Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, Thread 2

[Zoraptor]

It's pretty trivial to avoid Paradox's launcher if you want to. Redirect the shortcut (for non galaxy) to the main game executable rather than launcher.exe or use manage installation-->configure-->features-->custom executable (from the game's page) in galaxy to do the same. 

Edited October 22 by Zoraptor

[melkathi]

The magic of triple A titles on launch

[Hawke64]

6 minutes ago, Zoraptor said:

It's pretty trivial to avoid Paradox's launcher if you want to. Redirect the shortcut (for non galaxy) to the main game executable rather than launcher.exe or use manage installation-->configure-->features-->custom executable (from the game's page) in galaxy to do the same. 

I have tried both, the root folder and the "\Bloodlines 2\Bloodlines2\Binaries\Win64\Bloodlines2-Win64-Shipping.exe", executables with the same result. The "Launch.." shortcut directs to the launcher more clearly. 

5 minutes ago, melkathi said:

The magic of triple A titles on launch

True. 

[marelooke]

2 hours ago, Hawke64 said:

I have the game and here is a screenshot of the only gameplay I have experienced:

The Paradox launcher mildly annoys me, but the firewall is handling it and the issue above is more significant. I suspect it is the usual UE5 thing (kindly, may Lumen and Nanites be gone), so I will try with Steam Deck later (not entirely sure how to install GOG games on it, but will try). 

I'd be more upset about it if I did not purchase it 5 years ago for a fraction of the current price. As is, I am just disappointed. 

---

Found the pre-rendered videos:

 

 

Not sure why but I'm getting Shadow Warrior vibes from this.

[Zoraptor]

2 hours ago, Hawke64 said:

I have tried both, the root folder and the "\Bloodlines 2\Bloodlines2\Binaries\Win64\Bloodlines2-Win64-Shipping.exe", executables with the same result. The "Launch.." shortcut directs to the launcher more clearly. 

Ha, weird. Maybe they've obfuscated the main exe to make the launcher compulsory then. I've previously used custom shortcuts for EU4 to avoid the launcher and (not Paradox, obviously) FO4 to direct to a mod/ ultrawidescreen enabled exe with no problems. I've also used the argument function to skip those annoying long and unskippable startup videos some other games have. I don't have vtmb2 though so can't check my end.

(Since you're having problems running it otherwise I'd suggest verifying the install if you haven't already, it's always possible- not likely though- that something has gone wrong in the download/ extraction)

[Hawke64]

21 hours ago, Zoraptor said:

Ha, weird. Maybe they've obfuscated the main exe to make the launcher compulsory then. I've previously used custom shortcuts for EU4 to avoid the launcher and (not Paradox, obviously) FO4 to direct to a mod/ ultrawidescreen enabled exe with no problems. I've also used the argument function to skip those annoying long and unskippable startup videos some other games have. I don't have vtmb2 though so can't check my end.

(Since you're having problems running it otherwise I'd suggest verifying the install if you haven't already, it's always possible- not likely though- that something has gone wrong in the download/ extraction)

1. You were right and the launcher skip worked. 

2. The game still does not work. Using a username without a space in it changed the error, but then I updated the GPU drivers and the previous error returned.

I have also redownloaded the game's latest version from GOG (the patch was for a newer version than the initial release), with no improvements. 

[melkathi]

And once you get it to work, chances are you get the crash on gender select bug

[Hawke64]

I've got it to run with the -dx11 parameter. The store page explicitly stated that DX12 was the only supported version, so it looks a bit worse than one would hope. The only good thing I can say now is that the controls are rebindable. The on-screen prompts still show the default keys, though. In terms of story, the NPC companion is quite amicable (neither obnoxious nor hysterical), which is welcome, considering that the NPC is likely to be around for the whole game. I suppose, the installation size (~25GB) is good, especially considering that GOG runs installation through the system drive. 

I am feeling adventurous enough to continue, even if it is just an action-adventure rather than an RPG. However, I would not recommend to purchase it for more than £10 and earlier than next year.

Then again, the Eternal Strands devs disabled -dx11 in one of the updates, so it was quite unpleasant to discover after purchasing (thank GOG for the 30 days refund limit). I think, an easier rollback should be possible on Steam via the CLI (because the developers did not offer a beta branch after worsening the system requirements), which would require more effort than I am willing to provide at the moment. 

It was on by default. 

I mean, there were not many articles of clothing in VtMB, but this is sad. 

On a "fun" note, imgur is blocked in the UK. I'd guess the owners chose it while that OSA bs blows over, rather than the local goverment went after the website. 

