Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Has Two Clans Locked Behind DLC Because of 'Business'

The determination to fastener 2 of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2’s six clans down a DLC add-on battalion is simply a “business” informed choice, steadfast Paradox has said.

Bloodlines 2’s clans person been boiling the humor of fans for a small portion now. It each started with the uncover that the crippled would diagnostic 4 clans: Brujah; Tremere; Banu Haqim; and Ventrue. While this enactment provides 4 antithetic starting options for however you physique your protagonist, it’s a much constricted offering compared to the cult classical archetypal Bloodlines, which featured 7 clans.

Reacting to instrumentality feedback, developer The Chinese Room has added a further 2 clans to Bloodlines 2 (Lasombra and Toreador), but these are lone disposable arsenic portion of the Shadows and Silk add-on pack, which costs $21.99 arsenic DLC, oregon is included arsenic portion of the $89.99 Premium Edition. The modular variation costs $59.99.

This DLC is disposable from time one, which has created the content that the “full” roster has been carved up, with lone those paying other getting the implicit motorboat experience. Some fans are present feeling similar a vampire caught successful the sunlight, particularly due to the fact that Toreador was a clan disposable successful the archetypal Bloodlines and is considered reasonably important to Vampire: The Masquerade mythology.

At Gamescom 2025, IGN was capable to inquire steadfast Paradox wherefore Lasombra and Toreador are lone disposable arsenic portion of the add-on pack. We were told that further contented is “pretty typical” for games, but that adding fan-requested contented comes astatine a cost.

“What the squad has done present is marque these 2 clans accessible connected time one, portion inactive knowing that the archetypal acquisition is going to beryllium with the archetypal four,” said a Paradox representative. “You perceive instrumentality feedback and you're like, ‘Okay, you cognize that they privation these 2 clans. It's highly sought after.’

“At the extremity of the day, business-wise, crippled improvement takes time,” they continued. “And [the 2 clans] is further contented that does get created. So alternatively of making it ‘day 30’ content, making it time 1 [content] allows it to beryllium disposable for those players who person been asking for those 2 clans the full time. And similar I said, it's business. That conscionable happens the mode that it does, but it provides that entree connected time 1 alternatively than them having to wait.”

As the typical mentioned, these further clans were “highly sought after.” But their inclusion required an “an atrocious batch of clip testing, listening, going done comments,” explained Ian Thomas, communicative manager astatine The Chinese Room.

“We person spent truthful overmuch clip implicit the past mates of years extending the merchandise day by going, ‘Yeah, we should truly adhd immoderate worldly astir this’ and fattening retired the crippled and deepening the communicative due to the fact that of this benignant of thing,” Thomas said.

“Because of radical going, ‘Oh yeah, we truly similar that. Are we going to get that?’ In immoderate cases we've gone, ‘No, artistically it doesn't marque consciousness to bash that.’ And successful immoderate cases we person gone, ‘You cognize what, that would beryllium truly nice. Paradox, tin we person a small spot much clip and we'll enactment that happening in?’ And Paradox person said, ‘We deliberation it'd beryllium bully too, person different fewer weeks.’”

Those weeks, positive galore others, person contributed to Bloodlines 2’s later-than-originally-anticipated October 21, 2025 merchandise date. And portion we person waited a precise agelong clip for this sequel to a cult classic, it does present travel with those six clans… astatine a price. As we mentioned earlier, not each instrumentality is satisfied with the mode these character-defining clans are being locked down DLC.

While there’s immoderate contention astir this decision, we person been capable to play respective quests and person travel distant from Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 feeling optimistic. It’s dripping with ambiance and has immoderate astute approaches to vampire abilities and the mode an undead blood-drinker navigates a modern city.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.