Surviving the Lovecraftian nightmare of Bloodborne’s Yharnam city will take everything you have. That everything usually ends up being vast sums of Blood Echoes. No matter if you are upgrading your weapons to slay beasts or leveling up your stats to withstand the punishment waiting for you in battle, Blood Echoes are essential.
Instead of taking on the challenge of this gothic horror and slowly accumulating Blood Echoes over time, you can go through this article and find neat tricks to farm this currency. We will focus on the best Blood Echo farming spots, tips for efficient farming, and overall strategies to help you maximize your time and resources.
Why Farm Blood Echoes in Bloodborne?
Although you’ll be amassing a reasonable sum of Blood Echoes as you progress, it’s never enough in Bloodborne. This simple currency has a lot of uses, and having some in your wallet will prove incredibly helpful. Let’s go over some uses of Blood Echoes:
- Leveling up: The most apparent use of Blood Echoes is upgrading your stats. With more Echoes, you won’t have trouble choosing whether to pump Vigor (HP) to absorb more hits or increase combat stats like Skill or Strength to deal more damage. Each level-up requires a hefty amount of Echoes; the higher you go, the more expensive it gets.
- Stock up on Blood Vials: If you aren’t the best of the best Hunter in Yharnam, you will be dying a lot and eating through your reserves of those pesky one-time-use Blood Vials. More Echoes means you can just buy Blood Vials instead of tediously going on farming runs.
- Buying items: Many other consumable items in Bloodborne are just as handy and can be purchased with Echoes. You can easily hoard Fire Papers, Bolt Papers, Antidotes, Molotov Cocktails, Pungent Blood Cocktails, and so much more with those extra echoes.
- Weapon and Gear purchases: Blood Echoes are also needed for purchasing weapons, armor, and other vital equipment.
- Upgrading your weapons: Blood Echoes work hand-in-hand with Blood Stones to upgrade your favorite weapons, giving them more damage, which in turn helps farm Blood Echoes faster when you are slaying beasts quicker.
Blood Echoes Farming Locations
You need a steady supply of Blood Echoes to survive the Great Ones’ influence. You can even make yourself OP early on if you know what you are doing. That’s where strategic farming comes in. Let’s explore the best ways to get them.
Central Yharnam
Central Yharnam is where you will be introduced to Bloodborne’s harsh realities. It’s also the perfect spot to farm Echoes at the very beginning of the game. The enemies here are not too challenging, but they offer a decent amount of Echoes for low-level players.
Start from the Central Yharnam Lamp, which serves as the central hub for the area and is conveniently situated in a densely populated area with easily defeatable mobs.
Descend the stairs on the right and navigate your way through the group of roaming villagers. Along the path, you will encounter enemies, such as villagers wielding torches, shields, and guns. These mobs can be handled by taking your time, luring them by throwing rocks at them and eliminating them one by one. This path ends at a bonfire surrounded by a band of enemies which you can take out tactfully for some big echo drop.
Keep progressing until you reach the overhead bridge (where you fought Cleric Beast). Here you will see two werewolves. These creatures can be problematic, but you can easily defeat them by luring them to the upper entrance of the house nearby, the one with the wheelchair dude. The wolves will get stuck at the doorway and you can slowly whittle away their HP.
Return to the lantern and reset. You can earn anywhere from 2000-5000+ Blood Echoes per run, which is a significant amount for players in the early stages of the game.
Don’t forget the large ogres wandering near the Central Yharnam lamp. These burly boys drop even more Echoes than the villagers. If you’re feeling confident, take them down as well. They move slowly and can be parried very easily as you can see their attacks coming from a mile away.
For an extra boost to echo gains, you can also equip the Moon Caryll Rune later in the game (more details below).
Cathedral Ward
Once you’ve progressed past the early game and unlocked the Cathedral Ward, this area offers much better Blood Echo farming opportunities. Not only are the enemies tougher (meaning more Echoes), but some key shortcuts and routes make farming more efficient.
