Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 won’t arrive until early next year, but publisher Paradox Interactive is keeping fans sated. The studio has been slowly revealing new information about the upcoming sequel, including the various vampire clans players can join. In this article, we’ve rounded up the five clans that will be available to players in the base game. We’ve also speculated on what additional clans might come to Bloodlines 2 as post-launch DLC.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Available Clans
All players in Bloodlines 2 will start the game as a Thinblood vampire with rudimentary powers. By aligning themselves with a clan, players can improve both their powers and their social standing in the vampire hierarchy. However, if a player aligns themselves with one clan, they could make enemies of another, so they must choose carefully.
Brujah Clan
The Brujahs are basically the bruisers and enforcers of the vampire underworld. They can use their Potence and Celerity power trees to punish foes with brute strength or overwhelm them with speed. If you want to play a tough guy/melee combat-focused vampire, you’d do well to make friends with the Brujahs. You can find out more about the Brujah clan here.
Tremere Clan
The Tremeres magic-users who tap into dark arts that other vampires dare not meddle with, namely blood magic. They can use their Thaumaturgy and Auspex power sets to boil their enemies’ blood or astral project from their bodies. If playing as a dark blood magic ritualist sounds like fine, the Tremere clan may be right for you.
Toreador Clan
Hedonism and physical beauty are the hallmarks of the Toreadors. They use their Presence and Celerity powers to beguile and manipulate those around them. If you want to play a smooth charmer who gets others to do their dirty work, the Toreadors are ideal. You can learn more about the Tremere and Toreador clans here.
Ventrue Clan
The Ventrue are the enigmatic movers and shakers of the vampire underworld, known more colloquially as the ‘Clan of Kings.’ They mostly rule from the shadows, but step out of line and they’ll deliver swift retribution as needed. Thanks to their Dominate and Fortitude powers, Ventrue members can make an example of masquerade-breakers as needed. If playing as a political puppet master sounds like your cup of tea, the Ventrue are worth seeking out. You can learn more about the Ventrue here.
Malkavian Clan
Some call the Malkavians crazy, but in their fevered visions lies a powerful magical force. For those with the wisdom to wield it, that force can turn even a novice Malkavian into a potent adversary. The Malkavians’ Dementation and Auspex powers allow them to mentally manipulate others as easily as their own bodies. If you want to rule the shadows as a slightly mad mental warrior, the Malkavians would like to speak with you. You can learn more about the Malkavians here.
Additional Clans
We know from recent gameplay previews that the Nosferatu clan will be present in Bloodlines 2, albeit as NPCs only. There’s a chance they could be made playable down the line, but playable Nosferatu would present its own complications. In the original Bloodlines, merely going out in public as a Nosferatu was forbidden due to their grotesque appearance. This naturally meant that playing as a Nosferatu was intended only for more advanced/skilled players. However, it also made Nosferatu an ideal choice for players who wanted to rely heavily on stealth and subterfuge.
Other potential DLC clans include the Gangrel and Lasombra clans. The Gangrels would be a good fit for players who feel a deeper kinship towards werewolves as opposed to vampires. In the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop setting, Gangrels can gain animal-esque traits by frenzying. In the original Bloodlines, Gangrels could even summon a spectral wolf as part of their Animalism power set.
In past iteration of the tabletop game, the Lasombra clan were allied with a rival vampire sect called the Sabbat. That was changed in later iterations, but introducing the Lasombra and Sabbat into Bloodlines 2 could open up new opportunities. Perhaps a DLC story campaign could focus on the Sabbat versus the Masquerade and add playable Lasombra as an added wrinkle.
We’ll see how Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’s DLC shakes out when the game launches next year.