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. 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
  2. elgringo
    Oct 30, 2012
    10
    Finally a DLC this year that was worth it's money! You get over 1GB of content for your buck and they even hired Laura Bailey as voice actor for this (she also voiced the female main character of Saints Row: The Third). The ending was a little abrupt, but you get some nice weapons, a great companion, a new player home, stronger dragons to fight and mesmerizing locations to visit. I giveFinally a DLC this year that was worth it's money! You get over 1GB of content for your buck and they even hired Laura Bailey as voice actor for this (she also voiced the female main character of Saints Row: The Third). The ending was a little abrupt, but you get some nice weapons, a great companion, a new player home, stronger dragons to fight and mesmerizing locations to visit. I give the full score for this.… Expand
  3. hannibalektr
    Apr 9, 2013
    10
    66 meta rating? That's it? This DLC is FRICKIN AWESOME! $20 bucks it's worth every penny, hell its a steal at that price. The story is awesome, the followers are 2nd to none other in the whole game. Serana, Valerica, Hell dogs, german shepards, armored trolls. Content that lasts. There are so many free mods made for Dawnguard on the steam workshop. The Castle (Upgrade with free steam66 meta rating? That's it? This DLC is FRICKIN AWESOME! $20 bucks it's worth every penny, hell its a steal at that price. The story is awesome, the followers are 2nd to none other in the whole game. Serana, Valerica, Hell dogs, german shepards, armored trolls. Content that lasts. There are so many free mods made for Dawnguard on the steam workshop. The Castle (Upgrade with free steam workshop mod's like Caslte Volkihar Redux)...

    I give this mod 10 out of 10 because that is what it is. It's like a game within a game, everything you would expect from a DLC and way more. I can't udnerstand why anyone would say otherwise about this DLC. Now dragonbourne, that is a different story, I felt jyped on that one.

    For me, skyrim is the ultimate game, the best made so far ever. Dawnguard just brings all that much more to the table of an already delicious feast.    … Expand
  4. GottFaust
    Aug 7, 2012
    9
    Dawnguard is more akin to Morrowind's Tribunal or Oblivion's Knights of the Nine than Bloodmoon or the Shivering Isles. It's very heavily story driven, focuses more on Items/Powers than locations (though It does add two rather large areas, one of which is spectacular to see), and is generally relatively linear (Though it does branch once early on). That being said, it offers far moreDawnguard is more akin to Morrowind's Tribunal or Oblivion's Knights of the Nine than Bloodmoon or the Shivering Isles. It's very heavily story driven, focuses more on Items/Powers than locations (though It does add two rather large areas, one of which is spectacular to see), and is generally relatively linear (Though it does branch once early on). That being said, it offers far more content and is much better polished than either of those expansions were. Knights of the Nine and Tribunal could both be very easily run though in under 2 hours. The vampire-side story alone took me 8 hours to complete and I wasn't bothering with any of the side content. The new weapons are powerful and well designed. The new vampire lord form is satisfyingly powerful once you get the hang of it (note - Don't use Serana as your follower as your main attack gets heavily debuffed due to a bug), and the new werewolf perks add some flavor to what was previously a very flat and uninteresting feature. To top it all off they've tweaked and improved various undocumented parts of the main story and integrated the new story-lines into it quite seamlessly. They've also improved the visual fidelity of a lot of the particle effects dealing with smoke/steam/fog and fire. For what it is, it gets a solid 9 out of 10. It's no Shivering Isles or Bloodmoon, but it wasn't meant to be. That'll be Hearthfire. Bethesda works in patterns here people. Each TES game has a smaller, story driven expansion first, and then they add the major expansion with whole new continents and worlds to explore second.… Expand
  5. SittinginBasket
    Jan 1, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Most of the reviews on Dawnguard criticize the expansion for its price. I bought it during the 2012-2013 Steam Holiday Sale for about 6 USD, and I would say this is expansion provided the best Skyrim experience I have ever had, and this is coming from a person who did not enjoy Skyrim. The fact is that this expansion provides an excellent experience for the price I paid, with epic set-pieces and locations that were vastly superior to the locations in the base game. For example, I was amazed at Fort Dawnguard. Unlike the rest of Skyrim's pitiful little cities, castles, and forts which have 2 meter high walls that can't even be accessed, Fort Dawnguard was an actual fort with actual accessible walls at a massive scale compared to everything else in Skyrim. It was the type of architecture that I was expecting in Skyrim in the first place. The expansion also adds locations such as the Forgotten Vale and the Soul Cairn, which I had lots of fun exploring and looting. Both locations were huge, and had some beautiful scenary, such as the Inner Sanctum of the Forgotten Vale. The dungeons and other areas were also much more interesting than the boring and repetitive locations in the base game, and were a welcome change of pace and style. Not to mention the fights and enemies are much more cinematic in this expansion. The fight against the vampire snow elf for example was extremely well done, and was always something that I fought Skyrim lacked, proper boss battles with a sense of resolution and accomplishment instead of "boss" characters that immediately attack you and then just randomly drop down and die. The addition of huskies and armored trolls were great. I mean, armored trolls! The crossbows are also excellent weapons, and I loved using them throughout the Dawnguard quests.

