A Bloodborne Inspired Hunter Character Role-Play In Elden Ring

Bloodborne - A game regarded by Miyazaki himself as his greatest personal achievement, and by players and fans as possibly the most unparalleled creation by From Software unmatched by any other title. The cult status of this game is truly well cemented and as such, we all love how well a dystopian cosmic-horror Victorian fantasy this game was.

The thought has crossed our minds surely - How could I create a character that looks and feels like a hunter of Yharnam from Bloodborne?
How do I find some Victorian era style armour and weaponry in a Medieval/supernatural fantasy setting?

And that; is the very reason for this guide. To get as close to being a Victorian era hunter as possible in Elden Ring. In this guide I have made 3 different clothing/armour sets (1 with two alternate armour options) and 2 weapons that resemble a character build from Bloodborne. The base for 2 of these sets shall be 1 clothing item that truly gives this build a trademark Bloodborne-esque character.

The Basic Aesthetics & Playstyle

Fashion From Yharnam : The Armour Aesthetic & General Vibe

The first thing I had to keep in mind while selecting armour sets was to make sure that basic elements of Victorian era / Industrial age fashion is reflected in our clothing. As Elden Ring is mostly a medieval fantasy setting, armour sets that are typical to this game are mostly designed in medieval, and sometimes Renaissance style. Ample steel, iron, bronze and gold-gilded plates and chainmail is very commonplace in the game.

During the Victorian era, leather clothing was quite the craze. Tunics made of silk were also in vogue and so were all types of leather boots and hats. Overcoats, long flowing gowns with hoods or a balaclava were also typical to this era. Metal plated leather boots or Wellington boots were quite popular for instance in Victorian era England and France. Overall, a sense of high gothic fashion is what From Software created with their armour designs in Bloodborne. So this is the general clothing style and vibe we are looking to emulate here.




Bloodborne Inspired Playstyle

In order to create a character playstyle that suits the Bloodborne aesthetic, we must keep in mind to select weapons that are not typically medieval or fantasy-like. Instead, we have to look for weapons that resemble the grotesque nature of Bloodborne; where menacing looking weapons capable of inflicting bloodshed and a wicked perverted degree of cruelty is a core element.

Armour Set 1 - Apprentice Hunter of Yharnam

Item No. 1 :- Aristocrat Hat

This is the very centrepiece of this build, as you may be able to see clearly from the image. The Aristocrat Hat doesn't instantly come across as something out of place in Elden Ring when some wandering nobles are seen wearing them. A very rare drop rate for this item makes it hard to farm and requires a lot of Discovery points in the game. Or you may just get lucky like I did at the very start of a playthrough. Either way, this sets the tone for an Industrial age look for your character.

Item No. 2 :- Page Garb

Hardly much more than a tunic with a short cape, this piece does stand out as a style of clothing that you would expect to find people wearing walking through Victorian era Oxford, UK.
And paired with the Aristocrat Hat, the Page Garb makes for a very Bloodborne-ish get-up.

Footwear & Gauntlets

For footwear, I found the Vulgar Militia Greaves to be an ideal mix of leather shins and a metal plated foot and sole. Providing not just the aesthetics but also functionality for our Hunter of Yharnam. Likewise, the Exile Gauntlets compliments the rest of the look with perfection with just the right balance of leather and metal.

Alternate Set 1 - Elite Hunter of Yharnam

Alternate Item :- High Page Clothes (Altered)

The Altered High Page set oozes Victorian era craftsmanship like no other item in Elden Ring, in my opinion. Simply taking away the cape to reveal the subtle embroideries in this piece makes it truly distinguished indeed. With all the rest of the items from Armour set 1, this one single piece makes a whole lot of difference and bleeds Industrial Age fashion.

Armour Set 2 - Cathedral Pastor of Yharnam

Item No. 1 :- Alberich's Robe

An eccentric and weirdly opulent cloak encrusted with blood amber, with intricate embroidery along the robe's lining; Alberich's Robe fits perfectly into the vibes that Bloodborne is so well known and loved for.

