The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard

 PC
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 336 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 173 out of 336
  2. Mixed: 116 out of 336
  3. Negative: 47 out of 336

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  1. Dimocracy
    Jul 6, 2023
    9
    The best DLC for Skyrim. I really like the vampire aesthetic and all that, so it was fun to go through.
  2. nastyjes
    Apr 20, 2023
    5
    This DLC is just okay. Turning into a vampire is just as useless as turning into a werewolf. Maybe a little more fun.
  3. Giero
    Jan 3, 2023
    8
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  4. katieelizabeth
    Jan 8, 2022
    6
    I am mixed on this dlc. It has a great companion, lots of new interesting environments, you can become a vampire, and it adds crossbows. But some of the areas are utterly massive and really difficult to navigate naturally. The Soul Cairn area all looks the same and features a lot of copy/paste to me. Even with the in-game map, I have no idea where I am going as very little is marked orI am mixed on this dlc. It has a great companion, lots of new interesting environments, you can become a vampire, and it adds crossbows. But some of the areas are utterly massive and really difficult to navigate naturally. The Soul Cairn area all looks the same and features a lot of copy/paste to me. Even with the in-game map, I have no idea where I am going as very little is marked or unique. The dlc features a lot of scavenger hunt quests in these massive environments too where there are no quest markers to help you. You absolutely have to use a guide on steam to find all the points of interests - I doubt 99.9% of people found half of them or completed the various side-quests. The quest rewards for this boring, tedious content is also extremely mediocre. Very frustrating dlc. Sometimes less is more, and these bigger environments like Soul Cairn needed to be axed down to their essentials. A lot of the environments just overstayed their welcome for me. It could have been lot tighter.… Expand
  5. UncleEd
    Feb 25, 2021
    8
    I played the vampire storyline as a diehard fan of vampires. I like the addition of vampires, but this DLC is a bit sloppy. There are way more bugs than the original game. You will have very long walks in between missions, which aim to extend the gameplay hours for no good reason. Ghost mount is quite cool and you will see some beautiful zones. It is Skyrim after all and although stillI played the vampire storyline as a diehard fan of vampires. I like the addition of vampires, but this DLC is a bit sloppy. There are way more bugs than the original game. You will have very long walks in between missions, which aim to extend the gameplay hours for no good reason. Ghost mount is quite cool and you will see some beautiful zones. It is Skyrim after all and although still better than most faction questlines, I expected better.… Expand
  6. SilverOrlov
    Feb 12, 2021
    8
    Quite interesting story. At some point, traveling in a place where the bone horse appears, I began to feel tired of the game, but in general I liked the whole story of this DLC. The only pity is that a girl cannot be made a wife.
  7. Nekellor_Met
    Aug 1, 2020
    5
    Сюжетка с вампирами не зацепила никак. Форма вампира - развлечение на 5 минут про которую вы забудете.
  8. NightGeisha
    Jan 5, 2019
    8
    For any Skyrim fan, any DLC is a "most have". And Dawnguard has the most fantastic story of all.

    Probably after a good few hours of play you have had contact with vampires or werewolves, maybe they have already become one. Dawnguard allows to continue one of these two fates, as werewolf or vampire. We can live a new history and make us even more powerful than ever. Without spoil the    For any Skyrim fan, any DLC is a "most have". And Dawnguard has the most fantastic story of all.

    Probably after a good few hours of play you have had contact with vampires or werewolves, maybe they have already become one. Dawnguard allows to continue one of these two fates, as werewolf or vampire. We can live a new history and make us even more powerful than ever.

