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The players begin as Thinblood, new vampires with little grasp of their abilities. Thinbloods will soon choose a clan, a group with a shared bloodline. All these clans come from Vampire: The Masquerade, the TTRPG source material of the game.

Players of Bloodlines 2 can choose from five base Clans, with some soon to follow or unplayable altogether.

10 Playable: Clan Brujah

In Bloodlines 2, the Brujah in Seattle comes from scattered Anarch movements. This previous allegiance makes sense, as Anarch themselves push for the freedom of Kindred without being bound by tradition. Due to their strong sense of individuality and freedom, they try their best to be unaffiliated with any of the major Seattle factions.

However, the Seattle Brujah take pride in their strength, as often seen in their “bash” fight clubs. A Brujah’s strength comes from their Potence, a Discipline that lets them showcase raw strength. They pair this with Celerity, allowing them to be nimbler and faster with their movements.

9 Make ’em Playable: Clan Banu Haqim

Clan Banu Haqim, previously known as Assamites, often get typecasted by Western Kindred as assassins. However, they are more scholars, warriors, and guardians that stay independent from the modern Kindred and their “problems.” They’re also infamous for acts of diablerie or feeding off their fellow Kindred for power. Despite this fear, they’re admitted into the Camarilla in the modern TTRPG, as they also want to stop Sabbat influence in their territories in the Middle East.

Members of Banu Haqim today take positions that let them become guardians and warriors, often ending up with border patrols, security forces, and police departments. While unplayable in Bloodlines 2, they most likely take from their modern TTRPG counterparts. This factor means they most likely possess the Disciplines Celerity, Obfuscate, and Thaumaturgy. Obfuscate lets them manipulate shadows, while Thaumaturgy lets them cast blood magic.

8 Playable: Clan Toreador

True power lies in art, and the Toreador clan leads the charge in the fine arts. Toreadors in Bloodlines 2 stay consistent with their portrayal across the games – they indulge in beauty, passion, and the arts. Toreadors find themselves in constant pursuit of beauty, be it through their voice, the pen, the brush, their bodies, or even their minds. It’d be a mistake for anyone to assume they’re hedonists, as Toreadors are creators in their own right.

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A Toreador stands out in any crowd thanks to Presence, their Discipline that can allure anyone. They also possess Celerity, allowing them to perform feats with mesmerizing speed.

7 Make ’em Playable: Clan Ministry

Formerly the Followers of Set, the Ministry believes they are descended from Set, the Egyptian God. Both a clan and some form of religion, Ministry members practice a wide array of traditions that hope to lead to Set’s resurrection. In the modern iteration of the TTRPG, they’ve changed their name from “Followers” to “Ministry” as they now believe Set walks among them.

The Ministry is unplayable in Bloodlines 2, but they most likely possess the Disciplines of Presence, Obfuscate, and Protean. Obfuscate allows them to manipulate shadows, meanwhile, Protean (Chiropteran or Nebulation in Bloodlines 2) allows them to change form – be it in the form of mist or growing claws.

6 Playable: Clan Malkavian

Readers will probably think Malkavians are crazy after a few sentences. Malkavians find themselves gifted with remarkable insight. People who interact with Malkavians say they demonstrate different kinds of mental “illnesses” – they might seem compulsive, depressed, or showing a kind of psychosis.

Malkavians suffer from a Discipline called Dementation, which lets them impart their psychosis to others. They also possess Auspex, a special “sense” that lets them see auras, project their astral selves, and, combined with Dementation, gleam insights they sadly can’t explain.

Pro-tip: Players should take note of what Malkavians say, as Malkavian dialogue in Bloodlines 1foreshadowed the previous game’s events.

5 Make ’em Playable: Clan Ravnos

Clan Ravnos often get mistaken for Tremere due to their ability to cast a wide array of illusions. However, the Ravnos are more than this misconception, and they hide a lot of secrets within their veil of “tricks.” In the modern TTRPG, the Ravnos Antediluvian himself had awoken and, with his dying breath, unleashed a curse that caused his entire clan to cannibalize themselves.

In the modern timeline, weakened Ravnos clan members are most likely wandering the world to seek shelter. They’re unplayable in Bloodlines 2 and have yet to make an active presence in the modern TTRPG. They most likely possess the Disciplines of Fortitude, Animalism, or Chimerstry. The latter allows them to cast illusions that, with enough power, can materialize themselves in reality.

4 Playable: Clan Ventrue

Clan Ventrue established the Camarilla, an ages-old gathering of socialites and elites that originally established vampire traditions and the Masquerade. Under the Masquerade, vampires should never reveal themselves to humans. This rule explains the Kindred panic at the beginning of Bloodlines 2, as a Mass Embrace implies rogue vampires violating the Masquerade. As Ventrue, it’s their job to know what’s happened to remind everyone who’s in charge.

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Ventrues have a natural sense of leadership, making them perfect for being emperors, high priests, kings, and even founders of huge companies. They possess Dominate, a Discipline that enforces their will to others. They also possess Fortitude, making them nigh-invulnerable. No one would dare attack a Ventrue, as they know they won’t live to tell the tale.

3 Make ’em Playable: Clan Lasombra

Clan Lasombra serves as the antithesis of Clan Ventrue, having established the Sabbat. Members of Clan Lasombra believe in the superiority of the Kindred, which is something the Sabbat wants to uphold. They naturally get attracted to positions of authority and power.

Lasombras are both elegant and dangerous, with abilities contrasting of the Ventrue. They’re unplayable in Bloodlines 2, but they most likely share some abilities with their Camarilla counterpart. Lasombra will likely possess the Disciplines of Potence, Dominate, or Oblivion. The latter allows Lasombra to tap into the Abyss, bringing with them unholy and inhuman powers that they may or may not be able to control.

2 Playable: Clan Tremere

Unlike other clans, Tremere didn’t directly descend from Caine the First Vampire. Rather,  Tremeres were originally mages that had tapped into blood magic, transforming them into vampires. Recent events in the TTRPG had broken the strong foundation of the clan, scattering them into various factions that roam the world. The once-proud Tremere clan now seeks allies wherever they go, in exchange for knowledge that was once a secret amongst its mages. A lot of Kindred in Seattle fear the Tremere for their knowledge, just how most cities fear any Tremere presence.

Tremeres take pride in their Thaumaturgy, a Discipline that allows them to use blood magic. This Discipline, paired with Auspex, gives Tremere members remarkable insight into the things happening around them. In the first game, Thaumaturgy can make people explode. It seems this power is also available in Bloodlines 2.

1 Make ’em Playable: Clan Tzimisce

The Tzimisce gained notoriety for their ability to shape their own flesh. Similar to Tremere, Tzimisce take pride in their knowledge. However, Clan Tzimisce uses this knowledge and its flesh-shaping abilities to go “beyond” the confines of the flesh, and instead transcend. Unlike other members of the Sabbat, Tzimisces are intelligent, polite, and often comprise of old and powerful families. In recent iterations of the TTRPG, Tzimisces refer to themselves as “The Old Clan,” which is more of a society than a bloodline. They’re neither Camarilla nor Sabbat, but rather a society that protects their own.

The Tzimisce clan is unplayable in Bloodlines 2, but if they follow modern mechanics, they likely possess a combination of Dominate, Auspex, or Animalism. The latter allows them to tap closely into their animalistic nature. Unlike Gangrel, Tzimisce uses this to manipulate their appearance.

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