"Go ask that girl out, the worst thing she could say is no"

Miyazaki: "Ok, we need a theme that gives the vibe of fighting an elegant steampunk knight-huntress queen who uses blood/ flame magic, that all takes place inside a cosmic clock tower to guard an eldritch secret all within a dream." OST team: done

Stage 1: Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower Stage 2: Lady Maria of Cainhurst Stage 3: Lady Maria the Vileblood

It's crazy how they gave her character development just by making her enter phase 2

"Hey...... Wanna be my girlfriend?" *Gets heart ripped out* ".... Just saying "no" would suffice."

This was not a fight. It was a dance

Stages of the fight: 1 - yo she is fast 2 - holy shit! the blood hits like a truck! 3 - Why is the blood on fire?! *dies*

I love how the music begins with a flowing waltz, signifying Lady Maria’s noble birth as a vileblood, but gets progressively more chaotic and less melodic as the fight goes on and she grows more desperate. People have called this fight a dance and it’s appropriate that the music literally begins with a ballroom dance

It took me a very long time to realize just how Maria was able to create those arcs of flaming blood. She's a descendant of Cainhurst, and a vileblood, yet according to the raikuyo's description she despised blood blades. Her impailing herself with her blades and engulfing them with her blood, it's her finally letting go and using the vileblood in her. She's going to any means to stop you from reaching the fishing hamlet, even if it means using that which she's despised for all her life.

WHY IS THE BLOOD ON FIRE!? 'dies'

"you aint spinnin' you aint winnin" -Lady Maria of the Astral Clock Tower

Lady Maria’s whole story in general is very sad in itself. She was one of the first hunters, learning under Gehrman himself. Despite being of Cainhurst lineage, she shunned her blood magic powers and trained and became one of the greatest hunters to have ever lived by honing her technique with her Rakuyo. Then one fateful day, her and Gerhman went to the Fishing Hamlet, discovered Kos, and eventually massacred the whole village to uncover its secrets to return to Brygenwerth; including the unborn child of Kos. This led to Willem learning about the existence of the Great Ones, thus starting all the events of the game. Maria felt so disgusted in her role in all of this that she threw her beloved sword into the lake, wishing to be free of the cycle of violence and her role in all of this. She tried to do good, and help and comfort the patients experimented on by the Church, becoming the only comfort in their wretched existence. But despite how hard she tried, she couldn’t help them. And eventually, she couldn’t outrun her guilt and the suffering around her, and she took her own life. Then she became trapped in the Hunter’s Nightmare, forced to wear her Hunter Garb and wield her sword for all eternity, standing watch over the Fishing Hamlet next to the Research Hall filled with patients she couldn’t help, both her greatest sources of shame. When she finds you, she doesn’t even hate you, the only reason she fights you is because she’s so ashamed of what happened at the Fishing Hamlet and so frightened of what’s in there, that she tries to make you give up looking. She knows you’ll just return to the dream and then come back if she kills you, so she tries desperately to stop you, even delving into the blood magic she rejected for all her life just to stop you. It’s a really sad story and killing her here could easily be interpreted as you freeing her from the eternal torment of the Nightmare, having to stand watch over your greatest source of shame forever.

Epic music Epic boss Epic DLC Epic game

the bloody samurai vs the hunter with deer horns holding a giant pizza cutter. no better battle than that

"May I have this dance, my lady?" "You may not have it, but we shall see if you can earn it."

I like how all of the hunter themes start with 'Venator', directly addressing the hunter you're fighting.

You know what's different from Gehrman? She's metal as fuck and she has a waifu status title

"Welcome home, good hunter..."

2:50 - 3:15 is so heartbreaking you can feel the anguish lady maria must have felt carrying this guilt and shame guarding the secret of the fishing hamlet for all these years all those feelings just building up

My dad heard me listening to this and asked: “Is this Mozart?”

I hate it when bosses make a weapon look AWESOME AS FUCK, but when you get the weapon it's only great.

This fight was fucking amazing.

“Man nothing will beat that Gerhman fight” *fights Maria for 5 seconds* “Oh well ok”

0:15 the violin here is actually too good. what a fantastic OST for a fantastic game.

"A corpse should be left well alone"

It took me far too long to realise Maria was the one on the Old Hunters cover art

Personally probably one the hardest and my favorite boss in the entire game. Lady Maria's boss room atmosphere and her moveset are absolutely beautiful and stunning.