When you leave the Cathedral Ward Lamp, turn left and head towards the giant patrolling the stairs on the right of the well. These Church Giants may be slow, but pack a powerful punch if you’re not cautious. The good news is that they have predictable attack patterns, so defeating these giants becomes much simpler once you’ve learned them. Each giant rewards a substantial amount of Echoes, typically ranging from 3000 to 5000, making them excellent targets for farming.
If you buy the Hunter Chief Emblem from the Bath Messenger shop in Hunter’s Dream for 10,000 Blood Echoes, you can then use it to unlock the massive gate to the Grand Cathedral. Multiple Church Giants roam this location for you to hunt down.
As you roam around the area, you’ll encounter groups of villagers and other creepy humanoid foes. While these enemies are less threatening, they still drop a decent amount of Echoes for your efforts.
This route should net you a few thousand Echoes per run, with minimal risk once you’ve learned the area. What’s great about the Cathedral Ward is that you’ll also collect upgrade materials like Blood Stone Shards and Twin Blood Stone Shards while farming – perfect for keeping your weapon upgrades on track.
A major benefit of Cathedral Ward is the number of shortcuts you can unlock, allowing you to reduce travel time between farming runs. Once you unlock the gate near Vicar Amelia’s boss room, you’ll have direct access to some of the most Blood Echo-rich enemies without needing to travel too far from the lamp.
Hemwick Charnel Lane
Technically, Hemwick Charnel Lane is a bit more challenging area, but you can access it immediately from Cathedral Ward. It is one of the best mid-game farming zones. If you are familiar with the lure-and-kill tactic, this area is dripping with Echoes.
From the Grand Cathedral Lamp, go out, turn right, and head forward towards Hemwick Charnel Lane. The woods-covered area is home to many witches and dogs that could be easily killed if you don’t let them gang up on you. You’ll receive a decent amount of echoes from this.
As you make your way to the boss arena, you’ll encounter numerous witches and undead creatures, providing ample opportunities to stockpile Blood Echoes.
Make sure to take on the hulking Executioner enemies for even more Echoes. These guys are similar to the ogres and giants from before; they hit like a truck but are easy to read attack-wise, so a bit of parry practice will see you destroying them in few moves. After completing a run through Hemwick, you can expect to have gathered tens of thousands of Echoes. Rinse and Repeat!
Hemwick Charnel Lane isn’t just a great place for Echo farming; it’s also an excellent spot to obtain Blood Gems. These gems can be inserted into your weapons to enhance their effectiveness, thus helping complete farming runs much faster.
Nightmare of Mensis
If you’re in the late game and looking for a high-risk, high-reward farming location, Nightmare of Mensis is your go-to. This area is packed with some of the most challenging enemies in the game, but they drop an absolute ton of Echoes. If you’re strong enough to handle it, it’s a hunter’s dream.
Start at the Mergo’s Loft Middle, this area provides easy access to some of the most lucrative enemies in the game: the Brain Trust or Wintern Lantern. These are those freaky enemies with large, pulsating heads that cause Frenzy.
If you can manage your Frenzy buildup (use Sedatives liberally), you’ll be able to farm these guys for tens of thousands of Echoes in just a few minutes. Be sure to stock up on Frenzy-resistant gear and Sedatives, as these enemies are no joke. However, they drop around 15,000-20,000 Echoes each, which is insane for farming.
While the Wintern Lanterns are your primary target, plenty of other dangerous and echo-rich enemies exist in the Nightmare of Mensis. However, if you’re farming for Echoes, I recommend focusing on the Brain Trusts and once you’ve cleared them, return to the lamp and reset. With practice, you’ll be raking in hundreds of thousands of Echoes in a short amount of time.
Equipping the Moon Rune is a must for maximizing your Blood Echo intake in the late game. The Moon Rune boosts the number of Echoes you receive from enemies, and you can stack three different versions for increased effect. Equip as many as you can, and watch your Echoes multiply.
Lecture Building
There is a classroom locked inside the Lecture Building’s first floor. To access this room, you need to acquire the Lecture Theater Key. Don’t worry; the key is nearby, and you can get it with simple exploration.
