So, you're a PS Plus member and just downloaded Bloodborne to play for the first time? Or maybe you just want to find out what the advantages and disadvantage of playing Bloodborne online vs offline?
Bloodborne Play Online vs Offline – What’s it all about?
You do not have to be connected online to play Bloodborne. You can play the whole game offline. However, playing Bloodborne online does have its advantages.
1.Play co-op with other players
Some of Bloodborne's bosses are tough to beat. Take Vicar Amelia, for example, or the Shadow of Yharnam. Luckily, you can team up in co-op play when you're connected online. This proves very useful as you can work together to defeat the bosses and exchange strategies.
So, you might think it's easy to team up with another player, but it's trickier than you'd expect. First up, you'll need to own a Beckoning Bell. You get one of these items in the Hunter's Dream Hub, and get more when you defeat bosses. When you use it, you ring a bell and with any luck someone will join you.
You'll also use up an Insight point, which are gained from seeing and defeating bosses and interacting with characters in Bloodborne. Consequently, it's wise to play co-op only when you really need the help, unless you happen to have a ton of Beckoning Bells.
You can also invite friends using the password system. You still need to ring the Beckoning Bell, but if you head to Settings > Network and change your region to Local and Set a Password, you can invite a buddy. To join, you'll have to ring the Beckoning Bell and the other player has to ring the Small Resonant Bell. Told you it was complicated!
2. Get help messages from other players
On the ground in Bloodborne, you'll often see messages scrawled out from other online players. Though some players will deliberately leave messages to trick you, most of them will be helpful and give you tips to get past an enemy. They might warn you, for example, that there's an enemy just around the corner. If you're playing Bloodborne offline you won't see these messages.
3. Players can invade
One of the advantages and disadvantages of playing Bloodborne online is that players can invade your space, and you can invade theirs. You do this when you have the Sinister Resonant Bell, which can be purchased from the Insight Messenger. These cost 10 Insight. Ringing this bell allows you to invade another world of a player that is ringing the Beckoning Bell. So, it works both ways. If you're looking for a stranger to join you, you might get someone who wants to invade your area instead! The advantage of this is that you can gain some extra Insight points by killing the host. You'll also steal a percentage of their blood echoes!
It really depends on what you're looking for whether you want to play Bloodborne offline or online. The advantages of playing online far outweigh the negative aspects, though it can get a little confusing working out how to hook with someone cooperatively for the first time, and downright annoying when someone invades you!
Check out other Bloodborne tips.