Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 News

Welcome Kindred to another Bloodlines 2 Dev Diary from the team at The Chinese Room. In this diary, we want to give you some further insight into the choices we’ve made when building our version of Seattle (see Dev Diary 8 for my previous statements on building Seattle for The World of Darkness). Seattle is at the heart of the game, which you will return to again and again between quests or sometimes during them. It is the most human location in the game where you are vulnerable to being exposed as a vampire (aka breaching The Masquerade) resulting in swift and violent justice from the vampires of the Camarilla that rule the city. It is also a kind of vampire playground where you can feed on humans in order to restore your vampiric powers or just for the thrill of the hunt. We hope this diary gives you a taste of what you will experience when stalking the streets and rooftops of the Emerald City.
- Project Creative Director Alex Skidmore

(Visit the Weaver Tower, a seat of power for the Camarilla Court.)

Building the player’s movement through Seattle, we really wanted to create traversal that interacted with The Masquerade and reinforced the vampiric experience. Phyre has some absurd movement from the get-go, being able to immensely fast, dash and glide through the air, and can move faster while still using discipline abilities later- but of course, do any of this on the streets without obfuscation and you’ll quickly find yourself breaching the masquerade.

(The Atrium club, where you will meet the enthralling Ysabella.)

Dark alleyways don’t just give you a quieter place to feed on prey, they also provide routes up to Seattle’s rooftops- up here there’s fewer prying eyes, so you can really let your capabilities loose, moving fast and leaping between buildings. The local Anarchs won’t be thrilled about you moving through their rooftop turf though, so it’s a dangerous place for the weak or uninitiated.

This means, there’s a choice to be made at any point between danger to the masquerade and danger to yourself! Finding yourself drawn to the kinds of places vampires would lurk is the goal of this arrangement. As you regain your powers as an elder, you’ll also be more capable of moving as you please- I’m really looking forward to seeing people master it!
- Senior Game Designer Max Bottomley

Since joining the Bloodlines 2 team, a key responsibility I’ve undertaken is bringing life to a key area of the game – our Seattle. 

(The Glacier Hotel is where you will find Lou Graham.)

Working closely with the Environment team, I wanted to make sure that as players explore the world it feels both alive and reactive to what they are doing. Players will discover a wide variety of people going about their daily (or nightly!) lives. We’ve crafted a personality for the city that compliments its unique setting, mood and layout. Time has been taken to map out city districts that favour different types of NPCs – you’ll be able to sit back and watch the world move on around you. 

When you walk round a corner you never know what you’ll find; maybe it’s a businessman arguing on his phone, or a graffiti artist improving the local artwork, it could be a car thief struggling to break into a car, or even a sex worker making good on their promise with a client.  

(You might meet all sorts of people in the seedy underbelly of Seattle.)

We’ve been filling the world with characters that actually do things; taking breaks on seats, telling the police about crimes they’ve seen, or seeing the police chasing down a criminal. The world turns without you, it should feel like you’re just passing through – and as the player, you can interact or just sit back and watch! 

Working on this stuff and building out a believable world where bikers drink outside bars or start fights with you has been a hell of a lot of work, but I hope people will find it a fun place to explore.  

The city isn’t all combat, it’s also home to exploration and interactions with the inhabitants of Seattle.

(Join Mrs. Thorn or perhaps run into Safia at Wake the Dead café.)

As with many other areas of the game a large part of what we wanted to give players was choice; some of that choice comes down to what conversations you’ll have with some of the NPCs and characters you’ll meet in the city. Use your Vampiric charms to seduce someone, proposition a sex worker, or flip off some angry bikers with a Brujah-approved hand gesture. 

The first time you try to flirt with a Sex Worker in the game and get turned down because your choice of clothing didn’t impress them will be an eye-opener! 
- Lead Game Designer Gavin Hood

Seattle plays a big part in our game, in both setting the tone of the game and providing an exciting and alluring space for players to explore and discover. Whether it’s the vibrant, ethereal world of  Nick Miller’s photography or the majesty of a real world American Metropolis like Seattle, it’s been really important for us to capture these moments and inject it uniquely into our take on a city inside the World of Darkness.

