Everything We Know About Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2: Gameplay, Story, Latest News

On September 2, 2023, the silence surrounding Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was finally broken at PAX West. After years of waiting, fans of the World of Darkness and vampire fanatics everywhere were greeted with a new trailer for the sequel to the beloved cult classic RPG, Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines. Alex Skidmore, Studio Design Director of The Chinese Room, describes Bloodlines 2 as designed with a balance of roleplaying game and adventure story. A compelling and rich plot you’d expect from an adventure game, but with RPG agency allowing you to act out your vampire fantasy.

The Chinese Room

Fans who have been following the game's development know that it has had a rocky development. In one of my previous articles, I mentioned that the game was originally to be developed by Hardsuit Labs and was slated to be released in March 2020. However, due to a series of staff changes and challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was delayed again to 2021. On February 23, 2021, Paradox Interactive announced that they would remove Hardsuit Labs from the project, and it was put on hiatus shortly afterward. Many fans speculated that a few studios could pick up development for the game, one of which was The Chinese Room.

The Chinese Room is a British video game developer based in Brighton and is best known for exploration games, such as Dear Esther. The company originated as a mod team for Half-Life 2, based at the University of Portsmouth in 2007, before being acquired as a subsidiary of Sumo Digital in August 2018. Other games the company has developed include the internationally acclaimed Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture and the award-winning mobile game Little Orpheus.

Development on Bloodlines 2

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 promises to be The Chinese Room’s most ambitious project. Believability has always served as the basis of The Chinese Room’s game worlds, allowing for greater immersion. According to Alex Skidmore, the origins of Vampire: The Masquerade as a tabletop role-playing game, along with its broad transmedia portfolio, give the team a solid foundation of believability.

Gameplay pillars

While actual gameplay footage is currently limited, the development team has hinted at the gameplay pillars used to guide the development process. One of those pillars has been “Feel Like A Vampire.” Essentially, everything the player can do in the game should make them feel like a blood-sucking predator. The overall goal is to implement this mentality in combat and non-combat gameplay. For example, instead of the usual RPG tropes (find a keycard to open a door, turn on a generator to restore power to a lift, etc.), the developers made a rule stating that the non-combat gameplay should be about something only a vampire could do.

For example, when exploring combat, initial gameplay was similar to that of Dishonored. However, this steered away from the gameplay pillar of feeling like a vampire in that players were cautious and afraid of enemies. A Kindred is an apex predator, one that stalks its prey and strikes fearlessly. The developers want players to feel confident in combat, almost trolling the enemies with their vampiric powers. In a sense, they want players to feel like they are “playing with their food,” a phrase used often by testers on the team.

Developers wanted to give players the mentality of “I know what is going on, and I can control this situation.” Players will possess the tools to do that in combat, conversations, or while traveling across Seattle.

Visceral, Immersive Combat

The second gameplay pillar, “Visceral, Immersive Combat,” details the action gameplay of Bloodlines 2. According to Alex Skidmore, the pillar focuses on three main playstyles. The first playstyle is referred to by the developers as the Strategic Stalker. As the name implies, this style will appeal to players who enjoy a more strategic combat experience: staying hidden, feeding on isolated enemies, and quietly thinning out groups of thugs before a fight breaks out. This playstyle will appeal to those who believe the ideal vampire is an agile and stealthy predator.

The second playstyle is called Action Brawler. This will appeal to the players who prefer to jump straight into the action, relying on fast reflexes and combat skills. It focuses on being the center of the brawl and using your abilities to control the crowd, delivering as much damage as possible. Alex said that the team often referenced various action-brawling games such as the God of War series, Shadow of Mordor, and Elden Ring. Both playstyles, Action Brawler and Strategic Stalker, can be viewed as two extremes on an action spectrum. Players will be free to play any mixture of the two playstyles to find their ideal playstyle.

The third playstyle, Narrative Adventurer, should please fans of the original Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. This playstyle is for players who want less of a focus on combat and more on the fantasy, narrative, and exploration elements of the game. A lot of the praise for the previous Bloodlines game comes from its story and compelling characters. Many quests could be solved in several ways, some less straightforward than others. For example, a conflict with a group of enemies might be avoided altogether by talking to certain people, gathering key information by investigating locations, or stalking key individuals. This playstyle hopes to capture that same creative problem-solving without sacrificing the chance to enjoy exciting battles.

