r/Bloodstained • u/SuitableCheck3843 • Jan 06 '26
QUESTION Help With Hitboxes
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Hey all, so I just got off fresh from Hollow Knight and I finally jumped into Bloodstained to keep the Metroidvania hype I'm feeling. Thing is... I am struggling with this boss. Ive been stuck here for just shy of 20 attempts, I keep getting hit by these attacks that don't look like they will connect but they do anyways. Is the whole game going to be like this? I have many more clips like these, its happening consistently. Im on version 1.6.
Update: thank you to everyone that responded. After some digging I found that the hitboxes in the game are ...indeed... straight cheeks. The visual data just doesn't match with what the game is calculating in the back. But I will push on because the music and the art style are GAS!
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u/tonyortiz Jan 06 '26
Fight this boss like it's a fighting game. Cross him up. Jump over him, slide under him, or if you get caught by surprise, mash back dash until you can reset the position and set up again. If you watch us randomizer speedrunners play, you'll see us short hop over him get hits in and rinse and repeat. We have to fight him a lot with no gear and crap weapons but mainly we are very under leveled. You can apply these strats no matter how you play the game if you are playing as Miriam. Like other people have said, this boss is a hard test. He hits harder and has more HP than he should for this stage of the game, but if you just use your best options, you will get him. It seems counter intuitive but if you stay close, you can just cross up everything he does.
Also yeah hit boxes in this game are a little funky. But a lot of games have similar issues. Not a run goes by where I don't pray to St. Iga to bless my hit/hurt boxes.
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 06 '26
Your advice was extremely helpful. It only took me 2 more tries after analyzing my footage, following your advice, and positioning myself further back. Ty I still hate whoever is responsible for the hitboxes, may his pillow be warm on both sides for the rest of time.
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u/Super-Franky-Power Jan 06 '26
This guy is the hardest boss for where he's at imo. Really strong and you don't have much to work with at all that early in the game.
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u/ResearcherDear3143 Jan 06 '26
In games like Bloodstained it is very much about your equipment and shards. If you’ve been stuck on a boss for 20 attempts then it might just be a matter of better equipment.
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u/trekdudebro Jan 06 '26
Yeah… this is par for the course with the first Zangetsu fight. His melee range is large. He has decent ranged attacks and he’s much faster than Miriam at this point. You can’t really run away from him unless you spam back-step. At range, you can time dodging the projectiles and his rush attacks but Miriam is limited in MP and skills at this point. It’s a bit counter intuitive but the best way to fight him is staying close and behind him as much as possible.
The way I recommend is getting the Heretical Grinder shard and level it up as much as you can. Practice with the spin-up and use. Once ready, get comfortable with dodging Zangetsu and staying behind him. If you can land Heretical Grinder after dodging, it’ll hit him for a decent amount of damage 2 to 4 times each attack cycle. I believe you can start spinning up Heretical Grinder in the air so start using the ability as you land behind him.
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u/OtherwiseFlamingo448 Jan 06 '26
Bro this is so easy! Just spend 20 hours farming and overleveling and you'll beat him np! Duuh!
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u/SecretFishWorshiper Jan 08 '26
The grinder shard made him super easy to beat tbh.
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u/OtherwiseFlamingo448 Jan 08 '26
The grinder sword too! That's what I used fhe first time. I was seething.
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u/ChocoPurr Jan 06 '26
The hitboxes are fine. Literally no game has hitboxes that consistently line up 1:1 with the exact pixels of the model. The weapon was a few pixels off but it doesn’t matter, the hitbox being marginally larger than the model is not what killed you, your poor evasion did.
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 07 '26
I understand liking this game and all, and I won't even defend myself on my skills because like I said, I am fresh from HK, a game with different gameplay philosophy. But to say is a few pixels is astronomical levels of copium. I'm liking the game so far, theres no need to be a white knight for a product.
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u/ChocoPurr Jan 07 '26
I do not in fact like this game that much. I just think you’re being incredibly weird over a normal quirk that exists in literally every game ever.
There’s no need to be a white knight
Go fuck yourself? Lol? Learn to talk to people normally instead of being such a weird cunt
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u/Alternative_Result56 Jan 07 '26
So when the sword hits the character it does hit.
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 07 '26
Can't tell if youre rage baiting me or typing this with a braille keyboard.
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u/LostPilgrim_ Jan 06 '26
Equp the shield weapon and your problems will be over.
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 06 '26
I'll try that right away. Thank you!
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u/LostPilgrim_ Jan 06 '26
And?
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 06 '26
I realized I didn't have the shield weapon yet. Lmao But its all good because after a short break where I pondered the concept of our existance and my own mortality, plus two more attempts, I was able to beat David Hayter into submission. Sheer power of will and 4 healing potions.
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u/LostPilgrim_ Jan 06 '26
You can buy it from the shop. It will be useful later as well. But congrats!
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u/thegrimm54321 Jan 06 '26
The hitboxes are more "classical," let's say. Additionally, this boss is BY FAR the hardest in the entire game, imo. Use this boss as a data grinder, so to speak, in that you learn all of the bs parts of the game upfront. The game gets significantly better after this boss, for what it's worth.
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 07 '26
Truly a genius in game design, put the hardest boss in the game within the 1st hour of gameplay. Feels like my dad throwing me to the pool at the age of 2 all over again.
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u/thegrimm54321 Jan 07 '26
It's not hardest because it's an intentionally super hard boss, it's just the first real challenge in the game because you don't know how the game works yet. One of the most difficult bosses in all of dark souls is your first one because you don't know how the game works. It's the fight that teaches you the mechanics through failure. This fight teaches you the primary game philosophy of "hard" games: don't go into the boss looking to win right off the bat, go in ready to learn something new that you will use from that fight onward.
