Rom, the Vacuous Spider | Boss Fights Bloodborne Guide

The Spider has a few bodyguards.

Attacks

- summon spiders - every time the boss disappears and then reappears, it summons a group of spiders.

- ranged ice barrage - the boss raises its torso and moves its limbs. After a while, a rain of ice blocks falls down on the player.

- upward ice barrage - the Spider rolls on his back and ice blocks shoot from the water, hurting the hero.

- lying on the back and explosion - an attack similar to the previous one; the Spider rolls on his back and then the explosion happens around him.

- disappear and change position - occurs twice, when Rom's HP bar falls to a certain amount. The boss disappears and changes its location, appearing with a group of spiders.

- body slam attack - near the end of the battle, be careful when coming close to the boss because it will attack you with its head, dealing a lot of damage.

Strategy

The first time, you have to start the fight yourself.

When you get into the arena for the first time, Rom will not be moving. However, if you fail during the first attempt, the boss will attack you each time you enter the location again. Use the moment while Rom is still to examine his structure. The boss's body can be divided into two parts - a well-protected head and a vulnerable torso.

The torso is the best place for you to attack.

When you're ready, start the fight by hitting the enemy in the torso. You will see the boss's HP bar and a dozen-or-so smaller spiders. You should remember two things about them: their head is also well-protected (you will not deal a lot of damage by attacking their front side) and they can quickly perform two types of attacks (sinking into the ground or attacking with their pincers). During the first phase of the battle, Rom practically won't attack you, but you need to watch out for the poison that appears when you hit the torso. Try to drag the spiders away from the boss, then approach Rom and attack. After you take about 1/3 of the main opponent's HP, it will teleport to another place on the arena (you can still attack the shape, dealing some damage).

The boss getting ready to attack.

The next phase means new spiders. Despite there being a lot of them, they are not worth fighting with. You will only lose a lot of HP, because, as you know, "nec Hercules contra plures" (another difficulty are the boss's attacks, which start during phase two). Try to lure the enemies away from the boss, then approach it and attack its torso (don't try to attack the head because you will hardly deal any damage at all). Mind also the main opponent's stance, as it will tell you about the attacks that are bound to follow - it is especially harmful to be caught by the rain of ice blocks or the explosion. These attacks are both signalized with a two-seconds stance change. When Rom's HP bar falls to 1/3 of the maximum value, the boss will change its position again and the battle will enter phase three.

The spider is about to explode - quickly jump back.

The opponent will appear for the last time with a fresh portion of smaller spiders. You will notice that getting to the boss is very difficult now. However, the best strategy is still to go past the spiders or maybe kill one or two of them. If you're away from the boss, you will force the spiders to be on the move. You can use the fact that you are faster than them and approach Rom to attack its torso. In this phase, you have to be particularly careful, because Rom starts to attack with its head. It is good to save some Molotov Cocktails for this part, as they will allow you to defeat the enemy faster.

When the fight is over, approach the edge of the lake and watch a cut-scene.

Reward: 12x Kin Coldblood, 24 860 Blood Echoes, a lantern (respawn point - Moonside Lake), a door opens in Cathedral Ward (the last one to the right, from the Cathedral - you will be teleported here automatically) - they lead to Yahar'gul Unseen Village.