Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2's DLC clans are no longer DLC clans: 'Lasombra and Toreador belong in the base game, so that is what we are doing'

Art showing Phyre and Fabien — (Image credit: Paradox)

Good news, folks! Bloodlines 2 is now a vampire free-for-all. After revealing launch DLC that included two vampire clans, Lasombra and Toreador, Paradox and The Chinese Room have finally walked back the questionable decision, no longer locking away what are essentially two RPG classes.

Both clans will now be available in the base game at no extra cost, letting you flit around Seattle as a seductive monster or a manipulator of shadows.

"We’re constantly impressed by their creativity and skill in weaving enticing narrative threads that expand on the main story in Bloodlines 2."

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Overview Trailer - YouTube

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This does mean less day one DLC, but honestly, who thinks that's a bad thing? Instead of paying extra for features that were designed in tandem with the rest of the game, we're getting new stories that will flesh out two characters—Brujah sheriff Benny and Toreador Primogen Ysabella—next year.

And thankfully this won't impact the release date. Bloodlines 2 is still launching on October 21.

The DLC was a bad call, there's no way around it, but while Paradox doesn't always make the right call initially, the publisher is one of the best when it comes to responding and reacting to feedback, and its leadership team owns their mistakes.

Last year, deputy CEO Mattias Lilja and chief creative officer Henrik Fåhraeus sat down with me for an exhaustive chat about what has been a tumultuous period for the company, and in 15 years of writing about games I've never had such a candid interview.

At the time, I wrote, "What's clear is that it would be a mistake to count Paradox out. While it seems to be bouncing between cancellations and delays and rough launches like an out of control pinball, it's been here before. The stakes have never been this high, and the problems have never been this high profile, but it's got a proven track record of weathering storms." And I'm hoping that Bloodlines 2 represents this bounce back.

Certainly, what I played earlier in the year gave me reasons to be excited. And when I played it again as the DLC (now not DLC) clans, I was still impressed.

So I'm not surprised there's been some kind of course correction. This happened with Cities: Skylines 2's first DLC, too, which was quickly refunded and released for free. Until it actually happened, though, I wasn't willing to bet Paradox would change its DLC plans so dramatically. The publisher had a bunch of different options, and it went with the best possible one—at least for us—so I'm happy to put my fangs away.

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Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.

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