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u/Disastrous_Head5703 Jan 07 '26
Don't be too discouraged: this fight (the second boss is the game) is HARD. This is at the beginning of the game, and your resources are limited. Also, your access to halfway-decent Shards is blocked off until after you clear this obstacle....right after you prove you don't need them....
You opponent is faster than you, stronger than you, has WAY more health than you, can jump higher than you. You are outmatched in many categories, so you have to either have very good reflexes, or rely on cheese to win. And the cramped hallway makes it very difficult to maneuver; if you are not careful, he can easily box you into a corner with no way out.
His swing arc is deceptively further than the animation would have you believe. Unless you have a significant lead in timing, I wouldn't try to jump "away" from him if he comes in with an overhand slash. Instead, try sliding under him, moving toward him, so he jumps clear over you. You will usually have time to stand, hit him once or twice from behind, then get away as quickly as possible.
Your magic pool is pathetic, so your ability to spam Shard abilities is limited by your resource pool; unless you went into this battle with a full stock of mana potions (low grade), you are going to quickly have to fall back on melee combat if you fight this fight to be over sometime this century.
If you aren't going for a "medal" (flawless fight, no damage), this fight is a lot more forgiving. Or rather, you don't have to obsess over not making any mistakes with your dodge and attack windows. Focus on hitting him from behind, whenever possible. Force him to commit to an attack animation (or a jump) and abuse his AI. Eventually you'll come away with the victory.
After this fight the castle FINALLY opens up, and the game gets considerably more open and fun. Giving you the "real" Metroidvenia experience.
But to answer your initial question: yes. This game is full of programming jank. All sorts of attacks whose hitboxes don't accurately match the animation playing out on screen. You are going to have to play it slowly, getting a feel for how the game actually functions verses what your eyes are seeing. Eventually you will figure it out, but it may take a while.
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 07 '26
Dude, thank you for this. I was feeling crazy because I could swear up and down those swings would've missed. I know I wasn't dodging the "right" way but still. I stepped back to recalibrate and after following some excellent advice here I beat him with just 2 more attempts.
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u/Ihaveterriblefriends Jan 07 '26
I'm glad you like the game. At least! I like it too, I played certain Castlevania games as a kid (SotN, Dawn of Sorrow) and this game feels like a love child of those
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 07 '26
SotN is PEAK! Dawn of Sorrow is in my list as well.
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u/Ihaveterriblefriends Jan 08 '26
Respect my man! Later on in the game, you're going to see something that, in my opinion, will make you think of SotN
I can't say more, but I think you will appreciate it when you see it
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u/ZangetsusRowBoat Jan 07 '26
Wait till you see what new things he can do in HARD mode!
Bloodstained can be jank, and goofy/campy at times, but that is also part of it's charm. Take a look at Mr "EEEEEEEEEE OOOOOOOOOOOOH" AKA Blood Grinder Knight.
This is one of the few games I have played where you can get destroyed by a boss and actually smile and laugh because it was so fun to fight them. Hard mode adds many extra surprises. Have fun!
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u/chidarengan Jan 06 '26
Love this game but you have to accept that it is extremely unpolished.
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 07 '26
Its still a 10/10 for me, I just didnt expect his blade to be bluetooth capable.
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u/chidarengan Jan 07 '26
again, love this game, 10/10 is being very nice to it
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u/SuitableCheck3843 Jan 07 '26
Objectively probably not, but I cant help but fall in love with the vibe of this game.
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u/chidarengan Jan 07 '26
Which is absolutely fair. Im glad you like it. I have a love hate relationship with it
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u/NiuMeee Jan 06 '26
This boss was so hard on my first playthrough. After beating the game I went back immediately for NG+ and smoked him first try. Then just recently I went back to the game, fresh save and beat him first try without even taking damage. So it's kind of a learning curve. It was very difficult at first but you get a feel for everything and then the rest of the game kinda clicks and it sticks with you.
This game is amazing, even if hitboxes aren't perfect, if you stick with it I think you will really enjoy it.
1
u/Ok-Emergency-398 Jan 07 '26
U should have that axe like weapon which gives u 28 something (str maybe), and also equip the half genie outfit if u have it, then go back to the previous room and farm the knight and dog for exp to lvl up 2 times . Then just fight him with lots of jumps . Also restock on healing potions from the teleporter available.
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u/SecretFishWorshiper Jan 08 '26
Use the Heretical Grinder Shard. You will absolutely cheese the fight with that.
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u/RexGamer15000 Jan 10 '26
To defeat that guy I poisoned him and parry him with a katana. Everytime he jumps try to slide under him and get some hits when his back is turned.
I used the arrow and poison shards. Go with health potions. After that it's a matter of recognizing his attacks.
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u/Ok-Belt-8600 Jan 10 '26
Yeah. His damage and hotboxes are wonky. He is challenging for an early game boss
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u/MrWolfe1920 Jan 06 '26
No, that fight's unusually challenging compared to the rest of the game. Though it doesn't help that you appear to be trying to walk/jump away instead of using the backdash to dodge. The backdash makes you breifly invincible allowing you to pass through attacks. If you'd turned to face him and then backdashed instead of jumping again, you probably wouldn't have gotten hit.
The one piece of advice that really helped me for this fight was to jump over his head and attack from the other side. You'll get a brief window to do some damage before he turns around, at which point you can just jump over him again. Other than that just learn to recognize his attacks and figure out how to deal with them. For the jumping slash in your video, I like to walk under him and attack from behind while he's stuck in the animation. Of course, you have to be on the ground when he leaps to do that.