The decision to lock two of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’s six clans behind a DLC add-on pack is a “business” informed choice, publisher Paradox has said.
Bloodlines 2’s clans have been boiling the blood of fans for a little while now. It all started with the reveal that the game would feature four clans: Brujah; Tremere; Banu Haqim; and Ventrue. While this selection provides four different starting options for how you build your protagonist, it’s a more limited offering compared to the cult classic original Bloodlines, which featured seven clans.
Reacting to fan feedback, developer The Chinese Room has added a further two clans to Bloodlines 2 (Lasombra and Toreador), but these are only available as part of the Shadows and Silk add-on pack, which costs $21.99 as DLC, or is included as part of the $89.99 Premium Edition. The standard edition costs $59.99.
This DLC is available from day one, which has created the impression that the “full” roster has been carved up, with only those paying extra getting the complete launch experience. Some fans are now feeling like a vampire caught in the sunlight, especially because Toreador was a clan available in the original Bloodlines and is considered fairly significant to Vampire: The Masquerade mythology.
At Gamescom 2025, IGN was able to ask publisher Paradox why Lasombra and Toreador are only available as part of the add-on pack. We were told that additional content is “pretty typical” for games, but that adding fan-requested content comes at a cost.
“What the team has done here is make these two clans accessible on day one, while still understanding that the original experience is going to be with the first four,” said a Paradox representative. “You hear fan feedback and you’re like, ‘Okay, you know that they want these two clans. It’s highly sought after.’
“At the end of the day, business-wise, game development takes time,” they continued. “And [the two clans] is additional content that does get created. So instead of making it ‘day 30’ content, making it day one allows it to be available for those players who have been asking for those two clans the entire time. And like I said, it’s business. That just happens the way that it does, but it provides that access on day one rather than them having to wait.”
As the representative mentioned, these additional clans were “highly sought after.” But their inclusion required an “an awful lot of time testing, listening, going through comments,” explained Ian Thomas, narrative director at The Chinese Room.
“We have spent so much time over the last couple of years extending the release date by going, ‘Yeah, we should really add some stuff about this’ and fattening out the game and deepening the story because of this sort of thing,” Thomas said.
“Because of people going, ‘Oh yeah, we really like that. Are we going to get that?’ In some cases we’ve gone, ‘No, artistically it doesn’t make sense to do that.’ And in some cases we have gone, ‘You know what, that would be really nice. Paradox, can we have a little bit more time and we’ll put that thing in?’ And Paradox have said, ‘We think it’d be nice too, have another few weeks.’”
Those weeks, plus many others, have contributed to Bloodlines 2’s later-than-originally-anticipated October 21, 2025 release date. And while we have waited a very long time for this sequel to a cult classic, it does now come with those six clans… at a price. As we mentioned earlier, not every fan is satisfied with the way these character-defining clans are being locked behind DLC.
While there’s some controversy around this decision, we have been able to play several quests and have come away from Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 feeling optimistic. It’s dripping with atmosphere and has some smart approaches to vampire abilities and the way an undead blood-drinker navigates a modern city.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Executive Editor of Features.
