At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Paradox Interactive revealed Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, a role-playing game (RPG) set in a Seattle faithfully reimagined in the World of Darkness.

Players will become the ultimate vampire as they stalk the city streets for prey, maneuver complex political relationships, and balance their need for blood against their withering humanity. 

Created in an act of vampire insurrection, your existence ignites a blood war among the vampire factions who run Seattle. To survive, you’ll choose a clan and enter into uneasy alliances with the competing factions in a world which will react to every choice you make. Unleash your supernatural powers against your prey, but be mindful of your surroundings at all times or run the risk of breaking the Masquerade -- the absolute law of secrecy that keeps Vampire society hidden from humanity.

Players begin the game as a newly embraced Thinblood, a second-class group of vampires with abilities weaker than those from one of the great clans. As the story progresses, players will eventually join one of the five full-blooded Kindred clans, each of which will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Thinbloods are a recent, weaker strain of vampire who face a constant struggle to survive in the World of Darkness. While they are often treated as second-class citizens by full-blood Kindred, Seattle’s leadership has been uncharacteristically tolerant of Thinbloods. As Seattle has only relatively recently come under Camarilla control, it remains a city of opportunity where Thinbloods can navigate their way into the higher circles of vampire society; however, they are rarely shown the same respect or legal standing that full-blood clan members enjoy.

At the beginning of Bloodlines 2 players choose one of three Thinblood disciplines, Chiropteran, Mentalism, or Nebulation. These Thinblood disciplines were adapted for Bloodlines 2 from the pen and paper tabletop RPG and grant unique combat and traversal abilities that can be upgraded throughout the game to enhance effectiveness or add special effects.

Each of the Thinblood disciplines and their progression are detailed below:

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.

Like Thinbloods, each of the five full-blood clans has their own unique abilities, upgrades, and more, giving players new ways to experience the darkness that lurks in Seattle.

Key Features:

• Become the Ultimate Vampire - Immerse yourself in the World of Darkness and live out your vampire fantasy in a city filled with intriguing characters that react to your choices. You and your unique disciplines are a weapon in a forward-driving, fast-moving, melee-focussed combat system. Your power will grow as you advance, but remember to uphold the Masquerade and guard your humanity ... or face the consequences. 
• Descend into Seattle’s Dark Heart and Survive the Vampire Elite - Seattle has always been run by vampires. Hunt your prey across Seattle locations faithfully reimagined in the World of Darkness. Meet the old blood founders present since the city’s birth and the new blood steering the tech money redefining the city. Everyone has hidden agendas - so choose your allies wisely.
• Enter into Uneasy Alliances - Choose a side among competing factions, each with their own unique traits and stories, in the war for Seattle’s blood trade. The world will judge you by the company you keep, but remember no one’s hands stay clean forever. 
• Experience the Story - Written by the creative mind behind the original Bloodlines, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 brings the ambitions of the first to life and sees the return of a few fan favorite characters.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX is the official graphics partner of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and Paradox is excited to work with NVIDIA on bringing real-time ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS technology to the game.

Pre-orders for Bloodlines 2 are now available on Steam, the Epic Games Store, GOG, and the Paradox Store for $59.99. A “Blood Moon Edition,” which contains the “Season of the Wolf” season pass and includes additional story content to be released after launch, is also available for pre-order at $89.99.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is currently in development and will launch on PC and consoles in 2020.