The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Hearthfire

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.

Hearthfire is a cosmetic add-on that enables you to build three houses and adopt children. Although relatively cheap (400 MSP), there is no story to speak of and the house building options are very limited. [Oct 2012]

Hearthfire is an expansion without new missions - it provides only a couple of options that should have been there from the beginning. Many players will be let down, but those that want to "play house" and deepen the experience of living in the game world, should consider buying this DLC. Dragonborn's motivation for saving the world becomes greater, but the problem is this - most of the player have already saved everything there was to save and getting a virtual family won't be enough for them to return to Skyrim.

Hearthfire is an inexpensive add-on to the critically acclaimed Skyrim, and it provides its value for new and old players alike, but in different ways. The customization options will give characters an even deeper attachment to the game world, and establish a perfect retreat for those who have a hard time keeping track of every arcane enchanter and forge. More customization options would help to set each abode apart from the next, but Hearthfire rewards us with what we all want: more Skyrim.

Hearthfire offers you a great home for your stuff, but won't allow you to customize it in any meaningful way.

You can live a long and happy life in Skyrim without ever getting familiar with Hearthfire.

If you want to make the perfect home for your hero, look elsewhere. Hearthfire provides a very limited and clumsy building system and the pointless possibility of adoption. However, if you just need a larger and better storage container for your loot it might just be worth the low price.

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.

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.

Hearthfire is an add-on that will be most useful to the first-time Skyrim player. If you're just starting to explore the world now, you're sure to find value in Hearthfire. For everyone else, it's a cosmetic addition that will have little impact on your adventure.

Hearthfire is certainly a download that shatters preconceptions, but only in the sense that it never really allows you to do any of the things you thought it would.

Despite the whopping size of your new stately mansions, Hearthfire feels cold and empty.

At its best, it's a neat distraction and a welcome change of pace from all of the slaying and looting.

Optional extras for your home include a garden, livestock, and even a live-in bard if you're suitably masochistic, and if you manage to build in all three available holds you get an Achievement. However, despite being a very nicely made, commendably affordable bit of DLC, Hearthfire is little more than a quirky cosmetic bolt-on that doesn't add anything exciting to the game. It does give a pretty good approximation of the frustration actual homeowners feel during the building process, though.

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.