The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard DLC Review

Rock, Paper, Shotgun is offering one of their customary “Wot I Think” scoreless reviews dedicated to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s DLC Dawnguard. They criticize it for simply adding more content on top of the main game and not really doing anything meaningful, and compare it unfavorably to the mods that have been developed for the title:

Were this a positive write-up I’d probably be offering nitpicks by way of balance about now, so let me do the inverse. There are a few aspects of Skyrim which deserve honourable mentions, primarily because they have some benefit to the base game rather than just the underwhelming new campaign. I can’t detail the greatest of these, due to the dread spoiler-beast, but it’s a particularly entertaining new dragon shout. Also in there are some new spells which will please anyone who felt Skyrim gave Necromancy short thrift, and a couple of gosh-wow environments where the game removes the mountains and presents you with an enormous, sweeping space.

Dawnguard certainly doesn’t leave any deep wounds in Skyrim, and there is something to be said for simply throwing a load more toys into its big old sandbox. I’m a big fan of Skyrim (though do retract my perhaps reckless earlier assertion that it’s better than Morrowind, as it hasn’t left enduring memories or pub anecdotes in the way TES3 did) and Dawnguard hasn’t changed that. The trouble is that it’s a series of great ideas let down by what seems like half-hearted execution and, of course, that price. Take 50% off that frankly scandalous $20/£14 tag and I wouldn’t be half as cross with it. Instead, here’s Skyrim’s one true bloodsucker.