Bloodborne has a couple of optional boss fights, and while we're here we may as well do this one.

Our Bloodborne guide broke off at the battle with The One Reborn, so head back to Hunter's Dream and from there to the Yahar'gul, Unseen Village lantern.

If you can't remember the way back to the boss shortcut or want to grab a little extra treasure: wait for the mob of Henchmen at the stairs to pass, then go down, head right and go down the next set of stairs too. You'll have to clear a Wheelchair Blunder and a Henchman before you can take the lift. Continue on straight ahead, then around the corner to the right and down the next set of stairs.

Don't go down the next set of stairs; go to the right of them, adown to the end of the path and then around the corner to the right. Go down the next flight of stairs and through the door on the right to face an Undead Hound. Go through the doorway to the right and up the stairs to fight another Undead Hound. Once it's dead, go across the stairs and grab the two Blood Stone Chunks in the corner. Go back to the room where you started.

Head through the left cell and into the next room, grabbing some more Blood Stone Chunks. Take the opening on the right and drop down the the path below. Head left to start the Darkbeast Paarl boss battle.

How to beat Darkbeast Paarl

The biggest threat in this battle is the beast's agility and speed. At this stage in your career - assuming you're here following the sequence of our walkthrough - he shouldn't be much of a problem otherwise.

There's only one attack that you really need to be wary of, and you'll know it when you see it: the Darkbeast stands still, and its electrical aura gets stronger and brighter. When this happens, just leg it immediately for as far away as you can get.

Otherwise, you can save yourself a lot of grief by hanging out under the Darkbeast; it can't really get at you when you're all up in its business, but even a slight distance away it can smack you down, and it has really good reach and moves very, very fast.

To get in under it, get right in front and wait for it to strike at you in a multi-hit combo, then just dodge forward as soon as you see it move. Whenever you make it under the guy, smack him merrily.

Once you've inflicted enough damage (by the way, if you have any fire attacks, use 'em) by doing this, the Darkbeast will be incapacitated, losing its electricity. You can then smack it a bit more. Some time after it recovers, usually after a few attacks, it will pause to recharge itself. Wail away again.

Using this pattern you should spend more time paddling then panicking, and soon you will have put a period to Paarl, who will perish. You'll receive the Spark Hunter Badge.

Hooray! Once its dead, open the door to open a shortcut back to Old Yharnam, then light the Graveyard of the Darkbeast Lantern. Well done! Our next stop is the Lecture Building and Nightmare Frontier.

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