OXCGN’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Dawnguard DLC Review
Wondering whether or not to buy the new Skyrim DLC?
by Aaron Keiser
©2012 Aaron Keiser
Wondering whether or not to buy the new Skyrim DLC or not?
Let me be the first to tell you that it was (and is) more than I was hoping for, and is overall one of the best DLCs for any Elder Scrolls game that I’ve played.
And it was worth absolutely every penny.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a die-hard Elder Scrolls fan… but I was seriously expecting Dawnguard to be a flop. I’ll try not to spoil anything.
Decisions, decisions…
The story of Dawnguard specifically concerns a Volkihar vampire lord named Harkon, who has returned to end the tyranny of the sun.
Players are presented with a tough choice: do I want to help the Volkihar vampires and kill the sun, or do I want to help the Dawngaurd and end Harkon’s quest?
Some may be disappointed, but that is the biggest decision that you will make in the quest line of Dawnguard.
This DLC gives players two different paths to choose from, as far as the main quest is concerned.
The main quest isn’t what I was most thrilled about, though. I was more amazed as to the new weaponry and combat styles, not to mention the perk trees for vampires and werewolves!
Players will experience two major game changers in Dawnguard during their travels.
First, that you don’t have to get off of your horse to fight unless you’re casting spells, and second, players now have an arsenal of crossbows at their disposal.
In my playtime, the main quest took me roughly seven to eight hours to play through each path (including most side quests).
Crossbows, werewolves and perks… oh my!
I felt like Van Helsing as I was slaying vampires with the new crossbow.
These machines fire deadly bolts at targets and are the best ranged weapons in the game.
There is a catch, however: reload time.
It takes a good amount of time to reload these suckers, and it in turn leaves you helpless against the hordes of vampires or whatever it is you’re fighting at the moment.
Both vampires and werewolves had their advantages before this DLC, but now It’s like each was given steroids.
I absolutely love what has been done with the Vampire Lords in Dawnguard. Their perks and powers make werewolves look like My Little Pony or some silliness of that sort.
Wrapup
There is a character now at the Ragged Flagon that can do a facial makeover if your character isn’t as badass as you had anticipated. (Note: you can’t have your face reconstructed if you are not among the living – Vampires this means you!)
Dawnguard provides a lengthy addition to Skyrim that will suck you back in not just for more masquerading around on your high horse (literally, since you can now fight on horseback), but for the interesting narrative that it proposes.
You can queue up The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Dawnguard for 1600 Microsoft Points ($20USD) today on Xbox 360, with it coming later to PlayStation 3 and PC.
“9/10
©2012 Aaron Keiser
Filed under: Console gaming, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Game Reviews Tagged: | Dawnguard, dawnguard reveiw, Elder Scroll, elder scrolls v, elder scrolls v skyrim, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Dawnguard, Playstation 3, skyrim dawnguard review, Skyrim DLC, Skyrim dlc review, Vampire, Van Helsing, Xbox, Xbox 360
