Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is racing towards an October 21st release date. Take a look at the six eponymous bloodlines.
Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a game that has both defied the odds and sort of unintentionally raised them on itself. It’s not that much of a stretch to say that development on this game has been rocky, to put it mildly. Between prominent staff leaving, a whole developer change back in 2021, and not to mention a whirlwind at Paradox interactive, it is quite frankly a miracle that the game has a release date this close.
Between the initial developer Hardsuit Labs to developer The Chinese Room, the game has been in development for almost a decade. Which is not quite into Duke Nukem Forever territory, but having the theoretical Vampire sequel in the wind has been a familiar part of the background noise since before Covid, to put things in perspective.
But now, against the odds, the game is imminent. And it actually looks like the World of Darkness. In fact, whoever is cutting together the Clan trailers deserves a medal and a raise, because they paint such a vivid picture of the world. And now that all six of the eponymous Bloodlines are out, you can see for yourself what kind of Vampire you’d be.
Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, The Bloodlines Begin
There are six bloodlines all in all that you can choose from (plus a not-so-secret seventh, more on that in a minute). In the game, you play Phyre, an elder vampire whose origins are mysterious and customizable. Meaning you get to decide them by picking from one of the six clans. If you’ve played Vampire: the Masquerade at all in the last decade, you know them well: Venture, Brujah, La Sombra, Banu Haqim, Tremere, and of course everyone’s favorite, the Toreador. But if you don’t know them—or if you want to know if Bloodlines 2 has done your favorite dirty, let’s take a look, starting with the Ventrue.
The “Clan of Kings” as it were is every bit as old money and old power as you might think. In the ttrpg, Ventrue are all about domination of their enemies and also their allies, and that holds true in the video game as well. Though Bloodlines 2 is more of an action RPG, so things change a little, as you can see. But you start with Dominate and Presence, and as you level up gain powerful control abilities. This includes the ability to possess your enemies or make them forget you were there.
The Tremere are all about magic and blood sorcery (though not flesh sorcery). And in the video game, they wield that magic to gory effect, using abilities like Blood Salvo to throw blood daggers at distant enemies. Or Cauldron of Blood to make someone attract a bunch of people nearby with their screams of pain, only to be exploded with Blood Curse. Does it maintain the Masquerade? No. Does it seem like a fun playstyle? You bet.
The Brujah, on the other hand are the rebels and firebrands of the World of Darkness. Or they’re the troublemakers and anarchs. Depends on your perspective. In Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, this means you are a melee character first and foremost. You’re very fast and strong, and can apparently punch people like a machine gun. Of all the trailers, this one is the most “you’re just a superhero but you drink blood” to me, which is how any game of Vampire gets if you play long enough.
More Bloodlines, More Problems (But Also More Powers)
Then there’s the Banu Haqim. The so-called Clan of the Hunt, these vampires are branded as assassins and diablerists, but they have long been scholars and warriors and guardians of the shadows. In Vampire: the Masquerade Bloodlines 2 terms, this means you are the stealth character. You get Celerity and Obfuscate and are skilled at secretly killing and feeding on your enemies. As you gain power you will become invisible, even, as you stop time and isolate prey.
Meanwhile, the shadowy Lasombra are a recent addition to the Camarilla. These vampires are all about the power of darkness, emphasizing shadow magic. It’s got a colorful cast of characters, and an intrigue-laden cast of NPCs. The Lasombra offer a more mysterious storyline with powers that let you trap an opponent in your shadow. There, you can feed upon them, and then disappear into a shadow dimension.
The Toreador were the last of the Bloodline reveals, dropping just today. The Clan of Divas and artists and seductive sirens who know how to wield power subtly. Whoever cut this trailer together also understands the appeal of the art vampires. And in terms of gameplay, this makes controlling your enemies look stylish. You can draw enemies to you, too. Turn NPCs into your allies (at least for a while), and the more you kill, the faster you get.
Finally, there’s the Malkavian. This is the “other perspective” you get to step into sometimes. You play as Fabien, a Malkavian detective who is out to solve some sort of unspecified crime (usually Diablerie) and whose fate is linked with Phyre’s. Is it because the two are actually the same person and the Malkavian plot twist is real? Or is it because they’re just mentally linked – or maybe something darker? Either way, the game will revea its secrets soon enough.
Say what you will, but here it is in 2025 and soon we’ll have Bloodlines 2!
Don’t Miss:
Read more at this site