Bloodborne - Nightmare Church, Whirligig Saw, summon points, Henriett summon

This article explains how to survive Nightmare Church 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.

Once the lamp is lit, descend the steps in the centre of the room. At the bottom, immediately ahead, you'll spot a Scurrying Beast which, if killed before dematerialising, will drop a Blood Stone Chunk. Be careful as you give chase, however: there's an extremely vicious, resilient hunter perched on the rooftop overhead (his faint silhouette is visible on the right-hand wall) who'll drop down if you stray too close to the walkway on the right.

Note that you'll hear the gentle toll of a bell as you enter the area, indicating that there's a summon point nearby. You'll find it at the foot of the steps to the left as you leave the Nightmare Church. You can use it to summon assistance from Henriett, consuming one Insight in the process.

When the hunter from above has been successfully defeated, grab the Vermin he drops, cross over the wooden walkway to the right and collect the Twin Blood Stone Shards from the corpse in the far corner. Next, peer down over the ledge to the left and locate the glowing items in the bloody pool beneath your feet. There are a numerous crows guarding the items below, so be ready to eliminate them as you drop on down.

Sadly, the items they protect aren't particularly thrilling, so turn around and begin walking along the passage ahead. Collect the Oil Urn from the corpse hidden in the thick foliage then pass along the the narrow tunnel in the rocks to the left.

Grab the Whirligig Saw

Move cautiously forward and watch out for the large, snail-like object that plunges from above. As you draw near, you'll notice that the snail is actually part-woman - although she's far too dead now to be of real interest. Continue onward and scale the toppled headstone at the end of the path, grabbing the Whirligig Saw at the end. Finally, drop off the end of the headstone to return to the bloody passage from earlier - you'll find a familiar ladder on the wall to the right.

Climb the ladder, ascend the hill ahead and wind your way back down to the area where you previously fought the two executioners. Drop off the ladder and approach the sealed gate at the end of the path. Once again, the Nightmare Church (containing the lamp back to the Hunter's Dream) lies to the right.

Locate the Henriett summoning point

Note that you'll be confronting your first Hunter's Nightmare boss shortly, so you might consider returning to the church, descending the steps and summoning Henriett for assistance. You might also consider adorning your toughest armour (such as the newly-acquired Butcher Set, imbued with strong physical and arcane defence) before continuing.

When you're ready to proceed, take the left-hand path at the sealed gate. Climb the slope and grab the Blood Vial from the body midway up. Continue to the top of the path and, immediately to the right, concealed behind the gate's stone frame, you'll spot a motionless hag.

Don't be fooled however. She might look harmless but, if you get too close, she'll grab you, whip out her blade and slash frantically at your throat. Needless to say, you'll loose a ton of health if this happens, so quickly eliminate her from behind.

Once the hag is dead, drop off the ledge, keeping the gate to your right. Turn left and walk along the bloody stream, watching out for the two well-camouflaged crows to the right. Eliminate the birds then head along the little alcove behind them. Provided that you have the League's Impurity rune equipped, you'll be able to summon Master Valtr here.

When you're ready to continue, return to the bloody stream and press onward, moving toward the tunnel entrance in the rock ahead. Once you reach it, make your way along the shadowy passage inside and slip beneath the archway. Finally, cross the large cavern at the end of the tunnel.

Once you reach the centre of the room, a cutscene will begin and you'll be introduced to a brand-new boss: Ludwig, the Accursed.

- Keep reading for our guide to killing Bloodborne's Ludwig the Accursed.

- You can find the rest of our Bloodborne: The Old Hunters guide from the first page of this article.