How to Get to Cainhurst Castle in Bloodborne
The steps you must take in Bloodborne to reach Cainhurst Castle, home of the Vilebloods.
Even the most intrepid explorer of Bloodborne might take a couple of playthroughs to realize that deep within the world lies a hidden area called Cainhurst Castle. This snow-covered place is home to the Vilebloods, a secret sect that was once hunted by the Healing Church. How you get to Cainhurst Castle requires, as you would expect, a lot of separate steps.
How to Get to Cainhurst Castle
To reach Cainhurst Castle in Bloodborne, you must ride a creepy stagecoach that sets off from Hemwick Charnel Lane, but the horse and carriage will not appear unless you have the Cainhurst Summons in hand. Before you can collect this letter, you must first jump through a few hoops.
The steps you must take to unlock Cainhurst Castle are:
- Defeat Vicar Amelia and watch the cutscene after touching the skull
- Fight through the Forbidden Woods and reach the back entrance to Iosefka’s Clinic
- Collect the Cainhurst Summons from inside Iosefka’s Clinic
- Defeat the Witch of Hemwick at Hemwick Charnel Lane
- Go to the little tower/tombstone structure in the valley of Hemwick Charnel Lane to trigger the cutscene
- Enter the stagecoach
Though the above steps are fairly straight forward, each part offers its own challenges and hurdles. The most obvious one of them all is the fight with Vicar Amelia who acts as a major turning point for both the challenge of the game and the plot of the story. In the event you cannot defeat Vicar Amelia as soon as you reach her, explore further, upgrade your weapons, and spend some time becoming more acquainted with the game.
However, to access the Forbidden Woods, you must watch the cutscene after defeating Vicar Amelia, as without this, you will not have the passphrase needed to gain access to this area.
Once in the Forbidden Woods, in order to reach the back entrance to Iosefka’s Clinic, progress through the area until you reach a collection of houses with caged dogs. Behind the cages is a hidden path that leads to a poison-filled cave. Through the cave and past the giants are a series of ladders that take you up into Central Yharnam where you gain access to the clinic. Collecting the Cainhursts Summons is as easy as exploring Iosefka’s Clinic.
With the Cainhurst Summons in hand, return to Hemwick Charnel Lane, and if you haven’t done so already, defeat the Witch of Hemwick. With the area boss defeated, return to the previous area just before the boos room (near the bulky executioners and dogs) and approach the tall spire-like structure in the middle. This will trigger a cutscene, and a horse and coach will appear. Climb into the stagecoach to be transported to Cainhurst Castle.
Cainhurst Castle is a snowy and blood-filled area full of secrets to uncover and plots to solve. If you’ve been tracking the Alfred questline, consider finding him after clearing Cainhurst Castle and speak with him again. Now that you know how to find and get to Cainhurst Castle, you’re one step closer to the end of the game and diving into the foreboding Chalice Dungeons. Be sure to check out our guide on where to find Red Jelly if you’re looking to explore the old Pthumerian areas beneath Yharnam.
