The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn

Blog Post: A Nostalgia Trip of Epic Proportions

En Taro Tassadar — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 03:51:00 GMT

Ah, Dragonborn, the long awaited DLC for Skyrim that adds new areas to the game. My expectations for this particular DLC were heightened by the fact that I did not have enough money to buy it when it came out, and had to wait until Christmas to get it. All in all, I found this to be a rather pleasing edition to the masterpiece of fantasy role-playing that is Skyrim, definitely my favorite add-on to the game so far. So let's get down to business and go over the good and bad aspects of Dragonborn

One of the things that struck me most about Dragonborn is a surprisingly small detail, but made a large impact on me. This thing was the soundtrack, taken from the third installment in the Elder Scrolls series, Morrowind. Hearing this music sent me back to my childhood, when I fell in love with a game series called The Elder Scrolls. Anyone who has played Morrowind before they played Dragonborn will know what I mean when I say this DLC brings me back. The Silt Strider and the Telvanni settlement of Tel Mithryn also took me back. The nostalgia this DLC has for me, and would have for anyone who played Morrowind, is one of my favorite things about Dragonborn.

The main quest itself is satisfying, but shorter than it should have been. In case you didn't know already, it revolves around Miraak, the first Dragonborn (hence the title). The plot is well thought out for the most part, and the inclusion of Hermaeus Mora is intriguing, but it doesn't last long enough for you to get immersed in the game as much as you would come to expect from an Elder Scrolls game. I understand that Bethesda probably did this because they wanted a more detailed area and more side quests, but it feels like they were cutting corners, and I wouldn't have minded a larger download for a longer story.

There weren't many things wrong with Dragonborn, but there was one aspect of the game that disappointed me, even made me a little angry, was the dragon riding. When I first heard that Dragonborn was going to have Dragon riding, I almost jumped for joy. Dragon riding was something I thought Skyrim should have even before the game came out. Playing through the quest, I couldn't wait to ride a dragon, and when I finally did it, I could only think of one word to describe it: lacking. While you can technically ride dragons, the flight is on rails (usually the dragon just flies in a circle) and the combat is basically point and click. This brings me back to Bethesda cutting corners, and while it doesn't take away anything from the rest of the DLC, I don't see any reason that this couldn't have been done better.

The ability to use dragon souls to reset perk points was something that I found added to Skyrim's "no restrictions" play-style. If you get tired of playing as a mage, you can swap your perks onto the combat skills. Get tired of that, and you can move your perks onto the stealth skills. The perk resetting mechanic is a great way to add variety to your Skyrim experience.

The Black Books are also a very intriguing mechanic. You can use them to travel to Apothrica, Hermaeus Mora's plane of Oblivion. You go through very Lovecraftian levels and at the end, you get a perk that can effect your shouts, stats, or even give you a new ability.

All in all, Dragonborn is a solid addition to Skyrim. The world itself makes the game, and when you add on the quests, people, and gameplay, this DLC is well worth the twenty dollars it costs.

-ETT

Blog Post: Skryim Dragonborn Review SPOILERS

Jangle — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:32:00 GMT

We dive into the latest DLC for Skyrim. We return to Solstheim from the GOTY Edition of Morrowind to fight an ancient evil that has been awakened.

Story ( 1.75 / 2.5 ) - We return to Solstheim to encounter the very first Dragonborn, who seems to want to enslave the world using various dragon shouts. He can also bend dragons to do his bidding. You are charged with finding him and in the end, killing him. I couldn't help but wonder how much better the story could have been. During my playthrough, I wanted the story to be like this: The more you learn about Miraak the more you become him. The only way he can come back to the real world is to essentially take over another Dragonborn. As the quests progress, you learn his shouts and more about him. Miraak occasionally appears to talk to you about how you will experience the return of Miraak firsthand. So that's what I was hoping was going to happen. You would somehow slowly transform into Miraak by becoming him. Anyways, the story I thought was pretty short, and from my revision of the storyline, it wasn't too original. I felt like it should have been better. I will say that I did enjoy the Daedra realm of Hermaeus Mora or however you spell that.

