Vampires are, without question, the sexiest, coolest, and most beloved of all monsters; their lore stretches back centuries. It comes as no surprise then that there have been dozens of vampire related video games over the years. Though many, like Castlevania, focus on the SLAYING of vampires, there are some fantastic games that put you in the shoes of the vampires themselves, like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. V Rising is the latest entry to fill those shoes, and it might just be the best vampire-sim yet!
From developers Stunlock Studios, V Rising is an isometric open-world sandbox-survival game with action heavy combat and a focus on base building and crafting. V Rising is packed with vampire lore, from the need to feed on fresh blood to survive, being burnt to a crisp by the sun, building your own opulent castle, and creating your own vampire coven.
The Land of Vardoran
In ages past, vampires ruled over humans unknowingly, puppeting mankind from the shadows. But with the rise of the tyrannical Dracula, that veiled peace was broken. Lusting after power he subjugated the other vampire clans. Humans, caught in the crossfire, were pushed to near extinction.
In desperation, mankind turned to the heavens and were answered with the gift of holy light. The Church of Luminance pushed back the vampire onslaught and struck down Dracula himself. Vampires were forced into hiding, sleeping for hundreds of years.
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Feeling Dracula’s power coalesce once more, you are awakened from your slumber and set upon a path to take down Big D once and for all. To achieve your goal, you’ll need to reclaim your power and claw your way back to the top of the food chain… Even if you have to step on fellow vampire necks to get there.
Vampires are notorious for their lust for power and infighting. Different clans and covens will often clash to gain more power, willing to kill to get it. This rings true in V Rising with the PvP component of the game, you’re not the only vampire to reemerge, and you’ll have competition on your rise to power. Additionally, there are remnants of Dracula’s army still active in the world, and of course, Dracula himself to contend with. There’s plenty of vamp on vamp action.
Drinking Blood
The first thing I think about when I think of vampires is their compulsion to drink blood. Often any blood will work, we’ve seen vampires survive on wild animals over the years, but it’s human blood in particular that vampires crave. In V Rising, you awaken after hundreds of years and are thirsty! You start off draining rats for a bit of strength and work your way up the food chain: deer, wolves, bears… And eventually humans.
Running out of blood entirely will cause you to lose health and eventually die, so there is a continuous need to hunt. You can also use some of your blood reserves to heal from damage using the Blood Mend ability.
To a vampire’s palette, no two creatures’ blood is the same; even when supping on various humans, the range in quality could be likened to that of a bottle of budget cola versus a fine Chianti.
The better the blood, the more perks and buffs you will receive after drinking it.
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For example, the hardy blood of a worker will allow for faster resource gathering, a scholar’s blood brimming with knowledge will increase the power of your magic, while the blood of a warrior will pump up those muscles and buff your physical damage output. There are almost a dozen blood types to dine on in the game.
If you happen across a human with top-tier quality blood, instead of draining them on the spot, you might want to bring them home to your dungeon to keep as a pet… A pet you dine-on from time to time.
The Blood Hunger ability will turn your vision red and allow you to sense the type and quality of any potential victim in your line of sight.
V Blood
After the fall of Dracula centuries ago, the heavens rained cursed blood for seven days and seven nights. Many survivors of this downpour were mutated with Dracula’s power, carrying his essence and passing it down their bloodlines. Today, those descendants are called ‘V Bloods’, people and creatures with enhanced abilities and ancient knowledge locked within their DNA.
V Bloods are the apex predators of the land, but as a vampire, you can make their strength you own. Defeating and consuming their special blood unlocks ‘blood memories’ which grants you new skills and magic. For example, feeding on Alpha the White Wolf will grant you the ability to transform into a wolf, a taste of Finn the Fisherman will net you the recipe to make fishing rods, while the blood of Goreswine the Ravager will revive the knowledge of necromancy magic.
Along with base-building, hunting ‘V Bloods’ is the main path of progression in the game.
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Weaknesses
While vampires are formidable beings, they aren’t without their weaknesses. Famously they aren’t too fond of sunny beach trips or garlic bread.
Sun Exposure – The ever-moving day/night cycle in V Rising means you’re going to get caught in the sun from time to time. With no SPF 50 in these ancient times, vampires can’t linger in direct sunlight for more than a few seconds before the sun starts to burn them to cinders.
Within your castle grounds, a mist brazier can be used to burn bones, with the resulting smoke providing some shade. While out and about however you’ll need to stick to the shadows to avoid an ashy demise. Just be careful you don’t destroy your cover when gathering resources!
