Bloodborne - Living Failures, Astral Clocktower Key, Lumenwood Garden lamp

This article explains how to get the Astral Clocktower Key in Bloodborne: The New Hunters.

If you're interested in more advice, our complete Bloodborne walkthrough and for the DLC our The Old Hunters guide and walkthrough can help.

Back at the Research Hall lamp, climb the steps, take a right and enter Saint Adeline's room once more. Ride the elevator up to the next level, step out then head through the door to the left. When you emerge on the balcony, turn right and approach the staircase to your left. Make your way up to the small central platform then ascend the steps to the right.

Come to a halt in front of the large, ominous doorway that beckons you toward the next boss fight. Before you pass through, however, note the supremely useful Yamamura summon point to the right. When you're ready to begin the Living Failures boss encounter, push the doorway open.

How to kill the Living Failures

Once you step out into the sunlight, you'll see the first of many Living Failures marching across the sunken garden toward you. The Living Failures are larger, more powerful versions of the brain creatures that you encountered earlier in the Nightmare Lumenflower Garden - and they'll spawn constantly throughout the battle.

Indeed, the biggest challenge in this (otherwise straightforward) boss fight comes from the fact that your opponents can easily overwhelm you if you don't keep their numbers in check.

Fortunately, the Living Failures are predictable enemies, with a limited range of attacks. Up close, the Living Failures will deploy slow, easy-to-dodge (although admittedly powerful) physical attacks - either flailing their arms or head-butting the ground.

At long range, meanwhile, they're slightly more dangerous, favouring magic-style attacks. The Living Failures will either toss arcane fireballs at you (which will explode on contact with other objects) or unleash a slow-to-cast spell that forms a small, cosmic portal above their heads. Once the portal is open, a series of reasonably powerful homing shards will launch toward you.

The simplest way to win the battle is to focus your attacks on one creature at a time, picking them off as quickly as possible in order to keep their numbers down. Whenever you see a creature begin to cast a spell, either be ready to dodge to safety or to duck behind the tall, column-like cluster of sunflowers in the centre of the garden.

Every time you strike a Living Failure, the health gauge at the bottom of the screen will deplete. Once it's been reduced by around 50 percent, the Living Failures will add another move to their repertoire. From this point on, the creatures will sometimes raise their hands to the sky in unison, causing a cosmic star field to envelop the area. Seconds later, a deadly shower of meteors will pour from the sky - almost certainly ending you if you're hit.

Luckily, the meteors always appear from the same direction - raining down from the far right corner of the arena, opposite the door you entered through. As such, avoiding the downpour is easy; simply press yourself against the column in the centre of the garden, keeping it between you and the incoming projectiles. Wait out the attack then continue to fight.

When the Living Failures' health finally reaches zero, the battle will end, earning you the Astral Clocktower Key. Climb the steps and locate the newly-revealed lamp. Light the lamp to add the Lumenwood Garden to your list of fast-travel locations. Next, use the Astral Clocktower Key to unlock the imposing doors nearby.

Step into the gloom and climb the staircase ahead. Cross the rickety wooden floor and approach the corpse seated beneath the clock face at the end of the room. Inspect the corpse when prompted and prepare for your next (considerably more difficult) boss encounter - this time against the formidable Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower.

- Stuck somewhere else? Head back to the first page for the rest of our Bloodborne: The Old Hunters guide.