Graphics ( 2.0 / 2.5 ) - Well, the graphics didn't change much from the base game. They added some Morrowind architecture that I really liked to see since I loved Morrowind. I did also enjoy the Lurker enemies even though I thought they looked very similar to I think it was Fallout New Vegas' bog monsters in the DLC, I can't remember. I also liked the Daedra realm, and it reminded me a lot of the twisted worlds in the Alice games, which I really enjoyed. Even though the base game textures, animations, and just overall quality were still the same, I still enjoyed seeing the newish content.

Sound ( 2.25 / 2.5 ) - This is probably my favorite part of the DLC. They brought back Morrowind tracks for this DLC. I absolutely loved the Morrowind music so I got excited when I heard them in this DLC. They were no different and not updated from the originals, which I am okay with. I also enjoyed one of the characters on the island bringing back insults such as "You N'wah!" and "Filthy S'wit" because those were from Morrowind as well, so that made me happy. However, you encounter these Riekling creatures that have only 2 death sounds, which make them extremely annoying to listen to since they attack in large numbers. They also sound strangely similar to Ewoks from Star Wars, which made it sound unoriginal.

Gameplay ( 1.5 / 2.5 ) - This was probably the worst, at least for me. I was max level and maxed skills so this definitely didn't help. Most of the gameplay is the same as Skyrim. You do encounter the Rieklings, who for me died in one hit from any of my legendary enchanted weapons. Some of them carry spears, but since they are much smaller than normal people, you can only use them as arrows for your bow. The spears do almost no damage and have extreme drop so they weren't really something that you would want to use as arrows. Also, from the trailers you see that you can ride dragons. Well, yes and no. You can get on dragons, but you can't control where they go. They are essentially on rails. You can only tell them to attack or land, and that is it so they could have completely left that out and I probably would have been happier since it was so crappy.

Replay ( 3 / 10 ) - I probably won't play this again anytime soon, but I may come back to it if I ever decide to start a new file.

So I would say this DLC is probably the best of the three, none of which are that amazing. If I wasn't max everything, I may have enjoyed this a lot more. So people that aren't max should have a lot more fun that I did and your rating would be a lot higher than mine, but for me, this DLC was decent at best.

As always, question, comment, add me, and have a nice day ^^

Blog Post: BEST DLC EVER

Andrewforbes88 — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 23:22:00 GMT

I love this game and this is the best DLC yet. I'm not going to spoil anything just get it!

Forum Post: about DragonBorn

Morgan long — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 07:28:00 GMT

Hello to everyone. I like this game named The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn. I mostly like the animation. Pls Give your own review,

Blog Post: Over rated

Tom Easley — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 03:41:00 GMT

Skyrime might be one of the most over rated games in history. With a loading screen for just about everything that happens in the game, average graphics and an unrealistic damage indicator for weapons, skyrime is a joke and so is this DLC. It is a joke for everyone in the gaming world.

Blog Post: You may have been the first, Miraak, but not the best.

The Ace Of Spades — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 23:59:00 GMT

Dragonborn is the best DLC yet for Skyrim. You get so much out of it I found myself diving back into the mainland with all my new loot and abilities. Pretty much everything about it is great. Even the Dragon riding is fun. People need to stop complaining about the dragon riding. Having full control would defeat the purpose of the game. Bethesda knows what their doing. I've already spent thousands of hours on Skyrim.....now I aim to spend many more!

