Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines: Beginners Guide (2020 Edition)
Pulled from the R#d%t archives. Lightly revised.
Full disclosure: I am nowhere near an expert at the game, but I like to think I've played it enough times to help newcomers out with some of the frequently asked questions.
So hopefully this guide is helpful to someone or at the very least entertaining to read. Yes, there are plenty of similar guides out there, but I wrote one anyway because I love writing (and doubly so when the topic is video games I'm passionate about). Also, how else am I supposed to stay sane during quarantine?
Criticism/corrections welcome!
Should I buy/play VTMB? What makes VTMB so special?
Yes, obviously. VTMB is the game for you if you enjoy:
- breathtaking and immersive atmospheres
- an impressive amount of player freedom (whether that's to go in guns blazing or sneak/charm your way through situations)
- incredible writing (the characters and their voice acting are excellent even by today's standards)
- an equally incredible soundtrack (and much more)
Do I need mods/patches/fixes?
Mods? Not for a first playthrough. Or a second. Arguably save mods for a third.
Patches? Oh god, yes. While VTMB is an incredible game, it's also at times a mess due to the game being rushed. The amazing Unofficial Patch by Wesp is mandatory (available here). Just download the latest release (currently 10.5 is the latest stable release) Note: the GOG version of the game comes with an old version of the patch installed already.
Should I install the Basic Patch or the Plus Patch?
IMO: basic patch for your first playthrough (fixes critical bugs without changing too much, giving you a close-to-vanilla experience).
That being said, the plus patch adds/restores plenty of content, rebalances the game, fixes inconsistencies and much more. Arguably you should use it from the get-go (especially if you plan on only playing the game once). Note: ignore the security guard added by the plus patch in the tutorial, he does not represent the amazing voice acting quality of the rest of the game).
Which clan should I pick?
A very tricky question. There is no ""best"" clan for a first playthrough, it all depends on your playstyle.
- Brujah and Gangrel: these clans are great for brute-force/melee/unarmed types. The Brujah, in particular, are arguably one of the better first-timer clans. Very well-rounded with a rather forgiving clan curse. Choose these clans if you want to rip your opponents apart in close combat.
- Malkavian: this clan is pretty versatile (good for ranged or stealth types) and incredibly fun BUT typically recommended for a second playthrough. Malks are batshit crazy and a first-timer may be quite confused from their dialogue. A lot of their insane ramblings only make sense once you've finished the game normally - you can't truly appreciate their insanity yet. That being said, if you still think that sounds fun as fuck (because it is) then just go for it. They have plenty of unique and hilarious dialogue and if you're smart, you might even be able to find the logic in their madness. Choose this for a hilarious and refreshing playthrough.
- Nosferatu: this clan is great for rogue/assassin types. Also incredibly fun BUT also typically recommended for a second playthrough. They are harder to play because they are not allowed to be seen on the streets and are forced to dwell in the sewer, which means there are quests that are more challenging (or downright unavailable) when playing a nossi. That being said, if that ""disgusting outcast"" aspect still appeals to you then just go for it. Nosferatu is such a unique experience. Choose this if you want to be a sewer dweller who slits your opponent's throats from the shadows or snipes them from unseen corners.
- Toreador: this clan is great for gunslinger types. Arguably one of the better first-timer choices. Very straightforward and easy to play with a rather forgiving clan curse. Toris are good with guns, but gun combat isn't very polished in this game (and melee/unarmed is better in the beginning) so keep that in mind. Still very fun and OP. Choose this if you want a classic social vampire experience.
- Tremere: this clan is great for mage types (but also gunslinger types). Also arguably one of the best for a beginner due to the variety of powers they have. Tremere receive a unique player home, have a few unique dialogues, and have a variety of blood magic abilities that are pretty OP. Choose this if you want to be a blood-bending sorcerer who destroys their opponents with the flick of their wrist or bends their will through mind control.
- Ventrue: this clan is great for tank types as well as charmer types. Great at soaking up damage and dominating people's minds. They might be a bit inconvenient for beginners to play because their clan curse means you can only feed on certain people (there's a certain infamous level in the endgame that is horribly annoying as a Ventrue). Choose this if you want to be a high-society charmer who can soak up and dish out damage when things go south.
