Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines 2's fifth and final clan, at least for now, has been unveiled. Breathe a sigh of relief, you'll be able to join the Malkavians. A favourite from the last game, they seemed like an obvious choice for Bloodlines 2, but the extra effort in bringing them to unlife did lead to some doubts.
Every clan has its own hook, but the Malkavian clan is the one that results in the most work for writers. Every Malkavian has special insights into the world, from glimpses of the future to voices in their head, which can be as confusing as they are helpful. In the original Bloodlines, this meant that Malkavians had unique dialogue and encounters with NPCs that you'd never see with the other clans. This "reskin", Brian Mitsoda tells RPS, will be returning for Bloodlines 2.
They don't just have a unique way of looking at the world, their mental abilities can also affect other people. Their first discipline, Dementation, lets them terrify people, causing them to flee, and later it can drive them into a berserker rage. The Auspex discipline, which they share with the Tremere, lets them see through walls, find weaknesses in enemies and even leave their bodies and float around as an astral projection.
The concept of a mystical, undead form of insanity that grants special powers is more than a bit awkward in the light of day, but Mitsoda says that this time the Malkavians won't be as 'wacky' as they've been in the tabletop game and the first Bloodlines. They'll still be paranoid and plagued by whispering voices, however, and you can still expect plenty of their peculiar, trademark dialogue.
Paradox is hosting a Malkavian stream today at 5 pm BST on Twitch, so give that a watch to find out more about the Malkavians. And in the meantime, here's everything we know about Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines 2.
