Bloodborne: How to Beat Rom, the Vacuous Spider

Bloodborne contains many terrifying beasts both great and small. From the barking ravens that lay in wait before lunging at you with their terrible screams, to the terrifying furry beasts that serve as boss battles for those wishing to go deeper into Yharnam. But none up to this point have been able to make your skin crawl like Rom, The Vacuous Spider can. Here’s how to beat Rom, the Vacuous Spider in Bloodborne.

How to Beat Rom, the Vacuous Spider in Bloodborne

This vast Old One is in the form of a huge, disgustingly horrifying spider, and it will not go down easy. When you’re ready for the fight head over to Byrgenwerth and step into the Moonside Lake.

Preparing for this particular fight can be tricky. Rom, the Vacuous One has an odd way of fighting and mostly relies upon the smaller spiders it summons to get you out of the picture. These little spiders (the term little is used quite loosely) are surprisingly powerful and can easily take you out with a single attack if you aren’t careful. They are also heavily armored in the front just like Rom, which makes eliminating them a troublesome task. But, there is some good news. Both Rom, The Vacuous One and its little minions are weak against arcane attacks.

So, with that in mind here are some things you should bring to the battle. If you have managed to get your hands on a Tonitrus then you are ready to go on the arcane attack front. If not, invest in some Bolt Paper, or bring an Empty Phantasm Shell if you were able to get your hands on it. That item is a Hunter Tool that adds arcane damage to your weapon. When combined with something powerful such as Ludwig’s Holy Blade, you’ll be able to dish out a lot of damage. Also, as always, bring a full supply of Blood Vials, since you’ll be spending most of the fight navigating tricky dodges. Now that you have all of your items sorted out it’s time to move on to Rom, the Vacuous Spider’s phases and strategies.

There are three phases in total, with the last two being almost completely identical. The first phase is the easiest, but that doesn’t mean there is no threat. Rom will not attack you at all during this phase, even if you stand directly in front this menacing spider. Instead, it will just try to stay between all of the mini-Roms it has summoned. Some will say to ignore the little spiders and focus solely on Rom, the Vacuous Spider but it’s much more beneficial to just get them out of the way so you have less to deal with later on.

You’ll want to attack them from the side rather than head-on. They will spread out in order to defend Rom, so go for the one towards the edge and keep working your way in. Two hits to the side should be more than enough to defeat a spider so get your hits in and dodge backwards to avoid any jumping spiders. Continue this until their all gone and then make your way towards Rom, the Vacuous Spider.

You’ll want to get to the side of this boss, so just roll to the side and begin your assault. Rom doesn’t have the best defense so you will quickly eliminate one third of its health bar. At this point it will start to vanish, do not let up. You will do increased damage while Rom is teleporting so keep swinging.  Once the boss is gone start scanning around for its new location. Now is when things get a bit tricky.

The no longer docile Rom, the Vacuous Spider will now go on the offense, just not directly. There are three actions you need to be aware of. The first is when Rom looks up at the sky. Immediately start dodge-rolling to either side because huge blue rocks will fall from the sky and decimate anything beneath them.

The second action occurs when you get a bit too close to Rom, the huge spider will roll onto it’s back and summon those same blue rocks but this time from the ground. Dodge backwards in order to escape the range.

The third action looks like the first one but only happens at close range. Rom, the Vacuous Spider will stand up and a blue light will appear by its mouth, this means it’s about to explode so get away.

Continue the same strategy you used for the first phase but keep on your toes. Each of Rom’s moves has  distinct noise so you’ll know when it’s time to dodge even if you can’t actually lay eyes on the boss. So keep calm and pay attention. Get in, do your damage and you’re ready for the third and final phase.

The final phase is just like the second phase, only this time Rom, the Vacuous Spider has a new ability for those who get close. Rom will try and grab you in an attempt to stun you. Once this happens you’re pretty much done for, especially if there are still smaller spiders roaming about. You’ll want to stick and move when attacking Rom in this phase. By now you should have all your dodge timing down so just dance your way to victory.

Now that you have beat Rom, the Vacuous Spider, claim your Kin Coldsblood (which grants you 20K Blood Echoes), and approach the woman in white. Bloodborne becomes an entirely different game from this point on…

That’s all you need to know for how to beat Rom, the Vacuous Spider in Bloodborne. For more guides, tips, tricks, and information be sure to check out our Bloodborne wiki.