Forbidden Woods | Bloodborne Wiki

Forbidden Woods Walkthrough 

After defeating Vicar Amelia and inspecting the skull that opens a cut-scene, exit the church and go straight down all the stairs until you reach the big circular graveyard area with two sleeping Church Giants  (alternatively, if you awaken at the Cathedral Ward lantern, exit to the left, turn right, and go up the stairs past the gate that requires the Hunter Chief Emblem). In the graveyard, go through the side entrance behind a sleeping Church Giant. Head left, then all the way down the stairs, past Alfred, where you will get to a locked door that requires a password that you received from inspecting the skull. That door will lead to the Forbidden Woods.

After entering the door with the password, talk to the person slouched on the chair to reveal that he is in fact dead, and collect a Madman's Knowledge. Head down the spiral stairs, through the exit to arrive at the Woods.

Into the Woods

Down another flight of stairs, on the right, behind a tree, find a Thick Coldblood(6). From here head down the left and follow the path until you come across a torch-wielding Large Huntsman, and his oil urn-tossing buddy. Take care of them and pick up 2x Pebble behind the Huntsman, and the Twin Blood Stone Shards on the right of the three way fork you just came down from. There's still a forward-right, and a left path to take, take the right first. Once you arrive at a bonfire, take another right to encounter an Executioner guarding a Madman's Knowledge and an Adept Blood Gemstone(2). Make your way back to the fork again, and this time take the left to finally arrive at the first lantern just before you arrive at the door. 

Before you proceed onto the bridge on the left, go around the left of the of the building to your right to claim 3x Antidote from a corpse but be careful as there are 2 Carrion Crows behind the tombstones right in front of you. On the stone bridge will be a torch wielding Huntsman and across it, a Rifle Huntsman. They're a little stronger in this area than they are in Central Yharnam but they shouldn't present much of a problem. Before you follow the path down, hang a left along the cliffside as behind some gravestones is a body holding Twin Blood Stone Shards. 

Don't rush down the path, you need to be very careful in this area. If you look at the floor, you'll see a collection of planks piled up. This is a trap. If you walk on the planks a spiked log will swing from the tress above and take you out. This area is full of traps like this so pay attention to the floor as you go. Before you go past the trap, head left from the bridge to find Twin Blood Stone Shards. Once you've gone down the main road, there's a fork in the road. The path you need to follow is straight down the hill, but before you head there it's best to take the right fork and kill Large Huntsman as he could cause a headache in a few seconds. 

Once the beast is down, head back to the fork and carry until you find a Thick Coldblood(6), and happen upon a collection of enemies around campfires. There are 4 Huntsman with various weapons, two oil urn throwing enemies, and two Rabid Dogs. Running into this group is a recipe for a quick death so instead, pull them one by one and take your time. If you're lucky, when you attract the attention of the Dogs their pathing will run them straight into the campfires and kill them pretty quickly. Once the group is down, mop up any items -this includes: 10x Quicksilver Bullets, Twin Blood Stone Shards, 2x Blood Vials- and press on forward past the fires. 

You'll come to a three way fork now:

• Right- you'll find a Wandering Madness and a couple Carrion Crows. There is a possible skip (tested on latest patch) you can do to skip part of the level, up to the part with the cannon, or you can just head back then choose another fork. Jump towards the rocks where the birds and loot monsters are and you'll go out of bounds. Once the beast is dead, follow the path around and you'll spot an item up against some gravestones. Pick up the Madman's Knowledge then rejoin the path.
• Left- past the field of flowers, you'll come across a Large Huntsman walking out of a hut and if you go forward you'll fall down a trap into the upcoming village area. However you can still pick up 3x Blood Beast Pellets here.
• Straight into the small village you'll eventually come across another set of wooden planks on the floor, a trigger for another log to the face, so just go around it.

Detour

Before you head into the village, head uphill to the left. Here you can pick up you'll see an item (10x Quicksilver Bullets) ahead on the right, and a building on a slope. Head up the slope to find a bunch of Rabid Dogs in cages. Continue past the cages and you'll find a Carrion Crow guarding a ladder on your right. Head up to find another Carrion Crow, and the White Church Set. Head back down and continue in the direction you were going before you engaged the Crow at the bottom of the stairs, and you will encounter two more Rabid Dogs only this time, out of their cages. Continue forward and behind the little cottage ahead. You'll find a Snatcher and 6x Blood Vials. Find the entrance to this cottage to find a Beast Roar, and turn right at the exit to find another torch-wielding Huntsman. Continue into the gate he guarded and into the first door on the right to find 4x Blue Elixir. 

