I could rant forever. I shall!  My loyal followers demand it!

Fixed.

I had gotten into the habit of watching various LPs, but only the parts which I had already been through.  Inevitably though, I was getting spoilers here and there and had to stop.  I feel bad enough for the few things that I didn't find on my own.  I have successfully avoided all wikis and don't really have an urge to look.  I want to finish at least my first playthrough blind.

With that in mind, there is one baffling thing I haven't figured out yet, which began when going back and talking to people in Central Yharnham: every house I spoke with all said the same thing, in the same voice, about finding an old church (I think?!) off the main path to the Cathedral.  I went to where I thought it was referring (after a tough battle with a hunter) and all I see is another one of those swirling vortex thingies.  Now the voice is gone and I don't remember exactly what it said.  Strange.

I like the stripped-down feel as well and don't think it suffers at all for it, although unlike you I'm not finished yet.  I'm currently in the woods on the way to (I think) Byrgenworth.  I defeated the Hemwick boss, which makes five.

I really don't have much interest in the multi-player stuff at this point, besides the passive elements.  I'm enjoying the journey too much.  I did try out co-op one time and helped someone defeat Cleric Beast, but that's it.

I agree so hard about some of my previously favorite you-tubers (the exact ones you mention in fact).  I appreciate ENB's passion but I kind of gave up on him after Dark Souls 2 came out, when he started sounding like a shill.  The only one whom I still frequent is AGermanSpy, who seems to have kept his enthusiasm fully in check.

Yeah I noticed that after going through my stuff again.  Haven't tried it out yet though.  I've kind of hit a wall and haven't played for over a week.  Not sure why exactly, but this game is dark.  Darker than Demon's Souls even.  DeS was dark in a vague, foreboding kind of way.  With Bloodborne, there seems to be a very thin veil between you and utter insanity and the only option is to draw it aside.   The further you go, the harder it is to trust your senses, or your gut.  I think it's starting to get to me.

I'm in a spot in the woods, after sort of running the gauntlet against a cannon shooting at me, where you enter one of those windmills seen only from a distance earlier.  I just told some guy about a safe spot, but then noticed he's basically covered in blood and maybe that wasn't the best thing to do.  Also I've got a ton of echos and there's not a lamp in sight.  On top of that there appears to be a hunter at the lowest level of the windmill...waiting.

I'm now a card-carrying member of the Bloodborne club. Went with a noble scion, blunderbuss (because it's a funny word), and saw cleaver (because it's on the box). 

Why do all these Yharnamites hate me so? I'm only here to kill them. And their neighbors. With my stick-saw.

That fear in your voice Barbara? 

Sometimes foes will pick up your blood echos.  You can tell who by the glowing blue eyes.  You can get to the other side of that big door.  Look around for a different path though.  That initial mob was pretty daunting for me.  But learning to manage that encounter will serve you well.  Practice the special moves:

-Interrupting attacks with your firearm.

-Charged R2 attack from behind.

-L1 combos.

They're worth it.

Searching for the Chime of a Give Advice to Steerpike Bell...

Progress has been slow what with other stuff going on, but now I'm cracking down. Considered restarting with a Strength build, but decided to just appraise my loadout instead. The issue isn't my build -- Skill and Endurance, which is working fine for me -- it's my Saw Spear. I dislike its moveset. I wanted to swap out for a Saw Cleaver, because I love its moveset, but it scales with Strength rather than Skill.

That problem solved itself when I turned my back on Saw-class weapons entirely, and discovered the miracle of the Threaded Cane. I'd taken its description to mean it had a low damage output. Mistake on my part. With high Skill and the right Bloodgem, it's devastating.

Compared to you guys I'm a level-guzzling twink (in the gaming sense, not the other meaning). I hit level 65 last night, and now I'm at a loss for where to go. I don't think I'm very far into the game -- 35% maybe? For all I know the end is ten minutes out.

Here's where I am.