  

1 hour ago, melkathi said:

And once you get it to work, chances are you get the crash on gender select bug

Given the situation with the human rights for LGBTQ+ and especially trans and intersex people, this is not the angle for humour I would use. 
https://diva-magazine.com/2025/10/13/coroner-trans-wait-times/

Edited October 24 by Hawke64

[melkathi]

It was more about how early in the game the bugs apparently start

[Hawke64]

1 hour ago, melkathi said:

It was more about how early in the game the bugs apparently start

I apologise for misreading the comment and thank you for the clarification. 

[Hawke64]

I have defeated the first boss and realised that I strongly dislike the combat system. The boss, unlike me, also could block the attacks. 

In terms of traversal and stealth, it is possible to travel via the rooftops, the PC kills really quietly (you can chain-stealth-kill), and the opponents have a relatively low range of vision. 

An early spoiler for the NPC companion:

Spoiler

The companion is playable and his 1 gameplay sequence was closer to a tutorial than anything else, i.e. quite linear. I can't say that I was fond of erasing a random guy's memory over a small debt. 

An early spoiler for the first boss battle:

Spoiler

I am puzzled that I had to remove the bar instead of carefully removing the concrete and carrying the target with me. 

The boss battle itself was not particularly satisfying, though I managed to get into stealth a few times. The lack of target lock was annoying.

The game opened up afterwards, with several quests to choose from across the city. The clan representatives offer to unlock the other clans' abilities for some blood points. 

I have also spent some more time with the GameUserSettings.ini file. Can't say that I've achieved much, though. 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screenshots with some spoilers:

Spoiler

 

 

Edited October 25 by Hawke64

[marelooke]

 

[M3G4D4M4G3]

Enjoying it despite the reviews.

[Raithe]

I've dabbled my way through it now. 

It's a very odd feeling to play.

It's got got an interesting story and some characters I would like to know more or have things happening with. But, you don't actually get that much engagement with the characters apart from a lot of fetch quests.

It's got a really atmospheric downtown section of city.. that has almost nothing to actually do in it.

The representation of Clan Disciplines is yet another weird blend of I both like parts of what they've done and loathe other elements. So it's a lot of disjointed sensation. 

But the combat mechanics annoy the bleep out of me, and has pretty much nothing positive for me to say about it.

Plus, the way they've done the ending is disconcerting. You have all sorts of build-up on characters reacting to your conversation choices throughout the game "was irritated by that"  "was pleased by that"  "found that interesting" kind of thing going on, and then for the whole last sequence you have no engagement with any of those characters and there's some arcane logic of which one of 6? endings you get depending on some combination of those results, but no real suggestion of which did it. And apparently, a couple pretty much overwrite everything else you choose to do. And the ending themselves get presented in this incredibly shallow "60 second review of the aftermath" with no interesting details of surviving characters you met along the way.

[Hawke64]

The text wall of my review is under the spoiler tag. 

To summarise, it is an action-adventure, there is little roleplay, most of the meaningful choices lie at the end, the level design is atrocious, the combat and the performance are terrible (nonetheless, I am delighted that the game takes only 25GB), the saving system has no place in modern games, and it was a pain to get this to launch (the launcher and telemetry were starting up just fine, though). Also, the post-effects may trigger motion sickness and the only camera option is the first person. 

The story is passable and the mystery is somewhat compelling. Both protagonists are fine and generally not unpleasant to play as (unless one notices some peculiarities with the Malkavian). The controls are rebindable, but it was not possible to make them comfortable. The small things that I genuinely liked are that the avatar's body is visible and the attires remain the same for both body types. 

Spoiler

The protagonists are mostly predetermined, Fabien is a Malkavian detective whose face is never shown and the Nomad is an Elder of your clan of choice. This choice does not affect the combat (it determines only the starting ability stick) and has very little influence on the story, with some options making no sense for some clans. There are a few opportunities to roleplay, but they are few and far between. I cannot tell with certainty what determines the ending, but there are several. 

There are options for visual customisation for the MC (who is unambiguously non-binary), but they affect only the difficulty of harvesting the blood to unlock other clans' abilities, which can be done much easier after you are able to trigger the blood types at will with abilities. 

In general, there are the main missions which consist of going through a corridor and murdering rooms of enemies (who are almost exclusively humanoids with guns), Fabien's main missions that do not include combat or climbing at all, and 3 types of side quests that are slightly jollier for the only reason that it is possible to minimise the combat and actually use strategy. The said types are following a trail and killing a human NPC, going to a location and killing a ghoul/vampire NPC, and picking up a package. There are also 3 types of collectibles. The developers really liked the number and most of the main mission objectives that are not "clear the room" come in sets of 3 as well.

