Bloodborne 10 Things You Need To Know About Rom The Vacuous Spider

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Bloodborne 10 Things You Need To Know About Rom The Vacuous Spider

Bloodborne's Rom, The Vacuous Spider holds a lot of surprises. Here are some thing you likely did not know about this Soulsborne boss. In crafting a spiritual successor to , FromSoftware had to retain the series hallmarks fans had come to expect. , huge, slavering, nightmarish bosses, and devastatingly difficult huge, nightmarish bosses were three of the most important ones. Fortunately, definitely didn’t skimp on While later boss foe Rom, the Vacuous Spider is almost comical and pitiful compared to some of these monsters, she (yep, she’s female) brings with her a horrifying implication, surprising difficulty, and a lot of other surprises. Here are some important details about Rom you might not know. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

She Is Definitely Not To Be Underestimated

Of all few fans would rate Rom, the Vacuous Spider very highly in terms of difficulty. The odd-looking creature barely moves, seems to just be a big damage sponge and lets her minions do most of the fighting for her. While you might think this all adds up to one swift shower of blood and a Prey Slaughtered screen, dashing into the battle too confidently has led to many players’ demise. Those little spiders she spawns? It’s tough to keep all of them in view, and if you get too trigger happy, one will catch you and send you on a devastating one-way trip to Stunlocked to Death City. Small and pitiful as they may look, they can deal some incredible damage. Not to mention Rom’s own attacks.

There Isn t Really A Right Way To Approach The Fight

Really, there are two main schools of thought as to how to take Rom down. There’s the slow and strategic method, in which the player deals with each of the spider-minions carefully in turn, focuses on Rom herself when they’re gone, then repeats the process in the next phase. Then there’s the impetuous, nuts-to-this method, which sees the player directly focus on Rom alone from the off while desperately dodging her leggy lackeys. The first method tends to be more reliable, though the longer the battle drags on, the more chance of being clipped for huge damage. By the same token, though, dodging around those minions and Rom’s own close and long-ranged attacks at the same time can be very tough. If you aren’t experienced with this fight, it’s probably best to take things slowly and carefully.

She s Very Weak To Bolt Damage

Whichever way you choose to take Rom down, it’s going to come down to a whole heck of a lot of swinging one of Bloodborne’s super cool weapons (at her body, not her durable head). The question is, which weapon’s best for the job? When it comes to that decision, the most important thing to keep in mind is that this boss is tremendously weak to Bolt. Any weapon that can be buffed with this element (via Bolt Paper) would fare well, providing it’s appropriately upgraded to this point in the game. If you’re a fan of the Tonitrus, its transformation (which simply imbues it with this element) makes it the best specific weapon we could recommend.

Her Teleportation Can Be Interrupted

One of the most troublesome elements of this boss battle is the fact that Rom teleports to another part of the arena at the beginning of each phase, summoning a fresh batch of mini-Roms as she does so. What you may not know is that she be damaged during the long teleportation "casting." It's even possible to interrupt it entirely. It requires precise timing, but if you’re able to land a charged attack at the right moment as Rom disappears, she… well, won’t. It isn’t that easy to stagger her, especially if you’re new to the fight, but it certainly saves a lot of headaches if you can. She’ll usually try again immediately, but with careful stamina management and enough damage output, it’s possible to repeat the feat.

Things Get Very Very Strange After She s Killed

First-time players are often completely thrown by the curveball Bloodborne throws to players as the plot thickens. When first setting out into Yharnam, the game has a lot of traditional gothic horror elements and a smoky Victorian London sort of vibe about it. Later on, an all-pervading supernatural weirdness sets in. Certain major events in the game mark the next "chapter" in this transformation. Touching the skull on the altar after defeating Vicar Amelia is one that changes the state of the game’s world forever, while slaying Rom, the Vacuous Spider is another. Rom was a sort of "safeguard" holding back the nightmare, and with the gone, the player can permanently see the Amigdala, the true state of things.

Time Also Advances After Rom s Death

As is always the case with FromSoftware, there’s no hand-holding in Bloodborne. Precious little explanation is to be had when it comes to lore, either. Most knowledge is gleaned from reading item descriptions and the like. As such, it can be hard to follow NPC questlines, such as that of. A lot of that the Rom battle represents a point of no return with regards to a lot of these little sidequests. If certain steps haven’t been completed by this point (such as rescuing the few NPCs that can be sent to"safety" or advancing Eileen’s quest), they can’t be done after the Blood Moon rises.

Micolash Provides Hints As To The Nature Of Rom

Micolash, Host of the Nightmare rears his bizarre, cage-wearing head shortly after the showdown with Rom. This guy’s boss battle consists of a lot of irritating chasing around a large area to pin him down in a smaller one, where he just loves to unleash A Call Beyond and ruin the player’s entire decade in one fell swoop. While gamers are chasing him down, though, he’ll continue to excitedly talk away. Some of his most enigmatic lines include, “ahh, Kos, or some say Kosm... Do you hear our prayers? As you once did for the vacuous Rom, grant us eyes, grant us eyes. Plant eyes on our brains, to cleanse our beastly idiocy.” From this, and the sight-related symbolism that runs throughout Bloodborne, we can deduce that Rom may have originally been a human scholar, committed to the knowledge of the Great Ones and given the ultimate, most horrifying gift with which to make use of it. Perhaps.

A Harder Battle With Her Awaits In The Chalice Dungeons

The main story’s battle with Rom isn’t especially challenging, if you don’t get overly aggressive. With all that room to maneuver, players can take their time and play smart. This isn’t the case with the Rom that awaits in the Chalice Dungeons. As the boss of Layer 3 of the lower Pthumeru Chalice, Rom is fought in a small, crowded room, where her minions are tough to keep track of and her wide AOE attacks are much tougher to avoid. The Chalice Dungeons are not for the faint hearted, and this infamous battle is just one of many reasons why.

Her Attacks Are Telegraphed But Potentially Devastating

As we’ve mentioned, Rom’s teeny spider army is not to be trifled with. Take your eyes off the horde for a moment and one can easily catch you with a deadly attack. That’s not all you have to contend with, either. Rom’s cumbersome, but she’s not defenseless. The boss will either blast you from a distance with shards of energy that fall from the sky/rise from the ground, or flail and/or cause shockwaves from up close. All of these attacks are telegraphed but can cause great damage, so don’t just wail on her carelessly.

Equipping For Arcane Defense Can Save Your life Against Her

Maybe you’re not looking to dive into the nitty-gritty of Bloodborne’s elusive lore. Maybe you’re just frustrated with this boss catching you with its darn spells and want to send this annoying arachnid to the dumpster for good. The Tonitrus or something buffed with Bolt Paper is a great choice for your weapon, but how about armor? Sets that increase your Arcane Defense, such as the Tomb Prospectors’ gear or Choir set on can be very nice here.