(A view from the ground in our Seattle.)

One of the ways we’ve done this is to focus on making Seattle “feel” exaggerated, seen through the heightened reality of a 300 year old elder. Exaggerating building heights to make most untraversable, our phrase “Tree trunking”, has helped to do this both visually and viscerally. Unlike a superhero gliding over a City, we’re creating a world that forces you to be part of it. Running through alleyways or gliding across rooftops, you’re never above it or beneath but really part of it. You can’t beat the feeling of stalking on a victim along a ledge or a building precipice with a whole towering City above you. 
- Associate Art Director Ben Matthews

Heya fellow Kindred, I'm super stoked to give you a sneak peek of the Seattle you'll be sinking your fangs into in Bloodlines 2!

We’re bringing that gritty, atmospheric, and immersive vibe that made the original Bloodlines such a cult classic into our version of Seattle, making sure every alleyway, rooftop, and hidden corner feels like it belongs in the World of Darkness. You’ll be stalking through Pioneer Square, lurking around Downtown, and exploring our take on Chinatown, all wrapped in a snowy, seedy, nighttime setting that bleeds neo-noir. Shaping parts of Seattle to fit our setting has been one of the coolest parts of making this, while working with the latest tech. Our favorite bits have definitely been creating those hidden details—cryptic setups, narrative clues with deeper meanings—just waiting for you to uncover.

(Visit the Dutchman to meet all manners of punks and bikers, and possibly meet Silky.)

Each district has its own distinct vibe, whether it’s the cold, corporate chill of the Financial sector or the vibrant pulse of Chinatown. We’re using lighting and color to set the mood and make each area feel unique and immersive.


We’ve been using a hybrid workflow to bring this city to life, combining Houdini for our building structures with modular kits for shopfronts, alley walls, and rooftop dressing. But what really gets us excited is the storytelling dioramas we’ve crafted into each block. Whether it’s a hint of a backstory, a touch of conflict, or just a nod to something darker beneath the surface, we’ve worked hard to make every corner feel like it has a story to tell. This lets us give each block its own flavor while weaving them all together into a larger narrative tapestry that not only looks great but feels alive and full of stories, all while being optimized for performance.

I can’t wait for you to sink your teeth into this fresh take on Seattle, Kindred. Get ready to embrace the night!
- Lead Environment Artist Genesis Asis

In today’s dev diary we’ll introduce you to a few non-Camarilla Kindred you’ll meet in the game. As you might already know Seattle is primarily a Camarilla controlled city, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t non-Camarilla Kindred vying for power — or fighting to be left alone. Once again we’ve got Writer Cherish Goldstraw and Narrative Director Ian Thomas describing the profiles to you as they appear at the beginning of our story.

[h2]The Anarchs and Unbound[/h2]
The unbound are all those vampires who fall outside the Camarilla. The Anarch Movement in its various forms is a subset of the unbound and their most visible manifestation. Many seek to escape from Camarilla control by hiding. But those loyal to the Movement have decided to fight back, attempting to conquer and control domains originally held by those who would claim themselves their masters.

The Anarch Movement is different in each city. Sometimes an Anarch city has a ruler called a Baron. More commonly, it’s led by gangs who each have their own territories. Some cities are currently divided between Anarch and Camarilla vampires — both sides itching to take over.

Where Camarilla vampires usually influence mortal society from the outside, Anarchs burrow deep inside. Many maintain mortal identities, perhaps even families and jobs. This makes them simultaneously more vulnerable and more secure. Vulnerable because they are in contact with their surroundings every night and are sure to make mistakes. Secure because the Anarch is never the vampire lord in a mansion on the hill. They’re the DJ in the nightclub, the terrifying cop from internal affairs, the junkie creeping outside your window.
- From 5th edition book

[h2]History of Thin-bloods in Seattle[/h2]
The strength of each vampire Embraced is more dilute than that of their Sire. Thin-bloods have earned their name because their blood is seen as too distantly removed from the original progenitor, Caine. Most Kindred consider them a weakness and an embarrassment to their kind - or even a threat. Thin-bloods are not considered part of any clan, but rather the dregs of Kindred society.