Once you have the key, open the locked door on the right, and a swarm of Slime Scholars will greet you. A boatload of these icky boys in this room makes it a prime area to farm echoes. The best bit is they are slow and easy to manage. You only need to worry about getting overwhelmed. Otherwise, it is safe to dispatch this mob of students.
You can use the class’s door to create a funnel, forcing the students to approach you individually. With the help of a farther-reaching weapon, you can slowly take out these enemies and rake a good amount of echoes.
Farming Echoes in Special Chalice Dungeons
Chalice Dungeons are by far the most broken method of farming echoes in Bloodborne. A few dungeons in the game will reward an ungodly number of echoes for not much effort. We will go over some of these dungeons in this section.
Note: You must have created the dungeon once using the crafting materials for the glyphs to function.
Dungeon Glyph # 1
Enter this Glyph at the dungeon tombstone: cummmfpk. I know the name is weird, but trust me, its one of the most famous and broken methods of acquiring an unprecedented amount of Blood Echoes in Bloodborne without even lifting a finger.
As soon as you initiate the dungeon, just walk outside the room with the lamp and stand in the hallway. Turn the camera only to face the left side, and you’ll see an enemy health bar appear and no one with you in the room.
This health bar will slowly whittle away, and soon, you will receive 83,000+ echoes for doing nothing essentially. You can then return to the Hunter’s Dream and revisit the dungeon to get the same number of echoes. With only two Moon Runes equipped, I got 120,000 echoes each visit to this raunchy dungeon.
To streamline this farming method further, buy as many Bold Hunter’s Marks as you can get from the Bath Messenger shop before starting the dungeon. Equip the Bold Hunter’s Mark into your quick-use items slots.
Visit the dungeon, wait for the echoes, and quickly use the mark. The Bold Hunter’s Mark will send you to the last visited lamp (literally three feet behind you) while resetting the dungeon. This way, you won’t have to cycle leave the dungeon and quickly amass a wealth of echoes.
With all three Moon Runes and a streamlined process, you can apparently earn 1 million in a minute or less 60 million per hour, or 600 million per 10 hours. Yes, you can seemingly reach the maximum level in a single day with this method.
If you are curious about what is rewarding you with this many echoes, then check out this cool video.
Dungeon Glyph # 2
Visit this glyph: ppqzah27. This will create a Cursed Pthumeru Ihyll dungeon. This dungeon will reward you with even more echoes than the last, but it’s a much more involved process.
Ensure your weapon is fully upgraded and your combat stats, such as strength and skill, are as high as possible. If you can slot in Blood Gems that boost Visceral attack damage, things will get even more swift.
Visit the dungeon; the next room after the lamp will be a spanning hall. Turn right and start moving forward until you see a witch/hunter enemy standing beside a pillar in the middle and a cart. She will be facing the other way, so you are safe to sneak up behind her.
Carefully approach her rear, let loose a charged heavy attack, and go for the visceral attack when her stance is broken. She won’t die from a single hit, so you might have to keep swinging your weapon as she recovers or go for another stance break/visceral attack.
If your stats and weapons are properly upgraded, she will die fast without posing any threat. For her defeat, you’ll be given around 400,000 blood Echoes. YES YOU SAW THAT RIGHT!
Wait, another one of these witches is behind the next pillar in the same room. She will also be facing the other way, and you can just work your magic and claim another 400k echoes for yourself.
These enemies respawn, so you could either return to Hunter’s Dream and come back here or use the aforementioned Bold Hunter’s Mark technique to reset the area and farm them to your heart’s content.
Advanced Farming Tips
Now that we’ve covered the best farming spots, let’s talk about some advanced farming techniques that will help you optimize your runs and make farming more efficient.
1. Find and Equip all Moon Caryll Runes
As mentioned earlier, the Moon Caryll Runes are a must for boosting the number of Blood Echoes you earn. There are three tiers of Moon Runes:
- Tier 1 rune increases echo yield by 10%.