    Without spoil the fun, Dawnguard introduces new locations on the Skyrim map, new weapons and armor, among other news to the already vast Skyrim's universe. Fantastic extra content, better and bigger than many full games I've played before.    … Expand
  9. Tomle1202
    Oct 28, 2018
    6
    For all the promising new settings and characters, Dawnguard never reaches for the sky, being pulled back by a number of problems that seem trivial at first, but prove detrimental in the long run.
  10. Nerocz1
    Jan 8, 2017
    7
    To be honest i did not play this until the end because after the first half i had enough of skyrim after all of those years and hours. This add-on was to last for me to play and i was not particualary impressed. Yes the new vampire mechanic is nice, but a little boring. Quests have the same formula as always and nothing surprising happens. So for me it is 7 out of 10. Btw i really likedTo be honest i did not play this until the end because after the first half i had enough of skyrim after all of those years and hours. This add-on was to last for me to play and i was not particualary impressed. Yes the new vampire mechanic is nice, but a little boring. Quests have the same formula as always and nothing surprising happens. So for me it is 7 out of 10. Btw i really liked the castle and atmosphere of this DLC.… Expand
  11. Denathorn
    Dec 22, 2016
    8
    A great expansion with stunning new character assets and an awesome (unnecessary) crossbow weapon. You can definitely see that Bethesda put their heart into making great DLC.
  12. Porng44
    Mar 18, 2016
    6
    Dawnguard features poor plot. the storyline has no feeling whether who you are or what you intend to do. there're few side quests that fun to interact with. but since the game add radiant quests, it like there's nothing to do left after the main quest completed. radiant quest is not my favorite, among all things to do in Skyrim. Become a Vampire can be interesting especially after watchingDawnguard features poor plot. the storyline has no feeling whether who you are or what you intend to do. there're few side quests that fun to interact with. but since the game add radiant quests, it like there's nothing to do left after the main quest completed. radiant quest is not my favorite, among all things to do in Skyrim. Become a Vampire can be interesting especially after watching movies and read books, so you want to become one and test what it feels like to be a vampire. side effects has its own advantage and bad parts. on look on a Vampire Lord, you might thing he's powerful. yes, he is, maybe if you're low level and so the enemy won't be so tough. but beware that from now on you'll take more damage than usual from fire attack make it very challenging when facing fire mages or fellow vampires who cast fireball at you.that not to mention playing on very high difficulty. aside from dragon bone weapon and some unique update and new enemies, this game feel nothing.… Expand
  13. phwaap
    Feb 28, 2016
    8
    Frankly, I don't see how Dragonborn is rated higher than Dawnguard. Dawguard has what I think is the single best quest in Skyrim - Touch the Sky - and two excellent supporting quests in Chasing Echoes and Beyond Death. While the vampire bent doesn't appeal to me all that much, their impact can be felt throughout Skyrim (often too much) and encounters with them can be harrowing.
  14. okamimiyazaki
    Aug 28, 2014
    10
    This is a very underrated DLC. Yes, it's overpriced. Yes, it's full of bugs (or was, now it's much better). No, I don't think it deserves a perfect score, but people are bashing it too much. It's still an amazing piece of work. You have to applaud the people who really deserve recognition - the artists, writers and designers. The new dungeons are superb, top-notch environments. The mainThis is a very underrated DLC. Yes, it's overpriced. Yes, it's full of bugs (or was, now it's much better). No, I don't think it deserves a perfect score, but people are bashing it too much. It's still an amazing piece of work. You have to applaud the people who really deserve recognition - the artists, writers and designers. The new dungeons are superb, top-notch environments. The main quest is enjoyable and the new items, weapons and shouts are fun.