    The narrative of the Dawnguard questline is superior to the other questlines in Skyrim. Serana was a great character, and progressing through the story with her created a questline that I actually cared about, unlike all of the other boring questlines in Skyrim where I am given no motivation and almost every character is introduced briefly and then thrown away, forgotten forever after only a single quest, and never given any depth, backstory, or sense of being anything more than just a character.

    I could go on, but for 6 USD, this was an excellent experience. This was the experience that Skyrim should have been, but wasn't. If anything, the original Skyrim was the game that had an unjustified price.    … Expand
  6. Dreadzilla
    Aug 22, 2012
    9
    Skyrim is a great game, and this is great DLC. Most of the Negitives so far are based on Price. I don't mind dropping 20 bones for more of this awesome game!
  7. Spacenakora
    Dec 17, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Alright, for DLC this is going to be taken as an expansion to Skyrim. Initially, the changes are subtle. New Quests, new factions, new Skills for Vampires (Or the lord, in this case) and werewolves. All of which is not what makes this a nine in my books. Let's take vanilla Skyrim (A game which had immersion but lacked the 'OMG! PLAY MORE!' factor for me) and then add a character which made me want to side with the Vampires and explore their lore. Hell, the end was... cut short... it just needed an extra hour.… Expand
  8. Matt_Tao
    Mar 31, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I quite liked Dawnguard, it has the charms and content to make me want to play it again and again. You are thrown into a typical "Human vs Vampire" story, going up against a legion of powerful vampire lords. It's got some new features, Crossbow, Vampire Lord powers (which don't have the lethal life drain in sunlight as was in Oblivion), Skill trees for the Vampire Lord AND Werewolf forms. Now in terms of storyline, it ends up at the same ending no matter what path you choose, there is no loss of achievements (if you are an achievement hunter). You take the Dawnguard side, you end up on the same path, you take the Vampire side, you end up on the same path, and so on. I went with the vampires (for the nice powers) on my first playthrough, I sided with the Dawnguard on my second playthrough and surprise surprise, *SPOILERS* Got the power anyway.

    I would say the trip into the new areas and discoveries were very enjoyable to me, the rewards were very good and it did meet the price tag, to me anyway, I don't know about all of you. The Legendary Dragon is also introduced, a nice way of saying play more and get an achievement, new level of enemy blah blah blah.

    I thoroughly enjoy this, infact I might even indulge in another playthrough soon when I get the time. 9/10 from me, some complain about the price. I got it for €10, retail :P Thank you for reading my review and enjoy     … Expand
  9. 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
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. Itsapaul
    Sep 25, 2012
    8
    This is not an expansion, it's a small packet of DLC. I know the vampire lord has to be modded to be any use, but everything on the dawnguard side seems awesome to me. Quests aren't especially boring or anything and the side ones actually force you to go to new places you might've skipped over before. It was basically worth it for me simply for the crossbow and smithing upgrades (thoughThis is not an expansion, it's a small packet of DLC. I know the vampire lord has to be modded to be any use, but everything on the dawnguard side seems awesome to me. Quests aren't especially boring or anything and the side ones actually force you to go to new places you might've skipped over before. It was basically worth it for me simply for the crossbow and smithing upgrades (though the latter was already in through mods anyway).… Expand
  13. AlienSpaceBats
    Feb 5, 2013
    8
    Need more Skyrim? Look no further. I wasn't impressed with the decision to focus on vampires with this DLC (in hindsight surely Dragonborn should have taken precedence), however the opportunity to become a vampire hunter, hang around with a pair of armoured Huskies and the disembodied voice of Laura Bailey (Serana) quickly changed my mind. Dawnguard isn't essential but I found it worth theNeed more Skyrim? Look no further. I wasn't impressed with the decision to focus on vampires with this DLC (in hindsight surely Dragonborn should have taken precedence), however the opportunity to become a vampire hunter, hang around with a pair of armoured Huskies and the disembodied voice of Laura Bailey (Serana) quickly changed my mind. Dawnguard isn't essential but I found it worth the experience Ancestor Glade (moths) and Forgotten Vale were incredible.… Expand
  14. Rewe
    Aug 4, 2012
    8
    If, like me, you had hundreds of hours in Skyrim and would like more of the same, Dawnguard is for you. However, if you only enjoyed the game a small or medium amount, you might want to wait for a price drop or just not buy it at all. In other words, Dawnguard is more of the same.
  15. Gabbetthw
    Aug 18, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dawnguard is quite a good DLC. For $25, it adds a considerable amount of content. I personally got 8 hours out of the main questline, and another 4 or so to finish the side quests. That's about $2 and hour, which is pretty damn good. Most importantly, it got me back into Skyrim again, after a long break. Isn't that what a DLC is really about? I went through and finished the missions I hadn't done yet, all because Dawnguard got me playing Skyrim again. I went through and got the extra achievements for the game, and ended up playing about 30 hours into the game.

