What’s going on with Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2?

“Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2” is the long awaited sequel to the cult classic 2004 video game Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines. Originally, developer Paradox Interactive put two of the six available playable clans as day one downloadable content (DLC). Personally, I think only having six clans playable in the game is already scant. In the previous game there was seven, and there are some notable missing clans in that list. But, keeping essentially a third of the game’s content behind another paywall is just greedy.

Missing Clans

Among the missing clans that exist in Vampire the Masquerade’s (VtM) source material are the Gangrel, Malkavian, and Nosferatu.

Gangrel

Gangrel, sometimes called the Clan of the Beast, are the most animalistic of all the clans. Preferring to live on the outskirts of society and keep to themselves, I’m not sure why this clan wasn’t included. Everything that has been revealed about The Nomad suggests Gangrel should be the default clan. A wanderer who moves between cities commanding great respect while not aligning with any one group. Sounds like Gangrel to me.

Malkavians

Malkavians are crazy, that’s really one of their biggest defining traits. In the game the player character has a voice in their head named Fabien. Fabien is, or rather was, a Malkavian vampire so in a way they are still playable. But it would also make a lot of sense for The Nomad to be Malkavian as well. Within lore, all Malkavians are telepathically linked. Meaning that this voice in The Nomad’s head would seem normal if The Nomad were also Malkavian. Nevermind all the interesting dialogue options that could exist between The Nomad and Fabien. In the first game the Malkavian protagonist had plenty of unique dialogue sometimes breaking the fourth wall. It would have been great to see this again.

Nosferatu

Lastly, the Nosferatu are clever and cunning creatures who pride themselves on wearing their monstrous nature on their face. Unlike the other clans who hide their true nature. Their specialty is in finding information, particularly that which others desperately want to hide. That alone could make for a fun and interesting way to play the game. Perhaps too much of the game’s story takes place at street level. So it would be difficult for a Nosferatu vampire to avoid Masquerade breaches since they look terrifying. But that’s still not enough reason in my mind to cut one of the most interesting clans in the VtM world.

Any of these clans would have made for interesting and varied gameplay. Cutting them out feels like either leaving behind greatness on the cutting room floor or more bait for later DLC.

Day One Clans

Putting such a significant portion of the game behind day one DLC is nothing more than a greedy cash grab. Yet Paradox Interactive decided that these two clans in particular needed to be targeted.

Toreador

Toreador are the classic sexy vampire archetype. For many who enjoy the vampire genre, this will be the clan they want to play the most. It’s a fantasy game and why do I need to pay extra in order to play a hot vampire?

Lasombra

Likewise the Lasombra are an edgy and dangerous group in lore. Traditionally a member of the Sabbat, an organization of extra evil vampires, the Lasombra have a fascinating history. It’s fun to play the bad guys. Lasombra could be a lot of fun to play by providing some outsider angles even in this world of outcasts.

Both of these playstyles seem like great introduction points. Especially to players who might be familiar with vampire fiction but not the world of VtM. Keeping them behind an extra paywall will keep out more players who would be curious about an immersive vampire role-playing game.

Further News

Developer Paradox Interactive clearly tried to pull a fast one on fans of the VtM: Bloodlines game. By making a third of the clans in the game DLC they show a focus on making money over storytelling. Further more, not including other clans and either adding them later as more DLC or just omiting them from the world shows a lack of cohesion in the design of the game. As a fan myself, I am incredibly excited to see that this game is finally coming out. However, news like this worries me. It suggests the launch of an unfinished project. That or Paradox Interactive’s desire to milk every dime out of consumers.

At time of writing, Paradox Interactive has stated that they are going to make some adjustments to the day one DLC. So far they have gone as far as refunding some pre-orders of the premium edition game on Playstation. Hopefully this shows that they are listening to their fan base and will make good decisions about content later on. Ever the skeptic, I’m not going to hold my breath. But I would love to be surprised. More news is coming on September 17th so it won’t be too long before we hear more.