The Church Pick stands as a testament to the Healing Church's early, more brutal methods of hunting. While often overshadowed by flashier DLC weapons like the Holy Moonlight Sword or the Rakuyo, the Church Pick is arguably the most efficient and versatile PVE tool in Bloodborne. It is a weapon that rewards knowledge of hidden mechanics more than almost any other in the game. To understand the Church Pick is to understand why its combination of thrust damage, hidden modifiers, and staggering potential makes it a top-tier choice for any hunter prioritizing Skill.

Core Attributes and Scaling Dynamics

At its base level, the Church Pick is a Skill-centric trick weapon. It requires 9 Strength and 14 Skill to wield, making it accessible to almost every starting class. However, its true potential is unlocked as you invest heavily into the Skill stat.

At +10 reinforcement, the weapon features a B scaling in Skill and a D scaling in Strength. While a B scaling might seem inferior to the S scaling found on the Rakuyo or Blade of Mercy, the Church Pick compensates for this through its damage type consistency and massive hidden multipliers. It also possesses a C scaling in Arcane, allowing for efficient elemental conversion for Arcane builds, though its physical Skill-based application remains its most common use case.

Durability sits at a comfortable 250, ensuring that even during long treks through the Chalice Dungeons, you rarely face the risk of weapon breakage—a common frustration with more fragile weapons like the Tonitrus.

The Triple-Threat Modifiers: Thrust, Beasthunter, and Righteous

What truly sets the Church Pick apart from every other weapon in the game is its status as a triple-threat tool. Most weapons in Bloodborne specialize in one specific enemy type; the Church Pick specializes in almost all of them.

1. The Power of Pure Thrust

In its transformed (two-handed) state, every single attack in the Church Pick's moveset—including R1s, R2s, and even the transformation attacks—deals exclusively Thrust damage. In Bloodborne's defensive calculus, Thrust is consistently the most effective damage type. The vast majority of enemies, particularly the dreaded Kin of the Cosmos (BrainSuckers, Celestial Emissaries, and Rom), have significantly lower resistance to Thrust compared to Blunt or Physical damage. By locking the weapon into a pure Thrust output, you are effectively bypassing the strongest armor layers of the game's toughest foes.

2. The Beasthunter Bonus (Not Serrated)

A common misconception is that the Church Pick is a serrated weapon. It is not. Instead, it possesses a unique "Beasthunter" modifier (20% bonus damage). While serration only applies to specific "large" beasts like the Cleric Beast or Blood-starved Beast, the Beasthunter modifier is far more inclusive. It applies to any enemy categorized as a beast, including those that have not fully transformed and even animal enemies like dogs and crows.

Crucially, this bonus only applies to the weapon's Thrust attacks. Since the transformed state is entirely Thrust, you receive a flat 20% damage boost against all beast-type enemies while using the war pick mode. This makes it effectively superior to the Saw Cleaver in high-level play.

3. The Righteous Property

In addition to its anti-beast and anti-kin properties, the Church Pick carries a 20% Righteous modifier in both of its forms. This bonus is effective against enemies of the Vileblood lineage found in Castle Cainhurst. While this is more situational than the other bonuses, it means the Church Pick has no true "weak" matchup among the major enemy factions.

Moveset Mastery: Precision and Control

The Church Pick's versatility is reflected in its dual forms, each serving a distinct tactical purpose.

The Short Form (One-Handed Sword)

In its untransformed state, the Church Pick functions like a heavy thrusting sword. The R1 chain begins with a quick poke, followed by horizontal and diagonal slashes. While the range is somewhat limited, the speed is excellent for dealing with fast-moving targets or managing stamina in tight quarters.

This mode is particularly useful when you need to keep a firearm active for parrying. The R2 attack in this form is a heavy thrust that has surprising reach and can be used to initiate combat from a relatively safe distance.

