The Spring Update

Good evening Kindred,

As the seasons change from winter to spring, so too does Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 with the Spring Update - our largest update, to date! Included are several quality-of-life features that the community requested, along with a large update to melee combat that now allows you to slash, stab and bludgeon to your heart’s content.

Description: Phyre and Phyre wielding melee weapons.

Save Last Checkpoint

Save Last Checkpoint is a new menu option found in the pause menu that triggers an Auto Save (the same as exiting the game) but also makes a copy of it and labels it “Manual Save”. This allows you to bookmark different points in the quests to return to if things didn’t turn out as you hoped. For example, you could use at the start of (or during) a conversation, play the conversation, and then if unhappy with the result, reload that save to play it again.

Description: Save Last Checkpoint option on the in game pause menu.

The save created uses the data from the last checkpoint you reached, which is typically before and after a conversation/combat encounter, or at the point an objective changes. For example if you save halfway through a combat encounter, loading that save will restore you to the start of the combat encounter, when the last checkpoint was created, rather than halfway through the encounter when you selected Save Last Checkpoint. The gap between the point of saving and where you restore to is never that large due to checkpoints occurring regularly.

Description: The Load Game menu containing multiple save files, labelled Manual Save.

Fabien Fast Travel

Description: Map menu with one of Fabien’s phlegmatic informants highlighted.

To help reduce wear-and-tear on Fabien’s shoes we have added a Fast Travel option whenever you select one of his phlegmatic informants (Mr Lemon, Carla, Guru, Reggie, Marigold or Shelby) from the map. His informants were placed so there would always be one near to the locations Fabien visits - so not only will Fast Travel allow you to grab a quick bite to eat (as Fabien exclusively feeds from phlegmatic humans), it can be used to move within a short distance of your next lead in the investigation.

Description: Fast Travel option allowing you to skip straight to the informant’s location.

Melee Combat Improvements

During development of the Loose Cannon DLC, we added several features to Benny Muldoon’s melee combat that we have also added to Phyre in this Spring Update.

Wielding Melee Weapons

In addition to holding a melee weapon with Telekinesis, you can now pick them up directly to wield in your hands. Each weapon plays differently and adds alternate utility to the Nomad’s unarmed attacks (though being unarmed is still useful and in some situations superior, depending on your clan choice). Knives for example stab and slash quickly, dealing damage to targets at a short range. A baseball bat has a longer range, but does less damage in favour of staggering opponents and interrupting attacks.

Heavy attacks do increased damage at the cost of destroying the weapon, so use as finishers or before switching to another weapon. A heavy attack with a Hammer for example creates a mini Earthshock blast, so use it strategically.

Description: Slaying ghouls with a knife.

Attack While Targeting

For players that find combat can get too chaotic, you can now attack while in ability targeting mode. Ability targeting mode slows down time to a crawl, allowing you to freely look around and aim your next attack. Pressing attack