As an Elder Vampire, players in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 have access to a wide variety of supernatural powers. Apart from their super strength, speed, and senses, Phyre can do all sorts of spooky vampire magic, but since they're not quite what they used to be, they'll have to regain their strength somehow.
As what would best be described as an RPG-lite, Bloodlines 2 will have players unlocking Phyre's full potential through a familiar XP system and a not-so-familiar blood mechanic. If you're wondering how these systems work in the game, here's a guide going over both of them.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Official Launch Trailer
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Watch the official launch trailer here.
How to Get New Abilities in Bloodlines 2
Bloodlines 2's leveling system is similar to the traditional style found in other RPGs. You get XP for beating enemies, getting collectibles, and completing quests, but instead of leveling up, you just get an extra skill point. These points are used to unlock new abilities, with stronger ones requiring more points than the weaker ones. You can access the Abilities screen by going to the pause menu with Escape/Start.
The neat thing about Phyre is that they can use the powers of all Bloodlines 2 clans. You can choose what Phyre's starting vampire clan is, but you won't be limited to just that. Later into the story, you'll get the ability to unlock the skills used by other clans, but to get those, you need to Awaken them first using Resonant Blood.
Bloodlines 2: Resonant Blood and Awakening Abilities
To get the powers of other clans, you need to drain Resonant Blood from civilians across Seattle. You'll know if a person has a special type of blood if they have a special icon above their head. They'll also appear on your map, so you'll always know where they are.
When you're using Heightened Vision, you'll notice that some people have different-colored silhouettes compared to others. These people have dormant blood within them. You won't get anything if you feed off of them — you'll first need to resonate with their blood by talking to the human and picking dialogue choices based on their color:
- Choleric Blood (red) can be drained by angering or antagonizing humans who are glowing red.
- Sanguine Blood (pink) can be obtained by flirting with humans who are glowing pink.
- Intimidate or insult somber humans who are glowing blue to get Melancholic Blood (blue).
Your choice of outfit in Bloodlines 2 also has an effect on how people treat you. For example, if you talk to a red-glowing person while wearing fancy clothes, they might try to mug you. Meanwhile, if you speak to a blue-glowing person while wearing seductive Toreador clothes, you'll lift up their spirits and cause their blue glow to fade.
Vampire Contacts
Getting blood and skill points won't be enough to unlock all skills in Bloodlines 2. In order to learn the abilities you want, you need to speak with the contact person for each clan. Look for these NPCs at the following locations:
- Silky (Brujah): The Dutchman
- Niko (Banu Haqim): Aurora Pawn
- Patience (Toreador): Aurora Pawn Backroom
- Fletcher (Ventrue): Makom Bar
- Mrs. Thorn (Tremere): Wake the Dead
- Onda (Lasombra): The Glacier Hotel Lobby
You'll be able to speak to these NPCs after you decide Benny's fate in Bloodlines 2, which happens fairly early into the story. Talk to them, then choose what ability you want to awaken using the Resonant Blood you've sucked. After that, you'll need to spend skill points to fully unlock the skills you want.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
- Released
- October 21, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Nudity, Drug Reference, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- The Chinese Room
- Publisher(s)
- Paradox Interactive
- Prequel(s)
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Franchise
- Vampire the Masquerade
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- October 21, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 21, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- October 21, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 20 GB