Head back out of the gate and turn right into an open area where you can see another few Huntsmen on a wrecked wooden bridge. There's a left turn into a narrower wooden bridge with more Huntsmen, including two that toss Molotovs. Once you defeat the last Molotov tosser, drop down to the wooden ledge directly below where he was to collect 11x Molotov Cocktails. What you can do now is drop into the Crawling Corpse-infested mud water beneath.

Turn left when you drop, then right and around to find a metal gate at the end of a corridor with two pieces of loot -both Twin Blood Stone Shards. Open the gate to find yourself in the depths of the village. If you want to start where you would've done so, had you not gone up the hill, just hug the buildings on your left until you find the entrance that we were at.

Route to Iosefka's Clinic 

Head back down the hill and when you get to the dog cages you'll see a path stray off, that you haven't accessed yet. Follow it and you'll head into a cave. As you drop in, behind you to your right is some Antidotes which you will definitely need. Follow the only path there is, down the hill and you'll come out to a large cavern, with shimmering water and three patrolling Reaper enemies. Littered throughout the room are various high stat Blood Gems so it's definitely worth exploring this area. However, as soon as you step in the water you'll start accruing Slow Poison so you'll have to be quick. There are several small islands in the water you can sprint to, but these leave you open to attack from the giants, so be careful, or simply sprint through and out the other side. 

Once you're out of the water, you'll come to a ladder, climb it and you'll come back out in Yharnam, at another long ladder. Climb that you'll come out at a courtyard with a gate in front of you. Pull the lever and you'll have opened the locked gate next to the front entrance of the Clinic. Turn around there'll be another gate which will allow you to head to the rear entrance of the clinic.

 

The Village

From the entrance, here's the best order to clear out the area:

1. The first house on the right, deal with the 2 Huntsmen inside to pick up 4x Pungent Blood Cocktails. 
2. Come back out of the house and kill the 3  Huntsmen hanging around the first house on the left.
3. Press forward slightly and kill another 2 Huntsmen at the bonfire.
4. Finally quickly rush the Large Huntsman a few meters away.

From the Large Huntsman, head forward and left, and take the first path made available. This will lead you to another house and another Huntsman to battle. Past this house is another, and in this one you can find 6x Blood Beast Pellets. Be very careful of the planked area in the middle of the village as this is a pit trap. If you watch where the enemies move as you get their attention you can see where to go safely. However, if you want an extra Antidote, you may trigger the trap on purpose and fight off a couple of Carrion Crows to claim it. Climb back up the ladder and continue forward-right.

In the water there are a load of the Crawling Corpses last seen in the aqueducts in Yharnam. These guys are stronger than the ones encountered earlier in the game. Up above on a gantry is another 2 Molotov-throwing enemies (unless you took the detour in which case, they are dealt with). Get his attention and when he starts throwing Molotovs he'll inadvertently clear a path for you. As he throws the Molotovs just sprint through and you'll come out next to a house.

On the left, find a Large Huntsman facing away from you, and 2x Twin Blood Stone Shards. On the right, there's a hatchet Huntsman, and a plank shield Huntsman, as well as a Rifle Huntsman on a roof on the left. Dispatch them all. Before you progress, you'll notice a little path next to the water (to the right as you came in). Head down here for some items and unlock the shortcut door back to the village (if you didn't take the detour and do this already). Now in the likely event of a death in the next section, you can skip the water. 

Head back to the house and you'll see a village street with a house at the end. DON'T rush down here. Walk slowly for a few paces and an enemy will start firing a cannon at you. A direct hit from the cannon ball will kill you instantly. There are two possible strategies here:

1. Wait for a cannon ball to land, then sprint down to the cannon and take out the enemy operating it
2. Go into the first house on the right of the street. Break all the boxes in here and there'll be a sneaky shortcut through the back of the houses that deposits you halfway down the street, allowing for a last mad dash to the cannon. After breaking the second set of boxes, you should find 6x Blood Vials.