• Destroyed the Shadow of Yharnam (thanks for your help, CockMUnkEy333) and opened up the path to Byrgenwerth. I roamed the grounds for a while before going back to the Dream to reassess. The college seems like the obvious next step on the linear path I've followed.
• I also endured the Sodomy Leeches down in Is-It-Soup-Yet Cave, so I found the Cainhurst Summons in Iosefka's. Poked around a little bit in there, but left when asked to.
• Last night I reached the Hemwick Witch. I assume she's guarding the carriage waiting to take me to Cainhurst Castle, but again I pulled back because I thought maybe that would be getting ahead of myself.
• Hunter Workshop is locked but a message said I'd find a key in the Unseen Village. Of all the places I've been the Unseen Village makes me most nervous. It's very Tower-of-Latria. Plus the challenge level seems highest there.

I think that's it as far as possible routes to take. What do you guys suggest?

Bloodborne is fantastic, but feels much more aimless than Dark Souls. The fact that I'm asking where to go rather than how to do something kind of underlines that. You get the sense there's a general order of operations, but no clues as to what it is.

You two are Bloodborne Yodas, can you help a brother out with a gentle nudge?

It is excellent, Helmut -- I think the dilemma is whether it's worth buying a PS4. And I'd say... no. Not on its own. It's a great game; if there were maybe one other can't-live-without game for the platform (maybe there is now Metal Gear Tits is out) it'd be a slam dunk.

The reduction of froth may have more to do with the fact that we're not all playing simultaneously, or that we're all at home in the Dark Souls style of game. And Bloodborne is definitely that. A non-obsessive would be unable to distinguish between Bloodborne and any of the Souls games.

Structurally I'm having the same issues I had with Dark Souls 2... since you can warp to any location, the world feels disconnected from itself. There's no need to master its geography as in DkS1, where you come to know Lordran intimately whether you want to or not. Yharnam feels less like a whole place where things are connected. The recursive structure and hella shortcuts are still there, but overall after 30 hours I still don't know my way around. I often wander into a place I've visited before and think, "holy crap! THIS neighborhood is connected to THAT neighborhood? Who knew?"

The other major complaint I have is that the camera isn't as well behaved and gets blocked at the worst times. It's not a "bad" camera, just something that wasn't a problem at all in the Souls games so it's more noticeable here.

Bloodborne is an 8 out of 10. If it were my first experience with a Miyazaki game, it'd be a 9.5/10. But it's not my first rodeo, and I think that's why everyone's a little more subdued.

Yes sir, I got the Cainhurst Summons during my brief exploration of Iosefka's Clinic. It was pretty clear that either the Clinic's defenses had crumbled since I last spoke to Iosefka through the door, or -- more likely -- it had never been a safe haven at all. At least, not for people. I chose to leave when the voice at the top of the stairs suggested I do so. The retreat was tactical; I was battered from my trip through Is-It-Soup-Yet Lake, and besides, with the shortcut open I could come back any time. 

So the Rune Tool is past the Hemwick Witch, eh? You just saved me a lot of circling back. I'd been pushing hard to Byrgenwerth on the assumption that Caryll's tools would be there, given he'd been a student and all. I'll do the Witch and then head off to the college, which should be much easier once I'm runed up.

The Saw Cleaver is one of the coolest and most fun to use melee weapons ever in my book. I could Saw Cleave stuff all day. The Saw weapons are traditional for Hunters, but it looks like some of the others have more utility. My Threaded Cane changed everything in the Forbidden Forest. It combines reach as a whip with high-speed death as a sword; it's the Balder Side Sword of Bloodborne. Plus I've been heavily investing in Endurance on purpose, so I can get ten or twelve fast swings in before my stamina runs out. It's a good build for me since I tend to be a fool of the rush in variety.

As for co-op, I'll watch for you! I love the technical improvements they made to the multiplayer in Bloodborne, but functionally it seems less reliable. I tend to ring a Beckoning Bell right away when I have a big fight ahead, because it takes twenty minutes sometimes to find help.

I've lost track of Eileen, I think I might have missed a trigger for her. We spoke once in Central Yharnam, but she's been absent since. The fellow who likes to discuss things -- Gordon? -- he's still around, but everybody else has already gotten sick.