Alex Skidmore said the team wanted to focus on immersion over complexity. Thanks to a streamlined control scheme, all three styles are easy to pick up and play while offering plenty of depth for longer-term mastery. Overall, the team wanted players to think about what cool thing they wanted to do during a fight rather than how they did it. But they also wanted to capture the bloody style of fighting that comes with being a 300-year-old vampire.

Exploring the World of Darkness in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

The final pillar, “Explore the World of Darkness,” focuses on the game's setting, society, characters, story, and RPG elements. Vampire: The Masquerade is just one setting in the larger World of Darkness universe. In this universe, the modern world is home to not just vampires but also werewolves, ghosts, mages, and all sorts of bizarre and scary things that all live among us in secret. With that in mind, the Chinese Room created a version of Seattle that is authentic to the World of Darkness IP, one where vampires are in control. This means that players should not enter the game expecting to see an exact replica of the Emerald City. Rather, it will be a kind of “best-of” Seattle where key landmarks, like Pioneer Square, have been taken and brought closer together.

Additionally, the team wanted players to feel like they were seeing Seattle through the eyes of a vampire. To that end, the team made buildings taller, lights brighter, and alleyways darker. This is a key part of the game’s art style, which Associate Art Director Ben Matthews calls “Neo-Noir.”

Players will also see how vampires hide in plain sight. Several places in the city may appear innocent at first glance, such as an all-night coffee shop or a popular nightclub. But in reality, these places are essential in vampire society. That all-night coffee shop may serve as the headquarters for a local vampire information broker, and that popular nightclub may be popular with vampires looking to grab a bite to drink.

Story and Clans

When Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was announced back in 2019, players were originally going to play as a Thin Blood, a Kindred who is of the 14th generation or higher. Upon their Embrace, Thin Bloods don’t inherit the powers of their sire and thus are not considered a part of a vampire clan. In addition, they can never learn vampire powers, called Disciplines, from anyone willing to teach them. So, instead, Thin Bloods created their own unique powers by using a form of alchemy, which allowed them to mimic the powers of their elders or even create new ones, such as telekinesis. It’s unknown how this mechanic would have been used in the game.

These vampires are often at the bottom of the food chain and have been historically persecuted by older, more powerful vampires. Aside from not being able to use traditional Disciplines, there are many qualities that Thin Bloods possess that make it difficult for other Kindred to call them vampires. While many Thin Bloods possess superhuman abilities (heightened senses, better reflexes and strength, etc.), they are not as affected by sunlight as normal vampires. But the main reason why most vampires hate them is that many Thin Bloods are unable to turn other humans into vampires. Many elder vampires would have Thin Bloods hunted down because this trait led many to believe that the appearance of these vampires was a sign of the beginning of the end for all Kindred.

Playing as an Elder

Where the previous iteration of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 would have players at the very bottom of the blood-sucking food chain, information from The Chinese Room states that players will now be playing as an Elder vampire. According to Vampire: The Masquerade lore, an Elder is a vampire that has experienced at least 300 years of unlife. In many previous Vampire: The Masquerade video game titles, players would often find themselves playing as a fledgling, a vampire that was only recently Embraced and is now coming to grips with their new existence as a Kindred.

But this time, players will be stepping into the shoes of a vampire with plenty of experience as an apex predator who may once have ruled a domain of their own. However, this new character will probably be in for a bit of a culture shock since they’ve been in torpor for quite some time.

What is “torpor?” The 5th edition core book describes torpor as a state of undead hibernation. While in torpor, the vampire lies completely dead to their surroundings, reduced to the appearance of a shriveled corpse. The length of this undead nap usually depends on the Kindred’s Humanity, the measure of how closely a vampire clings to the morality and values of mortal life, and consequently, how well they are able to resist the urges of the Beast, the animalistic monster that lurks within every vampire. The lower their Humanity, the longer they slumber. This slumber can last even longer if the vampire in question is staked. Despite the popular myth that a stake through the heart would kill a vampire, the Kindred of the World of Darkness only gets paralyzed by this common gardening tool.