What disciplines are the best? What history should I pick?
Histories... are fairly advanced and they wildly depend on the build you plan on creating (unless you pick them for a pure roleplaying reason). It might be a controversial statement, but for a first playthrough, I'm not so sure you need to even pick one (picking none is better than accidentally picking one that'll make things harder for you). As for disciplines, IMO there is no ""best"" and it all depends on your playstyle:
- Animalism (Gangrel/Nosferatu): good for mage types and crowd control. Can stun opponents and (eventually) drain blood from a distance.
- Auspex (Malkavian/Toreador/Tremere): good for gunslinger types and hacker types, as it improves Perception (which affects Ranged combat) and Wits (which affects hacking).
- Celerity (Brujah/Toreador): good for a wide variety of things. Pretty OP, very fun. Makes you move at superhuman speeds, even allowing you to dodge bullets.
- Dementation (Malkavian): good for crowd control and mind control types. Drives people insane. Very fun.
- Dominate (Tremere/Ventrue): good for crowd control and mind control types. Controls the thoughts of others.
- Fortitude (Gangrel/Ventrue): good for tank types. Improves the ability to soak up damage.
- Obfuscate (Malkavian/Nosferatu): good for stealth types. Makes your character unable to be seen by others.
- Potence (Brujah/Nosferatu): good for melee/unarmed types. Improves your melee/unarmed attacks.
- Presence (Brujah/Toreador/Ventrue): good for a variety of things. Debuffs everyone around the player.
- Protean (Gangrel): good for unarmed types. pretty OP. Your claws do extra damage to supernatural opponents. When upgraded, can transform into a beast.
- Thaumaturgy (Tremere): good for mage types, crowd control types and to a lesser extent tank types. Pretty OP, very fun. Can stun multiple opponents, drain blood from afar, create a protective blood shield.
What stats should I focus on?
We'll be here all day if I describe each attribute/ability/feat in detail, but a few general tips:
- Tip: you can raise your humanity by purchasing it like a normal stat. Tip: NEVER DO THIS. There are better ways to raise humanity (try dancing in a club for an extended amount of time to see what happens...)
- A sneaky playthrough is fairly doable, but you will notice that especially the endgame will force you towards combat more and more (and many opponents are very hard to sneak by) - so invest in at least one combat skill.
- Having said that, stealth isn't worth investing in too much, as obfuscate makes it fairly obsolete.
- Haggle is also a skill that isn't worth investing in too much... like many games, you will eventually have more than enough cash.
- The early game is better suited for melee/unarmed, the later game is easier with ranged weapons.
- There are three social skills. They are NOT made equal. Persuasion is by far the best and almost mandatory (unlocks alternative solutions to quests). Seduction is OK (more useful as a female character, there are a handful of moments where you can use it as an alternative solution to quests, and it also lets you feed in public/feed on special NPCs in every club). Intimidation is only useful for roleplay (you basically can only extort money in some situations with this option).
- Inspection... a lot of people consider inspection extremely useful especially for beginners. This game hides things pretty well and it's not always obvious where to find things. On the other hand, many (maybe not all, but many) hidden items can be found if you just open your eyes and thoroughly explore your surroundings.
- Research... I'd argue this is not extremely useful for a newcomer. Research allows you to read skill books and while those are great, you don't NEED them to win the game (and if you're planning your build by optimizing with skill books, you are far too advanced to be reading this guide anyhow). Put a few points here if you want but don't go crazy.
- There is usually more than one way to raise your desired feat. For example, raising persuasion can be done by raising the charisma attribute OR scholarship ability. Be efficient and choose the option that costs less when upgrading. Protip: during character creation, it is more efficient to put your starter points in the same skill
- Don't go crazy on lockpicking. ALL vamps get the bloodbuff ability, which temporarily improves lockpicking. Tip: higher-level armor gives you a penalty to dexterity (which affects lockpicking). If you're gonna lockpick in that situation, you gotta strip!
- Non-combat skills have no effects when raised beyond 10 (UNLIKE combat skills).
