“Let the echoes become your strength. Let me stand close. Now shut your eyes…” The words of the Plain Doll sing softly, like a whisper lost in the wind of the Hunter’s Dream. Yet they are words that every hunter knows well, for it signifies their growth in power.
Before you can level up in Bloodborne, you need to acquire at least one insight. Only then will the Doll come to life in the Hunter’s Dream. Once that happens, you can speak with her and channel your blood echoes in order to level up. The number of echoes you need increases with every level.
What are Blood Echoes in Bloodborne?
Like other Souls games, your primary currency is what you need to spend in order to level up. In Bloodborne, this currency is blood echoes.
You get blood echoes by defeating foes and beasts around Yharnam, as well as from a select few consumables that you can find out in the world.
You can spend these blood echoes at the messenger fountain in the Hunter’s Dream for weapons, armor, and consumables, or you can channel them with the Doll to level up.
But bear in mind, good hunter, once you die, you lose all of the blood echoes that you had on you at that time. You have one life to retrieve these echoes, which will either be on the ground where you died, or with the enemy that killed you. In the latter case, you’re going to have to defeat the enemy to get them back.
What is Insight in Bloodborne
You need insight in order to speak with the Doll in the Hunter’s Dream. Insight is an alternative form of currency in Bloodborne that can both be used to purchase consumables, as well as being a gameplay mechanic in and of itself.
You can get insight two primary ways. The first is from the bosses of Yharnam. Once you encounter a boss for the first time, you will get one insight, and you will gain more insight once you defeat them.
Alternatively, you can consume Madman’s Knowledge; a consumable found out in the world. This will also give you insight.
Generally, the more insight you have, the harder the game becomes. It is representative of how in touch you are with the higher plane, which is the reality that the Great Ones exist on.
As your insight increases, the look of the game changes, becoming more nightmarish in aesthetic. Enemies gain new, more powerful attacks, and you can even encounter all-new enemy types.
How High to Level Each Skill in Bloodborne
Bloodborne’s leveling system is not linear, like other modern games. Instead, it utilizes an old-school RPG system, where each level gives you a number of points to put into your attributes.
You can build your character in a number of different ways, but the general consensus is that leveling a skill over 40. Once you hit this soft cap, you begin to get large diminishing returns on your levels.
However, you can increase each skill up to the soft cap of 99 if you wise.