A Kindred usually enters torpor in one of three ways:

1. Voluntarily: If a vampire grows tired of the age they are living in, they can decide to enter torpor and awaken in a different time period.
2. Being starved of blood: Vampires need blood not only to fuel their powers but also to reanimate their bodies each night. If they can’t rouse the Blood to wake up, they go into torpor.
3. Taking substantial physical damage: Assuming they don’t get decapitated or incinerated, a vampire goes into torpor if they take enough damage that would normally kill them if they weren’t already undead.

Through a press release on Halloween, we now know that the name of our elderly protagonist is Phyre, who was Embraced during the early 17th century. Players will be able to customize Phyre by choosing their gender and clan, as well as the outfits they wear, how they behave, and what kind of blood they will drink. All of these will affect the way Seattle reacts to Phyre. We also know that Phyre will be a fully-voiced protagonist.

Speaking of voices, narrative director Ian Thomas confirmed that Phyre will be accompanied by Fabien, a Thin Blood vampire from modern-day Seatle. Or rather, Phyre will be accompanied by his voice since he has found himself trapped within our protagonist. It sounds like it will be similar to the circumstances of the relationship between V and Johny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 2077. Fabien’s stuck trapped within Phyre, and Phyre’s stuck with Fabien. Neither of them is happy about this, but they may end up growing to like each other. It sounds like the actions the player takes will affect this relationship.

While the circumstances surrounding the bond between Phyre and Fabien haven’t been officially stated, I have a theory. It’s quite possible that Fabien may have become the victim of a forbidden act that vampires refer to as diablerie. Essentially, this is the act of a vampire drinking the blood of another vampire to the point where they are completely drained of blood, condemning the victim to their Final Death. By doing this, the diablerist (the one who committed the act of diablerie) has a chance to gain some of their victim's powers and abilities. However, there is also a chance that a portion of the victim’s soul will live on within the diablerist. As a result, they may occasionally hear the voice of their victim talking to them.

When Kindred are awoken from torpor, they are usually very hungry. So they will often seek out the nearest blood vessel that is unfortunate enough to be near them when they wake up, usually while having little control over their actions. It’s possible that Fabien was the unfortunate blood vessel that was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got drained to satisfy Phyre’s hunger.

While this is a strong theory (in my opinion), it’s still mere speculation. The circumstances surrounding the bond between Phyre and Fabien may also be linked to the weakening of Phyre’s vampiric powers. Whether it is due to diablerie or the result of some vampiric curse, we won’t know for sure until the game is released.

Bloodlines 2: The Clans

During character creation, one of the big choices that players will face is what clan Phyre is from. Through press releases from Paradox Interactive and TheChineseRoom, we know that the base game will include four major clans from the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop RPG, with two more being introduced in the future as DLC. We have been teased that one of these DLC clans will offer “a new way to experience the main game" while the other offers "a completely unique Seattle story." Until then, we have our four base game clans:

1. Brujah
2. Tremere
3. Banu-Haqim
4. Ventrue

The Brujah are often known as a clan of radicals, punks, and troublemakers with a short fuse. Though those within the clan know this is a common misconception, their prowess in combat often lends credence to these labels. The Kindred of Clan Brujah benefits from the Disciplines of Potence (supernatural strength), Celerity (superhuman speed and reflexes), and Presence (supernatural charisma). In Bloodlines 2, the Brujah’s powers will favor those who enjoy combat and getting up close and personal with their foes. In previously revealed gameplay footage, we see players performing feats such as slamming enemies into walls, clearing the area with powerful ground-pound shockwaves, and pulverizing foes with a flurry of fists. Of course, these clips only showcased their abilities in combat. We haven’t seen them use their Discipline of Presence, often used in the tabletop RPG, to bolster social skill checks when persuading or intimidating NPCs. However, the developers have promised to show a complete list of the Brujah’s in-game abilities in early 2024.

