When Vampyr, the dark gothic action RPG by Dontnod Entertainment, appeared early this June, it was instantly clear that it had the makings of the cult classic. The game boldly discarded almost all modern stereotypes about vampires, and returned to the very source of vampire folklore, offering us the sobering story of the undead infestation in the post-war London stricken by the pandemic of the Spanish Flu. Vampyr also taught us an important lesson: it showed us that is much harder to be a vampire than Hollywood movies and the romantic mainstream of popular literature would falsely have us believe – especially if, like Dr. Jonathan Reid himself, you’re a guilt-ridden soul, at the same time tormented by the unbearable thirst and noble notions of morality and decency.

This exactly leads us to our point: no matter how ancient, worldly or experienced, from time to time every vampire needs someone who’ll teach him the hard-earned wisdom of the centuries and point him or her in the right direction. Allow us to fill in the regrettable gaps you might have in your vampiric education and assume the role of your all-knowledgeable sire. Without further ado, this is our small compendium of the most important tips and tricks for the phenomenal Vampyr that will guarantee the success of your vampiric career, and make you the best vampire you can be, regardless of the path you’ve chosen to tread.

Think before you kill

That’s right. That’s the first and probably the single most important advice we can give you for the entire game. Now, if you’ve so far only played vampire-themed games such as those from the Legacy of Kain series or BloodRayne, you’ll most likely be tempted to recklessly jab your fangs into the lily-white neck of the first defenseless damsel you’ll come across, or drain the first plump publican who unsuspectingly dares to offer you a pint of bitter. Of course, that’s all perfectly normal when you’re a vampire, but just remember that this is actually an RPG and that every unwarranted kill can have far-reaching repercussions. By doing so, you’ll potentially kill a character of a pivotal importance in the later phases of the game. At the very least, you’ll lose an important clue or vital thread in the storyline. Finally, each body you leave on the streets can help in the spreading of the epidemic, so carefully weigh the consequences of every kill.

Conversation is your best option

While this might sound like something Gandhi would say, in the case of Vampyr it’s actually totally true. Whether you can’t wait to indulge in your dark vampiric appetites, or you prefer to keep your fangs to yourself, the communication with NPCs is incredibly important. Even if you plan to drain them afterward, talk to every single character you encounter on your nightly jaunts until you’ll exhaust all conversational options. Not only that it will provide with fuller, more satisfying gaming experience thanks to the abundance of information you can learn about characters, their backstories, and the setting, but it can potentially introduce you to a bunch of side quests. This approach is particularly important for those players who’ve chosen to abstain from excessive blood binging, since that way they’ll get the alternative source of XP.

Blood is life

Now, although it looks like we’re stating the obvious, even vampires with a guilty conscience have to feed sometimes. In this game blood is not just an invigorating sustenance that will fill your health bar, but also one of the main sources of XP – certainly the easiest and the most convenient, since on average, you can get between 1500-3000 XP in one delicious, slurpy bite. That’s why, in the case you don’t mind being the bad guy, feeding and draining blood is the absolutely the fastest way to level up and become an uber powerful vampire you’ve always wanted to be. Of course, if you aren’t particularly squeamish, there is also an alternative source of blood – rats. Although admittedly not too nutritious and certainly not particularly appetizing, if post-war London abounds in one thing, that’s rats. All that makes them a very practical source of blood, especially since they are just about the only thing that will provide you with nourishment between combats.

Don’t be a sleepyhead

One of the things you can’t fail to notice when you enter your quarters at Pembroke Hospital, or just about any other hideout in the game, are beds. However, it’s not advisable to take nap every time you’ll feel like it, not even if you want to specifically allocate some XP and upgrade your vampiric abilities. A much better tactic is to wait to accumulate a significant amount of XP, and only then proceed to sleep. The reason behind that approach is simple: each time you sleep, the game will calculate all the things you’ve did in the previous day. That means that state in a certain region might significantly deteriorate or get better – all depending on your actions. For instance, if you’ve neglected your patients, or pestered entire districts, leaving the heaps of dead bodies behind you, that certainly won’t help your efforts in containing the epidemic. In the case that the conditions in a certain area reach the critical state, you’ll lose all available quests and the particular region will be filled with enemies – which also means that you’ll lose a valuable source of blood. That’s why, after a good night’s (or, in this case, day’s) rest, if you notice that you’ve perhaps gone a bit overboard with your actions, reload the position and try to make things right.

It pays off to be a healer

And while we’re on the topic of making things right, it truly pays off to provide at least some sort of medical care to the unfortunate citizens of London. Not only it will make you feel better about yourself (providing that you’ve chosen the path of restraint), but for every person you’ve healed, you’ll earn 50 XP. True, this might seem kind of pathetic in the comparison with the generous amount of XP you’ll get by killing people. However, particularly in the latter stages of the game when the epidemics escalate even further, you’ll easily heal dozens of people per night. Even if you’re that cynical to perceive people only as potential victims, at least healthier patients will provide you with greater quantities of fresh blood. More importantly, by healing citizens, you’ll also be able to improve the general status of their district.

Decide on your approach early in the game, and stick to it

You know how they say: jack of all trades, master of none. Well, that’s exactly what is going to happen to you if you don’t follow this advice. There are two angles to this that you’ll have to keep in mind. First of all, in order to ensure the best possible outcome, you have to make up your mind whether you’d like to walk the path of light (so to speak), honoring the humanitarian creeds of your medical profession, or you’ll indulge in your darkest, most beastly appetites. Now, this choice might sound like a relatively simple problem of moral ambiguity, but it actually has important practical implications. If you decide to spare NPCs from your mesmerizing vampiric embrace, the game will be considerably more difficult, since you’ll certainly lack XP to upgrade your abilities. On the other hand, spread your reign of terror, and you’ll be more powerful, but there will also be fewer NPCs that could provide you with side quests and invaluable hints. Walking the middle ground also isn’t a good choice, since that way you won’t be able to reap the full benefits of either approach. The other important thing you’ll be quickly forced to decide is how you’d like to develop your character. Carefully pick few skills that you think that will benefit be the most beneficial the most your particular play style, and level them up completely, rather than spending XP on a bunch of half-developed and ultimately ineffective skills.

Of course, the world of Vampyr is deeply complex and frustratingly challenging, where everything you do influences not only yourself but also the entire communities of (mostly) blameless people. That’s why we’ve opted for these essential tips & tricks that are guaranteed to help you find your bearings in the grim post-war London and become the best vampire you can possibly be. Heed them, and you’ll be well on your way to join the pantheon of revered fictional vampires such as Dracula, Sir Francis Varney, Karmila and many others.