    The Vampire Lord mode is quite a good addition to the game, but I feel it could have been done a little bit better. There were a few minor glitches with doors due to the Vampire transformation.
    The werewolf perk tree is a good enhancement, but really adds nothing useful to werewolves. If you intend to play consistently as a werewolf, this won't do much to benefit you.

    As a whole, the expansion did just that - it expanded the game. If you enjoyed Skyrim, I couldn't recommend this more. If you didn't like it that much, perhaps this isn't for you.    … Expand
  16. 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
  17. SageLegacy
    Sep 8, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dawngaurd was really not that bad. It was definitely not the best. This should be 15$ rather than 20$ but it has new weapons. I love the crossbow, and the dragon weapons. What I don't like is the barren soul cairn, and the barren pilgrimage with the water vase. It need more action and more enemies at certain parts. I did though like the Harkon Great Vampire Boss Fight. It made me feel like the power of the sun was in the bow and I was using it to defeat one of the greatest vampires ever. It need more though. It was not a bad 10 hours I spent but could be better. Is it worth the money? Depends how much you love Skyrim. If you just play Skyrim every now and then then buy it on a steam sale but if on X-Box 360, then you will need to play and like Skyrim quite often and be in to the game. To my opinion, I think this DLC was good.… Expand
  18. 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.
  19. krushak
    Dec 30, 2012
    8
    not perfect, but the best dlc i have played, definitely better story than the main storyline and nice additions to the main game - must have for skyrim fans
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. 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.
  27. Giero
    Jan 3, 2023
    8
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  28. Aviod
    Aug 23, 2012
    7
    I enjoyed this DLC (even if it was on the expansive side)... It did get myself back-in to Skyrim and start playing again (in-fact i started a new character days leading up to the release..).. This is a DLC and not an extension pack, but it boarders on the good side.. I'm wary of DLC in general as DLC seems to be a rip off, especially weapon packs or something along that line (e.g. BiowareI enjoyed this DLC (even if it was on the expansive side)... It did get myself back-in to Skyrim and start playing again (in-fact i started a new character days leading up to the release..).. This is a DLC and not an extension pack, but it boarders on the good side.. I'm wary of DLC in general as DLC seems to be a rip off, especially weapon packs or something along that line (e.g. Bioware DLCs) I wasn't a fan of the fallouts so i can not compare to their DLC, but all in all i found it goodish.. I played the DLC twice through once with Markon? once with the dawnguard... I think i preferred playing as Dawnguard and i even persuaded Serana to turn human after it was done.. Im not a big fan of the vampire class :/ I would have like to seen a bit more character progression with Serana. All in all, i think it was worth it... I biggest peeve i had was it was delayed for PC... I hated that!!!… Expand
  29. rant
    Oct 15, 2012
    7
    It's no Shivering Isles in terms of quality or content, but it's no horse armor DLC either. It's decent, it provides some motivation to try out a vampire character if you haven't already, and it gives you an excuse to go back to Skyrim. As long as you don't expect a mind-blowing DLC at a bargain price, you should be satisfied.
  30. Necrotaur
    Aug 3, 2012
    7
    Dawnguard is a decent DLC, but I was expecting a little more. It adds a fairly lengthy questline (which ties in to the main quest, requiring you to have progressed to a certain point), some new weapons and armor, a couple of 'zones', a handful of new enemies and an expanded werewolf/vampire skillset. The low point is probably the new zones which are hit and miss - Soul Cairn plays out likeDawnguard is a decent DLC, but I was expecting a little more. It adds a fairly lengthy questline (which ties in to the main quest, requiring you to have progressed to a certain point), some new weapons and armor, a couple of 'zones', a handful of new enemies and an expanded werewolf/vampire skillset. The low point is probably the new zones which are hit and miss - Soul Cairn plays out like Blackreach (the underground, wide open Falmer area), however it lacks any real sense of visual awe, is largely unexplained, and there is not much incentive to explore it. Fortunately, Forgotten Vale makes up for Soul Cairn. The questline itself can be a little aggravating at times due to its tendency to send you to objectives on the other edge of the map, only to return and do it all over again. Occasionally, you also may be sent to areas you have already been through once before and cleared, though with different/respawned enemies (probably Radiant AI at work). The new dungeons it does add, however, have slightly better puzzles and better design, though they are still fairly linear. Anyway, Dawnguard was an enjoyable experience overall, but I wouldn't place it on par with Oblivion's Shivering Isles, or Morrowind's Bloodmoon.… Expand
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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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