Skyrim’s Dawnguard – Worth the $20 Admission?

The massive world of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim got even bigger recently with the addition of the anticipated Dawnguard DLC.  Does the $20 entry fee provide enough new content to further fill the already content filled game? I think so, and heres why.

Dawnguard adds a fairly large new quest line named, you guessed it – Dawnguard. Vampire attacks are on the rise and in response an ancient order of vampire slayers have rebuilt to combat them. Players join the elite Dawnguard to fight the growing menace, but things quickly become more dire than just random vampire attacks. After players rescue an important vampire lord possessing an Elder Scroll you have a big choice to make, join the vampires in their quest to blot out the sun, or continue on with the Dawnguard and stop them at all costs.

Doing all the quests for one faction will take you at least four or five hours, however players will want to experience the quest line from the opposite perspective on another character to get all their money’s worth. In addition to more quests, new weapons, spells, armor and dragon shouts are added as well.  The most visible addition is the crossbow, which allows players to pack an even bigger punch at range. All the archery perks apply for the crossbow, so ranged assassins need not worry about starting from scratch with the new weapon.

By far the DLC’s biggest selling point though is the new vampire form and perk trees for both vampire and werewolves. The new vampire form transforms the player into a grotesque winged monster, wielding a drain life spell in one hand and a raise dead in the other. Previously playing as the clumsy and weak werewolf was for all intents and purposes useless. This DLC however adds a little more bark to the werewolf’s bite. Now while earning kills either in werewolf or vampire forms players can upgrade the performance of their alternate forms, opening up a whole new avenue for combat. Transforming still takes far too long to be practical in the middle of combat, but if done before hand can be a legitimate plan of attack.

All in all, the Dawnguard DLC is a well put together package that adds enough content to justify the $20 investment.  For fans of the game who feel like they have exhausted the existing material, purchasing this DLC will be a no brainer, but players still fighting their way through the majority of Skyrim, unless you are a big werewolf or vampire fan, might want to hold off.

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