Bloodborne Eileen the Crow Questline: Every Step

Eileen the Crow's questline in Bloodborne has four stops: meet her in Central Yharnam, speak to her in Cathedral Ward before night falls, help her defeat Henryk at the Tomb of Oedon before you set foot in the Forbidden Woods, then assist her against the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst at the Grand Cathedral after Rom. Finish it and she gives you the Crow Hunter Badge and the Hunter Caryll Rune, which unlock the Crowfeather set, the Blade of Mercy and the Hunter of Hunters covenant. Below is each step with its exact trigger, the mistakes that end the quest, and what the rewards are good for.

We checked this against the Fextralife Bloodborne wiki's pages for Eileen the Crow, the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst and the trophy list, plus PowerPyx's Bloodborne collectible notes, in November 2026.

Why Eileen's Questline Is Worth Doing

Eileen is an older hunter of hunters, tracking down fellow hunters lost to the blood. Her questline is short, but it is one of the most rewarding side stories in the game and one of the easiest to break without realizing. Two of its conditions depend on where you go next in the main story, which is why so many first-time players miss it.

The payoff is concrete. Completing it earns the Crow Hunter Badge and the Hunter rune, and the badge adds the Crowfeather set and the Blade of Mercy to the Messengers' stock. The Blade of Mercy also counts toward the Hunter's Essence gold trophy, which requires every hunter weapon. If you are working toward the Platinum, our Bloodborne trophy guide explains how this quest fits into the wider route.

A light spoiler note: this walkthrough describes the fights and outcomes of Eileen's story, but not the main game's ending.

Step 1: Find Her in Central Yharnam

Your first meeting is easy to walk past. The wiki places Eileen in a side room reached from the rafters at the Central Yharnam sewer entrance. The way in is hidden behind boxes and barrels near a staircase, close to the old lady you can send to safety.

• Talk to her twice. She gives you 4 Bold Hunter's Marks and teaches the Shake Off Cape gesture.
• If you miss this meeting entirely, she still appears in Cathedral Ward after you finish Central Yharnam, so the quest is not lost yet.

The Bold Hunter's Marks are worth keeping. Each one returns you to your last lamp without losing your Blood Echoes, which is handy when you are deep in a new area carrying a level's worth.

Step 2: Speak to Her in Cathedral Ward Before Night

The second meeting has a deadline: you must talk to her before night arrives. The wiki suggests the easiest window is after defeating Vicar Amelia, before examining the skull that triggers nightfall.

She only appears here once the shortcut gate toward the Grand Cathedral is open. You can open it by buying the Hunter Chief Emblem and clearing most of Cathedral Ward, or by reaching it from the Abandoned Old Workshop side. With the gate open, leave through the doorway in front of the Cathedral Ward lamp and look left. She teaches the Shhh! gesture and warns you about a hunter at the Tomb of Oedon.

That warning is your cue for step 3, and it matters which way you head next.

Step 3: Help Her Against Henryk at the Tomb of Oedon

This is the step that ends most players' runs at the questline. Go to the Tomb of Oedon, reachable from the Central Yharnam or Cathedral Ward lamp, and you will find Eileen fighting Henryk, an old hunter who has lost himself to the blood.

1. Do it before the Forbidden Woods. If you enter the Forbidden Woods before this fight, Eileen despawns and the questline ends.
2. Do not hit Eileen. If you strike her too many times during the fight, she turns hostile afterward, and that hostility persists even if you reload.
3. Keep her alive. If she dies in this fight, the questline does not continue.
4. Use ranged damage. The wiki recommends Poison Knives, which can be picked up in the alley near Arianna, so Henryk goes down first while you keep your swings away from Eileen.

When Henryk falls, Eileen teaches you the Approval gesture, and you can loot the Heir Caryll Rune from his body. Heir increases the Blood Echoes you gain from enemies you have hit with a visceral attack, which pairs nicely with the parry-heavy style that works so well against hunters. Our Caryll runes guide covers where it fits in a rune setup.

Step 4: The Grand Cathedral After Rom

Spoiler warning for the questline's conclusion: this section describes how Eileen's story ends.

After you defeat Rom, the Vacuous Spider, Eileen waits on the steps of the Grand Cathedral, badly wounded. Inside is her final target, the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst. The wiki notes he only appears if you helped her against Henryk and she survived, and that this fight has to be done solo.

• His kit: he wields the Chikage and the Repeating Pistol and wears most of the Cainhurst set with a Crowfeather chest piece. Expect a fast, aggressive duel against a hunter using the same kind of tools you do.
• A tactic from the wiki: let him trigger the Chikage's transformed state, which drains his own health, then break line of sight so the drain works for you. Poison Knives also work while he walks back toward his starting spot.
• A warning: using the Executioner's Gloves on him from outside the Cathedral will also kill Eileen, and the wiki notes the Choir Bell kills the injured Eileen too. Keep area tools away from her.
• Drops: 6,238 Blood Echoes and the +3 Blood Rapture rune, or a Great One's Wisdom if you already own that rune.

Return to Eileen outside and she hands over the Crow Hunter Badge and the Hunter rune. Her story ends there. If you want to know how her fate connects to the game's three endings, our Bloodborne endings guide covers them with clearly marked spoilers.

How the Questline Fails, and What You Still Get

Because the triggers are spread across the map, here is every failure the wiki lists in one place:

• Entering the Forbidden Woods before the Henryk fight makes her despawn.
• Eileen dying during the Henryk fight stops the quest.
• Hitting her too often during that fight turns her hostile, and reloading will not fix it.
• If you missed steps 1 to 3 entirely, she vanishes after Rom dies.
• If you spoke to her at least once but missed step 2 or 3, she hunts you at the Grand Cathedral after Rom instead.

If she ends up hostile, she still drops the Crow Hunter Badge when killed, along with 5,198 Blood Echoes (2,318 on the first encounter, according to the wiki). That means the Crowfeather set and Blade of Mercy are still obtainable, and so is the Hunter's Essence trophy. What you lose is the Hunter rune reward and her story.

Some players also report a bug where nothing happens after the first meeting. The wiki mentions it but marks the workaround as unverified, so the safest approach is simply to follow the order above and save a cloud backup before the Henryk fight.

Using the Rewards

The Blade of Mercy is a Skill and Arcane trick weapon that needs 7 Strength and 11 Skill. In its normal form it is a single short sword; transformed, it splits into two curved blades, one in each hand, trading damage per hit for speed, and repeated light attacks get faster up to the fifth strike. It suits players who like quick strings of attacks and dodges. With the badge in hand, the wiki lists it at 40,000 Blood Echoes from the Messengers.

The Crowfeather set is mainly a look, but it is one of the most recognizable outfits in the game. The Hunter rune is a covenant rune that increases stamina recovery speed, and equipping it in the oath slot joins the Hunter of Hunters covenant, Eileen's own order, for players who want to carry her role into online play.

Since this quest overlaps with the middle of the game, it lines up with the point where many players start investing heavily in Skill. If you are deciding where to put Blood Echoes, see our leveling guide, and for how Insight from the Tomb of Oedon and Grand Cathedral bosses affects the world, our Insight explainer.

Want Every Outfit Without the Quest?

If you missed Eileen on your main character, or simply want the Crowfeather set on a fresh file, the store's Bloodborne modded save lists all base game and DLC weapons and outfits, a full inventory and stash, all Chalice Dungeons cleared and a level 70 character, and it is New Game+ ready. It is for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, applied directly to your profile, and you must already own the game and The Old Hunters, with active PlayStation Plus on the account. Other services are on the Bloodborne page.

Frequently Asked Questions

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