Fabien's missions consist only of talking, occasionally to inanimate objects. While it is possible to use the Malkavian abilities in dialogues, there is only 1 path to progress the story and it is not possible to make a wrong lasting meaningful choice. The abilities recharge if a wrong dialogue option was chosen, so there is no penalty for retrying. Fabien can jog faster (the screen becomes covered in an unholy pile of post-effects), but cannot fight or jump, so every knee-high fence is an insurmountable obstacle.

The main avatar, however, is Phyre who has 1 combat style (melee) and can toss guns. To reiterate, the combat is atrocious, partially due to the incredibly poor performance, partially due to the combination of it being melee, the opponents dodging out of view easily and frequently, and the lack of target lock. In the main missions, it is almost always required to kill everyone in the room to progress, otherwise, the suspicious chain locks have the "ENEMIES NEARBY" message on them. There are a few (3?) somewhat original setpiece locations and a whole 1 "puzzle" (to get into the position where a certain symbol is visible). The abilities make the encounters slightly shorter, but they must be recharged by feeding. The traversal is functional, though it is inconvenient that the movement type can switch automatically (walking, running, vampire-running) and feels somewhat off. 

In terms of world-building, the Beast does not come out unless the story demands it, the Masquerade breaches can be mended by sitting on a rooftop for 2 minutes, there is no Humanity rating at all. Naturally, no one minds all the bodies the protagonist leaves on those rooftops, which become battlegrounds by mid-game. 

While the missions are linear, there are some variables that determine the ending. Unfortunately, there are long combat sequences between the few meaningful dialogues and I am not anyhow inclined to replay them. 

As for the performance, the sound was getting consistently interrupted when I ran across the city. The FPS dropped frequently as well. The above-mentioned Paradox launcher can be disabled by creating a *.bat file, binding it to the game's exe, and adding %command% at the end. If the game crashes, adding -dx11 after the exe and before %command% allowed me to run it. Unfortunately, the only way to disable the telemetry is to block it with a firewall. 

The saving system uses auto-saving in one slot and very rare "hard" saves at the start of the night, so one would need to manually move the files to reload safely. 

The character design and UI are generally fine, while the level and location design seems to rely on lighting heavily and the areas look both hard to navigate, generic, and occasionally plainly ugly. The sound design is present and it is passable, but enemy combat barks grow old quickly. 

Overall, while this is not the worst action game I've played (I did finish The Witcher 3 and that was worse), I would not recommend it in the current state nor if one adored the original Bloodlines. 

@Raithe Could you please share what ending you got?

Spoiler

As for my ending, Tolly became the new Prince and Lou died. I suppose, I appreciate that I was able to achieve the latter, as the former was not intentional (though not unwelcome) - I did like Ryong. 

I found the pacing after the point of no-return to be somewhat odd (Fabien's ending, then 30 minutes or so of meaningless unsatisfying slaughter, then the final boss) and the final boss battle quite unpleasant - the boss kept teleporting around and the trash mobs were getting in the way. 

 

[Raithe]

@Hawke64 I stumbled into the City of Anarchy ending.  Lou got mysteriously thrown out of the window of her hotel during the day, and it turned into a jolly Anarch town with Katsumi in charge. By the end of it, I'd done all of the side missions for those three characters and had positive responses from pretty much every character I'd met. 

So apparently, when everyone is positive to you, and you 

Spoiler

embraced Agent Baker, and got her to lead the hunters out of Seattle, while making comments about Phyre leaving Seattle and moving on once everything had been dealt with.

It defaults to Katsumi as the winner.

[Hawke64]

1 hour ago, Raithe said:

@Hawke64 I stumbled into the City of Anarchy ending.  Lou got mysteriously thrown out of the window of her hotel during the day, and it turned into a jolly Anarch town with Katsumi in charge. By the end of it, I'd done all of the side missions for those three characters and had positive responses from pretty much every character I'd met. 

So apparently, when everyone is positive to you, and you 

  Hide contents

embraced Agent Baker, and got her to lead the hunters out of Seattle, while making comments about Phyre leaving Seattle and moving on once everything had been dealt with.

It defaults to Katsumi as the winner.

Thank you. 

Spoiler

I guess I got Tolly because I asked Katsumi to leave the city and did not ask any Primogen to take the title.