While vampires - or Kindred - in the World of Darkness can practically live off blood to become immortal, these Cainites inVampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhuntand the greaterVampire: The MasqueradeTTRPG still fear the Final Death. InVampire: The Masqueradelore, the Final Death serves as the “ultimate” passing for a vampire - be it through decapitation or being burnt with fire or sunlight. In the terrible battle royale ofBloodhunt, vampires who aren’t careful can turn to dust in the blink of an eye.
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ForBloodhuntplayers, this means they have to do whatever it takes to outlast their enemies in each terrifying match. Thankfully, they can make use of not just their environment but their innate vampire capabilities to outwit and outmaneuver their foes at every turn. Just what mistakes should players avoid to ensure they secure the final victory and avoid Final Death?
10Having A Main
Similar to other games such asApex Legendsthat have Legends with special abilities,Bloodhunthas Archetypes that represent the character builds basedon vampire Clansthat players can use in the game. These range from the melee-focused Vandals and Brutes, healing Sirens, to more stealthy Saboteurs. Since players can’t choose the same Archetype in a team, players who get to choose last will most likely never get to use their favorite Archetype.
Players can get at a disadvantage pretty quickly if they end up with an Archetype they’re not familiar with, meaning they can easily die in a match. As such, players are encouraged to practice with all the Archetypes to ensure they can easily adjust to combat as needed.
9Forgetting Cooldowns
One of the first things players realize when playingBloodhuntis that their vampires have special abilities,called Disciplinesin the TTRPG - be it supernatural strength, leaping, teleportation, or even invisibility. While traditionalVTMgames will cost blood to activate these abilities,Bloodhuntsimply has cooldowns assigned to these abilities.
While players can easily kill others with weapons, they shouldn’t forget to use the abilities the game offers them. Moreover, they shouldn’t forget about the cooldowns assigned to their abilities. Timing the usage of their abilities alongside their weapons can make a difference in a firefight.
8Neglecting Armor
While vampires generally have a large pool of Hit Points that make them harder to kill even with gunfire, getting hit too much can quickly get players in a bad spot and knock them down. Although a bit hard to find, players should make an effort to always look for Armors throughout the match. After all, these Armors add an extra layer of shielding before gunshots and other injuries fromDisciplines and abilitieslower the player’s HP.
This can make a significant difference during the match, especially since Kindred abilities can not only fortify their defenses but also enable them to move and jump extremely fast. With Armor, a Kindred can have a split-second or even a few seconds’ worth of room to jump or run out of trouble.
7Skipping The Higher Ground
In any game involving firearms, players who can secure the most view of their enemies get to dominate the match. This is especially the same withBloodhuntwhere the game does not just offer players the ability to fight on multiple platforms but even on entire rooftops of houses and buildings. This allows players to strike others not just from afar, but especially from below. When doing this, enemies caught unawares can have a harder time pointing to where the shots are coming from, giving allies the time to jump on the enemy and kill them.
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Players also need to be careful about the higher ground, though, as enemies can just as easily use this to their advantage as well. Players need to be wary if other enemies are trying to pick off others from a distance since these enemies have probably already noticed them as well - especiallythe Brujah Bruteand other Archetypes that can leap extremely high to catch them and engage in a fight.
6Forgetting About Location
Devs from Sharkmob have recreated Prague forBloodhuntwith as much accuracy as possible, making it a feast to behold for fans who love traveling. In the context of the game, players need to pay attention to where they currently are on the map in order to ensure they’re on top of their game at all times.
For instance, certain locations have interior components with special items, such as cemeteries and churches. Moreover, roaming around on the ground can lead players to shops and kiosks with individual weapon caches as well. Players can easily spot these areaswith Clan abilitiessuch as Sense the Unseen, and it can help players to find a way to roam around the map to ensure they always have access to a weapons cache at all times.
5Dismissing The Outskirts
Battle royales often have a map-shrinking component that ensures players get as close to each other as possibleto encourage fighting. InBloodhunt, this comes in the form of the Red Gas that can kill opponents if they stay in the area for too long. As such, it becomes discouraging for players to stay near the edge of the map as this forces them to move away after a minute or two anyway since the Red Gas can threaten to kill them.
However, players should take advantage of the exploration opportunities the outskirts offer. At its core, these zones can be sparsely populated due to the threat the Red Gas poses. As such, players can freely get weapons, feed, and even invoke the Blood Hunt without that much risk of other vampires chasing them down.
4Forgetting The Red Gas
Players can’t be blamed if they’re enjoying the match too much and they’re staying in the danger zone for too long, making them prone to dying by accident. However, as with other battle royale games, the Red Gas inBloodhuntcan become extremely beneficial if players know how to maximize the opportunities it offers.
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For instance, the threat of the “Red Gas,” asthe Camarillacalls it, can heavily discourage other Kindred from getting near it - meaning players can start roaming around Red Gas zones and start firefights with other Kindred. Chances are, they either have to fight players at the risk of getting inside the Red Gas or they have to escape the Red Gas at the risk of getting hit by the players.
3Skipping Knockdowns
In most battle royales, players who get knocked down won’t be able to do anything except move. This leaves themwide open to getting killed, which can be embarrassing enough to force players to quit. However, inBloodhunt, players actually have the opportunity to get themselves back in the game if they wait long enough. Unlike other games,Bloodhunthas a timer that gives players a chance to get back up at low HP, giving them a chance to get back to the fight. The only way for this to stop is if they get to 0 HP before the timer runs out, kicking them out of the game.
This means players who get knocked down are incentivized to keep themselves hidden from enemies, giving them room to heal. When used properly, players can hide from enemies in an intense firefight, only to come back and steal the win.
2Giving Up On Respawns
When players get knocked down and killed by enemies, they’re automatically in the queue for a respawn. This is unlike games likeApex Legendswhere player keys (Tags) are needed to be acquired within a specified amount of time or else players get booted out of respawns. InBloodhunt, players can get back to the fight for as long as their teammates get them to a respawn site in time, whichgives teams a tactical advantage.
Players who see teammates getting killed shouldn’t go guns blazing and die outright. Instead, they can make a tactical retreat for a respawn point. That way, their team has a chance of staying longer in the fight and be able to seek revenge on those who killed them.
1Feeling Shameful About Camping
Fans who played a battle royale game before know that camping is easily one of the first strategies that give them a shortcut to the finale. After all, staying in one site throughout the game and lying low from enemies gives players the best chance for survival. Of course, this puts them at the risk of not getting enough good gear toprepare them for a brutal confrontationwith other players.
Those who playBloodhuntcan definitely use camping as a strategy, since not only does Prague have a lot of rooftops for hiding, but there are a lot of interior spaces and small nooks and crannies within the city that are perfect for Kindred who like to surprise their enemies.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhuntis currently available on PC and PS5.