Many view thin-bloods as a risk to the Masquerade due to their close ties with the mortal world, often leading to their being hunted and destroyed without a second thought. Overlooked and downtrodden, they band together in a form of resistance. Seattle acts as a haven of a sort. In this city, the weak-blooded are not destroyed out of hand. Instead, by order of Prince Campbell, they must be branded to set them apart from true vampires; only then will he allow them to remain.

Many have found shelter amongst those of Seattle's Anarchs; particularly under the watchful eye of the Brujah Katsumi, who leads one of the major Anarch groups, and has, because of her involvement with the Thin-bloods, been branded as one herself.

As newly-minted Sheriff Phyre must negotiate the delicate balance between Katsumi's people and the Camarilla - and deal with the fact that many Anarchs and thin-bloods don't respect anyone as leader. Seattle is a powderkeg and each faction waits for its opportunity. Some are more impatient than others. If Phyre is seeking Katsumi, she may find her at a bar called the Hole in the Wall with the other misfits of her cause.

[h2]Katsumi Ishizaki[/h2]
Brujah Anarch Leader
[h3]Quote[/h3]
“Tell the Prince I'm busy. The only blood around here is Anarch – always the way, right? I’m going to deal with it.”
[h3]Description[/h3]
Katsumi is a reluctant leader, forced by circumstance to speak for one of the larger groups of Kindred that consists of anarchs, thin-bloods, and the other dregs of the city. She maintains an uneasy peace with the Court, keeping a lid on the demands and fears of her followers as best she can. You’ll find her out on the streets among those who need her most, or at one of the spaces she maintains to keep her charges out of trouble. In her mortal life, she used to be a surgeon, and while still trying to fix things, nowadays, she is now mostly doing triage.


[hr][/hr]
[h2]Max Webber[/h2]
Brujah Unbound
[h3]Quote[/h3]
“I was a piece of shit when I was a mortal, but the Embrace changed me. It took all my fear away, and I started to figure most assholes are just scared. I saw something in Benny, I thought he might be like me…”
[h3]Description[/h3]
Unusually placid for a Brujah and unusually submissive for a sire, Max is something of an anomaly. Preferring to steer clear of both the Camarilla and the Anarchs, the only Kindred Max seems to want any relationship with is his intimidating childe, Benny - the Camarilla Sheriff. While many sires would forbid their childe joining the Court without them, Max seems content to live in Benny’s formidable shadow. The strange dynamic between the two has raised many a Kindred eyebrow, but few dare raise their voices for fear of rousing the Sheriff’s ire.


[hr][/hr]
[h2]Nicola “Nix” Lee[/h2]
Gangrel Unbound
[h3]Quote[/h3]
“These city bloodsuckers live in a whole different world. Everyone’s playing these high stakes mind games, and I can’t even beat the peg game over at the Wagon Wheel. I need to find ways to be useful if I want to survive here.”
[h3]Description[/h3]
Confident, brash and not to be trifled with, Nix loves the thrill of the hunt and fights like the beast unleashed. However, her kind are not usually city-dwellers, and Nix has little patience or aptitude for navigating the intricacies of vampire politics. Nobody knows why she has suddenly appeared in Seattle, and the Camarilla are naturally suspicious, but the possibility of enticing a leashed Gangrel into their ranks is a tempting prospect.