The Tremere clan will provide a rewarding playstyle for those who prefer a little distance with their combat and a bit of magic on the side. Once a house of mortal mages on a quest for immortality, this vampire clan is known for its mastery of blood magic and rigid hierarchy. In addition to Blood Sorcery, the Tremere Kindred are able to master the Disciplines of Auspex (enhanced senses) and Dominate (mind control). Gameplay footage and concept art have shown images of the player using blood magic to turn their own blood into a usable projectile weapon. However, the developers have also teased that players can use this magic in other gruesome ways, such as boiling enemies' blood within their bodies or ripping it from their veins. Both of these abilities could be learned in the previous Bloodlines game in 2009, with the former turning the victim into a living bomb that would damage those unfortunate enough to be close by.

While the Tremere often proclaim themselves as masters of blood magic, they certainly aren’t the only clan capable of using it. The Banu Haqim are known for two things: their thirst for vampire blood and their passion for justice. And while they are known to utilize their own form of blood magic, they have a better-known reputation as a clan of assassins. In Vampire: The Masquerade, fifth edition, the Banu Haqim can access the Disciplines of Blood Sorcery, Celerity, and Obfuscate (invisibility). From what we’ve heard from developers, players who wish to opt for a more stealthy approach to the game will enjoy the abilities this clan can offer Phyre. In brief clips of gameplay, we see the player sneaking through the shadows of a courtyard to get the drop on enemies before using their vampiric powers to avoid their gunfire and kill them. We also saw the female version of Phyre talking with another Kindred, giving us a taste of the female protagonist's voice.

The fourth and final clan that players can look forward to when the game launches is theVentrue clan, referred to in some undead circles as the Clan of Kings. Vampires hailing from this clan tend to be natural leaders, often taking positions of power in vampire society. Although some may question their claim to be the rightful rulers of Kindred courts, this claim isn’t mere posturing. Their mastery over the disciplines of Dominate, Presence, and Fortitude (supernatural resilience) allows them to maintain control of those beneath them and take hits from those who wish to usurp their throne. We weren’t treated to a clan teaser trailer as with the previous three reveals, but we were given some concept art showing a Ventrue Phyre using their powers to force an enemy to kill themselves. Given their aptitude for mind control and soaking damage like a tank, the Ventrue may appeal to players looking to control the flow of combat by turning enemies against one another. Their powers may also open up new options during dialogue, like in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.

One additional point to consider is that clan selection may not necessarily limit the player to certain powers. While most Kindred bloodlines have initial access to select Disciplines, it is possible for vampires to learn new powers from other vampires. However, if there’s one thing that vampires value most, it’s secrets, especially the secrets of their powers. They will rarely teach out of the goodness of their unbeating hearts and will often demand favors in return. In other words, it’s extremely rare for newly Embraced Kindred to learn Disciplines outside their clan.

Phyre, however, is not a newly dead fledgling. She is an elder vampire roaming the world for over 300 years. Developers have confirmed that during that time, she has gained many powers, not only those mastered by her clan. Thanks to the Brujah clan highlight released on March 6; we know that we can visit important vampires in Seattle who can help the player learn the abilities of other clans. However, if players want to learn abilities that lie outside of their clan’s Disciplines, they will need to pay with more upgrade points than if they were a member of that clan. For example, a player character who is a member of the Brujah clan would pay fewer upgrade points to unlock a power under the Celerity Discipline to enhance their speed but would need to pay more points to learn a stealth-focused technique under the Obfuscate Discipline.

Bloodlines 2 Story Speculation

Regarding the game's main storyline, trailers have teased “a power vacuum in vampire court” and a “three-way siege on Seattle.” Phyre’s awakening seems to coincide with a potential war brewing between Seattle's shadowy vampire factions.

The three-way siege most likely refers to a power struggle between local vampire factions in Seattle. In the first Bloodlines, the player got wrapped up in the Kindred politics of Los Angeles, usually between the Camarilla and the Anarchs, two groups who have always been at odds with each other. The Camarilla is a secret society of vampires focusing on following ancient traditions and controlling the mortal population from the shadows. Think of them as the Illuminati, run by vampires. They often see themselves as the official governing body of all Kindred and expect all vampires to adhere to their rules, especially the Masquerade, the disinformation campaign that keeps the existence of the supernatural hidden from humans.