Garlic Exposure – In certain areas of the map, such as cotton farms, humans have hung garlic wreaths to ward off vampires. The longer you linger in these areas, the more stacks of garlic exposure are inflicted upon you, which incrementally increases the amount of damage you take and reduces the amount of damage you deal. No aioli on the menu around here.
Silver Sickness – When carrying items made with silver, like coins and ore, you’ll take damage over time, depending on the amount you’re carrying.
Holy Radiation – When trespassing on holy ground, such as the Fortress of Light, you will take damage over time. The amount you take is dependent on the strength of the holy radiation within the site itself.
There are various blood effects, potions, transformations and clothing items that can increase your resistance to these weaknesses and mitigate their effects.
Transformations
Another common staple of vampire lore is the ability to transform into other creatures, mostly famously the bat. V Rising leans into shapeshifting in a big way with multiple forms to acquire along your journey, after defeating specific enemies.
Shifting into a bat allows you to fly up high, above obstacles and terrain that are otherwise impassable. Though flying high during the day also means flying above any shade, meaning you’ll be exposed to direct sunlight and moments away from becoming fried bat!
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In wolf form, you travel faster than when running (though slower than on horseback) and the wolves of the world will not attack you, seeing you as one of their own.
Your bear transformation comes with crushing attacks that can destroy barricades like they’re breadsticks, as well resistance to many of the vampiric weaknesses: sunlight, silver, garlic and holy damage. Handy for quickly running through a sunlit area in the daytime, reducing the debuffs that exposure to garlic will give you, or hauling a treasure trove of silver back to your castle.
There are a handful of other forms to find, each with its own handy use cases; many revolve around stealth, an essential tool in any vampire’s belt!
Construct your Castle
Every vampire needs a refuge from the oppressive sun, a place to rest, recuperate and plot their next move up the ladder of power. V Rising takes this to heart, base-building is a major part of the game.
You’ll start out small; a stone floor, a few wooden walls, your castle heart and of course a coffin! But as you gather knowledge from blood memories, your fort will develop into a stronghold. New structures can be crafted to refine resources, which can then be used to craft better weapons, armour, and technologies. With improved gear, you can set out to hunt down more V blood and continue the loop.
From gargoyles, wall tapestries and stained glass windows, to floating candles, hunting trophies and your very own throne room; there are hundreds of cosmetic options to shape the necropolis of your dreams. You can also modify your appearance at any time, after crafting a mirror; ironic really seeing how vampires don’t have reflections!
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Your castle is a home and sanctuary, for not only you but your clan members and minions too. Vampires are famous for taking familiars as servants, with the promise of eternal life as a reward for their service. In V Rising, you can charm human NPCs to your side using vampiric blood powers, then either turn them into your underlings or throw them in a prison cell to snack on later.
Servants can be equipped with gear and sent out on missions to gather resources, or used to help defend your castle from hostile forces.
Keeping a blood-farm of humans in your dungeon will save you and your clan from having to go out and hunt regularly. Instead you could hold delightful dinner parties and wheel out your precious livestock for all to enjoy.
You can even capture humans infected with lycanthropy, throw them in a cage, and watch as your new pet werewolf transforms each night… Just be sure to keep them on a tight leash!
Form a Coven
While vampires often crave power, they also seem to be drawn together, forming covens/clans/families. Often ruled over by the oldest and strongest vampire, with younger vampires under their banner. There’s strength in numbers after all.
Grouping together with fellow player-controlled vampires in V Rising can be a smart strategy to survive attacks from rival clans in PvP, or to go on the offensive yourself. Pooling research and resources will see your coven rapidly grow in strength and your base transform into a formidable gothic palace.
If you’re feeling particularly generous you can expose your neck to a clan member, allowing them to feed on you. Doing so will share half of your blood reserves and current blood type with them. Sharing is caring.
The default clan size is set to four members but this can be increased up to ten within the server settings, meaning you and your mates can get pale and swear blood oaths together.
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V Rising
Vampire themes permeate the soul of V Rising. The gothic design, melancholic music and deep mechanics, all come together to expand the lore of those sexy bloodsuckers. It successfully fulfills the fantasy of being a strong and agile creature of the night, making you feel like a true apex predator. The game is both a love letter to the vampire and an excellent addition to the mythos.
So go and live out the best and worst of your vampire fantasies. Fly through the skies as a bat, feel your power grow under the blood moon, battle vampire hunters and angry nuns, wield dark magic, raise the dead, bend humans to your will or simply drain them dry.
V Rising is available now on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam.
A review copy of V Rising on PS5 was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this article.
