The game Bloodborne is filled with grotesque and utterly horrifying bosses, among them Rom, the Vacuous Spider, the mysterious spider of Byrgenwerth. Rom’s boss fight is a real turning point in the game, going from Gothic horror to full-blown Lovecraftian, and while it isn’t the most exciting boss fight, everything surrounding Rom is rife with juicy lore.
Despite being released back in 2015, Bloodborne is still hugely popular, which means it’s still getting terrific fan art even after half a decade. With that said, here are 10 pieces of Rom, the Vacuous Spider fan art that are sure to send shivers.
10 Rom, The Vacuous Spider
This first piece of fan art come from JaredNuckels with an almost Tim Burton-esque take on Rom, the Vacusous Spider, at least in the way he’s drawn the boss’s spindly legs. The art as a whole is great at depicting the strange, gross terror of Rom, but those bony legs take it to another level.
The strange thing about Rom is that she’s not technically a Great One, despite looking like one. Rom is actually classified as a Kin, like those weird blue alien enemies seen mostly in the second half of the game.
9 Rom And Her Children
This next chilling piece of Rom fan art is from Brent Skinner, who has drawn Rom among a few of her “children”, the smaller spiders that you have to deal with along with Rom. One large spider to deal with is bad enough, but the army of smaller jumping spiders is sure to bring out the arachnophobia in anyone.
Because Rom is a Kin, she can never actually become a Great One. Also, the Kin enemies were once human but have been blessed by the Great Ones to ascend, so you could surmise that Rom may have once been a human.
8 Rom And Micolash
This next piece depicts not only Rom but also Micolash, Host of the Nightmare and comes from Umeyama. While Rom and Micolash aren’t directly connected, Micolash does make mention of her during his boss fight.
Rom’s boss fight isn’t the most difficult one in Bloodborne, but it is quite easy for things to get out of control quickly, resulting in death. It’s advised to never let your guard down while fighting Rom.
7 Grant Us Eyes
Next up is a piece by MenasLG, who has loads of Soulsborne content on their page. A black and white piece, MenasLG has put an enormous amount of detail into Rom’s grotesque face, drawing your attention to the chilling amount of eyes Rom has.
Eyes are a huge theme in Bloodborne, as they represent knowledge and how we perceive the world. The more eyes you have, the more clearly you can truly see the world.
6 Rom’s Flowers
This next artist, Lirque Cass, has managed to make a piece at once horrifying and beautiful. Rom still retains her terrifying appearance, but by focusing on the flowers on her back, Lirque has
Rom has a whole garden of plant-like appendages growing from her back that look a lot like Coldblood Flowers, items used to open Chalice Dungeons.
5 Secret Of Byrgenwerth
This fan art piece is from Alvh Omega, who depicts Rom and her spiders against a backdrop of the Byrgenwerth college, where the Byrgenwerth Scholars studied human transcendence and likely created Rom.
Like everything else in Bloodborne, Byrgenwerth has a lot of sinister lore surrounding it that you slowly uncover while exploring both the college and its lecture building, which is located in the Nightmare of Mensis.
4 Tonitrus Vs. Rom
Going into this boss fight properly equipped is imperative to succeeding, as artist OniRuu has depicted in his fan art. When you’re upon against Rom and her children, you’re best bet is to go with the Tonitrus.
While you can defeat Rom with whatever weapon you prefer, it’d be smart to at least bring some Bolt Paper and Fire Paper as they’re effective against Rom. However, if you really want to bring the hurt, the Tonitrus is the way to go with its built in electrical attacks.
3 Facing Off
The hunter in Gilang Febrian’s fan art piece may not be using the Tonitrus against Rom, but the hunter has coated their weapon with Bolt Paper. Gilang’s awesome piece nicely captures that Old West standoff moment just before the battle starts.
Despite her horrifying appearance, there’s a strange sort of innocence about Rom. When you first enter the boss arena, Rom doesn’t even attack you, she’s just chilling out. The boss fight doesn’t actually begin until you attack her, which kind of makes it seem like you’re the bad guy in this situation.
2 The Blood Moon Rises
This stunning piece of fan art comes from Diana Yudakov and beautifully depicts Rom, a hunter, and the Blood Moon. As beautiful as it is, Rom is seen here after being beaten and killed, as that is the only way to activate the Blood Moon. Still, Diana has done a tremendous job with her piece.
Like eyes, the moon plays a major role in Bloodborne’s story. The phases of the moon not only mark the player’s progression through the game but it also indicates turning points in the player’s perception of the world.
1 The Byrgenwerth Spider
The final piece of fan art for this list comes from Shimhaq, depicting Rom in all her terrifying splendor. Rom has an ethereal quality here, making her appear like the Great One she could never become.
Interestingly, Rom isn’t the only vacuous spider you could find in the game. In the Altar of Despair underneath the Grand Cathedral, you could find the petrified corpse of another vacuous spider who seemed to have been crushed by falling rubble.
NEXT: Bloodborne: 10 Things You Need To Know About Rom, The Vacuous Spider
