I've beaten the game already and I'm on my second playthrough. Having attempted some of the harder optional bosses, I've noticed how much the non-replenishing healing items has put me off. There's some great bosses I'd be willing to spent hours getting good at, but knowing I have to go back and get more blood vials is actively making me put down the game more and play it less. Anyone else feel similar?

Yes.

And bullets, too, sometimes.

Yes, wholeheartedly.

i don't like the blood vials system at all, and putting points into arcane for higher item discovery has not helped.

might it have been the developer's intention that you're forced to buy blood vials, or anything, rather than farm them?

at any rate, as it stands i only ever dash through corpse runs (which is never difficult), fighting through them just doesn't seem worth the risk of losing vials, and if that's going to be the case, why not just put a lamp right before the boss?

and because there are sections where bullets don't drop at all i got out of the habit of using my gun completely, and then all of a sudden they're dropping everywhere to no avail.

i'm only halfway through my first playthrough but right now there's a lot i'm not feeling about this installment.

It's the worst possible combination of Demon's Souls grasses and Dark Souls Estus flask. Grasses worked fine because you weren't limited to how many you bring into the world with you so you didn't have to farm after every defeat. Estus worked because it restored each time you visited a bonfire so you were always ready to do a salty runback on a boss that just killed you. The blood vials take the shitty aspect of limiting your heals from Dark Souls and the shitty system of having to farm grasses from Demon's and make it twice as frustrating for everyone.

Although honestly it only ever became a problem when you died to a boss more than once or twice and the particular area you were in just doesn't drop vials, forcing you to travel into the beginner area or wherever to get what you need.

It's definitely a step down from the estus flasks, but it honestly doesn't take that long to refill them. The Tomb of Oedon is a good place, just kill back across the bridge and onto those two big guys walking around, 2-3 runs will fill you back up.

If I am in need of vials, I just load up an 4 depth chalice dungeon, spend 5 mins getting souls...echoes and buy vials back in the hunter's dream, that's super fast. Also anytime I level up and have leftover souls I just buy as many as I can to store in the chest for a rainy day. Pretty much maxed on the vials in my NG+ that way, aside from fighting (and failing) bosses obviously.