close to Gehrman) you won't make a dodge, boss will throw you to the air and immediately crush you (very large damage)
- roll and shot - after making his weapon shorter (around 3/4 health bar) boss will make faster attacks, his rolling is usually ended with a swing or shot (it cancels your current activity)
- series of hits - few fast attacks finished with a shot
- explosion - from about half of the battle Gehrman will gain a green aura, when he spreads his hands after that a powerful explosion occurs, you must get to safe distance
- swing in the air - another powerful attack, Gehrman jumps to the air and makes a powerful swing with his scythe, you should move as far out of reach as possible or in the opposite direction, under the boss
- stun and finishing blow - in third phase boss can stun player and then make finishing blows
Combat
You start the battle with Gehrman if in final conversation with him you refuse to give away your life. Final ending depends on that, if you sacrifice your life this battle won't occur.
Boss is mostly using physical attacks so wear adequate clothing. If you want to focus on stuns and dealing finishing blows, don't forget about bullets and runes that increase brutal attacks damage.
During the first phase boss is using long scythe. Gehrman moves slowly, but don't let it fool you - when he gets close to player one of two very fast attacks occurs: scythe swings or dragging enemy. Remember about dodging immediately before the swing, it will also allow you to go around enemy and deal one or two attacks. Scythe swing also gives a perfect opportunity to stun enemy with a shot and then make a finishing blow. Such tactic might give you lots of profits if you shoot at right time. Otherwise you risk an attack that you won't be able to dodge.
In second phase Gehrman shortens his weapon. His attacks becomes slightly faster, he will come to the player slowly and in final moment he will roll. After the roll a quick hit will occur or shot that cancels your current activity. It is still possible to stun Gehrman but it is harder (faster attacks), if you have trouble with that you should make your weapon longer and make fully loaded attack in the right moment so that enemy receives damage immediately after rolling. By doing so you can, by moving constantly back, deal single hits and Gehrman won't have a chance to deal serious damage.
In third phase of the battle (about half of boss health bar) he will stand for a moment (you should attack him then, he is powerless) and gain a green aura around himself. Now he will have some new deadly attacks added to the previous ones (he will use both long and short weapon and attacks from previous phases). One of them, easier to avoid, is explosion - Gehrman will spread his hands (as at the beginning of this phase) and load his energy for a moment. After that a powerful explosion occurs - you better be out of its reach. During the load time you can attack enemy but you risk being hit by explosion. Second attack is jumping and releasing airflow at player. It's much harder to avoid that attack, it is better to be away from the boss than run in the opposite direction, behind his back. Both attacks deal massive damage and might be decisive for the outcome of battle.
The battle is similar as before, when boss is holding scythe watch out for dragging and attacks with long reach, and now for air jumps as well. When he shortens his weapon you must additionally watch out for his rolls and shots as he can stun you and make a finishing blow. The tactic doesn't change, it is still possible to stun enemy and make a finishing blow.
During the battle you can choose two tactics. First one focuses on stunning and dealing finishing blows. It might be very profitable, but you must learn the moment when the bullet stuns enemy (short time when he prepares to swing). Second tactic is to keep enemy at distance and fully loading attacks when he gets close. With Hunter Axe it is possible to throw away and knock down enemy almost with each attack. After knocking him down you additionally have some time to quickly deal more hits. It is slightly safer and more time consuming (distance to enemy), but effective tactic.
Reward: Old Hunter Badge, 128 000 Blood Echoes, game ending or (after meting certain conditions) battle with another, final boss.