Lofty ambitions have made the wait for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 a long one, but if you own Crusader Kings III, you can scratch that undead itch with one of its many mods. Dubbed Princes of Darkness, the new total conversion mod is inspired by the iconic vampire games series, transforming the medieval backdrop into the World of Darkness and putting the player in the shoes of a ruling vampire during the 13th century.
Inspired by Dark Ages: Vampire, Vampire: the Masquerade, Vampire: the Requiem, and more from the series, being a supernatural creature of the night bleeds into everything, from unique abilities and magic to immortality. You won’t die of old age, at least, but you will still have to watch out for those that want your head.
Many Crusader Kings III mechanics and concepts have been adjusted to fit the new narrative. Since you’re undead, you cannot have children and succession is less important, but much like real life, marriage is still useful in a political capacity. Religion is even more important in the mod than it is in the main game, deciding your philosophical tenets and preventing you from succumbing to the Beast.
Princes of Darkness has landed with impressive timing, mere days after Crusader Kings III launched on Steam and Xbox Game Pass for PC, but this isn’t entirely a new idea. The same developers had previously created a popular mod of the same name for Crusader Kings II.
While Princes of Darkness is highly praised by the community, some have voiced concerns about balancing. Fortunately, the developers are incredibly vocal with an established dialogue, hard at work perfecting the experience while we continue waiting for the Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 release date.
You can support the creators of the Princes of Darkness mod on Patreon, and even help decide the next elements to be added.