- Tier 2 rune increases echo yield by 20%
- Tier 3 rune increases echo yield by 30%
All three of these runes stack multiplicatively, meaning if you equip each simultaneously, you are looking at a 170% increase in your Blood Echo gains. To get the most out of your echo farming runs, you must find all three of these runes to make it more lucrative for you.
Let’s quickly go over the locations of each Moon Caryll Rune:
Tier 1 Moon Rune Location
Return to the Cathedral Ward lamp once you have defeated the Blood-Starved Beast. Exit the building from the door in front of the lamp. From the cart near the exit, make a U-turn, and you will come across a Snatcher enemy in the corner where there used to be crows.
Let the Snatcher kill you and you will be transported to Hypogean Gaol. You will wake up inside a cell, which you can easily leave using the gate. Turn right from the cell and take the set of ascending spiral stairs.
Once you reach the top, a body with an item will be lying in the middle of the room. Be careful of the two snatchers patrolling the room. Take them out or grab the Tier 1 Moon rune.
Tier 2 Moon Rune Location
Progress through the game until you reach Nightmare of Mensis. Keep advancing until the fight against Micolash, Host of the Nightmare, begins. Chase the fool, beat him down, and initiate the second phase when he disappears at half health.
Exit the arena, turn right, and climb the stairs. Keep moving forward, and you’ll arrive at a fork in the road. Instead of going to the right, towards Micolash, take the left downward stairs. The stairs are very narrow, and there are a few annoying enemies along the way, so take them out.
You can acquire the Tier 2 Moon rune at the end of the stairs.
Tier 3 Moon Rune Location
This rune isn’t as straightforward to find; you need to jump through some hoops to get it, but it’s totally worth it.
You first need to access the secret Upper Cathedral Ward area. The key to this place is situated in Yahar’gul, Unseen Village. You will naturally arrive at the village as you progress. Follow the video below for the exact location of the Upper Cathedral Key.
The video also shows where the key is used and how to reach Upper Cathedral Ward. Take the elevator on the right of the Cathedral Ward lamp. Keep ascending the treacherous tower, and the door will be inside the room at the top with two wheelchair enemies. Open the door, and you’ll enter Upper Cathedral Ward.
Take the only standard path from the door while dealing with the enemies in between. Once you reach a dark cathedral, navigate through it, go to the giant gate at the other end of the room, and open it. There is a posing corpse on the other side of the gate that will immediately reward you with the Make Contact gesture.
Now that you have the gesture, return to the Nightmare of Mensis, specifically the area after Micolash. Take the cage elevator, a small distance from the lamp, that takes you all the way down. There is an opening right as the elevator begins its descent. Jump through the gap; it is difficult, so you might have to try it a few times.
Once you reach the spot, follow the path and be careful of the Winter Lanterns along the way. This is an excellent place to farm echoes, as mentioned before. Keep trudging onwards, and you will see a lever on a ledge. Interact with it, and it will trigger a cutscene, dropping the Brain of Mensis into an abyss.
Turn around from the lever and drop down from the hole in the ground inside the previous room. When you exit the lower room, many items will be on the ground in front of you. Loot them and proceed to drop below where you saw the Brain of Mensis fall. There is a Blood Rock on the platform, so don’t forget to get it.
Exit this area using the small cavity in the wall, and you will reach an area you recently visited. Keep moving forward and descend the stairs where you find those silver little guys. Keep going until you reach the room with the wooden elevator you took once.
This time, a new cage elevator will be near the broken floor. Take it all the way down to the seemingly bottomless pit. The area will be pitch black, so don’t get lost. Start moving forward from the elevator’s opening, and soon, you’ll witness the Brain of Mensis helplessly lying on the floor.
Stand in front of the brain and use the Make Contact gesture. Keep holding the gesture for 30 seconds to a minute, and don’t move. You will eventually be rewarded the final Tier 3 Moon Rune for discovering this obscure secret.
Now you can equip all three runes and watch as the echoes rain.
