Bloodborne: Upper Cathedral Ward and how to beat Celestial Emissary

Our Bloodborne guide and walkthrough now visits the optional Upper Cathedral Ward

Bloodborne has several optional areas, and this one is pretty great. The Upper Cathedral Ward is access via the Healing Church Workshop, but you need a key obtained in Yahar'gul, Unseen Village.

Once you have the Upper Cathedral Key, take the elevator in the Cathedral Ward that opens after the Blood-starved Beast boss battle. Battle the Wheelchair Blunder in the tower room, then cross the bridge, avoiding the sniper fire, to battle four melee Henchmen and one rifleman Henchman as you push into the circular tower. Climb the winding stairs inside to fight another Wheelchair Blunder and Henchman. Outside, a Brick Brute, a rifleman Henchman and a Wheelchair Blunder await you.

Circle the tower and take the ladder up. Inside the tower again on the next floor, you'll face two Wheelchair Blunders you can lure outside one by one. Opposite the entrance is the door to the Upper Cathedral Ward.

Upper Cathedral Ward

The music here is super eerie, isn't it? For starters, kill the gross Squid Lizard. You can sneak up on it and combo it before it reacts to you. Head up the stairs to the left and continue on until you can collect a Blue Elixir near the gate.

By this time, two Gravekeepers will be heading towards you over the bridge. They're tougher than their brethren, so wait till they turn around and patrol away, the approach the rear one so you can separate him and take them out one by one. Three more Squid Lizards await you on the far side of the bridge, as well as the Upper Cathedral Ward Lantern.

Take the stairs ahead and battle more Squid Lizards, two at the top of the steps and another group of on the right, near a Great Lake Rune. On the other side of this path battle more Squid Lizards for the nearby Frenzied Coldblood.

Now continue along the main path, circling to the left of the stairs to battle some Crazed Crows. Now go up those stairs and then a second set to battle a Gravekeeper. There's an Infected in the next room; remember these guys are super dangerous, what with the magic and the head grab, so be wary. Once he;'s down you can grab the Choir Garb attire set. Yesss.

Take the doorway and head down the hallway to the right to find a Madman's Knowledge; a Netherbeast will attack when you turn around to head back. Once it's dead, head to the other end of the hall and go through the doorway. There's an Infected in the next room; when you've killed it, open the big door on the right. The statue here will give you the Make Contact gesture upon inspection.

Go back down the corridor and cross to the other side of the big room, opening the door on the right. Take the stairs down; four Netherbeasts are going to appear momentarily, and you will need Shining Coins, a Torch or the Hand Lantern to help you with them.

Once the room is clear - well done! - cross to the far side of the room to grab the Ritual Blood just beside the door, which we won't be taking just now. Look to the right of the stairs for a doorway, and dash down the corridor beyond to take down an Imp - hopefully not yet aggroing the Infected in the next room.

Once you have smacked that fool, take the ladder up and go through the doorway to the right - not the one in the corner! - and battle another Infected. There's a Blue Elixir, Blindfold Cap, two Madman's Knowledge and two Pearl Slugs in the hall here, as well as a door you can open to unlock a shortcut.

Go back to the room with the ladder and the door in the corner we haven't visited yet. Through here you'll find two more Infected but if you kill them both you'll receive the Orphanage Key. You'll also be able to open the door, unlocking another shortcut.

Go back into the main room and take the door on the right to traverse another corridor. Take down the Infected to score the Cosmic Eye Watcher Badge - new items at the merchant, nice.

Now! Remember that big door a few rooms back? Take your shiny new key to open it. On the other side you can find a Frenzied Coldblood and a lever you can use to open another shortcut.

Behind you you'll spot a set of stairs leading up and to the right. Take them, and then the second flight, to battle a Cranium Creature. If you enter the room ahead you'll trigger the boss battle with the Celestial Emissary.

How to beat Celestial Emissary

Beating this guy will award you a pretty damn decent Communion Rune, so let's go for it.

This battle is complicated by a mob of Cranium Creatures - shades of Rom, eh? - and by the fact that the boss hides among them. Attack the mobs until you notice the boss's health bar going down. This means you have found the one and you should go to town on it. (If only romance was this easy.)

Once you've frightened it a bit, the Celestial Emissary will transform; when this happens, leg it for the stairs, run out onto the balcony, and then drop off the ledge at the end. This will confuse the Cranium Creatures, so when the Celestial Emissary finally drags its ass down to you, you can battle it without all its little friends. When they turn up again, you can rinse and repeat this tactic if it proves necessary.

Now the real fun begins, although at this stage in your Bloodborne career you hardly need to be told what to do: get behind it, and hit it on the butt until it is very sorry for what it did.

There is onw more optional boss between you and the end of the game - Ebrietas, in the Temple of Despair.

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