Bloodborne Isz glitch Cure

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Bloodborne Bell

Note

On a jailbroken PS4, the Isz glitch cure can now be applied directly with Apollo Save Tool using Apollo Patches. Furthermore I created patches for Guidance tier 3 rune and Revered Great One Coldblood.

This guide is intended to help Bloodborne players access the cure to Isz Glitch, that was discovered, but not widely distributed.

The Isz Glitch is a bug in Bloodborne that prevents certain characters from creating all possible Isz dungeons. This glitch is tied to unique coffin items you pick up from these dungeons and will therefore progress the more of these items you pick up.

The bug was discovered and published in February 2018 by members of the reddit community Bloodborne: The Tomb Prospectors.

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For nearly a year it wasn't known what causes this glitch that doomed the characters to repeatedly generate the same [...] dungeons over and over again [...]

In November 2019 an announcement was published, stating that the Tomb Prospectors finally figured out what causes this glitch.

The Isz Glitch is caused by looting unique coffin items in Isz dungeons [...] The glitch happens gradually. Every time you loot a unique Isz coffin item, the number of Isz dungeons your character can create gets reduced. The moment you collect all unique Isz coffin items, your character becomes entirely glitched. Once a character is glitched, there’s no way out of it.

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In December 2020, a cure to end the isz glitch was discovered by the the Tomb Prospector AzureEvening. The instructions on how to fix the bug by editing a particular hex value within the affected characters savegame, were published by AzureEvening on the Tomb Prospectors Discord eventually, however, the information was published but not disseminated further, unfortunately.

The discovery is a potential game-changer in the hunt for gems in chalice dungeons.

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Please make sure to read the following explanation which was extracted from bloodborne-wiki.net Isz Glitch summary, to fully understand the cause of the glitch.

  • Dungeons are not randomly generated. Instead, they are pre-set layouts the player generates from an existing pool. This revelation is what lead Tomb Prospectors to start an organized exploration to map all possible dungeon variations.
  • Each root chalice has 100-200 possible layouts the player can pull. Isz root supposedly has 200 layouts.
  • The estimated total number of root dungeons is 2200. This number might be slighly off because recent exploration of Cursed and Defiled Root seems to indicate there are more than 100 layouts for this Root.
  • All dungeons are internally sorted into a total of 15 groups (numbering starting from 0 to 14) with various amount of dungeons in each group based on dungeon depth and type. All of these groups are present in depth 5 Pthumeru and Loran while Isz only uses 12 groups [...]
  • It became apparent that each group is related to one unique coffin item, and in Isz, by looting an item from certain group this group will become forever locked away for your character.
  • From this it’s obvious it’s very easy to get in the glitch since you can usually get more than one unique item in one dungeon. Practically, it can only take 5 or less dungeons to get your character glitched depending on which items you loot. This applies to looting items by using glyphs and false depth dungeons as well. Selling and/or discarding Isz runes and weapons will not get you out of the glitch. The event flag has been set, and the game still remembers you had these items, even if you get rid of them.

There are 11 unique coffin items in Isz you can only loot once. The only way to avoid the glitch is to not collect unique items in the coffins of Isz and Sinister Isz root side areas. Looting an item in one will reduce the number of dungeons in the other as well.

As you can see below in the table, groups 10 and 11 are marked with ? as these two groups of dungeons are the final Isz Glitch phase. Tomb Prospectors still don’t know for sure why these two groups are repeating and there are only theories. One such theory hints that dungeons in these groups should include loot that's for some reason missing or has been removed but the game is still trying to give you a dungeon that's tied to an item that's no longer in there, and ultimately gets stuck in a loop (aka Isz Glitch).

The following text was extracted from a conversation with AzureEvening on Jan 31th 2023.

Every dungeon has a list of items to obtain from them, getting these items will reduce your dungeon pool as the game tries to lead you to the ones you are missing. Once you obtain all special chest items, you can then generate any dungeon again. Isz has an item that doesn't exist and thus you can never get, making it so your dungeon list never goes back to being completed.

The only two dungeon items that come to mind is Guidance tier 3 rune and Revered Great One Coldblood. Both of these items are in the official Bloodborne guide but are unobtainable in the game by normal means. They still exist in the files though, as it is possible to save edit them into your inventory. They just don’t have any drop table assigned to them.

Start a testing session and create multiple Isz chalices in a row with your character. Use the Chalice Dungeons Exploration Sheet (Isz or Sinister Isz tab) in combination with the Chalice Dungeon Screenshot Database.

The following data from the sheet should help you to determine a characters location:

  1. FRC offers
  2. Layer 1 - 3 Bosses
  3. Notes
  4. Main Layout - The starting point when using the screenshot db
  5. Bonus Room

Once you have figured out how to use the screenshot database, you should be able to determine the exact ID of your characters dungeon in a short time. The glitch related IDs 1 - 32 are located at the end of the sheets.