The beauty of the battle, the beauty of the adversary, the excellence of the soundtrack, and the best part. The close checkpoint! You can’t help but love this boss!

Yuka Kitamura is the Lady Maria of Soulsborne composers.

Slow walking towards her is beautiful thing...

Gotta love how the song starts very regal and dignified, and just keeps on fucking downward spiraling into madness and despair as it progresses. Eventually it all just reaches a point of infinite anguish, there is no finality. Perfectly fitting for Lady Maria's character. There will never be another game like Bloodborne, its just a work of art through and through.

Legend has it that the orchestra didn't even read sheet music they just started playing

Still my favorite boss, no matter how many times she's killed me.

anyone notice how in the cutscene, the hunter shows genuine fear when they back off from Lady Maria? despite all of the giant hideous monsters, Lady Maria is the only enemy that brings genuine fear to the hunter...

2:27 - 2:41 That part always hits my soul with so many emotions. Beautiful score for such a dark and amazing game!

Took me years to notice but the vocalist who chimes in at 2:52 is the same vocalist who begins singing in the Hunters Dream after you defeat Rom the Vacuous, such a badass implementation, cool stuff bloodborne, cool stuff.

1:15 It was at that moment the hunter knew he fucked up.

Lady Maria was the first hunter to serve under Gherman. The doll closely resembles Lady Maria, possibly presenting the idea of the doll as a sign of remembrance of Maria for Gherman.

that feel when you get visceral on purpose so lady maria can hold you.

Phase 1 Maria: "Gomenosai, Hunter-Kun" Phase 3 Maria: "YOU WILL DIE SCREAMING"

Her fast attacks makes Sir Alonne's moves like a walk in the park.

i enjoyed every fucking minute of this fight, no matter how many times i died. it was that damn good.

Never played Bloodborne but I'm currently obsessed with this. That transition from 1:00 to 1:15 and onwards is perfection.

The more time goes on the more I realize how utterly brilliant Bloodborne is/was. I was just so focused on getting through the sheer challenge of it I didnt sit back and enjoy it enough at the time. I'm an OG demon souls/dark souls player but I had a very hard time adapting to Bloodbornes faster pace and claustrophobic spaces and insistence on parrying. But man what a game.

I wonder how many people fell in love with Lady Maria after fighting her. I can't blame them.

"A corpse... should be left well alone. Oh, I know very well. How the secrets beckon so sweetly. Only an honest death will cure you now. Liberate you, from your wild curiosity."

Bosses I enjoyed fighting to the point where I'd die intentionally so I can replay the fight. (Not necessarily in order) 1. Lady Maria 2. Abyss Watchers 3. Slave Knight Gael 4. Sister Friede

This theme is so fucking powerful I just can’t believe it

Absolutely LOVE those bells at the beginning of the track.

This is the perfect fight. Not necessarily the toughest, but sheer perfection nonetheless. The combination of the peaking music, the blood and fire, the intensity of a one on one hunter fight - goddamn, son. Between all of the Souls games and Bloodborne, I don't think any other fight even comes close [well, possibly Ornstein and Smough, Artorias, and Lorian] to mixing so many beautiful aesthetic elements together so well. I get goosebumps just hearing this music.

Lady Maria, I'm a robin. Will I ever curl up and become an egg?? Plip plop plip plop

The only rivers of blood user that i sympathise

Gehrman and Maria, if only things could have been different, not led to this. However, this is why we hunters exist: to provide mercy to those who are in need of it.

YOU'RE A HERO, SHIRRAKO

I am so mad that this is not on spotify

i fucking LOVE Lady Maria - her lore, the fight against her, her ost, her location in the clocktower, her movement. absolutely stunning

I'm pretty convinced that the Old Hunter's Bone came from her.

The violin...

Maria's OST is incredible, but when you get to know her true story, her secret, the atrocity she was part of and why she lays like that protecting the path to the Fishing Hamlet shielded behind its very own guilt, it's when you really understand why the music is so intense, and what it was already amazing becomes ten times better, turning into real art. This is my favorite music of the game, and by far my favorite fight.

Today I almost beat Lady Maria on my first ever try. But I ran out of stamina when she was 1 hit a way from death, and she sliced and diced me into a million pieces to be served medium rare.

Could you stop arguing about who is harder. Obviously she feels easier, but fuck guys. Most of us have a fuckton of experience with the game. Imagine her as the last boss on your first playthrough. That would be a fucking nightmare.... literally.

