The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard
9
10
3
3
Crossbows and new Factions, better with Mods
As a piece of Downloadable content, Dawnguard is very flavorful (especially around Halloween). That said I would like to highlight the positive aspects of this DLC.
1. The new factions, the Volkihar Vampire Clan and the Dawnguard, are more fleshed out and enjoyable than their vanilla contemporaries, with better side quests, rewards and bases.
2. The Vampire Form and to some extent the upgraded Werewolf gameplay add new options for players to enjoy combat. They won't reach the level of a master artisan's armor set but they make rampages much funner.
3. Crossbows are more reliable than bows because every shot fired is fully charged, making them better for hectic short range encounters. Masterful bow users may have an easier time sniping distant enemies, but such encounters are rare. Crossbows have a more reliable rate of fire and advanced crossbows retain a 50% bonus against armor while still being fully enchantable. There is also nothing quite like hitting an enemy with the crossbow's stock before plating a bolt in them.
The negatives include tiresome quest lines and less than moderate pacing. If possible, don't buy this DLC at full price - there are plenty of download vendors across the web that you'll find it on sale sooner rather than later. If you are a steam user you can register said purchase and you'll be treated as if you bought it from Valve.
Review: A 7.5 on its own merits, +.5 with mod configuration = 8
A note about the mods, acquire one that distributes crossbows to other factions. It will make a replay all the more enjoyable to see said weapon being used more often. Indeed, PC users should stake out mods that enhance Dawnguard to get the full worth of this purchase. And for those wondering, No: Serana is not a marriage candidate.
11/11/12
An amazing dlc for the most amazing game.
Skyrim is my number 1 top game, i love all of it, their dlc, and specially the mods =). fantastic game.!!
10/23/12
awesome game
i been playing the xbox version and later im gonna get the digital download for the computer its fun and cant wait to play online
the A.I's could be more advanced though
8/30/12