    Overall, it's another piece of Bethesda - artwork and creativity unrivaled by any other game, but filled with bugs on release.    … Expand
  15. DeusXCom
    Aug 2, 2014
    8
    I seem to be in a minority here, but I really liked Dawnguard DLC and enjoyed it much much more than the next Dragonborn. I really liked the story, the overall vampire theme, new items, locations, history lore, the option to choose different sides, added werewolf and vampire skill trees and the addition of the best companion and character that was actually more impressive than anyone elseI seem to be in a minority here, but I really liked Dawnguard DLC and enjoyed it much much more than the next Dragonborn. I really liked the story, the overall vampire theme, new items, locations, history lore, the option to choose different sides, added werewolf and vampire skill trees and the addition of the best companion and character that was actually more impressive than anyone else in the main game. Fantastic DLC and I would even dare to call it the best DLC in the entire TES series so far, or at least the one that I enjoyed the most. 8/10… Expand
  16. JimCorbett
    Jul 4, 2014
    5
    Dawnguard is an incredibly repetitive and annoying DLC. Once this DLC is installed, you'll be constantly harassed by Vampire raiding parties at night. If you're unlucky enough to get bit, you'll slowly turn into a vampire unless you seek help. These attacks won't cease until you get to the second mission of the Dawnguard DLC where you make the choice to become a vampire or join theDawnguard is an incredibly repetitive and annoying DLC. Once this DLC is installed, you'll be constantly harassed by Vampire raiding parties at night. If you're unlucky enough to get bit, you'll slowly turn into a vampire unless you seek help. These attacks won't cease until you get to the second mission of the Dawnguard DLC where you make the choice to become a vampire or join the Dawnguard. Depending upon which side you pick, the opposite will then either begin, or resume, attacking you. You have to complete the main quest, then complete all the side quests for one of the factions to finally stop these annoying attacks. That's easily the worst part of the DLC. The rest of it is the same enemies over and over as well as the same locations over and over and a relatively boring companion to follow you. The ability to turn into a vampire is terrible compared to the Werewolf. Not worth it.… Expand
  17. LD9000
    Apr 26, 2014
    6
    Mixed feelings.

    Part way through this DLC, I realized that the gameplay is not much different from the original Skyrim. The addition of a uber-powerful crossbow for the vampire hunters makes the all ranged / stealth archetype much more feasible. However, after a few dungeons I realized the same thing that happened with original skyrim - it's pew pew with crossbow while exploiting    Mixed feelings.

    Part way through this DLC, I realized that the gameplay is not much different from the original Skyrim. The addition of a uber-powerful crossbow for the vampire hunters makes the all ranged / stealth archetype much more feasible.

    However, after a few dungeons I realized the same thing that happened with original skyrim - it's pew pew with crossbow while exploiting horrible enemy AI which can get stuck in random places or gives up searching for player after 20 seconds, while standing next to it's dead comrade's body. "It must be my imagination" says the AI while walking over a dead companion and sitting back in the same chair.

    While the vampire archetype looks awesome, I quickly found that it runs out of magicka really quickly and is overall luckluster after that. Maybe a mage character would find vampire path to be more satisfying.    … Expand
  18. CiloH
    Nov 26, 2013
    7
    I very much enjoyed the Dawnguard DLC. It contributed more to the lore of TES. However, it has bugs. I broke my game once because of a bug. My obvious and unnecessary advice to you is: Save often, and multiple of them.
  19. CaptainThom
    Nov 10, 2013
    6
    Negatives
    Can someone please explain why Bethesda though it would be okay to make the dawnguard and vampire missions essentially the same? The new oblivion plain which is a major let down i went there once and found it empty and pretty boring, im not even sure if its possible to go back. Horse combat is pretty basic still which is a shame as i was hoping for something along the lines of    Negatives
    Can someone please explain why Bethesda though it would be okay to make the dawnguard and vampire missions essentially the same? The new oblivion plain which is a major let down i went there once and found it empty and pretty boring, im not even sure if its possible to go back. Horse combat is pretty basic still which is a shame as i was hoping for something along the lines of mount and blade. Theres only really a few quests aside from the main quest and these arent particularly interesting.

    Positives
    The new character Serena is possible one of the most fleshed out characters in the game and the new animations and smarter AI does really add to the immersion. Being a vampire Lord is pretty cool but the Dawnguard really do need more advantages to be worth playing as. What i did enjoy was finding out abit more about the falmer or snow elves.

