The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 408 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 306 out of 408
  2. Mixed: 61 out of 408
  3. Negative: 41 out of 408

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  1. Dimocracy
    Jul 6, 2023
    9
    Very high-quality DLC that adds new beautiful locations, quests, and a remarkable main storyline.
  2. nastyjes
    Apr 11, 2023
    6
    This DLC is more interesting than the vanilla game. The Lovecraft references are good.
  3. Kostas_Spirou
    Dec 26, 2021
    9
    Dragonborn is hands down the best expansion of Skyrim, it's a love-letter to newcomers and old fans alike.

    The lovecraftian approach to the story is very interesting, and the new characters are pretty good. Solstheim looks absolutely beautiful and it's quite big, there are many things that you can do in it. Overall the amount of side content is more than enough. As for the new armor    Dragonborn is hands down the best expansion of Skyrim, it's a love-letter to newcomers and old fans alike.

    The lovecraftian approach to the story is very interesting, and the new characters are pretty good.

    Solstheim looks absolutely beautiful and it's quite big, there are many things that you can do in it. Overall the amount of side content is more than enough.

    As for the new armor sets and weapons, they're very strong and valuable, definitely worth grinding for.

    Final Rating: "Amazing" ~ 9/10.    … Expand
  4. Kostas101
    Jul 16, 2020
    8
    The best expansion of Skyrim, it even stays true to the lore of the Elder Scrolls games. The story is very good, the characters are pretty nice and Solstheim is a very interesting place to explore. The side content is decent, the new armor sets and weapons are very strong and valuable and they are worth grinding, what a great expansion.
  5. UncleEd
    Feb 25, 2021
    10
    Definitely the best Skyrim expansion. It introduces a big island with full of quests to explore. The main questline story is not very good but the design of Apocrypha is amazing. What I loved the most about this expansion is the island of Solstheim where it takes place. It is an island from Morrowind and it does make you feel like you are playing Morrowind with Skyrim graphics.

    My major    Definitely the best Skyrim expansion. It introduces a big island with full of quests to explore. The main questline story is not very good but the design of Apocrypha is amazing. What I loved the most about this expansion is the island of Solstheim where it takes place. It is an island from Morrowind and it does make you feel like you are playing Morrowind with Skyrim graphics.

    My major disappointment was riding dragons. It may be a good idea, but it’s very poorly implemented. Dragon control is weird and riding dragons in Skyrim is simply not fun.

    9.5/10    … Expand
  6. SilverOrlov
    Feb 12, 2021
    9
    I am a fan of Lovecraft, so I gave a separate +1 to the DLC when I got into the "Library". But beyond that, the whole story is very interesting too. I can't say that after the huge World of the main game, I was satisfied with the expansion's island, but I can definitely say that the story itself is worth playing.
  7. Nekellor_Met
    Aug 1, 2020
    7
    Целая огромная локация, с уже иной атмосферой. Отличное дополнение. Хотя и мир Мора немного затянули.
  8. NightGeisha
    Jan 5, 2019
    9
    For any Skyrim fan, any DLC is a "most have". And Dragonborn is the best of them all.

    Without giving any kind of spoiler, Dragonborn takes us to a new map independent of the core game, with new history, new enemies, different architecture, weapons and armor and above all many hours of fun.

    Fantastic extra content, better and bigger than many full games I've played before.
  9. Denathorn
    Dec 22, 2016
    8
    Another great expansion to the perfect game. Was it necessary? No. Is it good? Yes. It did seem a bit rushed, however, for the graphics aren't exactly the best (especially the repeated textures of the landscape and the lack of foliage).
  10. phwaap
    Feb 28, 2016
    8
    It has taken me a long time and many playthroughs to appreciate some aspects of Dragonborn. While the main quest is the weakest in Skyrim, the Black Books and side quests make up for it. I found the Black Book quests tedious at first but have grown to really enjoy the break the provide and of course their rewards.
  11. art4321
    Jun 15, 2015
    7
    everything is good but story could be better .
  12. ChristianVolet
    Apr 23, 2015
    10
    I finally had a chance to play this expansion and I was completely taken back by the new environments on the island of Solstheim. This is by far the most transcendental environment of the game; in such a good way. It reminded me of the first time I experienced Blackreach, with its completely unexpected and unique ambiance. I found the story to be interesting as well. The idea that there isI finally had a chance to play this expansion and I was completely taken back by the new environments on the island of Solstheim. This is by far the most transcendental environment of the game; in such a good way. It reminded me of the first time I experienced Blackreach, with its completely unexpected and unique ambiance. I found the story to be interesting as well. The idea that there is another living (evil) Dragonborn was gripping. The new enemies can be very challenging. I was mostly able to breeze through Skyrim's main story in stealth, rarely feeling a real sense of danger. However, that wasn't always possible here. The new trash mobs can be dangerous if you don't get the first blow (thief class), spawning clones and casting powerful debuffs. If you enjoyed Skyrim, you will enjoy this expansion.… Expand
  13. Brodde
    Sep 17, 2014
    4
    Not a bad game, but awfully XBOXED. The controls are pretty dumbed down. It is made to work with a game controller, so don't bother aiming, and you only really need 2 buttons. The GUI is terrible and very basic. No stats at all, no overview of anything, everything is a single list. Everything you do is tedious.

