How to Kill Father Gascoigne in Bloodborne

Unless you know Bloodborne inside and out, there’s a good chance that Father Gascoigne is going to be the second boss you fight, and there’s even more of a chance he’s going to give you some issues. As part of PlayStation Plus for March, Bloodborne is up for grabs for anyone brave enough to take on the twisted city of Yharnam. For anyone who’s struggling with the Father Gascoigne fight, we’ve got some handy tips to help ease the pain.

How to Kill Father Gascoigne

Figuring out how to kill the Cleric Beast should have taught you the art of dodging and attacking a boss, and now the Father Gascoigne fight is going to teach you the art of parrying. No matter what gun you chose at the start of the game (Blunderbuss or Pistol) you’re going to be able to use it to interrupt an enemy’s attack, opening them up for a brutal visceral counterattack.

Before you even consider fighting Father Gascoigne, it’s a good idea to level up and completely search the area for any items you might need or characters you can talk to. In terms of leveling up, increasing your Vitality is always a good decision, as more health means you can take more hits, and Endurance is also a must, as it allows you to make more attacks before running out of stamina.

• Read More: How To Kill The Cleric Beast In Bloodborne

It’s also a good idea to speak with the inhabitants of Yharnam, especially the little girl who can be found by progressing through the sewer section beyond the Great Bridge. Speaking with her will net you an item called the Tiny Music Box, which, when used from the equipment bar, will stun Father Gascoigne when he’s in his beast form. This will give you time to get in a flurry of hits, potentially securing the kill.

As for actually fighting and killing Father Gascoigne, when you first enter, he will be in human form where he attacks like any other hunter: using a trick weapon and gun. He will attempt to parry your attacks, so be mindful of his blunderbuss and try not to spam attacks. However, the main element to this section of the fight is to parry him – keep an eye on his weapon and look for the perfect moment when he’s mid-attack to fire a shot and then follow up with a visceral attack. A good moment to look out for is when he transforms his Hunter Axe into the long-form version; though the attacks become more powerful, they are performed slower, giving you a larger window to parry.

While in his human form, you can use the tombstones to your advantage. Position any of these tombstones between you and Father Gascoigne to give you a moment’s peace to heal up. Unfortunately, these tombstones can be smashed by Father Gascoigne after he transforms into a beast.

You can only use the Tiny Music Box once per fight, so use it wisely!

Speaking of Father Gascoigne turning into a beast, this section is probably the most difficult part, as he becomes ferocious in his attacks, and hyper aggressive. Watch out for his flurry of attacks, as well as his leaping attack he’ll use to get close to you. A headset like the Stealth 600, with its virtual surround sound, will help you hear when he leaps off the ground, giving you a good signal for when you should dodge out of the way before he lands.

When Father Gascoigne is in his beast form, scroll to the Tiny Music Box and activate it when you get the chance. As soon as your hunter finishes using the item, run to Father Gascoigne and get in as much damage as you can while he’s grabbing his head. You can even use Molotov cocktails for some increased damage while he’s stationary. You can only use the Tiny Music Box once per fight, so use it wisely! Though the tombstones can be destroyed by the beast-form Father Gascoigne, they can still be used as temporary protection.

Hopefully, if you’ve managed to string together enough parries and used the Tiny Music Box, you should be able to kill Father Gascoigne. At this point, you can run up the stairs and jump onto the roof below and collect the red brooch to take back to the little girl. Father Gascoigne is a major spike in difficulty for any hunter new to the city of Yharnam, so if you managed to take him down, take a moment to celebrate and then continue the good hunt.