Blog Post: Dragonborn

blogman — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 03:48:00 GMT

Dragonborn DLC for Skyrim is a breath of fresh Nordic frosty air. It is the first expansion for Skyrim to feature a completely new area to explore. For most players by now you have explored a majority of Skyrim. Dragonborn gives you a new area to travel and explore. While most fans have been asking for a return to Morrowind this expansion is close enough. The new Island Solstheim feels like a Skyrim/Morrowind blend. It keeps some similar aspects of Skyrim while adding in the mysticism that is associated with Morrowind such as the mushroom houses. The new dlc also offers up a new storyline of quests that feature an ancient dragonborn such as your character hell bent on returning to Tameriel. However the main story is a small chip of what makes dragonborn good. It is surprisingly short with about 5 hours of gameplay.

The better part of Dragonborn is the new armor and characters. While there is only one main town Raven Rock(yes the same name from Fallout 3). The Morrowind feel really resonates and so do the people. The first thing noticable is the new diverse enemy types. It was a good 10 min into exploring I found an Enemy from the base game.

The effects from Red Mountain are also evident seeing as there is ash in many places and on some parts of the island you can see Red Mountain in the distance still smoking. Overall the game delivers new content to keep you busy and multiple new smithing and alchemy opportunities. For those who felt dawnguard didn't deliver will be pleased with the new dragonborn dlc. It is definitely the best dlc for Skyrim so far. It is worth the 1600mp.

Blog Post: Skyrim: Dragonborn

playing.with.fire — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:17:00 GMT

The previous games to Skyrim were just to good. Now that The Elder Scrolls: IV it has been nothing but a breathtaker. It is now even more amazing with the DLC's. I have played multiple game add on's and they were fun, but all the Skyrim one's are just fantastic. I can never keep my hands off this game. I enjoy the graphics in Dragonborn, riding dragon's is my dream and it came true! The controls for riding one could be a bit better other than that this game gets a 9.00 from me. I hope to see more DLC's from Skyrim and yearn for more!

Blog Post: Definitely a great DLC

conesy — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:21:00 GMT

Simply put, this is a great DLC. Prior to this being released, my interest in Skyrim had been a little apathetic, perhaps to me playing it so much. However, a new island and quests to explore really has livened things up. I didn't really play too much of Morrowind, but having one foot in the doorway for Solstheim was great; the lore and the difference between Cyrodiil and Skyrim is fantastic. While it isn't too long, the quests offered are a nice change of pace, and really, they serve to add on to the Skyrim experience. For me, nothing new has really changed, but it does make me feel like even more of a victor when it comes to dealing with the new antagonist (who is gloriously evil). Definitely is a must buy.

Blog Post: Dragonborn - Nice Addition but Poorly Executed.

Samantha — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 02:46:00 GMT

There's a truly great concept behind Dragonborn, there really is, but the implementation of the material that was touched upon within the DLC is utterly lacking.

Bethesda had a chance to really introduce the player to new lore surrounding the history of the Dragonborn, but there wasn't a spark within the quest-line that really made the DLC stand out for me. Compared to Dawnguard (which also has its own negatives, don’t get me wrong) the main quest-line surrounding Miraak was so… bland, despite the fact his story had an incredible amount of potential. I feel like there should have been perhaps one or two more objectives before the battle with Miraak - I didn't actually realize I was going to face him until it was too late. Even then, the boss fight was rather confusing - the transition from flying on a dragon and entering combat was not smooth and, for a few moments, I was stuck in midair until Sahrotaar eventually died.

As for Hermaeus Mora, he steals the show.

The new locations are a pleasant surprise. I love the entire premise and layout of Apocrypha and adore the more shamanistic Nords of Solstheim, which, considering the island is a part of Morrowind, is Skyrim's first foray into out-of-country exploration. At first Solstheim appears to resemble Skyrim in landscape, however it soon becomes apparent of the different quirks it has - large mushrooms that were turned into houses, a more varied dungeon system, and due to the nearby volcano, some parts of the island are covered in ash and soot.

Of course, an array of new creatures/enemies are introduced, including one that strongly resembles a particular 'big stupid jellyfish' species from a more spacefaring game. Hands down my new favorite quasi-intelligent species of Skyrim is the Riekling. For some strange reason, after completing a quest-line associated with them, a Riekling warrior seems to be following my character around in secret, showing up to assist in my battles during the oddest times (like when I fought a Dragon Priest in some dungeon).