[hr][/hr]
[h2]Anarch, Thin-blood, and Ghoul Enemies[/h2]
The anarchs are the first, and most numerous faction you'll be butting heads with in Bloodlines 2. While Katsumi has the respect of a large portion of the Anarchs and Thin-bloods, not all of them follow her orders. Many have taken up residence in places you’ll need to investigate or are actively working against you. That means that among the many enemies you’ll face, Anarchs will use their powers against you. And so their members are a good baseline for the kind of threats you'll face throughout the game - roving gangs of fidgeting ghouls, armed with whatever they can get their hands on, and young, opportunistic kindred too naive to see the danger in taking on an elder face-to-face.

Ghouls are a tough bunch; they can take significantly more of a beating than your run-of-the-mill human, but they aren’t much of a threat alone. It’s when they work together, some bludgeoning you about, others carving you up, that you’ll want to take them seriously, so keeping things quiet is a sensible approach. Their Kindred masters are a much more potent threat- while they’re not as skilled in their disciplines as others, they more than make up for it with hardware.

As the situation in Seattle heats up, the Anarchs become more militaristic and heavily armed—but at their core, they’ve got more humanity than most. They’ll be hesitant to shoot with their friends in the way, more receptive to manipulation, and slower to catch who’s been turned against them—all weaknesses that can be exploited.

The team at The Chinese Room has been hard at work, and we’re excited to show you the cast of our Camarilla Kindred this week.

Seattle has been dominated by the Camarilla for a century. It is an organisation of Vampires that has fingers in many aspects of mortal society to keep power. The Camarilla Court is under the leadership of a Prince who dictates the laws maintaining the Masquerade. Under the Prince, there are several official positions, such as Primogen who represent major clans and a Sheriff to enforce Camarilla law. Each has a place in the nightly affairs of Seattle.

Exploring the city will introduce you to these Kindred, and you’ll have the opportunity to talk to and learn about them in their preferred surroundings. Phyre’s relationship with each can develop as you spend more time with them. Depending on how you play the games of vampire politics with them, they may grow to adore or abhor you.

In this diary, we’re sharing some profiles of the Kindred in Seattle’s Camarilla, provided by Writer Cherish Goldstraw and Narrative Director Ian Thomas, as if someone were describing them to you in-universe. This is the structure of the Camarilla, as you’ll learn about it at the start of the story.

In previous Diaries, you might have met some characters who are also part of the Camarilla and hold titles in it. Fletcher the Master of Elysium, Niko the Banu Haqim Primogen, Simeon “Silky” Ladock the Brujah Primogen and Mrs Thorn the Tremere Magister can be found living in Seattle too. You can find them in their respective Dev Diaries.

[h2]J J Campbell [/h2]
Ventrue, Prince
[h3]Quote [/h3]
"I know. I see the smile that does not reach your eyes. I see the brow that furrows, the dawn of panic. I see the tension in your shoulders, the hands that clench. Oh yes. I know. Why should my next word not end you?"
[h3]Description [/h3]
Campbell is power personified. As the last century grew, he consolidated the Kindred’s hold on the streets; as the city rose, so did Weaver Tower and the Court, with tendrils into politics, business, society, and the underworld. Once Lou’s protege, it is now Campbell – urbane, perceptive, commanding – who leads Seattle into the future as Prince of the city.


[h2]Lou Graham [/h2]
Ventrue, Ex-Prince
[h3]Quote [/h3]
“Oh, this is ridiculous – something must be done. I know it is quite the fashion to hear a wide range of opinions, but blood under the nails is such a nuisance.”
[h3]Description [/h3]
In life, Lou Graham pulled all the strings of the elite in Seattle; she had the ears of politicians, criminals, blue bloods and commoners alike. In unlife she has spent more than a century deepening that hold. She looms over Seattle as a storm cloud, a constant factor in the choices of even the most powerful Kindred despite her absence from day-to-day politics. To badmouth Lou Graham is to badmouth the city, and this city has a habit of burying its foes down deep.


