Of course, both methods of healing have their merits, and neither is objectively better than the other. Ultimately, it comes down to player preference, but if Bloodborne wants to set itself apart from Dark Souls and make its own legacy, it will need to double down on this mechanic rather than getting rid of it and opting for an Estus Flask styled approach. Regardless of how fans feel about it, the Blood Vials remain one of the game’s most unique features when compared to other entries in the Soulsborne franchise.
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Blood Vials or Estus Flasks?
The biggest difference between Blood Vials and Estus Flasks is that Blood Vials are consumable, meaning once they are used, they never return. Every time a player rests at a bonfire in Dark Souls, they regain all their Estus Flasks, but Bloodborne players are stuck with however many Blood Vials they have on them at the time. This on the surface may seem like a negative thing, as Estus Flasks are clearly more readily available to players, but this isn’t entirely true as they are also limited, with players being able to carry only a few at a time. Despite these differences, both Dark Souls and Bloodborne are considered some of the hardest games of all time.
On the other hand, Blood Vials can be farmed so that the player ends up having tons of them. This is simultaneously Bloodborne’s biggest flaw and greatest achievement, as it almost necessitates farming but makes things much more manageable for those that put in the time. Players are able to carry up to 20 Blood Vials with them at any given time, but those that spend the time to farm them can store up to 600 of them in storage.
How Bloodborne 2 Can Fix Blood Vials
Ultimately, the biggest complaint with Blood Vials is the amount of farming they require. Players often feel like they have to return to early areas in the game in order to stock up or farm blood echoes in order to purchase a bunch of Blood Vials, so fixing this should be a priority. If Bloodborne 2 is to be a love letter to fans, then it will need to address this issue, but not remove it entirely. Farming isn’t intrinsically bad, but too much farming is.
Perhaps Bloodborne 2 could learn from Dark Souls 3, which took some of its harsher mechanics and made them more accessible while not compromising their integrity. Estus Flasks became easier to manage in the final entry of the trilogy, for example, and Blood Vials should as well. Increasing their drop rate, lowering their price, and making tweaks to how inventory management is handled could all be potential solutions, but FromSoftware would be remiss if it removed the ability to farm these healing items from the game.
Bloodborne is available now exclusively on PS4.
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