The Transformed Form (Two-Handed War Pick)

Transforming the weapon extends the blade into a massive pickaxe, altering the moveset entirely. This is where the weapon truly shines.

  • The R1 Chain: The vertical overhead swing followed by wide horizontal arcs makes it excellent for both single-target focus and minor crowd control. The speed of these attacks is faster than most other polearm-style weapons, like the Burial Blade or Hunter Axe.
  • The L2 Stagger: This is one of the most underrated moves in the game. The L2 performs a horizontal swipe with immense stagger potential. It can consistently interrupt enemies that would otherwise hyper-armor through your R1 attacks, such as the snake-headed men in the Forbidden Woods or certain Labyrinth Guardians.
  • The Charged R2 and Follow-up: The fully charged R2 is an overhead slam that can pancake smaller enemies. However, the real power lies in the follow-up R2. If you press R2 again after a fully charged slam, the hunter performs a violent upward rip. This two-hit combo has some of the highest damage multipliers in the game and is capable of breaking boss limbs with ease.

Optimization: Blood Gem Strategy

Because the Church Pick's transformed mode is entirely Thrust-based, it allows for a specialized gemming strategy that most weapons cannot utilize.

Tempering vs. Adept Gems

For most players, Tempering Blood Gems (which boost all Physical damage) are the standard choice. They are easy to farm and provide a consistent boost to both forms of the weapon.

However, for those looking to reach the absolute ceiling of damage, Adept (Thrust) Blood Gems are the superior choice. Since the transformed mode only deals Thrust damage, you can equip gems that offer 32.6% Thrust Up (frequently found in FRC Chalice Dungeons). This results in a significantly higher Attack Rating (AR) than standard 27.2% Physical gems. While this makes the one-handed slashes weaker, the trade-off is a war pick that can delete bosses in a matter of seconds.

Arcane Conversion

If you are running an Arcane build, the Church Pick is a phenomenal candidate for a Fire infusion. Because it retains its Beasthunter bonus on Thrust attacks, a Fire-converted Church Pick becomes the ultimate weapon against beast-type bosses like Laurence, the First Vicar. The innate bonuses stack with the elemental damage, creating a specialized tool that outclasses even the Saw Spear in specific scenarios.

Practical Acquisition Guide

The Church Pick is exclusive to The Old Hunters DLC. To obtain the normal version, you must reach the Underground Cell area located just after the Underground Corpse Pile (where you fight Ludwig).

  1. Obtain the Underground Cell Key: This is found in the Research Hall, near the top level where you rotate the staircase.
  2. Locate the Hunter: Go to the dark hallway of cells beneath the Research Hall. One of the cells contains a hunter wearing the Yahar'gul set (often identified as Defector Antal).
  3. The Encounter: Defeating this NPC will drop the Church Pick. A safe strategy is to use a weapon with long reach to hit him through the cell door, as his AI can be aggressive in the cramped space.

Uncanny and Lost Variants

For those seeking optimal gem slots (typically the Uncanny version for its Triangle slot), you must first obtain the normal version. Once you have it, the variants can be purchased from the Bath Messengers located within the Chalice Dungeons. Specifically, many Root Pthumeru Ihyll glyphs contain the necessary vendors to complete your collection.

Conclusion: The Hunter's Practical Choice

In the lore, the Church Pick is described as a "highly practical weapon." This is an understatement. By combining the best attributes of a spear, a sword, and a pickaxe, it offers a solution to every problem Yharnam throws at you. It slays beasts with its hidden modifiers, punctures kin with its pure thrust damage, and punishes Vilebloods with its righteous status.

If you are looking for a weapon that rewards precise spacing, stamina management, and strategic gemming, the Church Pick is unsurpassed. It doesn't need the fire of the Boom Hammer or the blood of the Chikage; it relies on cold, calculated efficiency. Whether you are delving into the deepest Depth 5 FRC dungeons or facing the Orphan of Kos for the first time, the Church Pick remains the most reliable partner a Skill hunter can ask for.