Set in the deadly streets of Prague, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt will have vampires struggling to survive a bloody conflict amongst themselves and agents out to get them. Under the backdrop of the World of Darkness, this Vampire: The Masquerade title sets the franchise’s foray into the battle royale genre, having players take on the role of Kindred, or vampires, as they hunt each other in an eponymous Blood Hunt.
While Bloodhunt is similar to other battle royales in terms of a huge map, weapon collection, and area-shrinking mechanics, its Vampire: The Masquerade spin adds components such as Blood Resonances, Clan and Archetype Powers, as well as the constant threat of the Entity waiting to do battle. With all these in mind, how can Bloodhunt players ensure their survival?
Mind The Starting Locations
Before the start of every match, players get to choose starting locations based on the randomized elements in the match. Aside from being the equivalent of a “landing” location in a battle royale with parachute segments, this choice also reveals where everyone else is starting.
This is a convenient way for players to identify whether they need to stay on high alert for opponents close-by or if they can confidently search for weapons and consumables and develop their arsenal. The latter simply gives them the usual battle royale experience, but the former means players need to anticipate an early-game fight.
Secure Blood Resonances
A core mechanic within the Bloodhunt battle royale is feeding, as this essentially becomes the game’s primary healing method. Unless a player is a Muse (Toreador) or has blood bags, feeding on a human is the way to go. However, feeding on a mortal also has one of the best perks in the game: Blood Resonance. Simply put, having enough of a particular Blood Resonance can enhance certain aspects of the player in the match, such as:
- Sanguine (Pink): When consumed, mortals of Sanguine Resonance let vampires get much stronger healing.
- Choleric (Orange): When consumed, mortals of Choleric Resonance lets Kindred pack more punch in melee.
- Phlegmatic (Blue): When consumed, mortals of Phlegmatic Resonance get much faster cooldowns for Archetype Powers.
- Melancholic (Purple): When consumed, mortals of Melancholic Resonance get much faster cooldowns for Clan Powers.
Practice With Different Firing Modes
It’s obvious to recommend players to get better aim in Bloodhunt, but they can actually best secure their accuracy with the right kind of weapon. Particularly, accuracy works best with the right kind of firing mode for players. At its core, players should consider the following when working with the following firing modes:
- Automatic: Reserved for most ARs, SMGs, and Machine Guns, the Automatic Fire Mode means players can simply hold the trigger button and the weapon will continue firing. This is better suited for people who love spray attacking opponents who move around. Be careful as this often results in harsher recoil.
- Burst: Some ARs and other rifles offer a Burst Fire Mode, characterized by an automatic burst of shots before players need to press the trigger button again. Users need to be mindful of this limitation, as skipping on a trigger press can leave them wide open for a counter. These suit players who prefer being mobile in a firefight while at the same time making use of nooks and crannies.
- Semi-Automatic: Reserved for Sniper Rifles, Marksman Rifles, and Shotguns, the Semi-Automatic fire mode still lets players fire continuously but at a much slower pace, forcing players to press the trigger button again to ensure firing the weapon. This works best for those who like precision aiming, especially when they need to strike targets from afar or extremely up close.
Remember That Rooftops Have Sides, Terraces
Scaling is a mechanic Bloodhunt introduces to the battle royale genre. Thanks to the vampires’ unnatural strength, they can climb stories’ worth of distances to reach rooftops, allowing them to gain the upper hand and even eliminate enemies this way. Of course, other vampires know of this hack, and will most likely meet players on opposite rooftops. To survive these encounters, players need to remember two things: rooftops have sides, and humans can only get outside high floors due to terraces.
With these in mind, players in tight combat on rooftops can actually go to the sides of angular roofs to avoid fire, forcing opponents to either get closer or wait for an opening. Likewise, players can retreat to lower pedestrian ground but still within the upper stories – such as a lower rooftop access or a terrace – in order to avoid enemy fire.
