Phase 2, because my strategy for phase 1 is just to run around and panic and die overandoverandoverandoverandover.

Plus the music from the trailer kicks into high gear, and it's incredible.

I never had time to think during stage 1. I preferred Stage 2 because it slowed down a little.

One of my least favorite mechanics is giant thing flailing erratically so not phase 1.

Phase 2 for me too. In the 1st phase it felt like I just fumbled my way to victory.

phase 2 because the the change in stance is rad

I'm with you. Love that fight. But Bloodborne has no shortage of flailing giant beasts, so I have to say I prefer phase 2. It was really the last thing I was expecting for him to do, even if it didn't give me as much trouble.

The form change is one of the all time greatest moments in any video game for me, but I have to go with phase 1. Phase 2 felt a little too easy, like he should have been more durable, or hit harder, or had more close range attacks.

It's still a great fight, but phase 2 doesn't quite feel like the escalation it should be.

I actually find a hard time separating them. Combined, they made up the most memorable and challenging boss fight from Bloodborne. If I had to pick, I'd go with 2 just because of the music.

I prefer Phase one for the smash and grab gamble as you try to stagger him. He's a horse. He should behave like one. When he's in Centaur mode, it's all a little predictable. Of course, the real best part is the mid-point where the music changes.

Phase 2 is harder for me but I agree phase 2 need to have more variety of attack. Phase 1 is full of variety of attack, climbing the ceiling and drop on you, the charge attack etc, I was force to dodge variety type of move set from Ludwig. Phase 2 once you close, it become your classic Souls mechanic where you dodge to the side and hit the booty but the catch here is that it's more aggressive and fast making it more intense than phase 1. I have trouble deciding which is better because phase 1 has more variety attack while phase 2 is more aggressive.

Honestly I despise the Ludwig fight. I didn't have any trouble with the rest of the DLC. Heck, the final fight only took me three tries to beat. But Ludwig completely wrecked me for an entire week.

P.S. Suffice to say I killed his severed head without mercy.

Phase 2 because of that super rad cutscene!

is that the first boss that transforms from a hunter to like a crazy werewolf thing(i think it's been a while)? If so i liked both honestly, I didn't have as much trouble as others with that boss(i struggle more with bigger bosses) but i felt like that fight really utilized all the systems you learn in the game very well. Besides the occasional camera issue, i felt i lost because i messed up rather than the fight being cheap.

@oursin_360: You're thinking of Father Gascoigne (I think).

I remember the transformation more than I remember the fight itself so phase 2 for Ludwig.

After thinking a while, objectively speaking, I've to say Ludwig 1st phase is better. Ludwig 2nd phase lack of variety of move sets, thus mechanically inferior than phase 1. 2nd phase is just your cliche Souls boss fight where you dodge to side and hit the booty, just that it's more aggressive.

I don't really care about the music since if music is all that matter, then we can even put Ludwig music into Bed of Chaos boss fight and suddenly Bed of Chaos fight doesn't seems that bad. Mechanic/move sets of boss are more important to me so I will go with Ludwig 1st phase as there's more variety of move sets.

Ludwig and Orphan are two of the best bosses in Bloodborne for me and in term of phase, here's how I rank them.

Orphan 2nd phase > Ludwig 1st phase > Ludwig 2nd phase > Orphan 1st phase

Maybe it because they way I play because for Orphan 1st phase, I rely too much on back stab bait. Orphan 2nd phase is a perfect combination of aggressive and having variety of move set/mechanic.

Phase 1 because that was the hardest fight in the game for me, so it ended up being a lot more memorable. I don't have any strong opinions on phase 2 either way. I beat that half first try.

@oursin_360: No, you're thinking of the second boss fight in the main game. Ludwig is (more or less [or is? I forget now]) the first boss of The Old Hunters DLC.

Eh, I felt both phases were the same. Man, the DLC bosses are so much more difficult than all of the main game bosses. I never had to return to an older area in the main game to grind a little to keep going, but I had to with Ludwig. For several hours I couldn't defeat his second form; only got so far as beating the first, then he whooped me the second. I had to go back hours later. I did just about everything in the game, but I didn't defeat Kos. I gave up and didn't want to spend the time upgrading more to defeat him so I just went to Gehrman and beat him in a few hits.