Bloodlines 2
The first full clan for Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 is announced as the Brujah with other interesting facts about Bloodlines 2 in tow
Just as promised, we have a new clan announcement for Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 here to go over. Not the biggest of surprises, it is the Brujah that Hardsuit Labs opted to go with as one of the launch clans to start out. More so when you look at them as one of the more "generic" of vampire clans for new and old players of the franchise to be able to get into. That is not to say that there are no finer details and nuances that the clan does not have, but it makes sense for Bloodlines 2 given the game history. That and the sheer ease of placing you in the role of a vampire that is strong and fast. Bother easier things to code and design around. To not think they would be one of the more basic clans in here would have been a losing bet.
The interesting part of all of this is that the Brujah will be a stripped down version for Bloodlines 2 than what we have known in the past. In fact, all of the clans will be as they will be forced to have only two of their disciplines to use in the game than the three they all normally get. For the Brujah it will be Potence and Celerity, which are detailed more below. I guess it works out that we start out as a Thinblood and will get to keep the abilities and powers we start with when progressing though Bloodlines 2's campaign. It is a weird choice, more so when you know that the third power the Brujah are known for will be in the game in some form. It is not too unique and many others have it, it is just odd that it is stripped down at this point.
Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 — Brujah
The Pacific Northwest has a long history of attracting outcasts and drifters, those looking to keep some level of anonymity and independence. The Brujah have never been a large part of the Seattle Kindred community, but when they do show up to a party, they make their presence known immediately. Many of the Seattle Brujah are leftovers from failed Anarch movements in the past century, most choosing to remain unaffiliated or loosely affiliated with the city’s political factions — or at least, they like to claim that.
Generally, Brujah gather at a “bash”, which can be loosely summed up as a sort of fight club for the undead. They use these events to assert their physical superiority to the rest of the clans and to celebrate the raw power of their bloodline. That’s not to say they don’t invite other clans to enter, but it’s rare that any but the Brujah dominate the bash. The champions of these fights are rumored to make good money hiring themselves out as muscle for anyone who can afford them. Supposedly, business is booming in Seattle these nights…
Potence
The signature Discipline of the Brujah imbues their undead bodies with the pinnacle of raw Kindred strength. Nobody underestimates the strength of a Brujah twice.
• Fist of Caine (Blood Cost: 2), Potence’s first active power, allows the Brujah to deliver a devastating punch that turns walls into rubble and throws enemies through the air, tearing of limbs and causing collateral damage. The • • slot enhances these devastating effects even further.
• • • Earthshock (Blood Cost: 2), the second active power, smashes the ground with titanic force. The impact causes a shockwave around the player, damaging and knocking down anyone who dared to stray too close. After further upgrades with the • • • • and • • • • • slots, the ground cracks under the Brujah’s onslaught, sending fissures outwards and damaging anyone caught in this cataclysm.
Use of Potence powers in front of unsuspecting mortals is a Masquerade Violation.
Celerity
Some Kindred strike faster, dodge quicker, and escape more nimbly than any mortal creature could hope to. They use Celerity, the Discipline of pushing their bodies’ speed beyond all limits.
• Unseen Storm (Blood Cost: 2), the first active, allows the vampire to dash in a direction of their choice at such a speed as to momentarily disappear from view, allowing them to land attacks, dodge around enemies, or get away before the dust has time to settle. Characters struck along the way of the dash get knocked down. The • • slot further enhances the Unseen Storm.
• • • Accelerate (Blood Cost: 5), the second active, opens up speeds so fast that everything else in the world appears to slow down to a virtual standstill. Assailants seem frozen in their attacks, cars crawl forward, bullets zip by lazily, and the vampire can get up to the kinds of stunts that, with a popular 80’s synth track in the background, would make an awesome movie scene. The • • • • and • • • • • slots allow the vampire to further improve their acceleration.
If any innocent mortal can spot a use of Celerity, it’s a Masquerade Violation.
While it is nice to know that the Brujah are coming for Bloodlines 2, it is also worth noting that they will not be the only clan to be fully brought in. The next few weeks will have us seeing them. Something we will need to know as it is stated that it will take a few hours into the game before we need to choose our clan to move forward with. My guess again is that we will be doing the unspeakable act in Bloodlines 2 and gaining the clan advantages and curses in some way. I could be wrong, but it is sounding more and more like this with each new update. We will find out soon though.
If you are not happy about the Brujah being one of the five launch clans, do note that Hardsuit Labs is looking to bring all of the thirteen base clans in at some point. That will be based on how well sales go for the game I am sure. Thankfully, they did not rule out the option for modding being available in Bloodlines 2 as we have seen in the past titles. They could not confirm it will be a thing as of yet, but they would have no issue in offering up what they can to make it easier. All of which based on time and funding. Not that I would not think that all of those gamers out there still modding the last title would not jump in and do it anyway.
How are you feeling about the Brujah joining in the fun of Bloodlines 2 as an official clan? Did you expect this one as well as a few others given how easy and basic they would be to design and work with? Do you think that we will get more of the exotic clans as base clans or will we mostly be seeing the clans suited well for combat and exploration? Let us know what you are thinking down in the comments and then feel free to discuss. For more on Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2, keep checking in here. We will keep all of those updates coming at you as soon as they are offered up to us.