    Every elder scrolls game before it is better (even Arena). But it is    Not a bad game, but awfully XBOXED. The controls are pretty dumbed down. It is made to work with a game controller, so don't bother aiming, and you only really need 2 buttons. The GUI is terrible and very basic. No stats at all, no overview of anything, everything is a single list. Everything you do is tedious.

    Every elder scrolls game before it is better (even Arena). But it is definitely prettier than the others.

    Its almost like an old turn based RPG where you have a pretty good story, the backdrops for combat are pretty, but the combat itself is very basic and repetitive, and no room for creativity. (And all you need is a 4-way controller and a select button).

    Some of the plentiful mods can improve the game a lot. But others will break it by destroying the last remaining challenge, or ruining the atmosphere by being silly.

    It is pretty disappointing to see the elder scrolls series becoming more of a simple XBOX platform game, than the immersive, huge and advanced RPGs it started with.    … Expand
  14. AlienSpaceBats
    Aug 14, 2014
    8
    This is excellent DLC but I'm undecided; is it great on its own merits or is it great because I'm getting severe Morrowind/Bloodmoon nostalgia from it? A lot of the easter eggs were great, and the Lovecraftian Hermaeus Mora stuff was great ... but it's still buggy, though if you want/need more Skyrim buy it without hesitation. Mod and patch immediately.
  15. DeusXCom
    Aug 2, 2014
    5
    You didn't think that you were the only one, he was the first - Dragonborn! Well, so I killed that legendary Dragonborn, he didn't even survive one weekend and honestly, after all the praise for this DLC I'm left a bit disappointed the exactly same way I was on my first visit to Solstheim in Bloodmoon. After fantastic DLC that was the Dawnguard, I was hyped to return to some MorrowindYou didn't think that you were the only one, he was the first - Dragonborn! Well, so I killed that legendary Dragonborn, he didn't even survive one weekend and honestly, after all the praise for this DLC I'm left a bit disappointed the exactly same way I was on my first visit to Solstheim in Bloodmoon. After fantastic DLC that was the Dawnguard, I was hyped to return to some Morrowind roots and while some of the features such as Red Mountain in the distance, remnants of Redoran or simply the Silt Strider work very well, this all seem to me like a Bloodmoon v2.0 with Skyrim graphics. New additions such as dragon riding were especially bad and while it was still kinda ok and worth playing through for that typical TES experience and new content as a completionist, I don't think it was really necessary and I was glad it's over when I was done with it. 5/10… Expand
  16. JimCorbett
    Jul 4, 2014
    7
    Definitely the best of the Skyrim DLC. You get a new island to roam around on and a ton of new content to enjoy. It's still unfortunate that the quests are super generic and boring. Half of the main quest line is going through some other dimension where everything looks the same and you have to solve lame puzzles. Easily some of the worst moments of my time playing Skyrim. The rest of theDefinitely the best of the Skyrim DLC. You get a new island to roam around on and a ton of new content to enjoy. It's still unfortunate that the quests are super generic and boring. Half of the main quest line is going through some other dimension where everything looks the same and you have to solve lame puzzles. Easily some of the worst moments of my time playing Skyrim. The rest of the DLC is basically on par with the base game except you don't have as many annoying dragon encounters to deal with. If you liked the base game, you should like this as well.… Expand
  17. A-Person
    Feb 2, 2014
    9
    The ultimate DLC. Featuring a short (but exceptional) story. Featuring new music as well as music from the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. While Solstheim is small, it is an excellent world space featuring unique landscapes. This DLC also adds the Daedric Realm of Apocrypha, which acts as linear puzzle dungeons which I always enjoyed exploring. However, it is over-priced, and some of theThe ultimate DLC. Featuring a short (but exceptional) story. Featuring new music as well as music from the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. While Solstheim is small, it is an excellent world space featuring unique landscapes. This DLC also adds the Daedric Realm of Apocrypha, which acts as linear puzzle dungeons which I always enjoyed exploring. However, it is over-priced, and some of the quests limit you to making one-response answers. I would recommend this DLC if you have played The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Bloodmoon as you will feel a recognisable, yet still new and unique feeling of nostalgia. Many of the armours added are not as good as end-game armours, meaning that it would be ideal to play this DLC at mid-level.
    I would recommend installing the "Unofficial Dragonborn patch" if you own this on PC, as it fixes numerous bugs which may be considered game breaking.    … Expand
  18. valentino
    Jan 10, 2014
    4
    This is a rubbish DLC, the main guy who you have to chase after is about as scary as pikachu. Nothing more to be said other than that clearly most of these reviewers are easily pleased.
  19. StaticSpine
    Jan 3, 2014
    8
    Another decent DLC for a good game: a whole large island to explore, new story line, new quests, new enemies, new locations, nice atmosphere. If you liked Skyrim you definitely need to check this out.
  20. GhostRJ
    Dec 20, 2013
    10
    Nice bought it these days and i tought it was awesome New everything, new foes, new map, new storyline, pretty better than dawnguard!! Best dlc that i have ever bought!!!
  21. CaptainThom
    Nov 10, 2013
    9
    After a disappointing experience with Dawnguard i was worried that Dragonborn might be underwhelming, luckily Dragonborn is far better than Dawnguard and definitely adds really nicely to the base game with some fresh experiences. Dragonborns main storyline may be poorly thought out but the rest of the island of solstheim makes up for it, there are new enemies and a real morrowind vibeAfter a disappointing experience with Dawnguard i was worried that Dragonborn might be underwhelming, luckily Dragonborn is far better than Dawnguard and definitely adds really nicely to the base game with some fresh experiences. Dragonborns main storyline may be poorly thought out but the rest of the island of solstheim makes up for it, there are new enemies and a real morrowind vibe especially in the mainly Dunmer settlement of Raven Rock which adds some greatly appreciated variation to nordic Skyrim.