Either way, once the cannon is silenced, there are a handful of enemies in the houses that can be mopped up. Particularly, heading towards the cannon, the last house on the left holds a Large Huntsman guarding 4x Beast Blood Pellets. Behind the cannon, you'll notice a mill building at the end of the street, walk around its right to find Twin Blood Stone Shards, then proceed into the mill and prepare to meet a brand new enemy. 

When you walk into the mill you'll see a solitary enemy walking, down the stairs opposite you. You'd be forgiven for thinking this would be a quick kill, but it's not. When you get close to the enemy and you land a couple of strikes, he'll clutch his head in pain and several snake heads will sprout from his neck. You read that right. This is a Viper Pit Mob, and here are a few noteworthy things about him:

• This enemy can inflict Slow Poison and has a long range.
• The body has a surprisingly high physical defense, so you want to try and deal elemental damage.
• Fire and bolt both shave a lot of hit points off him.
• Be mindful whether the snakes or the body will attack (they attack independently and can attack at the same time for a near enough instant kill).
• Don't let the snakes grab you. 

It's best to leave this enemy for now and to walk to the window, and drop down onto a wooden platform where you will find a Large Huntsman. Kill him then head up the ladder next to him. You'll end up in the room you were just in, only a lot higher up. Make your way to the item on the other side of the room (8x Poison Knife). Follow the wall until it dents into a hallway that leads to a roof. Here you can find another 3 Poison Knife at the end of the roof. On this same roof, you'll find the Suspicious Beggar; he'll seek refuge from you, my advice is to send him to Iosefka's Clinic. Giving him a location to go will grant you 2x Pungent Cocktails. Head back through the doorway and drop to the lower level. Head to the left, hugging the wall until you come to the next item; a very overpowered Cannon weapon that is very much worth getting. Drop down once again, navigating your way to the bottom. Now you may fight the Bloodborne Medusa.

Once he is dead, pick up the Madman's Knowledge follow the only path back out of the room. This will take you onto a stone bridge and on the other side waits another Viper Pit Mob. Fortunately, this one is not as strong as the one you've just killed, but he is just as dangerous. 

Walk to the Boss

When you return down from the lamp, you can ignore the Viper Pit Mob on the bridge, instead just carry on until you can climb the slope back in the direction you came to pick up a Twin Blood Stone Shards. From here, head back and turn right to find a an elevator. You can access this lift to reach an upper level. Continue out the gate to open a convenient shortcut back to the first lamp of the area. You can also find 4x Antidote between the lift, and this gate. Head back down the lift and continue down the slope, picking up a Frenzied Coldblood(7) as you go.

This next section is long, complicated and confusing. However to start off, there are three basic paths to take in order to obtain all items. There is a path on the left, you can pick up several goodies before doubling back up to this point. The right path will require you to go back up the slope one level then drop off onto the rock on the right side of the mountain, then jumping onto the next one to continue. If you're struggling to find the drop point, look for the lantern hooked onto the tree, you should be able to drop off just to the left of it. 

Left

This is a wooded area. You'll need to navigate around the trees to find 5 Viper Pit Hatchlings, and 2x Twin Blood Stone Shards, a Murky Blood Gemstone(3), Madman's Knowledge, in the first area. You may dent into the main path, then pop back up the left again. Doing this will lead you to a lone item: 2x Twin Blood Stone Shards. Head back and go down the center.

 

Center

If you go down the center stone path and stick to it without going off-course, you'll encounter 5x Shining Coins and a Mob along the way but eventually you'll arrive at an area swarmed with Hatchlings, a burning horse, and aGiant Viper Pit. Luckily for you, as soon as we see this, we're heading left and making a jump, to a separated part of the mountain. Here, traverse further and you'll find the Graveguard Mask. Drop down from here to get the rest of the Graveguard Set. Turn around and drop down behind the horizontal tree trunk, then continue up the hill in the same direction. There's Twin Blood Stone Shards behind a tree on the hill here. Continue until you've reached a lake then turn right and proceed to the top of the hill, taking on a Mob along the way. At the very top you'll find an elevator that takes you back up to the mill where you faced your first Mob. 

