Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 devs provide workarounds for “high priority” bugs, including Seattle’s populace disappearing

Paradox have outlined some workarounds for a number of “high priority” issues which have been draining folks’ ability to get sucked into Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 now the gates to Seattle are open. Proper fixes for these and other known issues are also in the works, as is planning for post-release additions.

In a blog post which kicks off with a nice thank you, the studio quickly got down to brass tacks. “From your comments, we also know there are some players who are facing issues,” they wrote. “While we continue working on the post-release plans for Bloodlines 2, we’d like to address some of those immediately and provide possible workarounds so that as many of you as possible can return to enjoying the game. As part of this process, we want to thank everybody who’s taken the time to fill out the bug report form. It helps us immensely to get an overview of what issues people are facing!”

They proceeded to outline some of the workarounds they’ve devised for “high priority” issues. Folks who’re struggling to get the Bloodlines 2 to launch or are getting stuck on its starting screen are advised to try running it as an admin. Those unable to use their AZERTY keyboard or bind keys as they should might find “adding the QWERTY keyboard layout in Windows” to be a solution. Finally, if your version of Seattle isn’t “populating correctly with NPCs” during certain quests, reloading your last save from the main menu’s worth a shot.

“We are also working on some platform-specific performance issues, such as crashes on PS5,” Paradox added. Regarding known bugs like the Lasombra and Toreador being locked at the clan selection screen on some platforms, we recommend updating and reinstalling the game.”

Finally, they’re aware players have indicated they’re not happy with things like the the lack of an FOV slider, not being able to turn off bits of the HUD, and underwhelming beard/moustache options. Rounding out that list of gripes is not being able to turn off motion blur, with the studio recommending you “try turning post-processing to low” in that case.

“Your passion, feedback, and patience mean the world to us, and we’re committed to continuing to improve Bloodlines 2,” the post concluded. “The story of Seattle’s Kindred is only just beginning.”

While the work they’re putting in might not revamp things to the extent it’s worth substantially re-evaluating whether Bloodlines 2 lives up to its moniker as a sequel to a beloved classic, here’s hoping it can poke things from the merely ok territory Dominic Tarason spoke of in our review towards the unquestionably good realm. Mods will also likely help achieve that goal.