- Not exactly important for a first playthrough but worth knowing: passwords never change. This makes Hacking slightly less useful for second/third playthroughs if you've memorized them/have nothing against looking them up. Also, plenty of passwords can be solved by alternative means (clues in the room, notes left by desks etc)
Any tips for combat?
There are two core types of combat: close quarters (unarmed/melee) and ranged (guns/bows/powers), and three types of damage in this game: bashing (""normal"" blunt damage), lethal (damage by blades/guns, more effective, especially against undead), aggravated (supernatural damage, very effective, super deadly to undead).
As already mentioned, melee is great at the start of the game but less great the further you get (this is also because the best melee weapons are crayons compared to the best ranged weapons). BUT a full melee playthrough is still perfectly doable.
Tips for Melee:
- Potence + melee is a deadly combo (almost mandatory if you insist on a pure melee playthrough)
- TAB lets you block
- Counterintuitive, but don't spam the attack button because the ""combo ender"" leaves you vulnerable. Steady attacks with micro pauses in between are best.
- Combining an attack with a directional key (WASD) results in a different attack BUT is a fairly useless feature
- Good melee weapons to look out for: the Fire-axe, the Katana, the Tal'Mahe'Ra Blade, the Sledgehammer.
Tips for Ranged:
- Auspex + ranged weapon is a deadly combo (almost mandatory for pure gunslingers)
- TAB lets you zoom in with scoped weapons and changes firing modes on weapons with no scope.
- Good ranged weapons to look out for: the Colt Anaconda (.44 mag revolver), Desert Eagle (McLusky Calibre 0.50), Dragon's Breath, the SPAS-15 (automatic shotgun), the Uzi, the M24 (sniper rifle), the Ithaca 37, the Steyr Aug (assault rifle), and the Flamethrower.
Tips for Unarmed:
- OK for the early game, but for the late game you will probably die unless you are a Gangrel (pretty much the only clan that can pull off pure unarmed combat due to clan advantage and the Protean discipline).
- TAB lets you block
- Same as melee, don't spam the attack button
- Unarmed combat affects your ability to feed on victims and is slightly useful for mid-combat feeding BUT a well-timed stun (via disciplines or stagger attack) can be just as effective.
Tips for General Combat:
- Don't underestimate your feeding ability. While the game never explicitly tells you this, you can suck people dry and kill them even in the middle of combat. This is a vampire game after all. But bear in mind you are vulnerable while feeding, so jumping on someone's throat with three other people around him is not the best idea
- Don't neglect your combat defenses. Wits and Dodge will save your ass behind the scenes.
- Don't neglect your disciplines, they will be lifesavers later in the game.
- Don't underestimate stun abilities: stunned opponents cannot resist you feeding on them (even mid-combat), and certain disciplines are even capable of ""stunning""/staggering bosses, allowing you to tactically retreat/retaliate while distracted.
- Press K to assign weapons and powers to the number keys.
- The F8 key will cancel all active powers. This is especially useful for Masquerade-violating disciplines such as bloodshield or protean.
Anything else I should know?
- DON'T OPEN IT
- Save the redheaded girl in the hospital
- Don't betray the injured guy on the couch
- Be polite to the Prince until he rewards you with your player home, then be as much of an asshole as you want
- IMO being polite and helpful to people is best during a first playthrough because otherwise certain NPCs won't want your help (which means you don't experience more content). BUT if you wanna be an intimidating asshole, that's pretty fun too
- At some point during the Main Quest you will visit a museum and an Italian stronghold. You may want to explore a certain abandoned hospital in Downtown BEFORE doing those quests
- Take the time to listen to the radio and watch the television (especially if you are a Malkavian). The Deb of Night is wonderful and her radio show adds so much depth to the game world... and you may even recognize some of the caller's voices on her show.
- And lastly: just enjoy the ride. This absolute gem of a game is a precious journey and I truly envy anyone who gets to experience playing through it for the first time :)
Further reading
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines (tips for newer players) on r/patientgamers
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines combat tips by u/j9461701
VTMB firearms guide (basic patch version) by u/StalkeroOfTheYear
VTMB Guide on Imgur
Recommended Mods (for AFTER second/third playthrough)
Thanks
And of course thanks to everyone's input in the comments, I've edited the guide to reflect some of the points made in the discussion.