If you collect every possible coffin while playing through multiple chalices, items that you may have looted already will be replaced by either Madman’s Knowledge or Great One’s Wisdom - this indicates that there is an event flag for each of these items that keeps track of what item you’ve already looted.

Following the next chapter, you should be able to determine the particular hex value within the affected characters savegame. A fully maxed out Isz with the glitch looks like FF C0, which means the character has looted every unique Isz item.

Tip: It is easier to cure the Isz Glitch after you looted all items or before looting any.

In order to cure a characters Isz Glitch, we have to modify the related flags within the characters decrypted PS4 savegame.

The Bloodborne savegame is not static, but we can use 4 bytes as operation starting point to create a Save Wizard Quick Code.

07 00 13 00

The player spawn point can be identified by FF FF FF FF following 4 bytes:

  • The Hunters Dream (spawnpoint): B1 16 20 00
  • The Hunters Dream (???): A6 16 20 00
  • The Hunters Dream (???): A9 16 20 00

Needs to be confirmed:

Looking at various savegames, the decimal offset between 07 00 13 00 and B1 16 20 00 is static 338.

The decimal offset between B1 16 20 00 and the Isz Glitch bytes FF C0 is also static 3169.

Calculating the offset between 07 00 13 00 and the Isz Glitch FF C0 bytes:

338 + 3169 = 3507 (dec) = DB3 (hex)

[Isz Glitch Cure]
80010004 07001300 - Searches for 4 bytes of 07 00 13 00 once using Default Offset
92000000 00000DB3 - Adjusts the pointer offset by adding a value of 338 + 3169 = 3507 dec = DB3 hex to the pointer
D8000000 0100C0FF - Tests if 2 bytes from pointer equal `FF C0`, skips the following code line if operation fails
18000000 0000FFFF - Writes 2 bytes from pointer, replacing `FF C0` with `FF FF`

Using Apollo Save Tool library I created a Quick Code which can be applied to a savegame using Save Wizard, Apollo Save Tool library or Apollo Save Tools.

Here is an example output when using the patch with Apollo Save Tool library:

❯ ./patcher userdata0000.savepatch 1 userdata0000

Apollo cheat patcher v0.3.0 - (c) 2022 by Bucanero

[i] Applying codes [1] to userdata0000...

[+] Applying code #1...
- Game Genie Code
- Applying [Isz Glitch Cure] to 'userdata0000'...
- Searching (len=4 count=1) ...
- ----- Search 4 bytes -----
- 000000: 07 00 13 00
- ----- Search 4 bytes -----
- Search pointer = 171450 (0x29DBA)
- Byte Test (0002AB6D) C0FF = C0FF
- Wrote 2 bytes (FFFF) to 0x2AB6D
- OK

Patching completed: 1 codes applied
  1. Start Bloodborne and load the character you want to cure
  2. Position the character at the initial spawn point in the Hunter's Dream
  3. Use a lamp to transport back into Hunter's Dream. If you accidentally moved the character in the Dream, use a Bold Hunter's Mark to reset to initial spawn.
  4. Press Start > Settings > Quit > Close Bloodborne.

From here the guide will show two possible solutions:

  1. How to cure the Isz Glitch on a regular PS4
  2. How to cure the Isz Glitch on a jailbroken PS4

If the character savegame is used on a regular PS4 console, you will need Save Wizard for PS4 MAX Recommended, which unfortunately has to be paid for. Do not buy Save Wizard.online: PS4 Edition, since we need to use advanced mode which is only available in the MAX Edition.

Preperation

You will need the following:

Step 1: Copy the savegame to USB

  1. Connect a USB storage device to the PS4 system.
  2. Go to Settings > Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data in System Storage > Copy to USB Storage Device.
  3. Select Bloodborne.
  4. Select Copy.

Step 2: Modify the savegame with Save Wizard

  1. Connect the USB storage device to the PC.
  2. Run Save Wizard. It should load the Bloodborne savegame from the USB drive.

Step 3: Save Wizard Quick Code (experimental)

Please follow the tutorial How to Add Quick Code On Save Wizard from xdgmods.com.

[Isz Glitch Cure]
80010004 07001300
92000000 00000DB3
D8000000 0100C0FF
18000000 0000FFFF

This is experimental and needs to be tested. Remember to always backup your savegame!

Step 4: Copy the savegame back to PS4 HDD

  1. Connect the USB storage device to the PS4 system.
  2. Go to Settings > Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data on USB Storage Device > Copy to System Storage.
  3. Select Bloodborne.
  4. Select Copy.

Skip to Conclusion.

On a jailbroken PS4, there are several ways to cure the glitch:

  1. Apply the Quick Code using Apollo Save Tool (recommended)
  2. Apply the Quick Code using Apollo Save Tool library
  3. Modify the savegame with a HexEditor like HxD

Preperation

You will need the following, depending on your prefered way to cure:

Activate offline account

Make sure your offline PS4 account is activated.