The new shouts are great as well (except for maybe one, which I'll get to in a second), and I do find myself repeatedly using ‘Dragon Aspect’ while in combat. As for 'Battle Fury', I figure my companions are fairly able, so it's not a shout I found myself falling back to.

Now, I have a bone to pick with the new ability to ‘bend wills’ and ride dragons. It was something I was hoping to see, however, it’s an overwhelmingly broken feature and an annoyance rather than a perk I would readily use. I suppose it’s crafted in such a way to mimic riding an organic being with a mind of its own. Alas, lazily flying in a circle and occasionally bouncing off the ground or a nearby mountain is so lackluster that it takes the fun out of using it. The targeting system is ridiculous as well, despite being targeted by an entire group of bandits, I was unable to stop locking onto a nearby guard, who I didn't feel the need to kill. It feels like a cheap ploy that was added in order to appease fans instead of an actual flushed-out feature.

For the most part, I regret spending the money I did on this DLC. I guess I was a bit bright-eyed for new Skyrim content, but there’s no real concrete material within it, just a few weak premises.

Blog Post: A unique experience!!

andrew scierka — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:57:00 GMT

i love that you can fly around on dra.........i also love using the Ben Will Sh......Cant wait to face a........Wearing my new set of............oh, ...wait,,,,,,,, i have a PS3.

Blog Post: Dragonborn dlc

rip403 — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:30:00 GMT

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This expansion over all is worth the buy, but there are a few things I was disappointed with.

First of all the dragon riding was absolutely terrible. The direction controls are obscure and hard to maneuver and shouting/ casting spell from the dragon seems almost pointless.

Secondly being a Morrowind fan i was upset by some of the geographical changes. while I understand the south part is covered in ash parts of the north are unreasonably shrunken down. and places like Lake Fjalding arent even a lake anymore, we minas well call it a freaking puddle.

On the better side of things. I did enjoy seeing red mountain again, even from a distance. and exploring a place i once explored many years ago was nostalgic. Also the quests where better written. less stereotypical campy help the bandits attacked my village crap. and i felt that the new adversary miirak was a well written enemy. There presentation of Hermaeus Mora. The new weapons armor and buildings are very detailed and well made.

Overall i thought this expansion was worth the money I paid for it, but IMO Bethesda got a little sloppy on this one and could have done way better.

-Rip403

Blog Post: Very Good DLC

HunterX6 — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:41:00 GMT

Beside what already been said in the main review, I like how you can see red mountain volcano, you can see the landscape damaged by the result of it while the other part untouched because of the mountain side protection, I would guess. The place is interesting to explore, the shouts,weapons and armor are also good. There is no new type of food you can cook and you cant bring your horse or even ride a stil rider just for the view. Also the story seem a bit short and not as personal as I would have thought. The First dragonborn does confront you a few times but not battle wise. The dlc is good in general if you already beat most if not all of skyrim. I only wish you could have full control of your dragon making it fly directly to different part of skyrim instead of a loading screen fast travelling.

Blog Post: Memories

SpadesOfSeven — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:26:00 GMT

To be honest, this new DLC for Skyrim was rather short in main story quests for it. It quickly made up for the 7 quest long story with the load of side quests. Seeing Solstheim again really brought back good memories of Morrowind. I love Bethesda for using Morrowind music at all times while you are in Solstheim, it just adds to the feel any more. They even attempted to bring back my favorite thing to do: Artifact Hunting. IT may not be as good as it once was, but it is enjoyable with what they gave us. Hearing what happened to Morrowind really got to me, not only did the Red Mountain erupt, Argonian's invaded. I personally say: Good job Argonian's! Bout time you gave those Dumner bastards what they deserve. However I felt bad for the Dumner as well, they lost a lot. All in all, this DLC is a must have for anyone wanting to relive the past to a certain extent. I enjoyed every part of it and is my favorite DLC for Skyrim so far.

