Bloodborne: Ludwig, The Accursed Boss Fight (Tips, Tricks & Strategies)

As fans of Bloodborne venture into The Old Hunters DLC, they may find that its bosses are not to be taken lightly. Ludwig, The Accursed, the first boss of the DLC, will stump and frustrate many players as its overly aggressive nature will severely punish some players’ instinctive defensive playstyle. To beat this beast and discover all the amazing content in Bloodborne’s DLC, players will need to fight fire with fire by fighting Ludwig as aggressively as it fights them.

Bloodborne, like most games by FromSoftware, is known for its difficulty and can often frustrate players struggling to survive in its harsh world. Whenever players encounter a new boss, a great tactic is to dedicate a few runs to strictly figure out its moves and how to avoid them while finding opportunities to dish out damage. This tactic can be very helpful in managing resources, as Bloodborne offers players a lot of useful items that can prove invaluable against certain tougher bosses.

Ludwig is the first boss in The Old Hunters DLC and can be problematic due to his unrelenting nature. During phase one, this boss will take 20% more damage from serrated weapons in Bloodborne, so players should try to use weapons like the Saw Spear, Saw Cleaver, or even transform the Threaded Cane. Ludwig’s fight rewards an aggressive playstyle, so it is recommended that players use any damage-enhancing items like Fire Paper and Beast Pellets.

How to Beat Ludwig in Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

As soon as the fight begins, Ludwig will make a jumping attack that players can avoid by dashing forward and to the left. Following the dodge, immediately attack his right hind leg with just two to three hits, as Ludwig is very aggressive, making it very important not to get greedy when punishing him. The main objective is to break his right hind leg to force the boss to expose his head, which after a few hits will also “break” and trigger an opportunity for a visceral attack. Unlike other bosses in Bloodborne, Ludwig does not regenerate limbs, so players should focus on his right side, which will take extra damage after breaking.

Surviving Ludwig can be very difficult as he is one of the most relentless bosses in the game. Players should aim to respond with aggression, as playing defensively will often end up eating up a lot of Blood Vials as Ludwig is very good at punishing healing. Staying under the boss can help a lot with dodging his attacks but doing it for too long will trigger a quick slash under him that will punish those who linger for too long. Because of this, players should attempt to keep their distance, go under the boss until he attacks two or three times, and then retreat and repeat.

Ludwig is one of the toughest bosses in Bloodborne and can seem pretty intimidating at first, but as players get familiar with them and learn the direction and timing of the dodges, this boss becomes very manageable. Players should avoid standing in front of his head, as the boss can do a quick bitting attack that is hard to read and even harder to dodge. Fortunately, his highest damaging attacks are clearly telegraphed and consist of a charge across the room. This attack can be easily sidestepped, and a drop attack from the ceiling can be avoided by sprinting in a straight line away from the boss until he drops.

Like most hard bosses in Bloodborne, Ludwig will eventually reach phase two and essentially become a completely different boss by standing on his hind legs and wielding the Moonlight Blade. As this phase begins, he will most likely start to charge an attack that will do some damage around him. If players have enough damage, this attack can be interrupted and offer a great opportunity to get him low. Otherwise, it may still be worth it for players to get a few hits in if they can survive the blast’s damage, but make sure not to stand in front of him as he can follow up with a stronger attack. Other than that, players can either hug the boss’s left front side to avoid most of his attacks or play without lock-on and use sprint to try to stay behind him at all times. Should players use the later tactic in this hard Bloodborne boss fight, it is important to only get one or two quick hits at a time and keep repositioning as fast as possible.

Bloodborne is currently available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

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