However, many Kindred, especially younger ones, disagree with the Camarilla’s rules and hierarchy. The vampires who call themselves Anarchs seek to carve out their own existence, their own domains, without the Camarilla's oversight. They argue that the Camarilla’s rules and traditions benefit the elders in charge more than the fledglings and neonates serving them. These two factions have often butted heads on several occasions in many cities around the world. Their relationship usually differs from begrudging tolerance to a cold war between the two groups. Despite their differences, the one rule the Anarchs and Camarilla both agree on is the Masquerade. Even the most disorganized Anarch groups know that if all of humanity learned that vampires were real and pulling the strings of society, it wouldn’t take long for the Kindred to be exterminated.

While most conflict in Vampire: The Masquerade often occurs between the Camarilla and the Anarchs, a third player is looking to influence the city of Seattle. In the previous Bloodlines game, the player often fought a group known as the Sabbat. The Sabbat is a faction of vampires who want to see the world again ruled by vampires, holding no regard for the Masquerade. While they were a formidable opponent in the previous game, the Sabbat are not as large or powerful as they were in the past. In the fifth edition of Vampire: the Masquerade, the Sabbat retreated to war zones around the world, staying out of the reach of the Camarilla. We’re unlikely to see them as adversaries in the new Bloodlines 2. However, a greater threat to the Kindred may have Seattle in its crosshairs.

In recent nights, Kindred worldwide has witnessed a rise in vampire hunters. What started as attacks from holy orders, secret societies, and independent hunter cells have expanded to certain branches of government agencies, military groups, and even elite hunters within the ranks of the Vatican. The Kindred refers to this uprising of anti-vampire activity as a Second Inquisition. Organizations belonging to this loose coalition of vampire hunters may see the Seattle power vacuum as a chance to cripple the Kindred’s grip on the city.

And where will Phyre fit into all of this? Well, during the course of the story, Phyre will have earned herself the position of Sheriff within the Camarilla’s Seattle court. Like the sheriffs of the human world, a Sheriff must enforce the laws of the Camarilla within a domain. This opens up a variety of ways players can roleplay in Bloodlines 2. Some players may choose to be a loyal Sheriff, upholding the traditions and laws of the Camarilla. Others may act as a double agent, working with members of the Anarchs to undermine the court from within. Players can also choose to play both factions to their advantage, using them to gain power for their own ends. By the end of the game, the choices made by the player will likely determine who is in control of Seattle.

Wrapping up

While the developers are slowly releasing information regarding the game, there are some in the community who are concerned about how Bloodlines 2 will compare with its predecessor. The previous game didn’t have a great combat system, but it was well known for its stellar characters and story, as well as its great RPG system. While it was initially released as a buggy mess of a game, members of the community continued to iron out the bugs using mods and community patches, the most popular of these being the Unofficial Patch. This has helped the game shine as a masterpiece.

Paradox Interactive has hosted multiple streams featuring members of the development team as they cover aspects of the game on the road to launch. While many members of the community remain optimistic, there are plenty of people who inevitably compare what they see to the cult classic they know and love. Some aren’t happy about the decision to include a voiced protagonist, and others are concerned about how deeply they may be able to customize their character. Some are disappointed in the choice of clans for Phyre, and some clans from the previous game, namely Nosferatu and Malkavian, are not playable in the initial game. But the main concern is that the game won’t feel like a sequel to Bloodlines and more like a different Vampire: The Masquerade game.

Chief among these concerns is the lack of input from developers of the previous Bloodlines game. When the project was being developed under Hardsuit Labs, the team included writer and developer Brian Mitsoda and Rik Schaffer, the composer behind the Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines soundtrack. However, Brian Mitsoda was terminated from his position on development for Bloodlines 2 in July 2020. Shortly afterward, in February 2021, Paradox Interactive announced that Hardsuit Labs would no longer be working on Bloodlines 2.

Since neither of these people are working with The Chinese Room now, fans are concerned that this may dilute the final product, making it lose the charm its predecessor had. However, we know that the team was able to use a significant amount of art and level design from when Hardsuit Labs was at the helm. While the game appears to have taken a different direction regarding story and RPG systems, many remain optimistic about how Bloodlines 2 will turn out on release. The team has teased a release window during the Fall of 2024. For more information about Bloodlines 2, visit the Bloodlines 2 page on Paradox Interactive or join their Discord server.

This story was written as part of the Hackernoon Blogging Fellowship.