    Really is hit and miss to be honest i would probably advise getting it on steam sale or as part of the Legendary edition.    … Expand
  20. Sabatasso
    Nov 2, 2013
    2
    Dawnguard isn't all that big, but it adds some much needed gear to the boring Skyrim world. If Skyrim had actually been a decent game then this addon would be worth the money without a doubt. Too bad Skyrim is a poor, shallow game that is neither a good RPG, a good action game or a good adventure game. It tries to be all of that and more but it does everything far below average.
  21. StaticSpine
    Oct 24, 2013
    8
    I'd say that this is a decent DLC for the game which sucked me in for a long time. The story is like most of Bethesda games like (three scrolls, ancient prophecy and all that generic stuff), there is a confrontation between the vampires and the Dawn Guard the vampire hunters. So, I'll say that the story isn't the main thing in Bethesda games, it's all about the addictive gameplay, andI'd say that this is a decent DLC for the game which sucked me in for a long time. The story is like most of Bethesda games like (three scrolls, ancient prophecy and all that generic stuff), there is a confrontation between the vampires and the Dawn Guard the vampire hunters. So, I'll say that the story isn't the main thing in Bethesda games, it's all about the addictive gameplay, and Dawnguard brings it on! A new dose of Skyrim's travels, new NPCs, new factions, new enemies, new creepy and atmospheric locations, I liked it, I think everyone who liked TES V should at least check this.… Expand
  22. BountyCritic
    Sep 8, 2013
    9
    Wether it's actually worth 20 dollars might be debatable, but I cen tell you this much. The Dawnguard's story is brags and bounces better than original Skyrim's. And the new, explorable area called The Forgotten Vale is my favourite experience in the game and one of the best experiences in gaming. I could go on about why, but I think it's better if you find out yourself.
  23. Orctownorc
    Aug 22, 2013
    5
    It's nice to see that todd Howard thinks the PC UI for Skyrim and the levelling system are fine. Rather than fix what is broken he is out milking the Skyrim cow for more money from half-witted gamers who get weak at the knees if you put their skill trees in the stars (and don't notice how poorly designed those skill trees are). Skyrim was a pretty dull feast of copy-pasted filler. But thatIt's nice to see that todd Howard thinks the PC UI for Skyrim and the levelling system are fine. Rather than fix what is broken he is out milking the Skyrim cow for more money from half-witted gamers who get weak at the knees if you put their skill trees in the stars (and don't notice how poorly designed those skill trees are). Skyrim was a pretty dull feast of copy-pasted filler. But that didn't stop hordes of lonely young men mistaking it for love (of a prostitute). The game got unwarranted rave reviews from all and sundry and sold, who knows how many copies (Zenimax is keeping the number under their hat, probably in the range of 5-10 million copies). You would think with all that damned money Zenimax would have given some back to Todd Howard and the copy-paste team and asked them to FIX Skyrim, to improve it to extend it. But NO! If people are dumb enough to throw both their money and their dumb-assed 10/10 scores to Skyrim, Zenimax figured it was fine to 'screw the fools some more.' Which they did here. For a price of around 33.33% of the Skytim game you can get an expansion that has about 1% of the content. Like everything else in the game it borrows liberally from the copy-pasted environments and totally lack-lustre writing that has bored you to death in the tedious realm of the Nords. Its about as boring and uninspired as the rest of the POS game and it does nothing to fix the consolised UI or the horrible levelling system. Since plenty of fools are fool enough to buy this DLC unquestioning, and even score it score it yellow or green scores (INSANE!), you can all expect more useless over-priced DLC FOREVER and a day. If you do not protest at this garbage with a score bomb score of 0-2 out of 10, the bastards in publishing will just keep on offering more trash like this, at sky-high prices. Wake up, foolish consumers. This is poor design AND terrible value for money. Wait for the GOTY edition on sale fools! Red score this trash! Shame on Todd and the copy-paste team. Out there whoring for Zenimax rather than making the game they should.

