Although Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is still a fair bit away, only launching next year, publisher Paradox Interactive has begun slowly sharing information about the upcoming RPG. The most recent serving revolves around the Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Thinblood.
As opposed to the first game in the series, the sequel won’t throw you straight into an established vampire clan. You’ll instead start Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 as a Thinblood. Thinbloods are described as a “recent, more weaker strain of vampire” treated by their stronger kindred as second-class citizens.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Thinblood
All hope is, however, not lost for a fresh Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Thinblood roaming the streets of Seattle. As the Camarilla has only recently expanded into the city, that leaves lots of space for young vampires to rise through the ranks.
Being a weaker vampire as you start off doesn’t mean that you won’t have access to powers. In fact, players will have to choose between three Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Thinblood Disciplines. They’re described, in a press release, as follows:
Chiropteran - Strong affinity for bats, allowing vampires to move through the air and summon swarms.
- Glide — first active power. Glide greatly lowers the weight of the vampire’s skeleton and muscle mass to allow them to briefly float, reaching otherwise inaccessible areas, swoop down on NPCs to knock them down, or rain down other Disciplines from afar.
- Bat Swarm — second active power. The vampire can summon a small swarm of bats to attack a target NPC, temporarily disabling them and dealing low damage. This power can be upgraded until a true Maelstrom of leathery wings surrounds the vampire, harrying and damaging those who come too close.
Mentalism - Use telekinesis to manipulate objects and even pull weapons from enemy hands.
- Pull — first active power. Manipulate inanimate objects using telekinesis, even weapons held by NPCs.
- Levitate — second active power. Suspends a living NPC in the air. Its strength can be enhanced until the vampire can levitate everyone and everything in an area, and throw suspended enemies around like ragdolls.
Nebulation - Allows the vampire to summon and command mist.
- Mist Shroud — first active power. Summon a shroud of mist that surrounds the player for a short period. The shroud muffles the sound of footsteps and reduces the range at which the player can be seen. In addition, the player may partially transform into a cloud of mist to perform a choking attack on an NPC or travel through a tight space, like a ventilation fan or duct.
- Envelop — second active power. Create a stationary, swirling cloud of mist on a target that surrounds, blinds and forcefully enters the lungs of NPCs that it touches.
Each of the five clans in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 also come with their own unique abilities and upgrades, which makes it look like the Thinblood status is, indeed, only the start of one’s journey through Camarilla-controlled Seattle.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is scheduled to release in Q1 2020 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
