Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 splits its campaign into a clear sequence of named story missions, with optional side jobs peppered throughout. The game periodically warns you that advancing the story will retire unfinished side tasks. If you want to see as much of Seattle as possible in one run, it helps to know the rhythm: what the main mission order looks like, which side quests exist, and when the game’s lockout gates appear.

Main mission order (spoiler-light list)

There are 21 named main missions. The list below reflects the core progression without plot details.

# Main mission
1The Cigarette Girl
2The Fires of Industry
3In Chains of Lead and Gold
4Prove Yourself
5In Memoriam
6To Founder on the Lethe
7A Work of Holy Innocents
8Blood Sisters — The Night Out
9Keep the Peace
10The Prince of Seattle
11We Don’t Do Ghost Stories
12Chewing the Fat
13The Pathway of Hesperides
14As Above, So Below
15The Mother
16The Streets Incarnadine
17Service, Pride, and Dedication
18In Fingertips of Rose
19The Coursing of the Rats
20A Kiss from Prospero
21Seattle’s New Normal
Note: Some walkthroughs describe the story as a larger set of chapters that fold in interludes and optional tasks. The named main missions above represent the spine of the campaign.

Side quests in Bloodlines 2 (what they are)

Side content tends to be short and self‑contained. Expect jobs that ask you to:

  • Fetch or deliver items.
  • Eliminate a target without breaking the Masquerade.
  • Clear out groups of enemies in a specific space.

These tasks are optional. The game will flag when advancing the story can retire any that are still incomplete, and you’ll get multiple chances across the mid‑to‑late chapters to wrap them up.

Known side quests and where they fit

You’ll see several named side quests surface between main missions. The following have been observed, with limited overlap between them and the core story beats:

Side quest Timing notes Lockout behavior
Turning Down the Heat Appears in the early midgame cluster around Keep the Peace Remains available after the first lockout warning
Taste and Discretion Appears in the same early midgame window Remains available after the first lockout warning
The Dutiful Beloved Appears in the same early midgame window Remains available after the first lockout warning
Putting Out the Trash Surfaces later alongside late‑act main missions Subject to later lockout warnings
Dish of the Day Surfaces later alongside late‑act main missions Subject to later lockout warnings
Tome Alone Optional thread near the To Founder on the Lethe stage Subject to lockout warnings in that window
Little Book of Blackmail Optional thread near the To Founder on the Lethe stage Subject to lockout warnings in that window
A Plaything Discarded Optional thread near the To Founder on the Lethe stage Subject to lockout warnings in that window
Tip: If you care about a side quest and you see a “progress will remove certain incomplete side quests” warning, finish it before advancing unless you know it’s one of the exceptions that persists.

Story gates that trigger side quest lockouts

The campaign presents multiple spoiler‑light alerts that moving forward will retire some optional content. You’ll encounter these warnings during transitions into several mid‑ and late‑act missions. Expect them around these points in the arc:

  • Early midgame: the cluster that includes Keep the Peace (with a few exceptions that remain available afterward).
  • Midgame: A Work of Holy Innocents and To Founder on the Lethe.
  • Late midgame into endgame: Prove Yourself, The Mother, As Above, So Below, The Pathway of Hesperides, We Don’t Do Ghost Stories.
  • Final act: A Kiss from Prospero and onward to the finale.

Use the on‑screen prompt as your checkpoint: when it appears, scan your journal and clear any side quests you don’t want to lose.

How long Bloodlines 2 takes with and without side quests

Plan on roughly 20–25 hours for a straight playthrough of the main missions. If you weave in side quests on a standard difficulty, a fuller run typically lands in the 35–40 hour range. Completionist runs can stretch beyond that.

Endings overview (spoiler‑light)

The story culminates in five distinct endings:

  • A City in Flames
  • A City of Anarchy
  • A City Most Fabulous
  • A City Restored
  • A City Unchained

If you’re replaying to see different outcomes, the 21‑mission backbone makes for a manageable second run—and you can ignore side quests if you’re focused solely on alternate finales.

Bloodlines 2 occasionally shifts perspective between characters while sticking to that 21‑mission spine. Treat side quests as optional flavor: dip in when you want more Seattle, but prioritize the ones you care about before lockout warnings appear.