The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Hearthfire

 Xbox 360
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Hearthfire Image
Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 102 Ratings

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  • Summary: With this add-on to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you may purchase land and build your home from the ground up - from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with an armory, alchemy laboratory, stable, garden, and more. Use all-new tools like the drafting table andWith this add-on to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you may purchase land and build your home from the ground up - from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with an armory, alchemy laboratory, stable, garden, and more. Use all-new tools like the drafting table and carpenter’s workbench to transform quarried stone, clay, and sawn logs into structures and furnishings. Even transform your house into a home by adopting children.… Expand

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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 17
  3. Negative: 3 out of 17
  1. DailyGame
    Feb 25, 2013
    85
    Considering that this is a smaller piece of Skyrim DLC than Dawnguard, though, that nitpick doesn’t deter me from saying that Hearthfire is worth the price of admission. Customizing a home and populating it with kids fits perfectly into the premise of making the Skyrim world your own, and it’s certainly provided some fun add-on entertainment.
  2. Gamers' Temple
    Sep 12, 2012
    68
    Hearthfire, though relatively inexpensive, isn't a DLC I can recommend for everyone. More casual Skyrim players (if those exist) may not enjoy the low-key vibe of this new content, and even the most civic-minded player might find the lack of real options in construction too limited to be much fun.
  3. The Escapist
    Sep 10, 2012
    60
    Hearthfire does have a couple fun new features to play around with, but home building and child rearing just isn't interactive enough to feel genuinely personal.
  4. Eurogamer Italy
    Sep 6, 2012
    50
    Hearthfire is too superficial and linear to fit in a deep and complex game as Skyrim. And it's a shame, because the personal life of a Dragonborn would have been a great addition to this game.
  5. GameCritics
    Nov 19, 2012
    50
    Overall, the entire endeavor is extremely costly and a good chunk of playtime is necessary to amass enough money to trick out the small mansion after blowing thousands on the initial structure. Yet this is perhaps the true quality of Hearthfire-the ability to simply get players back into the world of Skyrim after abandoning it after exhausting the main quest or slaying through the Dawnguard expansion.
  6. XGN
    Sep 17, 2012
    50
    Hearthfire offers you a great home for your stuff, but won't allow you to customize it in any meaningful way.
  7. VideoGamer
    Sep 7, 2012
    40
    Despite the whopping size of your new stately mansions, Hearthfire feels cold and empty.

See all 17 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 23
  3. Negative: 6 out of 23
  1. smithy1259
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    I found this DLC to be fantastic. It just added to the atmosphere of the game which is great. Great immersion and I actually enjoyed this moreI found this DLC to be fantastic. It just added to the atmosphere of the game which is great. Great immersion and I actually enjoyed this more than dawnguard. Heres hoping for a shivering isles like expansion.… Expand
  2. NatoTheGreato
    Jan 25, 2015
    9
    People saying this dlc is crap can shut up it is great! Now i can have a house i customized that isn't a small closed off house people arePeople saying this dlc is crap can shut up it is great! Now i can have a house i customized that isn't a small closed off house people are also only reviewing the house build you can also have children who will play games with you ask you for allowance and find animals in the woods that they can keep as pets (with your permission of course) and the only things I don't like about this dlc is that there are only three locations to build a house and after a while your children will star repeating lines of dialogue many many times. Overall a grey dlc if you are thinking about buying it buy it.… Expand
  4. Oxcart
    Dec 2, 2012
    8
    Hearthfire is relatively up front about what it intends to do and how it intends to do it. Point blank and period, it's about giving theHearthfire is relatively up front about what it intends to do and how it intends to do it. Point blank and period, it's about giving the player the chance to put together a home of his or her own, customized to match individual preference. On the positive side, it does enable one to create a home that feels more your own than any other you can buy in the game. You are given options on how the house is to be built and what is to go inside. And, if you are so inclined, you can build your house largely without expense; it's possible to gather and make the necessary components yourself (more on that in a tick). Now, on the flip side, the negatives. First, there are a lot of glitches. Little bugs that should be squished during the next update, but it's a little unnerving that Bethesda QA let so many errors slip through. One such bug prevents expense-free construction, even if you do everything right, which is frustrating to self-sufficient game styles. But bigger than that is the mutual-exclusion construction model -- if you want this room, then you can't have these two no matter what. Frankly, for the size house you're putting together, being limited to three wings without any possible compromise seems like an artificial limit. Realistically, I can see limiting buildings to three wings and two towers. There are also precious few options beyond "do you want this or not?" You get no say in what furniture is installed or where, just whether you want to use the offerings hard-coded into the system, there are no aesthetic options, either interior or exterior. In short, there's very little flexibility. Options are the key in add-ons like this, and Hearthfire has enough to make it worth buying, but not nearly enough to make it a 10. Add in the bugs, and 7-8 is a reasonable (possibly slightly generous) score.… Expand
  5. Sizaki
    Apr 16, 2013
    6
    Just adds what should have been in Skyrim from the beginning, they could just patched it instead, and it adds more glitches than before. ItJust adds what should have been in Skyrim from the beginning, they could just patched it instead, and it adds more glitches than before. It doesn't ruin the game experience though, and that's good enough for me.… Expand
  6. JRocks247
    Sep 6, 2012
    6
    Does it add to the game play? Not really...Bandit/Kidnapper/Troll attacks are meh. Does it add to the immersion? Yes. Love building my ownDoes it add to the game play? Not really...Bandit/Kidnapper/Troll attacks are meh. Does it add to the immersion? Yes. Love building my own estate with all the fixins. Could it have been more customizable and robust? Sure, but remember it only a $4 add on and gives you one less loading screen to access you're own house (versus entering a city, then entering your house). If you're a collector of stuff or alchemist these estates with their greenhouse, trophy room, armory and gardens area must have. Haven't tried the adoption thing and find it hard to believe its anything but tedious but whatevs...6/10 not bad, fairly priced and a definite buy if you still wander the realm of the Dovakiin… Expand
  7. OnAnarchy
    Apr 21, 2013
    5
    I did like the content added in this pack, but in the end it was too unfinished and added far too many glitches to be good. I was hopingI did like the content added in this pack, but in the end it was too unfinished and added far too many glitches to be good. I was hoping patches would solve many of the issues, however, with BethSoft moving on to 'newer projects', it's clear that won't be happening, so I am forced to render my judgement.… Expand
  8. MisterNoodles
    Mar 31, 2013
    0
    Well so far everything Skyrim and Dawnguard cannot even come close to how down right garbage this expansion was. When I first thought ofWell so far everything Skyrim and Dawnguard cannot even come close to how down right garbage this expansion was. When I first thought of building my house and having children. I was like "YES! now I can build my evil wizard tower!" I than load up the game to find out just how limited you are. You get to choose the location, and the North, West, and East parts of the house. And you are stuck with a cottage. So no wizard tower for me. And to top that there is no choice of design in the furniture. It is simple and boring. So I was like "Forget building a house!" So I decided to adopt some children and have them live in one of my existing houses. But guess what, there are no Khajiit children! So I can only have human children and I am a freaking Khajiit. Not a Nord, Redguard, Imperial or Breton. This expansion is a slap to the face to all Elder Scroll fans. It is not worth $5 or any money at all. This should have been free. Because I can go out and get a mod FOR FREE! So far Bethesda has completely disappointed me with DLC and Skyrim itself.… Expand

See all 23 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012
81
#81 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012