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Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines > Guides > jimbobslimbob's Guides
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XP Guide (with unofficial plus patch)
By jimbobslimbob
A guide designed to minimise the amount of XP wasted on skills you get for free via books and trainers.
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Created by
jimbobslimbob
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Category: Secrets, Walkthroughs
Languages: English
Posted
Updated
5 May, 2015 @ 4:17am
23 Jun, 2017 @ 2:47am
17,444 Unique Visitors
649 Current Favorites
Guide Index
Overview
Skills 
Skill Cost Reference 
Artifacts 
Comments
Skills
The following assumes 3 points put into Scholarship at start of game and a base Intelligence of 1 – which means a starting Research feat skill of 4.

* = First time the player invests in this skill. If required, you can invest (up to this many skill points) at any time up until this point.

Skill
Raise(d) by
How
Location
XP cost / (saved)
Result skill level
Santa Monica
Research must be at least 2
Stealth
1
3
1*
Stealth
1
Book
Apartment next to yours, Santa Monica
(3)
2
Computer
1
3
1*
Computer
1
Book
Santa Monica clinic
(3)
2
Dodge
1
3
1*
Dodge
1
Book
Room 211 at the Ocean House hotel
(3)
2
Firearms
1
3
1*
Research must be at least 3
Firearms
1
Book
Carson's apartment
(3)
2
Downtown
Brawl
2
6
2*
Brawl
1
Person
Nines, after the Sabbat warehouse
(6)
3
Intelligence
1
4
2
Research must be at least 5
Brawl
1
Book
Jezebel's Room at Empire Arms hotel
(9)
4
Intelligence
1
8
3
Research must be at least 6
Melee
2
6
2*
Melee
1
Person
Nines, after Elizabethan Rendezvous
(6)
3
Melee
1
Book
Skyeline Apartments 2, bedroom
(9)
4
Security
3
12
3*
Security
1
Book
Museum Basement, guard's room
(9)
4
Scholarship
3 (should already have this if you put starting skillpoints into Scholarship)
12
3*
Scholarship
1
Person
Beckett , in the museum basement
(9)
4
Hollywood
Firearms
1
6
3
Firearms
1
Person
Romero, after his cemetery quests
(9)
4
Computer
1
6
3
Computer
1
Person
Bertram, after you give him his CD
(9)
4
Chinatown
Scholarship
1
Person
Beckett, after the Giovanni mansion
(12)
5
Research must be at least 8 (Int 3, Scholarship 5)
Computer
1
Book
Internet Cafe, Hollywood
(12)
5
Intelligence
1
12
4
Research must be at least 9 (Int 4, Scholarship 5). Possible
diminishing returns from here on (Int. 4 costs 12. If you are going
to max 1 or more of the following: Melee or Dodge then carry
on)
Melee
1
Book
Fu Syndicate, locked room
(12)
5
Dodge
2
15
4
Dodge
1
Book
Giovanni Mansion, library
(12)
5
Intelligence
1
16
5
Research must be at least 10: diminishing returns (Int. 5 costs
16 vs Firearms 5 costs 12)
Firearms
1
Book
Society of Leopold, 2nd floor
(12)
5

Optional
Finance can be done any of the ways shown below depending on what you want to invest in it:

1. USE NO XP AND LEAVE AT 1
Finance Fat Larry (Psn) (After his Traffik quest)
MISS BOOK AND LEAVE AT 1

2. USE 3 XP AND LEAVE AT 2
Finance (1) (SHOULD NOW BE AT 2)
Finance Fat Larry (Psn) (After his Traffik quest)
MISS BOOK AND LEAVE AT 2

2. USE 6 XP AND LEAVE AT 4
Finance (2) (SHOULD NOW BE AT 2)
Finance Fat Larry (Psn) (After his Traffik quest)
Finance Book [Floor 6, Empire Arms hotel]

Progression Table (overview)
x = Manually levelled skill point
B = Skill from book
P = Skill from person

