Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 by Hardsuit Labs recently got a new, grotesque trailer, giving us a glimpse of the types of vampires populating the World of Darkness.
We thought it’s a great opportunity to go over what we know about the different vampire clans we’ll be able to play, and the factions we can choose to side with.
Bloodlines 2 drops us in Seattle, Washington, where we play a fledgling vampire sired during an act of “vampire terrorism.”
We’re left to fend for ourselves, figure out our vampiric powers, and survive the intricate politics of the various vampire factions ruling the city. All the while, we must adhere to The Masquerade – a strict code allowing vampires to assimilate into human society unseen. Break it, and you risk incurring the wrath of the rest of Seattle’s vampires.
As a newly-turned creature of the night, you start with only one discipline – a vampiric superpower of sorts. As you rank up and improve your skills, you’ll unlock more powers, and maybe even join one of the six playable vampire clans.
Thinblood
Thinbloods aren’t exactly a clan, but a general name for all the newly vamped. They are weak, despised, and unwelcome among most vampires. Your new unlife won’t be easy at first – not only do we need to quickly adapt to the rules of the Masquerade, but some older vampires hunt Thinbloods to try and prevent an ancient prophecy.
As Thinbloods, you’ll have access to the following disciplines:
Chiropteran – A strong affinity to bats lets you glide in the air, and call on a swarm of bats to help you in combat.
Mentalism – Telekinesis. Vampires with this discipline can manipulate inanimate objects from afar, and even suspend living beings in the air, or throw them around like ragdolls.
Nebulation – The power of mist lets Thinbloods shroud themselves in thick fog to make them more stealthy or squeeze through tight spaces. With practice, you’ll also be able to choke enemies by filling their lungs with mist.
Brujah
The Brujah clan was the first playable clan Hardsuit Labs revealed. They are a group of misfits and rebels, and most don’t concern themselves with the city’s politics. They do, however, enjoy a good fight, and work hard to maintain their physical abilities.
Potence – Raw vampire strength. Punch through walls, rip your enemies to pieces, and smash the ground to create a mini-earthquake.
Celerity – All about speed. Dash out of the way of attacks or past your foe’s defenses, and knock down everyone in your path. Build enough speed, and the world will slow down around you, letting you dodge bullets and cause mischief.
Tremere
The Tremere are blood mages and a relatively new player in vampire society. They paid a heavy price to join the ranks of the immortals, and most other Kindrid don’t trust them for it.
Blood is the source of a Tremere’s power, but also the cost of using it. It’s a balance every player choosing to join them must keep.
Thaumaturgy – Blood magic. The Tremere can use its own blood to create spiked traps or boil that of an enemy to the point they explode. They can also cause their victims to vomit up blood and use it to replenish their own powers. Yuck.
Auspex – A vampire with Auspex develops a sort of sixth sense. They can see someone’s aura through walls, mark individuals, and spot their weaknesses. In higher levels, Auspex lets your astral projection to scout ahead, or overwhelm enemies’ senses using telepathy.
Toreador
Brain and brawn aren’t a vampire’s only weapons; just ask the Toreador clan. They are obsessed with beauty, art, and self-indulgence, and use their supernatural charisma, seduction, and manipulation to get it.
Presence – It’s hard to ignore a Toreador. They use their charms to stun and hypnotize those around them and even gather a flock of adoring fans that distract anyone who’s hostile towards the vamp.
Celerity – Just like the brutish Brujah, the Toreador can use supernatural speed to dodge, attack, and almost freeze time around them. However, they do it with a much better style.
Ventrue
The Ventrue are the politicians, CEOs, and royalty of the vampire world. They covet wealth, power, and influence above all, and see themselves as the leaders of the Kindrid community. They are the ones who protect the Masquerade, though they usually let others do the dirty work of actually enforcing it.
Domination – The power of mind control. The Ventrue can put NPCs into a trance-like state, and even control them like a puppet.
Fortitude – This defensive discipline lets users deflect attacks and immediately heal wounds, or make their skin tough as stone.
Malkavian
A long-time fan favorite, the Malkavian clan are all batshit crazy. But their loose grip on reality lets them peek behind the veil and gain a deeper understanding of how things really are. It’s like the voices in their heads keep whispering a terrible truth.
The Malkavian don’t suffer from mental illness, they enjoy it thanks to the following disciplines:
Dementation – With Dementation, the Malkavian can drive other people into uncontrollable panic or a fit of rage. Enemies will run from you, or even start attacking their buddies with no rhyme or reason.
Auspex – With insanity comes clarity. Auspex lets a vampire see auras and look into a person’s mind and unearth buried weaknesses. They may also leave their own body behind and travel the aether to spot secrets and overwhelm an enemy’s senses.
The Factions of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
The Kindrid of Seattle are divided into five factions. In Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, you’ll be able to join, undermine, or even incite war between them. Just remember that each choice you make has consequences – some you won’t be able to take back.
The Pioneers
The Pioneers are the founders of Seattle, and they aren’t pleased with what the city has become. Too many strangers have curved up their territory, and control is slowly slipping away. Over the last 20 years, their influence has waned, and they now rule over only a few minor parts of the city.
Members of the Pioneers still dream of the “good-old-days.” They’ll fight to preserve the old values (and old money) of the old world they once ruled over. If you want to join them, you’ll have to earn their trust, as they don’t really appreciate anything new, and that includes the newly undead.
The Camarilla
If the Pioneers are the old power in Seattle, the Camarilla is the new. Ever since the city became a hub of technology and corporation, members of the Camarilla have influenced it from board rooms, sleek offices, and bankers’ desks.
Stability, prosperity, and the Masquerade have been key in securing this faction’s place at the top. But it seems the Camarilla has forgotten an important fact – being on top also makes you a target. If you want to join the inner circle of power and comfort, you first have to be someone worthy of their attention.
The Baron
Not a lot of people have met The Baron of Aurora, but he has his hands in every shady deal happening in Seattle. He has taken the city’s outcasts and desperate and turned them into an army of informants, enforcers, and dealers that do the work nobody else wants, but everybody needs.
The Baron and his men keep to the shadows and back-alleys, where everyone eventually comes seeking them. If you want to join the force of The Baron, you are more than welcome – as long as you can stomach the work.
The Newcomers
The Newcomers are a faction of Tremere, the newcomer clan to the city. No one knows why the ruling vampire Prince granted them permission to enter the University District territory, but it’s likely they paid a high price for that access. Must have been important to them.
You don’t have to be a part of the Tremere clan to join, though. Their leader, “Professor” Viktor Goga, is willing to let anyone who is willing to join in search of knowledge (and college students’ blood) is more than welcome. The Tremere are looking for something big inside the university, and they need people with talent.
The Unseen
The Unseen are as old as the city itself. They walk unnoticed among the poor, destitute, and lonely, hidden in plain sight from both human and vampire society. People might not see them, but they see everything. The Nosferatu, one of the more cunning (and deformed) vampire clans, know many secrets, the people who are trying to hide them, and, more importantly, who’s willing to pay for them.
They populate Seattle’s underground scene, quite literally. Look for them on the outskirts of society – they have the information you need.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is set to release in 2020 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to play it on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X as well.
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