  1. Run Apollo Save Tool.
  2. Select User Tools > Activate PS4 Accounts.

Your should see a list with all your accounts. An account is not activated when it has no auto-generated account ID, meaning (0000000000000000) following the username.

  1. Select the account > Auto-generated Account ID.
  2. Exit Apollo Save Tool.
  3. Restart the PS4 console.
  4. Resign your savegame files

If you need more help, check the video PS4 Apollo Save Tool v1.4.0 Released on YouTube.

1. Apply the Quick Code using Apollo Save Tool (recommended)

  1. Run Apollo Save Tool.
  2. Select HDD Saves > Bloodborne (choose the correct CUSA).
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the cheat list.

Warning
Remember to always backup your savegame!

  1. Select Isz Glitch Cure (Character must be affected by Isz Glitch).
  2. Expect the patching completed and you should be done.

Skip to Conclusion.

Apollo Save Tool

2. Apply the Quick Code using Apollo Save Tool library

Step 1: Copy the savegame to USB
  1. Connect a USB storage device to the PS4 system.
  2. Run Apollo Save Tool > From HDD > Select Bloodborne savegame > Copy to USB Storage Device.

The savegame will be copied into the folder:

PS4/APOLLO/XXXXXXXX_CUSAXXXXX_XXXXXXXX
              │         │        │
              │         │        └─⫸ Random ID?
              │         │
              │         └─⫸ Game Title ID Number
              │
              └─⫸ Account User ID
Step 2: Modify the savegame
  1. Download and extract the latest release of Apollo Save Tool library.
  2. Copy your savegame userdata0000 - userdata0010 into the Apollo Save Tool library folder.
  3. Create a file userdata00XX.savepatch > Copy & paste the following Quick Code:
[Isz Glitch Cure]
80010004 07001300
92000000 00000DB3
D8000000 0100C0FF
18000000 0000FFFF

Warning
Remember to always backup your savegame!

  1. Open a Terminal > Run ./patcher userdata00XX.savepatch userdata00XX.
  2. Expect the response Patching completed: 1 codes applied and you should be done.

Skip to Conclusion.

3. Modify the savegame with a HexEditor like HxD

Step 1: Copy the savegame to USB
  1. Connect a USB storage device to the PS4 system.
  2. Run Apollo Save Tool > From HDD > Select Bloodborne savegame > Copy to USB Storage Device.

The savegame will be copied into the folder:

PS4/APOLLO/XXXXXXXX_CUSAXXXXX_XXXXXXXX
              │         │        │
              │         │        └─⫸ Random ID?
              │         │
              │         └─⫸ Game Title ID Number
              │
              └─⫸ Account User ID
Step 2: Modify the savegame
  1. Connect the USB storage device to the PC.
  2. Create a backup of the PS4 folder located on the USB device!
  3. Open the folder PS4/APOLLO/XXXXXXXX_CUSAXXXXX_XXXXXXXX, you will see multiple files userdata0000 - userdata010.
  4. Run HxD goto File > Open > Select the file userdata0000 from the USB device.
  5. Go to Search > Find (or press ctrg + F). Select Hex-values tab and enter: 070013. Press OK.

HxD Search

  1. Look for 4 FFs, so FF FF FF FF followed by either B1 16 20 or A9 16 20 depending on your characters location.

HxD 070013

  1. Place the cursor between the last FF and B1.

HxD Search

  1. Go to Search > Go to (or press ctrg + G) > Select dec & current offset > Enter 3169 > Press OK.

HxD Search

  1. The cursor should be placed automatically at the first char of one FF, followed by 0C.

These two bytes represent the flags where the game registers having looted unique items from Isz. They change to FF when you have looted all the items indexed in them. The first one maxes out naturally, while the second one gets stuck on C0 and fails to reach the maximum.

HxD Search

  1. Go to Search > Replace (or press ctrg + R) > Select Hex-values > Search for: C0 > Replace with: FF > Press OK.

HxD Search

  1. The C0 should be replaced with a red colored FF.

HxD Search

  1. Select File > Save

Step 3: Copy the savegame back to PS4 HDD

  1. Connect the USB storage device to the PS4 system.
  2. Run Apollo Save Tool > From USB > Select Bloodborne savegame > Copy to HDD.

Congratulations, your character is now Isz Glitch free :drop_of_blood:

The only ways to check if the glitch fix worked is to either use the screenshot database or check map IDs of generated dungeons in the save editor.

-- Tringun

General information.

Isz Glitch related.

Isz Glitch Cure related.

Hex editing related.

Tools related.

All contributions are welcome. Feel free to submit a pull request to improve this guide.

Please read our CONTRIBUTING guide and CODE OF CONDUCT for more information.

All credits go to the authors of the actual articles.

This project is MIT licensed.