    While Dragonborn is no shivering isles its unfair to dismiss it based on that comparison, it does add some interesting quests to the game and some cool looking armour and weapons.    … Expand
  22. Tinycowth3pr0
    Jul 8, 2013
    6
    Despite a lame main quest that was way too short, Dragonborn is probably a worthwhile expansion to buy, because of the various interesting side quests and the new type of nature that Solstheim comes with. However, the expansion is buggy, to the point of being nigh on unplayable at points, and thus it's probably not worth your purchase on a console, as they ironically don't have access toDespite a lame main quest that was way too short, Dragonborn is probably a worthwhile expansion to buy, because of the various interesting side quests and the new type of nature that Solstheim comes with. However, the expansion is buggy, to the point of being nigh on unplayable at points, and thus it's probably not worth your purchase on a console, as they ironically don't have access to the console, nor any mods.… Expand
  23. LordRaijin
    May 28, 2013
    1
    When I found out that Dragonborn DLC will grant you the ability to fly dragons I went all Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch. I had always wanted to have the ability to actually fly a dragon in the sky. It was the perfect match for being Dragonborn... the new king of the dragons in Skyrim. After finishing this DLC once again I became disappointed. I had NO controls over the dragon other than toWhen I found out that Dragonborn DLC will grant you the ability to fly dragons I went all Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch. I had always wanted to have the ability to actually fly a dragon in the sky. It was the perfect match for being Dragonborn... the new king of the dragons in Skyrim. After finishing this DLC once again I became disappointed. I had NO controls over the dragon other than to tell it to attack. If I wanted to travel I would've had to fast travel, and that's totally against my Role-playing rules. The voice acting for Miraak (The primary antagonist) was poorly done. I wish I had the option to mute this NPC and just leave the subtitles on. It's just that bad. I also stumbled across game-breaking glitches. In order for me to fix the DLC I had to download a MOD from Skyrim Nexus that did the trick. Nowhere did Bethesda ever released a patch to fix these well known issues. This clearly indicates just how little this company cares for the products that they sell to the public, and so why should I give their product a high rating when they themselves don't care? Dragonborn was rushed just like Dawnguard and Skyrim. Shame on Bethesda for ruining this potentially great game. This DLC was nowhere worth the 20 dollars. Wait for a Steam sell to purchase it.… Expand
  24. faceless-1
    May 24, 2013
    8
    One of the best DLC i ever played. But it got some pretty bad bugs (like Miraak freeze and you devour soul of near dragon). Still there are fan made patches out that fix these bugs.
  25. MasteRR
    May 2, 2013
    8
    We all loved The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, it's great environment, exciting story, and flawless gameplay.
    Dragonborn DLC on the other side isn't as awesome as the game is, the story and the new stuff is great, like the new dimension, Apocrypha, new shouts, and new dragon races. This all makes the game more enjoyable,but the main thing is that is unbelievably short, I could finish it in 1-2    We all loved The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, it's great environment, exciting story, and flawless gameplay.
    Dragonborn DLC on the other side isn't as awesome as the game is, the story and the new stuff is great, like the new dimension, Apocrypha, new shouts, and new dragon races. This all makes the game more enjoyable,but the main thing is that is unbelievably short, I could finish it in 1-2 hours, while the past DLC, DawnGuard in 1-2days, is significantly shorter, if it wasn't that short it would have been a perfect experience, but...not enough.    … Expand
