Paradox Interactive and The Chinese Room have released a new developer diary for Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, this time focused on developing the Ventrue Clan for the game.
Ventrue are one of four playable Clans in Bloodlines 2 and are often found in positions of power in vampire society. Ventrue live up to their nickname of “Blue Bloods” with their refined tastes and relentless pursuit of power and authority. Ventrue have been one of the more consistent clans across various iterations of the Vampire: the Masquerade settings and their abilities reflect their approach to establishing and maintaining authority. As Paradox’s Karim Muammar put it, Ventrue employ “Presence to incite awe, Dominate to enforce obedience, and – if the previous would fail – Fortitude to withstand retaliation.”
When it comes to combat in Bloodlines 2, Paradox wanted to emphasize these qualities of superiority and domination, though Ventrue players’ approach to combat will require a bit of preparation to achieve their full potential. Thrown into a fight, the Ventrue won’t be as strong as the game’s other playable Clans, but if the Ventrue player is sufficiently fed before entering combat, the situation will be altogether different.
Feeding increases the Ventrue’s fortitude, turning their skin into marble, and making them highly resistant to damage. From there, playing a Ventrue in battle can make one feel like the godlike being most Ventrue imagine themselves to be: able to easily withstand the assault of their enemies and slay them dead with mere words.
Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 releases on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 sometime this fall.
