Set in Boston in the aftermath of deadly shootouts that risk unveiling the existence of vampires to the world,Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansongtasks three vampires to ensure peace is maintained amongst the city’s warring factions. Throughout the story, players switch control between the intimidating Galeb of Clan Ventrue, the socialite Emem of Clan Toreador, and the mystical Leysha of Clan Malkavian in the hopes of unraveling the conspiracy behind these incidents.
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Thankfully, players have full access to the slate of abilities conferred by both their bloodline and experience. However, withSwansongresembling its TTRPG counterpart in its focus on narrative more than combat, just which abilities should players prioritize in thisVampire: The Masqueradegame?
6Dominate (Leysha, Galeb)
It’s no question that sometimes vampires become too compelling that people easily follow their will, and this is likely due toDominate. Ruling Ventrue and mysterious Malkavian often use this to compel others to do their bidding, andSwansonghas Dominate as a neat option for players who want to get straight to the point. At its most basic, Dominate (Tier 1) as a dialogue choice may now let players get more assertive while talking to others. The Hunger it costs to trigger this can lessen as the ability improves (Tier 2, 3, 5).
However, perhaps most important is the Iron Fist (Tier 4) Power, where the player’s next Skill may succeed without the need for Willpower. This is a tricky ability, however, as this can cost as high as 4 Hunger and as low as 3 Hunger when used. Considering how players may have more creative ways of resolving conflict, Dominate may not be asrelevant of a Discipline.
5Celerity (Emem)
Available only to the Toreador Emem,Celerityis theuncanny power of the blood to give Kindred superhuman speedand reflexes. While available to some other Clans,Swansongmakes Celerity available only to Emem of Clan Toreador. Across five levels, Emem can use Celerity to Blink across faraway anchor points (Tier 1, costs less Hunger in Tiers 3 and 5), slow down the environment for interactions like Pickpocket (Tier 2), and even use Celerity in dialogue options (Tier 4).
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Being a character-exclusive Discipline, Celerity is a must-improve for Emem. There are a lot of instances where Celerity can do a great deal in helping Emem grasp her surroundings better, and even interact uniquely with characters. More importantly, some situations require Emem to be able to travel across large distances quickly, making Blink very handy.
4Obfuscate (Leysha)
One of the signature talents of the Malkavian,Obfuscateallows vampires to manipulate blood to affect the way their environments interact with them. At its most basic, Obfuscate allowsvampires to hide in plain sight. However, at the extreme, Obfuscate may have others look at vampires differently or even forget about them entirely. In the game, Leysha’s Obfuscate allows her to become invisible at the expense of environment interaction (Unseen Passage, Tier 1) or copy the uniform of a target (Mask Of A Thousand Faces, Tier 2, 3, and 5).
Obfuscate becomes a handy ability throughout the game due to its wild gimmicks that may prompt unique responses from the game. These include interfering with technology or hiding objects against Unseen Passage (Tier 2) or even stealing someone’s identity (Tier 4).
3Fortitude (Galeb)
Asa Ventrue, Galeb has both the literal and figurative means to back up his intimidating nature. A Ventrue can useFortitudeas another way to bolster their noblesse oblige, as this Discipline allows their blood to augment their physical form. InSwansong, Galeb can use Fortitude not just to protect himself physically, but even to ensure enemies won’t get the upper hand in conversational duels. At its most basic, Fortitude lets Galeb withstand physical pain during exploration (Tier 1).
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However, upper Tiers allow Galeb to be more resilient and creative in dialogue. Galeb can tap into Walls Of The Mind (Tier 2) to defend himself against the Skills of others at the cost of decreasingly-less Hunger (Tier 3, 5). Moreover, Iron Will (Tier 4) may even allow Galeb to fortify his defenses against Disciplines. In crucial Confrontations against powerful individuals and other vampires, Fortitude can be an undeniably useful asset.
2Presence (Emem, Galeb)
Vampires are known for their sweet-talking charisma, and a lot of this has to do with how their blood can augment their innate appeal throughPresence. InSwansong, vampirescan use Presenceto lure people they talk to into being more favorable to them. And when investigating a murder, gaining a witness and especially a suspect’s trust is adamant. Thankfully, Presence in the game is straightforward: at its core, Presence (Tier 1) lets the Discipline become a Dialogue choice that offers a more charming way to respond to a situation.
Boosting this Discipline may make Presence more potent and cost less Hunger (Tier 2, 5). More unique to Presence is Silver Tongue (Tier 3), which charms the opponent enough to stop them from Focusing on Skills. And even without Silver Tongue, Presence at a potent-enough degree (Tier 4) may still lower the percentage of an opponent’s Focus increase. In a narrative-heavy game likeSwansong, subtle ways to control the odds such as Presence may be crucial.
1Auspex (Emem, Leysha)
Certain vampires gain a certain sensual acuity that their sensescan become more attuned to both the environmentand realms beyond. CalledAuspex, certain Clans can augment their senses to various degrees. In an exploration game likeSwansong, Auspex is incredibly crucial when it comes to spotting clues and gaining insights about both environments and characters. At its most basic, Auspex Vision (Tier 1) gives hints on how certain objects could be interacted with, while its upgraded form (Tier 2) can give interactions regarding the memory of an item.
However, things get more insightful on higher levels. At some point, Auspex Vision (Tier 3) can now give premonitions on future events, allowing players to know beforehand how certain actions can affect their endgame. Most importantly, Auspex at its most potent (Tier 5) can even reveal when enemies are going to Focus on Skills, which is relevant for almost all crucial dialogue scenes.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansongis available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.