Alleys, Nooks, Crannies Are Best Friends
Given that Bloodhunt is set in Prague, players have access to two things: main roads and alleyways. Just like how civilians prefer walking on alleyways and sidewalks to get to destinations around Prague, so too can players. However, what’s perhaps more interesting is how they can be of use in combat.
At its core, players who are in need of a place to retreat after heavy firefights can always rely on sidewalks, nooks, and crannies to help get them out of danger. There are more than enough alleyways that lead open quadrangles to sidewalks and main roads, giving players plenty of room to escape. Likewise, these spaces often have hidden corners where players can hide, allowing them to recuperate or even wait enough time to resurrect.
Afford The Risk Of Jumping
Players who’ve dabbled in enough games with high surfaces know the concept of fall damage, and those who’ve seen the high-rise buildings featured in Bloodhunt might be concerned that falling from such a height could cause their character to die. As such, getting in a firefight on rooftops might have players jump a bit too uncomfortably while firing at opponents, leaving a trail that is too predictable for spray firing to hit them.
To make sure opponents don’t hit players in a firefight, they should take full advantage of jumping. When encountering an enemy on a rooftop, players shouldn’t worry about where they’re headed when jumping as their characters won’t suffer fall damage – they’re vampires, after all. This allows people to maximize their dodges and avoid incoming fire. While it’s true that this might leave opponents alive and kicking, this still gives room for players to lead the pursuit while charging their cooldowns and giving them time to reload in the process.
Engaging Invites A Third Party
In most battle royale games, a third party refers to a third team that gets in the middle of an existing firefight, often reaping the benefits and kills for themselves. These are easier to fight in open and flat areas common to most battle royales; however, the multi-level complexity of Bloodhunt makes third partying much deadlier. After all, players need to look at both rooftops and the ground to see where third parties are coming from.
Moreover, players who plan on engaging an enemy should always remember that their firefight will most likely attract the attention of others as well. Players planning on fighting another team should always have exit routes in mind, as well as a planned next destination just to make sure they have their bases covered in the event of a third party.
The Red Gas Is An Ally
In Bloodhunt, the Red Gas serves as the game’s primary map-shrinking component, being composed of substances that are lethal to Kindred exposed to it. As such, players are often encouraged to start a bit closer to the center and further from the edge, as the Red Gas will inevitably be reducing the effective area of the game. However, players on the offensive side might enjoy the Red Gas in its entirety.
For instance, players between Prague’s central area and the edge of the map can camp and wait for others rushing for safety once the Red Gas moves. This tactic can cause retreating enemies to panic as fighting the player means risking getting inside the Red Gas, reducing their HP and knocking them down. Likewise, retreating from the Red Gas means possibly taking damage from players, still reducing their HP and knocking them down.
The Blood Hunt Brings All The Vampires To The Yard
This game, Bloodhunt, is named after the Blood Hunt concept in the TTRPG, wherein the Prince or ruling vampire of the Camarilla in a city will allow the hunting of a vampire that’s disturbed the peace. In Bloodhunt, this usually refers to the battle royale that will have players hunt each other. However, in the match, players who break the Masquerade by killing mortals get individual Blood Hunt bounties, revealing their location to others.
While this puts players in a disadvantageous situation, they can also use this to their advantage. For instance, players can deliberately put a Blood Hunt on themselves to lure other enemies close to their area, allowing players to set them up for ambushes or even close to the Entity who will retaliate without mercy.
The Entity Can Be Recruited
Not necessarily “recruited” as an in-game mechanic, but rather, agents of the Entity – or the church’s secret vampire-hunting agency in the lore – scattered around the map can be used to the player’s advantage depending on the location and the situation. Remember, members of the Entity can separate vampires from the living, prompting them to become hostile near vampires. While this means Entity zones are no-gos for most players, this can also translate to opportunities for the right people.
At its core, players running away from firefights can actually head to Entity zones to force the Entity to fight the enemies instead. This gives players added firepower on their side, allowing them to secure the kill. Of course, players need to be mindful that the Entity agents will attack them as well, so they must trust this strategy at their own risk.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt is available for the PC and PS5 and was released on April 27, 2022.