[h2]Ryong Choi [/h2]
Ventrue, Seneschal
[h3]Quote [/h3]
“I’m not sure you grasp the situation. You will act in this as my agent, and in return you will gain both the benefits and responsibilities of that. It is not negotiable. You could, of course, refuse. But the sun is rising.”
[h3]Description [/h3]
Ryong is of a new breed, a dealmaker, modern, efficient, and pragmatic. With a city under threat and with the Masquerade in tatters, Ryong is the calm centre of the chaos, negotiating, out-maneuvering, and doing everything that must be done to maintain stability. She is not afraid to cut away dead flesh if it will help save the whole.


[h2]Michael “Tolly” Tolliver [/h2]
Nosferatu, Herald
[h3]Quote [/h3]
“Hey, it’s the festive season; I’m just out for a stroll. I figure I bring joy to the world. And this little chat is courtesy of my selfless desire to entertain the elderly, so listen up, Nomad!”
[h3]Description [/h3]
Most Nosferatu will hide themselves away from the world, but Tolly knows how little attention today’s mortals really pay to anything. The gregarious and gleeful intelligencer will be found where he’s least expected, always spinning webs for the Court, nudging this, gathering compromising information on that. Tolly knows where the bodies are buried, and has probably dug them up, critiqued their dress sense, and had a long and very pointed conversation with them about their stupid indiscretions.


[h2]Benny Muldoon [/h2]
Brujah, Sheriff
[h3]Quote [/h3]
“You have one night - ONE NIGHT - to sort your business and get the fuck outta Seattle. After that, it's open season.”
[h3]Description [/h3]
Benny is the attack-dog of the Court, the enforcer, the bruiser, the bone-breaker. You want him leashed up and snarling at your enemies, not biting at your heels, so get on his good side. He despises those who he sees as lesser bloodlines, and prides himself on his ability to sniff out those who are working against Seattle’s best interests. If you’re lucky, you’ll find him standing at the Prince’s side. If you’re less lucky, you’ll encounter him elsewhere.


[h2]Safia Ulusoy [/h2]
Tremere, Researcher
[h3]Quote [/h3]
“That’s... fascinating. Uh. You wouldn’t mind if I take a closer look? Fourteenth century, I’m almost sure... and look at these markings! Hermetic in nature, obviously! Could you just let me... oops! Sorry. I’ll clean that up.”
[h3]Description [/h3]
Safia is the eager enthusiast, her attention caught by theories, facts, and the fascination of learning from both the old and the new. If the Court has questions, she is the one to find answers; her skill with thaumaturgy and her dogged research techniques have proven her worth to Seattle, no matter the current standing of her clan. Recently, she’s been investigating the city’s growing thin-blood population, a particular concern to the Court. However, her focus does tend to distract her from the more mundane world. You’ll probably find her in her lab or lost in a pile of books at the Wake the Dead coffee-bar.


[h2]Ysabella Moore [/h2]
Toreador, Primogen
[h3]Quote [/h3]
“The delicate brutality to pursue one special idea... all art is violence without the right canvas.”
[h3]Description [/h3]
Ysabella, queen of the nightlife, stalks her way through Seattle’s society as trend-setter, bon vivant, nightclub diva, and performance artist extraordinaire. Her legendary events at the Atrium nightclub thrill and shock – the mortals flock to be part of her world. There are some in the Court who believe she treads perilously close to the edge of the Masquerade. Ysabella wields her art like a weapon – to her, self-expression is much more important than any stricture.


[h2]Willem Axel [/h2]
Nosferatu, Secret Keeper
[h3]Quote [/h3]
“You don't understand, Nomad... if I took away their little black book, all their secrets... what would they have left?”
[h3]Description [/h3]
Willem is the Prince’s archivist, keeping a century of secrets safe from the prying eyes of mortals and kindred alike. He’s long ago hidden himself away from Seattle’s society, unwilling to show his face on the streets, but maintains his contacts amongst the Kindred and the Court and the underworld of the city. Willem is never one to put himself forward or voice his opinion and this might lead others to overlook him or take him for granted, but he has the trades, transgressions, and debts are at his fingertips and such knowledge can be used as a knife.