Head back down and straight across (or the left path when you originally came here). This dead end path holds worthwhile items, namely 3 Madman's Knowledge and the Anti-Clockwise Metamorphosis rune.Be careful as we've entered an area with another new enemy: Celestial Mob. They are quite weak, and very susceptible to bolt damage. Halfway down the path there will be a pair of Celestials which fire magic at you. The magic is slow but can be damaging, so dodge around it and kill them quickly. They are also capable of dropping some very decent loot, so look out for that.

From here, you can go back to the lake and climb the hill in the direction you came from initially. Then do the same on the next lake, but instead of going up the hill, you follow the path next to the it. This will bring you to the lake with the Maneater Boars, and you can read of from 'Bay of Pigs'. However, I strongly recommend you use a Hunter's Mark and take the right path as seen below, to collect more of the goodies scattered around the map.

 

Right

After dropping, then jumping up, continue up the slope to find an Executioner guarding a 2x Twin Blood Stone Shards. From here, drop down and kill the Viper Pit Hatchling, pick up the Madman's Knowledge, then head to the right until you come across a cliff. What you want to do here is hug this cliff as much as possible, to the end; this ensures you see and pick up every item on the way, while having to deal with a few Viper Pit Hatchlings and Viper Pit Mobs. If you continue to hug the right side of this area, you'll eventually come across a Greater Viper Pit. This enemy looks like the Viper Pit Hatchling, except that it is 10x larger and is able to spit a poison projectile; be sure to check the building just behind it for an item.The other items you can pick up on this trail are as follows: Twin Blood Stone Shards, 2x Twin Blood Stone Shards, Twin Blood Stone Shards, Deep Sea Clear.

Once you're done here, head down the left, then down the slope again, following the same rule to keep a wall, or cliffside to your right as you go. You'll find 6x Shining Coins on the left, then a small alcove on the right, holding three Viper Pit Mobs and a Blood Stone Chunk. Continue forward but be prepared for a hell of a time. As you proceed, you'll find a den of Viper Pit Hatchlings and a Greater Viper Pit, on the right. As most strategies go, try and lure and pick them off, one at a time. Up the slope on the left, you'll find a Frenzied Coldblood(7). After you defeat the Giant Viper Pit, you can go around the tree and find a Frenzied Coldblood(8). If you thought the hell was over, it's only just begun. If you look towards the left, you should see an item glow in the mist. As you approach it you'll be hit with the realization of Bloodborne's cruel intention to make you fight two Greater Viper Pit but will reward you handsomely with 4x Twin Blood Stone Shards, Deep Sea, and the drops of each Viper. Since this is a narrow space, pulling one at a time will be no problem, however keep an eye on the poison projectiles from the Viper behind, as they can stun and poison you. Be sure to have an Antidote ready.

From where you killed the lone Greater Viper Pit, you can drop straight ahead to a land closer to the boss area. Here you'll encounter another Mob next to a bonfire and a Clockwise Metamorphosis on a body nearby. The gate you see down here won't open from this side so head left (facing the gate), and up the hill. If you drop down here, you'll land on a Greater Viper Pit. You can just run from it, and continue hugging the right side. Soon enough you'll pick up a Frenzied Coldblood (7). Eventually, you'll end up at a lake.

Bay of Pigs

The Maneater Boar should be at the other end of the pool (on the right if you've entered from the center), engrossed by something on the wall. As with all the other stationary pigs, quietly walk up behind him, hit a charge attack then a visceral hit to kill him quickly. He'll usually drop a Blood Vial or two. If you turn around here, you'll note the large roots covering another pool. In this pool and under the roots is another rune, Dissipating Lake, and a bunch of Wretched Undead but they shouldn't present too much of an issue, unless you let them gang up on you. Past the Boar, keep hugging the left to find a Sharp Blood Gemstone(3), and dry land with another Boar to deal with.

Defeat it, and continue through. You'll come across a split. If you head right, you can open up the gate that wouldn't open from where you dropped off if you took the Right route. You can now turn around and go in the other direction, you'll get to the boss area. 

 

BOSS FIGHT: Shadow Of Yharnam

Once you've bested the area boss, the lamp will spawn and you are free to return to Hunter's Dream or carry on towards Byrgenwerth.

Forbidden Woods Map