Bloodlines 2 looks great, but this VTM Skyrim mod is the thing I'm craving

Before Bloodlines ascended to flawed greatness, there was Nihilistic Software's Vampire: The Masquerade: Redemption. Trading out the neon lights and grimy streets of Santa Monica for the equally dirty battlefields of 12th-century Prague, you're cast as Christof Romuald, a wounded crusader turned Brujah with a penchant for slaying Tzimisces. Thrust into the World of Darkness head-first, you embark on a country-hopping journey that either ends in a lost love rekindled, or a heck of a lot of blood. While Bloodlines will always be the poster child - something Bloodlines 2 is hoping to change - Redemption is a great story that's absolutely worth playing, even if it's a tad dated.

Over the past few years, a group of modders led by 'Galejro' has attempted to remaster Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption in Skyrim, bringing the age-old RPG to a new engine and giving it the glow-up it desperately deserves. In 2024 the team confirmed that even though Paradox (the owners of the World of Darkness IP that VTM is part of) had OK'd a remaster of the project, Activision, who published the original game, axed it completely.

It looked like Galejro and co's Skyrim mod had died a death, but in 2024 the team confirmed that they would forge ahead with building a mod inspired by Redemption, without Activision's specific intellectual properties. Rebranded Vampire: The Masquerade Reawakened, the project came back to unlife once more - thankfully, it was just in Torpor.

Things have been quiet since then, but on Friday September 26 Galejro posted a brand new video, which they describe as "the last development report." Why? Reawakened finally has a release window, and the team's working on a second mod to go alongside it.

So let's start with the changes to Reawakened. The team has completed 25% of Prague's main questline, with the introductory quest and its associated cutscenes all boxed off. New voicelines have been added, and there's been some changes to the initial Tzimisce encounter to remove any direct references to Redemption.

Facial animations have been updated, and Ecaterina (now Katerina) the Wise has never looked so haunting. Anezka is absolutely gorgeous too. Weapons have also been remastered and you can wield them differently depending on your stance, giving you more flexibility in combat. The creatures you're going to be embedding them in have also received a fresh lick of bloody paint, and they look absolutely terrifying.

Then there's been changes to the Coterie mechanic, too, with Reawakened allowing you to switch between different members of the Coterie for the first time. You can set them to react passively or aggressively, too, but as a hopeless Toreador, you know I'll be playing as Lily. Note that you can't currently interact with the world or use your character's specific disciplines (Galejro says they're unsure if you'll ever be able to), but either way, it's a great new addition.

You can see all of the changes in the video below, including the adjustments to some disciplines (Celerity, for example, is less OP), as well as the reworked Humanity system, which will function more like Bloodlines 1.

But there's even more where that came from. Galejro has also confirmed that the team is working on a new series of mods called Vampire: The Masquerade - Chronicles, which are smaller, one-shot-style stories with a fully functional character creator, and two unique chapters that are dependant on your clan choice. Staying true to the lore, you'll be offered the choice between Cappadocian (now Hecata), Nosferatu, or Tremere, with Gangrel and Ventrue appearing at a later date.

It also incorporates Skyrim's bribe/persuade/intimidate system, the boon system (which allows other characters to complete quests for you), and influence, which, as you likely expect, can affect the price of goods and NPC's reactions to you.

Finally, the team is currently in conversation with NexusMods to create a new sub-website for Chronicles and Reawakened's launch. Backed by the colossal Beyond Skyrim and Skyblivion mod teams, the ultimate goal is having a Fallout London-style portal for all things Reawakened.

The Vampire: The Masquerade - Reawakened Skyrim mod is set to launch in Q3 or Q4 of 2026. Galejro states that "you certainly won't see the release date in the first two quarters of 2026, and don't be surprised if we propose Halloween or even Christmas for release." They note that everything is "looking quite good," and even tease potential beta tests, which is music to my ears. Count. Me. In.

In the meantime, the Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 release date is just over the horizon, but don't be there when the sun comes up. If you, like me, can't wait to sink your fangs into The Chinese Room's new adventure, check out my Bloodlines 2 preview for a glimpse into what to expect, as well as our rundown of all the Bloodlines 2 clans so that you can theorycraft ahead of time.

What's your favorite Vampire: The Masquerade game? Let us know on Discord - mine, unsurprisingly, is Bloodlines, but Shadows of New York is a close second.