    THE GROT REVIEW CRITERIA: After a long time writing reviews like an anus, think its time to set a few bad habits straight: Stop insulting designers. Show some respect for the design process and getting games in circulation. Hence (1) No Red scores. (2) Game scores as follows: Bad Game 5/10. Poor Game 6/10. Mediocre Game: 7/10. Good Game 8/10. Great game 9/10. Stella Game 10/10. To get 10/10 it must be a game that can be (theoretically) play-able for 1000+ hours. Not only great but near endless fun. Games may be bad or poor but making them should earn respect. Thus even the worst POS will still be a 5/10. 0/10 no longer exists in my vocabulary. Yellow is the new red. For the sake of accountability: you can reply if needed: Orctowngrot: Tim Rawlins: timtimjp@yahoo.com    … Expand
  24. faceless-1
    Jul 22, 2013
    8
    A solid DLC. Not as good as Dragonborn, but not as buggy as Dragonborn. I must say that content in this DLC is very good. In size i would compare it to tribunal Exp. on Morrowind (well a bit smaller). For the price this DLC 100% is worth money in mine opinion.
  25. Janlas
    Jul 21, 2013
    7
    If you loved the original game,you will have fun with this DLC,too.Although some people tell me Dawnguard is really bugged,i did not notice any Bugs while playing.It does not make Skyrim an even better game,but expands its world with a few changes,new landscapes,new dungeons,armors ,and a new storyline,which isn't really spectacular,but a nice pastime.I did expect a little more,but in theIf you loved the original game,you will have fun with this DLC,too.Although some people tell me Dawnguard is really bugged,i did not notice any Bugs while playing.It does not make Skyrim an even better game,but expands its world with a few changes,new landscapes,new dungeons,armors ,and a new storyline,which isn't really spectacular,but a nice pastime.I did expect a little more,but in the end,it was worth my money.But if 20 Dollars/Euros (Or what currency you have) is too much for you,wait for the Steam Sales,Dawnguard will most likely be reduced in its price.… Expand
  26. Ottersplight
    Jul 4, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I Rated this DLC average because I found it was fun to play, but also felt the story line had gaps, ended suddenly, and without any real closer if you will. As an example, the Vigilants of Stendarr are wiped out, but their place of refuge (if you decide to go visit) is really lame. It was an old burned down shack with a few dead Vigilants laying about. I felt the story could have expanded on the finality of their group. The refuge should have been more like a castle (similar to Dawnguard) and it should be a major part of the beginning story line to give the story more of a serious feel to it (not a major feat to burn down a little shack). If you play Dawnguard, vampires constantly attack your main character and assault every major city in Skyrim, but only a few vampires attack the Dawnguard castle one time. With it being a major war, like the civil war in Skyrim, there should be at least one major assault on Dawnguard that your character should help repel. Serana is developed really well and tends to grow with your character. She often makes comments that would suggest she loves the main character and when you finally confront Harken at the end she is very defensive of your character. When all is said and done your character has the option to convince her to change to human. Later you have the option to ask her to marry your charater, but she always turns the character down. Since the story line is so in depth with Serana it would make sense to have the option to marry her since you have that option with many of the other adventure companions. If she is not an intended partner the option to ask should not be there.

    One of the weapons additions is nice (like the crossbow) and being able to create your own arrows and bolts are pretty cool, but it seems there should have been more weapons additions that are useful in the entire game and not just this specific DLC. Minus the crossbows, the other weapons and armor you find give specific bonuses against vampires, but are otherwise just another weapon or piece of armor. You are also not given the option to destroy the weapon's or armor for enchanting purposes.

    There are a few new spells, but the spell additions are really not that exciting. The majority of new spells are all conjuration spells, the rest are restoration spells. It would have been nice to have more of a variety. All of the new spells, except one, are found and are unavailable to buy.

    I also found the Vampire path to be incredibly boring. Besides the fact almost all story lines are the same as in the Dawguard scenarios, your character is extremely limited as a vampire. There are only a few spells available to the vampire while it is transformed and you are not allowed to use any items or normal spells while transformed.