2. Utilize Bold Hunter’s Marks
The Bold Hunter’s Mark is one of the most valuable items for farming runs. It allows you to teleport back to the lamp without losing your Blood Echoes. This is particularly useful if you’re in a dangerous area and have collected a ton of Echoes but don’t feel confident about making it back to the lamp alive. Instead of risking everything, just use a Bold Hunter’s Mark and safely return to the Hunter’s Dream.
Stock up on these, and don’t hesitate to use them when you’re carrying a large number of Echoes. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
3. Upgrade Your Weapons
Farming Blood Echoes is all about efficiency, and that means killing enemies as quickly and safely as possible. Make sure you’re regularly upgrading your weapons with Blood Stones to ensure you’re dealing maximum damage. A well-upgraded weapon not only helps you farm faster but also keeps you alive during more brutal encounters.
When farming, consider using weapons that deal wide-sweeping damage to take down groups of enemies faster. Weapons like Ludwig’s Holy Blade or Burial Blade are great for farming, as they have high damage output and can hit multiple enemies at once.
4. Know When to Spend Your Echoes
One of the biggest mistakes new players make is hoarding Blood Echoes. If you’ve got a significant amount of Echoes saved up from farming, don’t get greedy. Head back to the Hunter’s Dream and visit the doll to spend them leveling up your stats.
When you are done leveling up, spend the remainder of the echoes on items or upgrades. The longer you hold onto your Echoes without spending them, the greater the risk of losing them to an unlucky death. It’s always better to cash in your Echoes and improve your character than to risk losing everything in a dangerous area.
As a piece of advice, make it a habit to spend all the echoes you have on you before leaving Hunter’s Dream.
5. Co-Op Farming
Farming solo can be tough, especially in the more dangerous late-game areas. If you’re struggling to gather enough Blood Echoes, consider jumping into co-op. When you help another player defeat enemies and bosses, you’ll earn Blood Echoes for every kill, making it an efficient and fun way to farm while sharing the load with other hunters.
Ring your Small Resonant Bell to join another player’s game. Help them clear enemies and bosses. As you assist in clearing mobs, you’ll earn Blood Echoes for each enemy they kill. This is especially useful if the host is at a higher level, as they’ll likely lead you into tougher areas with high Echo yields. Repeat as needed
Co-op farming can be a great way to rack up Echoes, especially if you’re still learning the game’s tougher mechanics. Plus, it’s a great way to practice boss fights without risking your own Blood Echoes.
Chalice Dungeons can also be very lucrative, especially in the lower layers where tougher enemies reside. They are perfect for co-op farming, and some of the dungeons will make farming echoes as easy as pie.
6. Equip Frenzy and Poison Resistance Gear
In areas like the Nightmare of Mensis or Forbidden Woods, where Frenzy or Poison are prevalent, it’s vital to equip gear that mitigates these effects. Items like the Ashen Hunter Set or White Church Set offer good Frenzy resistance, while Antidotes help cure Poison.
Keeping these resistances high will allow you to survive longer and avoid unnecessary deaths while farming.
7. Learn to Parry
Parrying is an advanced combat technique that can dramatically improve your efficiency when farming. By mastering the timing of enemy attacks and countering with your firearm, you can perform visceral attacks that deal massive damage.
This is especially useful when farming stronger enemies like the Church Giants in Cathedral Ward or the Brain Trusts in Nightmare of Mensis.
8. Save Your Echoes for the Right Purchases
Once you’ve amassed a fortune in Blood Echoes, spend it wisely. Invest in leveling up your character, upgrading your favorite weapons, and purchasing essential items like Blood Vials or Fire Paper.
Avoid wasting Echoes on items or equipment you don’t need. Focus on what will make your farming runs more efficient and improve your chances against those enemies that are part of your farming runs.
Farming Blood Echoes in Bloodborne can be a grind, but with the right strategies, it becomes a rewarding process that strengthens your Hunters and equips you to take on those damn Great Ones meddling in our business. Whether you’re in the early game, exploring Cathedral Ward, or braving the Nightmare of Mensis, there’s a farming route and strategy suited to your needs.