Blog Post: A Skyrim DLC that was worth the wait

jon0326 — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 04:38:00 GMT

I loved the Elder Scrolls III Morrowind and Skyrim dragonborn DLC quickly reminded me of the experience. Sure it has a new coat of paint and is a bit different but the feel of it remains the same. Dragonborn is a excellent crafted story with Apocrypha stealing the show. This location is definitely the closest the Elder Scrolls has gotten to pure creepy. Miraak the antagonist of the story is much more memorable than most of the Elder Scrolls villains and in my personal opinion, the final fight with him is one of the highest points in the DLC and can be challenging especially on Master difficulty. My only real problem is the dragon riding, this has been something Skyrim fans have since the game was announced. Perhaps Bethesda Game Studios was pressured by fans or it's publisher into adding it but it feels broken and too linear. It's the only low point in the DLC that otherwise is an experience like none other. With the main story and other content packed in Dragonborn is a complete package that will have Skyrim fans wonder what will happen next.

Wiki: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn Guides

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 02:46:00 GMT

Guides for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn

Blog Post: good DLC, but i want expansion

Ninja1752 — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 23:58:00 GMT

I loved this DLC, dragon riding is bad though, but the new shouts are cool, the area is beautiful, and the dungeons are great. I only wish they would make the official expansion like Shivering Isles, something that includes Alduin's return, who were the Dragonpriests and who was Konahriik, or maybe an Oblivion Crisis mixed with a Dragon Crisis (dragons siding with the daedra)

Blog Post: More Skyrim

Refle18 — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 23:41:00 GMT

Dragonborn is the best DLC released for Skyrim so far and provides more Skyrim, which is exactly what you want. The gameplay and graphics are pretty much the same as the game but there seems to be more of a "Dark" feel to it. New enemies, weapons, armors, and shouts help make it feel like a new adventure. Riding a dragon is fun for about 10 seconds then you realize the limitations. There were many bugs which caused me to have to restart the final boss. The story is good and will keep you interested for the most part and the boss fight at the end is as good as Alduin's. Overall Dragonborn has its problems and disappointments but it is well worth going through and seeing all the new items and it is more Skyrim and what's not to like about that.

Blog Post: Good, but not amazing

Entity_of_Necron — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 23:32:00 GMT

When it came down to this expansion I really enjoyed getting out of Skyrim's winter wonderland. Then I went north in the small isle of Solstheim only to find, you guessed it, snow snow and snow. This forces me to beat my head repeatedly with my controller, but fear not, outside of graphical anomalies and the dreaded snow which we have hopefully all came to hate a beacon doeth shine for those searhing to get their moneys worth in this DLC.

My love affair began with forging my Dragonbone Weapons, which indeed kick some ass. Within the expansion however more and more options become available for armor that your character may use. Yes Dragonbone is still powerful, but it isn't as beautiful as some of the newer armors. Some of these armors are meant for lower level characters, but simply enough the addition of these armors are meant as a sign that Bethesda is finally on key for the Skyrim DLC's.

The main quest is also very memorable, dealing with the daedric lord of knowledge himself and Miraak proves to be a fun and exciting task. The final battle did have a minor glitch however... If you stood too close to the boss at times the game would act like he is not there and cause you to beat your head on the controller repeatedly. At this time I would like to say that a nerf controller would be awesome right about now.

Now you are probably thinking why 7.5 instead of 8 or 85. Well you see Dragon Riding is just that, it can be fun to sight see, but not of the same snow you have seen countless times over and over again. These dragons are also notorious carousels and love to fly in circles. But I beg you not to let this keep you from buying the DLC, it is a good rating and there is plenty of content to explore in multiple dungeons.

Blog Post: Graphics

xeron — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 23:19:00 GMT

The graphics may not look finished but that's why you get a PC. Modding equals Happy