    I think Dawnguard is a cool story addition, but it does not meet the standards I would think a major game addition should have. If the cost is 50% of the original game cost than it should have a lot more substance to it. It should be 1) A completely new map and/or land mass. 2) There should be a lot more spells, weapons, and armor options. 3) There should be several or many more places to visit including towns and NPCs.    … Expand
  27. FexZ
    Jun 11, 2013
    7
    It's good but not great as skyrim itself but it's a 7. You should buy this just to get more lore. And the fact that they upgraded werewolves and added vampire's (VAMPIRE'S SUCK!) But i feel they should have added more time into it, because i feel the ending were cut off short. But still it's a good dlc compared to other games.
  28. Wulfyn
    May 31, 2013
    9
    I thought that this DLC was much better than the main game. I get the points about having to do a lot of running around to different places, but that was basically what skyrim was all about. The follower is interesting and is not flat like the others and you begin to develop a sense of empathy with them. There is also a unique quest location that is very well done, and presents you with aI thought that this DLC was much better than the main game. I get the points about having to do a lot of running around to different places, but that was basically what skyrim was all about. The follower is interesting and is not flat like the others and you begin to develop a sense of empathy with them. There is also a unique quest location that is very well done, and presents you with a big dilemma to get to!

    Possibly not worth as a stand alone DLC unless you really liked the main game. I got it as part of a pack so the extra cost was not great and I'm glad I did as it made returning to the main quest line pretty boring.    … Expand
  29. LordRaijin
    May 28, 2013
    1
    I was disappointed in this DLC. The new appearances for the vampires are a total failure. They look like zombies, NOT vampires. The new armor was OK, but not spectacular. The story wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either. The new NPC vampires in Volkihar Keep were very poorly written and designed, and so were the new NPC from the Dawnguard side, again a total failure. Is Bethesda even tryingI was disappointed in this DLC. The new appearances for the vampires are a total failure. They look like zombies, NOT vampires. The new armor was OK, but not spectacular. The story wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either. The new NPC vampires in Volkihar Keep were very poorly written and designed, and so were the new NPC from the Dawnguard side, again a total failure. Is Bethesda even trying at this point? I don't think I could release this DLC or Skyrim out into the world under my companies name without getting embarrassed with shame. Like what others are saying the Mod community help saved the quality of Skyrim and their 2 DLCs from utter destruction caused by Bethesda. Skyrim, Dawnguard and Dragonborn (The new and final DLC) was a total failure, and it cost the consumer well over 100 dollars. Is it any wonder why piracy is on the rise? People are fed up with buying lemon software's with their hard earn money, and companies like Bethesda refuse to accept the responsibility by refunding their customers money back for selling glitchy/buggy software's to the public. If you still want to try this DLC wait until theirs a steam sell for half price. 20 dollars is quite expensive for this DLC.… Expand
  30. Incunvenunce
    May 4, 2013
    8
    I'm still trying to figure out why the PC version is rated lower than the Xbox 360 version. The PC version is superior in every way is it 'cause Xbox got it earlier or is 'cause mircosoft payed you off, But all in all its wonderful
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Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
87
#87 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    74
    Dawnguard basically adds a storyline/side quest of roughly ten hours, that introduces the Vampire Hunters regime of Skyrim, the notorious Dawnguards and a royal fraction of Vampires that could care less about this whole fuss. More of what we like, but hardly worth the 20 euros. [November 2012]
  2. Games.cz
    Dec 10, 2012
    50
    For the consumers of The Elder Scrolls universe this is a very good excuse to come back. For the Twilight fans this is a vivid experience of the vampirish soul. For the rest of you the game is offering the content that is not going to change your leave it or love it relationship with the original title.
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  3. PC Gamer
    Sep 23, 2012
    59
    A bunch of fun new abilities and cool places but Dawnguard is far too glitchy to justify its steep price.
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