  26. Doeren_Ithron
    May 1, 2013
    6
    It is a good add-on. The only thing that keeps me from giving it a higher score is dragon-riding. That thing is just ugly and ridiculous. I know that Bethesda is a hard-working people, trying to feed their families, but this? Any manager who made abomination like this into a game should be shot. Survivors should be shot again. Because when you make something that big and you good at it,It is a good add-on. The only thing that keeps me from giving it a higher score is dragon-riding. That thing is just ugly and ridiculous. I know that Bethesda is a hard-working people, trying to feed their families, but this? Any manager who made abomination like this into a game should be shot. Survivors should be shot again. Because when you make something that big and you good at it, you can't doing something just to please the fans and make just a little more money. Because it is not something interesting and creative, it is prostitution. Such decisions make a huge number of old fans to doubt you.… Expand
  27. MasterCake
    Apr 28, 2013
    7
    I give it a meh,
    the game play was pretty normal, the new enemies are nicely textured, spooky, and veritable opponents.
    Riding a dragon was both interesting and confusing in terms that while I can soar the skies of Skyrim I can also manage to fly backwards underneath Whiterun. By far though my favorite part of this wasn't the adorable pygmies, flying jellyfish, or the volcano, it was    I give it a meh,
    the game play was pretty normal, the new enemies are nicely textured, spooky, and veritable opponents.
    Riding a dragon was both interesting and confusing in terms that while I can soar the skies of Skyrim I can also manage to fly backwards underneath Whiterun.
    By far though my favorite part of this wasn't the adorable pygmies, flying jellyfish, or the volcano, it was the perk reset. I can not express how happy I was presented with this, it felt like a real burden lifted from my shoulders as I have placed many perks poorly in my first few weeks playing.    … Expand
  28. awfitzwater
    Apr 26, 2013
    10
    This game world is so detailed and beautiful it is amazing. Love the quests love the main story. love the DLC there is nothing wrong with this game at all! simply amazing
  29. Chaosmaker
    Apr 22, 2013
    10
    A very good extension that gives us back the Solstheim from Morrowind. As a Morrowind fan I loved this expansion very much It has a lot of content, new quests, powers, shouts and exploration, and a fairly large new worldspace. It's worth it.
  30. Sizaki
    Apr 16, 2013
    4
    You can clearly see that Bethesda rushed this one out. Bad voice acting for the main character, repetitive quests and boring too. And just ruins the game with, horrible looking new armor and a shout that just completely destroys the purpose of the game. Just a huge disappointment. The only fun was Solsthiem, beautiful and wonderful music from Morrowind, but remains bad with all the flaws.
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Mar 30, 2013
    80
    Feels like a focused Bethesda, no longer stretched too thin in its task of crafting a world the size of Skyrim. [Apr 2013, p.93]
  2. PC Gamer
    Feb 28, 2013
    88
    Despite a rather ho-hum main quest, Dragonborn is crammed with enough side quests and new stuff to be an exciting add-on.
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Feb 28, 2013
    75
    If you compare Dragonborn’s price on Steam to that of the original game, you’d think they’re offering you a third of Skyrim. Naturally, this isn’t the case – the island of Solstheim is not so action-packed. Yet a sandbox, even a small one, is way more enjoyable than a handful of new locations and random quests from Dawnguard.
    Read full review
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