With the release of The Flower & The Flame DLC, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is adding a Summer Update that includes fixes, updates, and additions to the game.
The Chinese Room’s sequel to the cult classic RPG has had a rocky road to launch, but it’s still been hard at work since then to smooth out as many of the wrinkles as possible.
Now comes perhaps the biggest update to date. The Flower & The Flame DLC was released yesterday, and it adds a new perspective on the story as we’re introduced to Ysabella, a Toreador Primogen and influencer.
The DLC is accompanied by a general Summer Update that brings new features, including photo mode and firearm updates.
It’s a pretty chunky update, so let’s take a look at some of the highlights below
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Summer Update Highlights
Photo Mode
First is Photo Mode, which can be triggered while playing as Phyre, Fabien, Benny, or Ysabella (on keyboard by pressing P, and on gamepad by clicking both joysticks at the same time). Photo Mode pauses the game’s time and puts the camera into a flying mode, so you can move around the scene and get your desired shot.
For those keen to take pictures of their character, be aware that they are hidden during 1st-person gameplay, so trigger Photo Mode during a 3rd-person conversation, feed, or finisher.
Disable HUD & Disable Enemy Health Bars Setting
For those who want to record gameplay outside of Photo Mode, we have added two additional options to the ACCESSIBILITY tab of the SETTINGS menu: 1 - Disabling Enemy Health Bars will prevent enemy health bars from appearing. 2 - Disable HUD turns off all UI overlays that occur during 1st person gameplay.
Noir Mode
The developer has added the Noir Mode option in the ACCESSIBILITY tab. Noir Mode switches the game’s visuals to black-and-white, adding to the detective fantasy of playing Fabien, or switching the Neo-Noir style of playing Phyre, Benny or Ysabella into a vintage look.
Ranged Combat Improvements
During the development of The Flower & the Flame DLC, The Chinese Room added several features to Ysabella’s ranged combat that we have also added to Phyre and Benny as part of the Summer Update.
Holding Firearms
In addition to Phyre holding a gun with Telekinesis, you can now pick them up directly to hold in your hands. Alongside the Spring Update addition of being able to wield melee weapons, this means every weapon in the game can now be picked up and used directly by Phyre, Benny, and Ysabella.
Ammo & Holstering
Each firearm’s ammo count is shown at the bottom right of the screen. Once the ammo is depleted, the weapon is discarded, maintaining the flow of combat.
Firearms are powerful but also loud, drawing attention from others nearby, and larger guns make you easier to spot when sneaking. In the city, aiming a firearm at passers-by can cause panic, eventually leading to unwanted police attention.
So for those of you who want to keep a lower profile, the developer has added a Holster weapon function (TAB on keyboard; Y on Xbox gamepad; Triangle on PlayStation DualSense) to hide or reveal a carried melee weapon or firearm quickly.
Dual Wielding Guns
Picking up two of the same firearm as Phyre or Ysabella lets you dual-wield them. This greatly increases your damage per second at the cost of getting through your ammo faster.
Benny can also pick up a gun to wield alongside his custom sidearm.
Precision Aim
Benny’s Precision Aim feature is now available for Phyre and Ysabella when they are holding a firearm. Hold Right Mouse (LT/L2 on gamepad) to enter Precision Aim, slowing time to a crawl (and with certain weapons, looking down the sight or scope), allowing you to get headshots in the middle of a brawl, or shoot a gas canister just as an enemy walks by to engulf them in a satisfying explosion.
Combat Tutorial Collectables
To tutorialize the new combat features, The Chinese Room has added two collectable notes that explain how to wield ranged weapons and use Shunt to disarm an enemy. Top tip - Split Second + Shunt is a lot of fun.
That’s the topline for the Summer Update, but if you want the extensive list of updates, you can find it here.
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