Maybe I was just seeing things, but when Maria died, I could have sworn she was trying to do that astral communion gesture, or whatever it was called, just before she collapsed. A part of me wants to just brush it off as insignificant... but then I recalled that this is a Fromsoft game. NOTHING is insignificant.

Ludwig was my absolute favourite boss but when the choir began as Lady Maria stabbed herself and started slashing at me with those unending blood blades was the first time I ever felt pure awe and understood why we have the word "beautiful."

fighting maria was the first time in the game I started to think I may be the real monster. Not really because I liked lady Maria herself (though i did and do), but because of the cutscene beforehand. Something about this elegant woman suffering an eternal undeath and yet desperate for me to not continue, just wishing I would stop this destructive curiosity, and everyone telling me that some secrets are better left unfound, and then remembering the NPCs going insane in the chapel and what happened with Rom - I began to feel like, just maybe, some secrets were better left unfound after all. How many would have to die for one person's curiosity? Was it really that important for us know, when so many others were willing to put their lives and morals on the line just to stop you? I was just a murderer, who wanted to push their boundaries and see what lay beyond, a selfish person who couldn't hold back. How many had I killed, and for what reason exactly? The gameplay too, encourages you to act like a blood-hungry beast, slashing at corpses just to see their blood (I always interpreted that as the reason why rally exists, like you're essentially using their fresh blood as a partial blood vial). Those villagers were right. We are cursed. It's all our fault.

Bloodborne 2, where are you?

The way she is sitting, next to a cup, and the fact that she may be vampirish since she is from Cainhurst, reminded me a lot to Alucard, from the second ultimate ova, before the fight against Luke Valentine

I'm a simple Bloodborne player, I'm getting reprimanded and eviscerated by a blood-stained corpse? I fall in love harder than the Brain of Mensis' falls into the pit.

Am I the only one who likes the first half of the song more than the second? The violin and the deep brass in the background accompanying the bells just sound so threatening

When this came on my playlist my studying suddenly got insanely intense

Lyrics(starts at 1:13) Because the soundtracks is not officially released, there are several instances of its lyrics exist. *Instance 1* Latin lyrics: Venator dolu Vi sentire mal, sento doles Vi ac vagis actum maledicos Exiet venare gatus verti acte mori Irae impii et sanguine male Male maledicos Vi ac vagis actum maledicos Exiet venare gatus verti acte mori Irae impii et sanguine male Male maledicos English translation: Deceived hunter Forced to feel evil, to feel grieve An act of violence and roving blasphemers Go out hunting, when asked to fight and die Wicked wraith and (of?) the evil blood Evil blasphemers An act of violence and roving blasphemers Go out hunting, when asked to fight and die Wicked wraith and (of?) the evil blood Evil blasphemers *Instance 2* Latin lyrics Venator occultātiōnēs sunt dulcēdinēs Mortem tibi terribilem Mors est mē tuus praebeātur Praebeam necessāria dulcēdinem dēcessam Mï sanguine mortem terribilem Stultam tuam cūriōsitātem oblīviscāre Stultam cūriōsitātem tuī pectore obscūrem Praebeam necessāria dulcēdinem dēcessam Praebeam sanguine dulcēdinem Stultam tuam cūriōsitātem tuī pectore oblīviscāre Mï sanguine mortem terribilem tibi Stultam tuam cūriōsitātem tuī pectore oblīviscāre English translation Hunter, how the secret beckons so sweetly Fearful death for you I shall give you death I shall give the sweet, necessary death A terrible death by my blood Because of your wild curiosity, you forget Because your wild curiosity, it makes you oblivious I shall give the sweet, necessary death I shall give you my sweet blood Because the wild curiosity in your heart makes you oblivious A terrible death by my blood for you Because your wild curiosity, it makes you oblivious -Bloodborne Wiki

Every time I get a new headset or earbuds, I always use this song as a sound test. The depth is just really fun.

1:15 for instant mask of the mother theme.

Lady Maria for Smash

You're in her DMs, I'm in her astral clocktower getting stabbed with her bloody sword. We're not the same

1:12 probably the biggest holy shit moment in this whole ost

Me: *Looks at corpse with monocular* "Is that...bae?" *Interacts and notices voice sounds exactly like the doll* "It is bae..." "Only an honest death will cure you now." Me: "No bae wait! Nooo!" D:

Just for the sake of this soundtrack, I would never use parry and riposte against her. A boss with such elegant theme shouldn't be treated in a savage way.

