Bloodhunt stakes its claim to the Vampire: The Masquerade universe
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt is one of the latest games to revel in the full-blooded legendary lore of a rich, sprawling vampire universe. While players are focused on preying on other vampires and not becoming prey themselves in Bloodhunt’s moment-to-moment gameplay, there are lots to admire from a Vampire: The Masquerade lore perspective.
The Drain-Name Game
It might feel like familiar gameplay territory, but Bloodhunt’s DNA is deeply connected to the Vampire: The Masquerade universe. In Vampire: The Masquerade terms, a “blood hunt” is a princely decree for the permadeath of a rule-breaking bloodsucker. In the Vampire universe, one such final-death offense is diablerie — the deliberate draining of another undead vamp — and there’s plenty of vamp-on-vamp draining in Bloodhunt.
Old Foes, New Woes in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt
Bloodhunt is set after the events of the Second Convention — attempted peace talks between rival vampire clans — within the Old Town district of Prague. The Entity, the Vatican’s equivalent of the secret service, and these cross-wielding vamp haters are responsible for the deadly Holy Veil chemical weapon that makes short work of any vampires caught up inside in Bloodhunt.
These vampire clans may thrive at night, but the sun has yet to set on old rivalries, and that division makes it easier for the zealous Entity to put a stake in the heart of any unity discussions.
Vampire-loathing Entity NPCs roam the streets near high-rarity loot areas and are best avoided as they chip away at player health. Not to mention their shooting attracts villainous vamps (a.k.a. other players). Pick a high-risk drop spot for early gear or drop somewhere quieter to take in the sights and pick fights at a more leisurely pace.
Bleed to Feed
Mortals are more than just health-replenishing munchies. Scan the walking, talking blood bags to identify their Blood Resonance, most of which offers three levels of juicing to elevate players from base vamps to deadly Draculas. Focus on blue Phlegmatic or purple Melancholic mortals for 10%, 25%, and 50% cooldown reductions of Archetype and Clan skills, respectively.
Alternatively, the pink Sanguine and orange Choleric humans are all about Buffy-like buffs. Sanguine mortals boost health regeneration by 0.5, 1.5, and 3 per second, while Choleric stacks melee damage increases from 10% to 25%, then 50%. Players down an extra life should also seek out red Potent mortals for a 1-Up(grade), which gives another stab at victory
Clash of Clans
In Bloodhunt, clan allegiance isn’t arbitrary; instead, it leads to powerful gameplay-impacting abilities. There are a handful of choices with powerful Archetypes, each with unique passive and active skills. Stick with a fave vamp for solo play or create temporary allegiances in team modes.
Ventrue is for power-loving players who fancy balanced play, mixing defensive tank-based abilities with battleground domination. The Brujah are for aggressive-tactics players who want to get close and prefer to play offensively. Alternatively, Nosferatu is a clan for those who prefer stalking from the shadows, striking hard and fast with powerful ambushes. Or be seduced by the Toreador clan with powers that keep buddy biters in the battle and whose bite is best served at range.
Get a Re-vamp in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt
The proper way to get immersed in all this lore is to get playing. But it’s also worth spending time underground in Elysium before rising to the challenge of the above-ground Prague showdown. Follow the objective markers to chat with Custos. Tweak your vamp’s look with unlockable Battle Pass items. Or dive into critical intel on a veritable firing range of death-dealing weapons that are essential to success.
There aren’t any wrong ways to get started, but there is a lot to discover in Old Town for new and lore-loving Vampire: The Masquerade fans alike.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt is available now on both PS5 and PC.