Item No. 2 :- Crimson Hood

Unassuming and very unlikely, there were many headpieces that I swapped around to finally settle on this to complete this look. The Crimson Hood reminds anyone of the gentle and compassionate Roderika and yet, it just fits so well with Alberich's Robe to create an image of an ominous looking pastor of Yharnam Cathedral.

Footwear & Gauntlets

For the bottoms in this set, Alberich's Trousers just ensures the robe does not feel mismatched. A straightforward choice. For the gauntlets or gloves, though; it was not straightforward. It basically comes down to individual taste and I liked the Nox Bracelets the most. The silk fabric and the detailed intricate embroidery on it just felt like a perfect compliment to the rest of the set to me.

Armour Set 3 - Regal Yharnam Hunter

Item No. 1 :- Aristocrat Hat

The second set in this list to feature this hat for it's perfect Victorian era 18th-19th century look, this is no doubt the most distinct part of this entire guide.

Item No. 2 :- Carian Knight Armour

The actual focal piece of this set, the Carian Knight Armour is unique and different from all other Knight armours in Elden Ring. Every other Knight's armour in the game has a distinct medieval design with their full metal breastplates to reinforced shoulder pads. The Carian Knight armour, however; has studded fabric double-stitched and beautifully crafted over its neckpiece and chestplate.

Studded with gemstones and silver chain-links with exceptionally well crafted embroidery, and a parted cape in brilliant royal blue flowing down the back makes it the type of Knight suits that were used during the Victorian era, though mostly for ceremonial purpose rather than practical warfare. This is my build of choice and for good reason as it somehow creates a stunning representation of a highborn noble's suit during the age of Imperialism and Industry.

Footwear & Gauntlets

For both footwear and gauntlets the same items have been used as with set no. 1. The Vulgar Militia Greaves and the Exile Gauntlets complete the entire look, but you may as well swap out either for something else as you wish. For instance, I found the Bloodhound Gauntlets, Scaled Gauntlets and the Gelmir Knight's Gauntlets to be superb replacements.

Weapons

Weapon No. 1 :- Reduvia

From a hilt that gently curves and flows into a conical hooked blade that looks sickeningly deadly...to a jagged razor sharp spine of burred blades sticking out and again creating a curved spine along the length of the whole dagger; the Reduvia doesn't just feel like FromSoft took inspiration from Bloodborne - instead it feels like the devs mistakenly put a weapon from Bloodborne into Elden Ring.

With the appearance of a dagger fashioned from the spinal cord of some horrific amphibious Lovecraftian monster, or maybe forged from a discarded part of the spine of the Orphan of Kos itself, Reduvia being the prime choice of weapon for this build is hardly any surprise once you inspect the weapon closely. With that in mind, it comes as little surprise that barring the Rivers of Blood katana and Eleonora's Poleblade; no other native bleed affinity type weapon's Ash of War inflicts blood loss quicker than this gruesome dagger.

Weapon No. 2 :- Godskin Stitcher

The Victorian Era was to rapiers what the Roman Empire was to the Gladius. The Victorian Age was a time when handguns and rifles had become the preferred and principle weapon for all infantry and cavalry during war. As muskets and rifles had become the mainstay in war, the art of sword combat had become a sport to cultivate good mobility and combat temperament for nobility and knights. Thus sparring with blades had become a ceremonious activity and for such activities, the rapier had become the blade of choice throughout Europe during that age.

For this reason choosing a specific one from the selection of the few rapiers that the game offers was inevitable to bring a certain Victorian era aesthetic to this build. And that brings us to the Godskin Stitcher. Built with an intricately designed and engraved hilt and long blade this weapon would make Napolean salivate if he laid his eyes on them; and thus this weapon fits right into this build to create a pretty immersive Bloodborne-inspired character in Elden Ring.



With that, the guide is complete and whether or not you pick or choose any of these items or weapons for your build; you certainly do have a better insight into how to make your own Bloodborne inspired character in Elden Ring.

So Praise the Guide, and all the more Good Luck!

[TheFalseBaconing]

@Some Loser, sadly that seems unlikely. Bloodborne was so unique in it's own way - the style of combat, the way you needed to approach and engage in combat was completely different from all other souls titles...and that reflected in the weaponry.

[Some Loser]

Man, I wish trick weapons would come back...