Skill
Progression
Spent XP
Saved XP
Stealth
x-B
3
3
Computer
x-B-x-P-B
9
24
Dodge
x-B-x-x-B
18
15
Firearms
x-B-x-P-B
9
24
Brawl
x-x-P-B
6
15
Melee
x-x-P-B-B
6
27
Security
x-x-x-B
12
9
Scholarship
x-x-x-P-P
12
21
Finance
x-x-P-B
6
15
Skill Cost Reference
Skill/Cost
First Level
Second Level
Third Level
Fourth Level
Fifth Level
Attributes
-*
4
8
12
16
Abilities
3
3
6
9
12
Disciplines
-*
5
10
15
20

*All starting characters get the first ranking in all Attributes and Disciplines, except for the Nosferatu who do not have any rankings in Appearance.
Artifacts
Below is a list of all artifacts that are obtainable during play. Artifacts increase stats or give special abilities as long as they remain in your inventory.

Artifact
Effect
Location
Galdjum
125% passive discipline duration
Skyline haven, Downtown
The Odious Chalice
Renewable blood storage
From Pisha as a quest reward, Downtown
Key of Alamut
+1 Soak
From Pisha as quest reward, Downtown
Weekapaug Thistle
+1 Defence
Grout's mansion
Tarulfang
-1 Frenzy
Grout's mansion basement
Mummyward Fetish
+ Regeneration
King's Way
Daimonori
140% Thaumaturgy damage
Tremere haven
Zharalketh
140% Obfuscate duration
Nosferatu haven
Heart of Eliza
+1 Melee
Quest reward from Mr. Ox
Antique Locket
+1 Security
Quest reward from Mr. Ox
Fae Charm
+1 Dexterity
Quest reward from Isaac
Rune of the Third Eye
Defense against Gargoyle
Quest reward from Strauss
Bloodstar
200% Bloodbuff duration
Quest reward from Strauss
Pearl of Dubai
+1 Celerity
Quest reward from Strauss
Saulocept
+1 XP extra for every 3 XP earned
Giovanni mansion crypt
Braid Talisman
+1 Computer
Library, Downtown
Tal'mahe'ra Blade
Sword with bonus aggravated damage
Hallowbrook Hotel basement
Flamethrower
It burns, it burns!
Society of Leopold
32 Comments
< >
Kobold 4 Apr @ 4:13am 
Nines will not teach brawl or melee beyond 3 so make sure you do not put more than 2 dots in those
repnir 27 Oct, 2023 @ 7:27am 
I'd like to add that you can get multiple copies of the same skillbook by selling it to a store, buying it back, using it, and buying it again
Лысый Иван (Ivan) 6 Jun, 2023 @ 8:18am 
Braid Talisman has been moved to Kamikaze Zen as reward from Mitnick.
cowboyfromhell 27 Sep, 2021 @ 7:32pm 
there's so many weird little orders you have to do things, like if you save certain quests from hollywood and chinatown for when you get the saulocept you can get 6 extra xp, and getting the security trinket (is that still a thing? it's hard to say after a million UPs) and the fae charm from Strauss means you only ever need to get your Dex to 2 and Security to 3
Vex Vane 14 Feb, 2020 @ 5:42pm 
Therese gave me 3rd point in Scholarship after accepting Ocean Hotel quest. I am not sure when that was added.
Kadra 7 Jun, 2019 @ 9:10am 
Also, the Pearl of Dubai gives +1 Charisma instead of +1 Celerity, this one must have been a typo.
Kadra 7 Jun, 2019 @ 9:09am 
The Firearms book from the Society of Leopold now requires Research 9 (tested on UPp 10.3)
Bronson 5 Jun, 2019 @ 9:05am 
Can confirm TheJediDoctor's post. Finance can be maxed by xx-p-b-p in that order.
TheJediDoctor 25 Jan, 2019 @ 3:02am 
May i add that for the Finance Skill you can sell drugs to Tripp (in Santa Monica), who doesn't seem to have a maximum skill level for his "discount" (just like Larry) so you can achieve Finance 5 as soon as you leave Santa Monica with only 6xp or leave it at 4 for 3xp.
It's useful when you're running a ranged character.

Plus, may I suggest you to throw in the base Charisma stat you'd need in order to get most out of the quests?
IE: the Therese/Janett quest awards you more point if you persuade them.
tru- 29 Dec, 2018 @ 3:16am 
There is no +charisma item in this guide (given by isaac after nosferatu quest)