Sucks this isn't on Spotify man..

As an audiophile that primarily enjoys classical and thrash metal, this is a piece I really enjoy. A lot of the really hard thrash doesn't do much with dynamics so it's great hearing it in a more orchestral sound

I played DS3 before this DLC and i had serious reminescences in the last phase....

Why are people calling her an easy boss? She seemed ok in difficulty. Also, her final phase can be a bit trick because of the reach of the flame attacks. What matters is that it's awesome and stylish boss fight.

The entire OST is the pure definition of “How can we make the music match the atmosphere?” And then immediately makes the atmosphere spit fire and eldritch horrors beyond human comprehension.

"what is she doing nOH GOD, THE BLOOD IS ON FIRE"

The female Vergil

2:27 till the end is just beyond godly.

I love how desperate 3:00 sounds, the music really gives off the feeling of a final stand and last ditch attempt Which is fitting since she’s pulling out all stops to prevent you from discovering what’s just beyond

Lady Maria > malenia

souls series games are the one that bosses shine more than the players... like this one.. and gehrman.. and Gascoigne..ahhhhh the feelssssszzz

Heres my theory on what the fuck happened in this DLC. My theory is that Maria, Gehrman, and the old hunters worked for/with Byrgenwerth. When the fishing village was discovered, they investigated it thoroughly, and brutally. Most of the villagers were killed in their frantic search for knowledge. The villagers were mutated by Kos, a great one that lived in the ocean near the fishing hamlet. She would bring them great harvests (i.e. the slug creatures we see in buckets and all over the damn place) that they could use for food/light/maybe other things. But the slugs were what started the mutations. When the hunters learned of Kos' existence, Byrgenwerth assigned them to hunt it down, in order to bring it in for study. They went out in a large fleet of ships, many were lost (the many sunken ship masts we see far off in the ocean), but the Great One was defeated nonetheless. The remaining villagers, angered by the murder of their people and the murder of their god, cried out curses on the hunters. When Kos' corpse washed up on the shore, it's infant son (still in the womb) heard the cries of both the villagers and it's dying mother, and, as all Great Ones are sympathetic in spirit, it listened to the villagers. In it's newborn cries, it created the hunter's nightmare, a cursed realm where all those who take the name "hunter" and succumb to their own thirst for blood, are cast into. Hunters who fall into this nightmare find neverending amounts of beasts, and a neverending hunt, perpetuating their bloodlust, forcing them to fight on until their untimely demise in the nightmare. It's possible the infant was also murdered by the hunters, and although it's physical body perished, it's consciousness carried on to the nightmare. Maria, so distraught with the murder of such beings at her own hands, she renounced her hunter's vows, threw her beloved weapon into a well in the fishing village, and slit her own throat in anguish. This left Gherman utterly distraught, and thus, he made a lifesized doll in her image, to help him cope with his mourning. Perhaps in his grief and desperation he suggested they use the umbilical cord they obtained from the orphan of kos. This is how they beckon the moon presence and create the hunters dream, a dream realm created to combat the beastly scourge.

Stage 1: Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower Stage 2: Lady Maria of the Vileblood Stage 3: Lady Maria, Heir of Pthumeru

The soundtrack in Dark Souls is great, but this is some next level shit.

This game is the only reason to have a ps4 imo it’s a damn masterpiece

This has to be one of the best characters themes ever. The music resembles her character so well. It resembles her downfall into insanity and resulting in her suicide and her using the things she hated such as the cainhurst blood arts.

First rivers of blood user

This lady was using rivers of blood before it was meta

My top 3 soulsborne saga favorites ost 1 - Soul of Cinder 2 - Lady Maria 3 - Slave knight Gael

3:00 - 3:16 is the best part of the OST EASILY. In all honesty, this part is what makes Lady Maria's theme my favorite OST not only in the Soulsborne series, but in all of gaming.

I’ve always adored how the melody 2:22 gave off a very noble and regal feel since she has a background of royalty and how the crazy bit after never sounded scary or tense like most Bloodborne tracks but rather awe inspiring and wondrous

1:08-1:14 My favorite moment. Perfectly encapsulates the tragedy of Maria

Holy mother of LORD, that soundtrack! It gives me the same feeling I had with Gerhman theme.