Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2‘s Halloween update brings a pile of new character options and a stack of stability fixes, and the studio says it is considering giving players the option to play only Phyre’s side of the story on a second playthrough.
The update adds 24 new customization options: eight hairstyles, eight makeup styles, and eight new eye colors. The new items are flagged with a pumpkin icon in the menu so the more outlandish looks – hair horns, permanently bleeding eyes, and a gold domino kink mask – are easy to spot, while subtler options such as cornrows and pale blue irises are included too. You will need to start a new playthrough to use the new cosmetics.
Beyond cosmetics, the patch lists a long set of crash fixes and gameplay bug corrections. The developer also notes it is considering adding the ability to skip straight to only Phyre’s side for a second playthrough – a change that would let people bypass the game’s linear detective sections on repeat runs. Modders are already working on fast travel and ways to make those detective segments skippable, and this would offer an official alternative.
Patch Notes – Halloween update
Fixed Crashes
- The game freezes while following the scent during the objective “Follow Verona’s Scent”
- Title crash during the combat on top floor of South Main ST. Parking
- Title crash after killing enemies or Miranda near Aurora Pawn Shop during Onda’s side quest in The Pathways of Hesperides
- Title crash after setting the quality preset to Medium from Ultra near the distraction tutorial
- Title crash upon restarting the checkpoint while opening the rear entrance to the ‘Hole in the Wall’ bar
- Random game crash during the combat on the rooftop of C_07 building while progressing through the ‘Meet Katsumi at the hole in the wall’ objective
- The game froze during the objective “Track down and deal with Edward” in the side quest of Niko “The Violent Glove”
- The game froze and terminated while climbing up the tower via roofs in the Square Room
- Title crashed when progressing through “To Founder on the Lethe” and reached Plastic Factory
- Game crash when the player was in combat during the final battle
- Game crash on transition screen after ‘The Prince of Seattle’ Chapter in Performance Mod
- Game crash/fails to boot when starting the game
- Game freezes and crashes randomly after reloading from the last checkpoint and re-engaging in combat near the elevator door
- Random game crash after restarting from last checkpoint after killing Alicia during Niko’s side quest ‘The Betraying Bracelet’
- Game crash upon input at “Press Any Button” screen when launched from Epic Launcher
Fixed Bugs
- Player permanently lost jump functionality when spamming jump key while feeding on the Stealth tutorial Ghoul
- Objective and map marker fails to update after restarting from last checkpoint upon completing conversation with Gideon’s glasses
- Bypass first Unbirthed combat encounter, breaking objective update flow
- Player got stuck inside the broken elevator when attempting to climb the shaft during telekinesis tutorial
- Scent trail & Fabien’s dialogue fails to trigger upon interacting with the dead Ghoul behind Makom bar
- Dash tutorial failed to trigger when jumping into the “Strike from Above” sequence in the quest “To Taste a Foreign Body”
- Fabien’s dialogue fail to trigger and toilet door failed to highlight after eliminating all Sabbat Ghouls in Verona quest
- Interaction prompt fail on the Atrium entrance door after conversation with the bouncer if restarting from checkpoint at Ryong
- Player is unable to interact with Lou’s door after warning Verona and marking another NPC
- Unable to get through crack in the wall in the sewers
- Clan-specific dialogue options missing in localizations
- Melancholic NPCs fail to respond to aggressive dialogue prompts while wearing “The Priest” outfit
- The Makom Bar board is incorrectly placed on the emergency ladder of the SoulCraft building
- Melancholic NPCs fail to respond to second & third dialogue prompts while Toreador outfits are equipped
- Player loads into Willem’s Car Park after loading a save of the quest titled “In Memoriam” on the Main Menu
- Phyre dialogue overlaps and subtitles disappear after skipping the dialogues during different conversations
- Checkpoint to Disable thermal barrier fails to update and I.A.O. enemies do not spawn at Harbour Island
- Objective waypoint missing on the in-game HUD for all Quest NPCs on the map when exiting the Police Station
- “Report to Officer Smith” objective skips after collecting photo from Officer Jones
- Gramophone music fails to trigger if the player restarts from the last checkpoint during the music puzzle sequence at Willem’s Plastic Factory
- Heightened Senses activates incorrectly after restarting from the last checkpoint “Basement_PostFeed” during the “To Taste a Foreign Body” quest
- Player fell out of the world near the first generator after defeating the enemy and sprinting towards the generator
- The VFX of the Toreador clan passive ‘Cat’s Grace’ VFX remains active indefinitely when triggered during feeding with Spark of Rage perk active
- Niko fails to give the Elixir reward if the player completes the side quest ‘The Derelict Picture’ without breaking the Masquerade
- Gideon flickers at the entry of Safia during “MDSirePast_100_GideonAndSafia_Chat” conversation
- Controller vibration intensity remains the same even when switching to 50% intensity
- Missing VO for Clan-specific dialogues
Fixed Achievements
- The ‘History Buff’ trophy unlocks correctly if the player interacts with all audio exhibits without listening to the dialogues at the Seattle Underground Tour
- “What Sup?” achievement count does not update after feeding on Choleric NPC
If the cosmetic changes are the main draw, note you must begin a fresh character to access them. If a second-run option that focuses only on Phyre lands in a future patch, it will be a tidy concession for players who want to skip the game’s more linear detective beats on replays.
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