Vampire Masquerade 2 Wiki: Clans, Disciplines, and Faction Reputation Guide
Expert guide to VtM2 clans, discipline powers, dialogue choices, and faction reputation. Learn clan strengths, weakness, and how to navigate Seattle's political web.
## Key Takeaways
**Clan choice drastically changes gameplay**: Each of the 7 playable clans has unique discipline powers that affect combat, stealth, and dialogue. The Brujah excel in brawling, while the Tremere dominate with blood magic.
**Disciplines scale with XP investment**: Level 1 powers cost 3 XP, Level 2 cost 6 XP, and Level 3 cost 10 XP. You can specialize in one path or mix across three disciplines.
**Reputation with factions like the Camarilla, Anarchs, and the Second Inquisition directly impacts quest outcomes and ally availability**. A +80 Camarilla rating unlocks a unique artifact in the Seattle Art Museum mission.
**Dialogue choices aren't just flavor**: Selecting the wrong line with a faction leader can lock you out of entire quest chains. For example, mocking the Anarch Baron in Chapter 2 triggers a permanent -50 reputation penalty.
**Disciplines**: Potence (physical damage), Celerity (speed), Presence (social manipulation)
**Best for**: Aggressive players who want to win fights through raw power. The Potence Level 2 ability "Pummel" deals 35 damage per hit and can stun enemies for 2 seconds.
**Weakness**: Low Auspex means you're vulnerable to traps and hidden enemies. You'll rely on brute force, not subtlety.
### Tremere
**Disciplines**: Blood Sorcery, Dominate, Auspex
**Best for**: Players who prefer ranged combat and crowd control. Blood Sorcery's "Blood Bolt" costs 5 blood points but deals 50 damage and ignores armor.
**Weakness**: Fragile in melee. Without Celerity or Fortitude, you'll die in three hits from a shotgun-wielding hunter.
### Toreador
**Disciplines**: Presence, Celerity, Auspex
**Best for**: Social encounters and stealth. The Presence Level 1 ability "Awe" gives +20 to all persuasion checks for 30 seconds.
**Weakness**: No direct damage disciplines. You'll need to rely on allies or firearms.
### Gangrel
**Disciplines**: Protean, Fortitude, Animalism
**Best for**: Hybrid combatants. Protean's "Claws" deal 20 damage per hit and can be upgraded to ignore armor at Level 2.
**Weakness**: Weak against social checks. No Presence or Dominate means you'll struggle in high-society missions.
### Ventrue
**Disciplines**: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence
**Best for**: Controlling the battlefield and dominating conversations. Dominate Level 2 "Forget" erases 5 minutes of target memory.
**Weakness**: Slow. No Celerity makes you easy to outflank in combat.
### Nosferatu
**Disciplines**: Potence, Obfuscate, Animalism
**Best for**: Stealth and infiltration. Obfuscate Level 1 "Shadow Cloak" makes you invisible for 10 seconds, but you can't attack while cloaked.
**Weakness**: -15 reputation with all human factions due to appearance penalties. You'll need to use proxies for social missions.
### Malkavian
**Disciplines**: Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate
**Best for**: Information gathering and confusion. Auspex Level 3 "Mind Reading" reveals hidden dialogue options in 60% of conversations.
**Weakness**: Random dialogue failures. Every 10th line has a 20% chance to be nonsensical, which can anger NPCs.
Discipline Powers: XP Costs and Strategic Choices
You start with one discipline at Level 1 and can unlock others as you level up. Here's the exact XP breakdown:
| Discipline Level | XP Cost | Example Power | Effect |
|------------------|---------|---------------|--------|
| Level 1 | 3 XP | Celerity: Dash | 50% faster movement for 5 seconds |
| Level 2 | 6 XP | Potence: Pummel | 35 damage, 2-second stun |
| Level 3 | 10 XP | Dominate: Puppet | Control a human for 10 seconds |
**My advice**: Don't spread your XP thin. Pick one primary discipline and level it to 3 before investing in others. A Level 3 power can turn a losing fight into a victory, while Level 1 powers are mostly utility.
**Camarilla**: Traditional vampire society. Favors obedience and secrecy.
**Anarchs**: Rebel faction. Rewards defiance and destruction of Camarilla property.
**Second Inquisition**: Human vampire hunters. Tolerated if you hide your nature.
**The Unaligned**: Neutral vampires and humans. Most quest-givers belong here.
### How Reputation Affects Gameplay
Each faction starts at 0 reputation. Every dialogue choice or action adjusts this by -10 to +50 points. Here's a concrete example:
In Chapter 1, you meet Prince Lacroix of the Camarilla. He asks you to eliminate an Anarch safehouse. If you:
Accept the mission: +30 Camarilla, -20 Anarch
Refuse: -20 Camarilla, +30 Anarch
Negotiate a middle ground: +10 to both (requires Persuasion 3)
**Reputation thresholds**:
**+80**: Unlocks faction-specific missions and unique items. The Camarilla gives you the "Silver Stake" at +80, which deals 100 damage to supernatural enemies.
**-50**: Faction becomes hostile. Guards attack on sight, and vendors refuse service.
**0 to +50**: Neutral. Standard quests available.
### Dialogue Choices That Matter Most
I've found three critical dialogue moments:
1. **Chapter 2, Seattle Docks**: The Anarch leader asks for your help smuggling weapons. If you betray them to the Camarilla, you gain +50 Camarilla but lose all Anarch quests permanently.
2. **Chapter 3, University**: A professor suspects you're a vampire. Choose "Play dumb" (requires Intelligence 2) to avoid suspicion, or "Threaten" to gain -20 reputation with Unaligned but +10 Anarch.
3. **Chapter 4, Nightclub**: A Malkavian seer offers a cryptic warning. Accepting the information costs 5 blood points but reveals a hidden path in the final mission.