While developer The Chinese Room and publisher Paradox Interactive have officially confirmed the October 21 release date for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, the companies have also now revealed that two of the playable vampire clans in-game will only be available through an add-on pack priced at $21.99.
Since pre-orders for the title have been opened up, the fact that the Lasombra and the Toreador clans are only available through the Shadows & Silk add-on has been confirmed. This add-on pack is also available in the Premium Edition for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.
At launch, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is slated to feature six clans in total, with only four of these clans being available in the base game. Aside from Lasombra and Toreador, the upcoming title will also feature Brujah, Banu Haqim, Tremere and Ventrue clans.
For the sake of context, clans in Vampire: The Masquerade essentially define what kind of vampire a character is. Along with standing in the urban vampire society, clans also indicate what kinds of vampire powers they have access to. The Brujah clan, for example, is more focused on melee combat, and vampires of the clan tend to serve as foot soldiers and bodyguards. Ventrue, on the other hand, has more abilities related to manipulation and social engineering, and vampires of the clan tend to live amongst “high-society elites”.
As for the two clans lacked behind DLC, the Toreador clan revolves around being graceful and beautiful, often bringing those around them to the point of obsession. In society, vampires of the clan tend to be artists. Their powers often include a mix of manipulation and persuasion, while also letting them move around more quickly with abilities like Blink.
The Lasombra clan, on the other hand, focuses on subtlety. Vampires of the clan often tend to hide in the shadows while the manipulate situations to their advantage. Their abilities will often allow them to stoke emotions in those around them, often manipulating their targets into doing things that benefits the Lasombra in some way. They also have stealthy abilities like being harder to see or isolating specific targets by manipulating shadows.
The fact some clans – a core component of the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise – have been locked behind DLC might seem like a disappoint to fans of the original Bloodlines, which featured seven distinct clans, two of which even had unique gameplay and story elements associated with them.
The decision to make the two clans DLC likely comes from the title having gone through troubled development, having swapped between development teams quite a few times. Even its current developer – The Chinese Room – wasn’t safe from turmoil, since it was hit by lay-offs back in June. These lay-offs came to light thanks to social media posts by VFX artist Jamie Berry, as well as other developers of the studio.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and will use Seattle as the main setting for its dark, urban fantasy adventure.