Game intel
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Santa Monica Memories is a cosmetic pack with iconic items, with a Stop Sign, Voerman Portrait, and Ankaran Sarcophagus, to decorate your haven. Each time you…
For a game that’s lived in the shadows longer than most fledgling vamps, any shift in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’s plan matters. Today’s move-adding Lasombra and Toreador to the base game at launch-is the kind of course correction fans have been asking for since monetization details started trickling out. If you remember the 2004 original, Toreador were foundational to the fantasy, and Lasombra’s courtly menace has been a fan wish for ages. Putting them behind an upsell would’ve been a bad read of the room. This change tells me Paradox and White Wolf actually listened.
Paradox Interactive and White Wolf, with The Chinese Room at the helm, confirmed the launch clans are Brujah, Tremere, Banu Haqim, Ventrue, Toreador, and Lasombra. You’ll spend nine nights in Seattle as Elder vampire Phyre, threading Camarilla politics while a Malkavian detective, Fabien, whispers in your ear. The choice to make you an Elder instead of a neonate is a big tonal pivot from Troika’s cult classic, and it sets expectations for power fantasy and political leverage right out of the coffin.
On the editions front, digital pre-orders are live: Deluxe ($69.99) and Premium ($89.99) across Steam, GOG, Epic, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5. Deluxe gets you the Santa Monica Memories cosmetic pack on day one; Premium folds in an Expansion Pass that includes Santa Monica Memories plus the two 2026 story packs. If you want physical, PLAION’s handling the retail boxes: Day One Edition is $59.99 and Premium is $89.99, with the latter packing five character cards, a journal, a Steelbook, and the Expansion Pass. Quantities are limited and availability varies by region.
Loose Cannon puts you in the orbit of Brujah Sheriff Benny Muldoon for a hard-nosed pursuit story in Q2 2026, with a Benny-inspired outfit for Phyre. The Flower & the Flame follows Toreador Primogen Ysabella Moore’s creative descent in Q3 2026 and also ships with a themed outfit. They’ll be $14.99 each à la carte, or part of the $34.99 Expansion Pass, which goes on sale October 21, 2025. The math’s fine—two story packs plus a cosmetic pack roughly lands at pass value—but let’s be real: paying for 2026 narrative content in 2025 depends on trust.
And trust is exactly where Bloodlines 2 has wobbled. After the development reboot and handoff to The Chinese Room, the project has fought an uphill battle to win fans back. The good news is TCR’s track record—Dear Esther, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, and most recently Still Wakes the Deep—shows a studio that nails atmosphere and character. That’s perfect for World of Darkness storytelling. The open question is gameplay breadth: impactful choices, stealth that matters, and melee/gunplay that doesn’t feel like an afterthought. If these story packs are meaty, reactive side windows into Seattle’s politics, they could become this game’s secret weapon. If they’re glorified side missions with a costume, less so.
Six launch clans is solid, but the omissions are loud: Malkavian and Nosferatu aren’t playable at launch. Given Fabien’s presence, I expect Malks to show up somehow, but not being able to role-play as a debate-breaking seer or a skulking sewer rat will sting for veterans. On the upside, Lasombra and Toreador shape the fantasy in distinct ways. Lasombra’s shadow mastery (Oblivion) tends to enable control, stealthy menace, and battlefield manipulation—catnip for players who enjoy ruling from the dark. Toreador lean into presence, allure, and social engineering; in a Camarilla court drama, that’s a natural fit. The success of both hinges on how systemic the city really is. Can I talk my way past a problem, or does every conversation end in steel and teeth?
The Santa Monica Memories pack is a clever nostalgia hook—decor for Phyre’s apartment inspired by the original—but it’s also an easy place to pad an Expansion Pass. Fine if you love dressing your haven, but it won’t move the needle on gameplay. If you’re value hunting, I’d wait to see how long and reactive each story pack is before buying the pass. The standalone pricing leaves that door open.
PLAION’s physical Premium Edition will tempt collectors: Steelbook, character cards, a journal, and the Expansion Pass in a premium box. If you’re already all-in on the pass, the physical goodies make the $89.99 tag easier to swallow. If you’re not, the standard Day One Edition at $59.99—plus waiting on reviews—remains the sensible choice. One nice touch: some retailers are tossing in a Cross of St. James-inspired necklace with the Day One Edition. Expect that to sell out quickly and pop up online for silly prices.
Moving Lasombra and Toreador into the base game is the right call and a genuine win for players. It signals that Paradox and White Wolf heard the community. The 2026 story pack roadmap could be great—especially with The Chinese Room’s narrative chops—but charging for it a year early invites scrutiny. My plan: celebrate the expanded base roster, keep an eye on hands-on previews for combat and systemic role-play, and hold off on the Expansion Pass until we see runtime, reactivity, and how meaningfully these stories intersect with Phyre’s choices.
Lasombra and Toreador joining the base game at launch is a smart, player-first pivot. Two paid story packs land in 2026, bundled with the Premium Edition and a $34.99 pass—potentially worth it, but only if they deliver substantial, reactive narrative. Physical editions look nice for collectors, but most players should wait for real-world impressions before locking into long-term DLC.
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