Skyrim’s expansions all brought big changes toThe Elder Scrolls 5.Dawnguardsaw an overhaul to the vampire and werewolf systems,Hearthfireintroduced an all-new home-building mechanic, andDragonbornreturned fans to a location that hadn’t been seen sinceMorrowind.
Each ofSkyrim’s expansions brought something new to the table. For those checking the DLC for the first time, it’s worth looking at each DLCs ups and downs, the new aspects they introduced to the franchise, and what fans might hope to see carried over from these expansions intoThe Elder Scrolls 6.
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Dawnguard
Dawnguardsaw the Dragonborn caught up in a way between a faction of vampire hunters and their ancient enemies, vampire Clan Volkihar. Skill trees were added forSkyrim’s vampiresand werewolves, with vampires gaining the ability to transform into a Vampire Lord. Aesthetically, the DLC made some great upgrades, adding vampire outfits acrossSkyrim, introducing vampire hunting armor, and adding a feature fans had been asking for since it mysteriously disappeared afterMorrowind: crossbows.
The story ofDawnguardwas also a lot stronger than many of the major questlines inSkyrim’s retail release. While manySkyrimcompanions had little connection or engagement with the questlines acrossTamriel, new companion Serana’s inclusion in the DLC marked a shift in Bethesda’s follower design.
Serana was deeply tied to the DLC’s main plot, an idea that was then taken further in the far more fleshed out companion characters seen inFallout 4. ManyElder Scrollsfans will be hoping that the followers found inThe Elder Scrolls 6have as much to say as Serana and as much story of their own.
Dawnguardbrought a few features toSkyrimthat fans had been asking for for years, and which had often been among the first features added by theElder Scrollsmodding community. A character was added to Riften’s Ratway who would change the character’s appearance for a price. Most Bethesda fans know that characters don’t always look quite like the player imagined in character creation. This was rarely a problem for PC players, who had access to the “showracemenu” command. For console players, however, this was a necessary quality-of-life upgrade that fans will hope to see included in the next game from the get-go.
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Hearthfire
LikeDawnguard,Hearthfirealso saw the beginnings of some ideas which would later be more fully realized inFallout 4.Hearthfirewas not a story DLC at all. Instead, it offered players the ability to build homes in addition to the ones found in eachmajor town acrossSkyrim. Players could buy plots of land in the Pale, Falkreath, and Hjaalmarch, starting with a small house that could be expanded into a huge mansion.
This was a great mod for roleplayers, adding stewards, carriage drivers, and bards that the player could hire. It also allowed players to adopt children.Hearthfirewas a total change of pace forThe Elder Scrolls 5, allowing players who had accumulated vast treasure hoards across their adventures to truly settle down. The house building mechanics were also a clear opportunity for Bethesda to experiment with the communitybuilding mechanics inFallout 4, though ironicallyFallout 4’s more fixed story denied players the breadth of roleplaying opportunities thatHearthfireadded to the game.
LikeDawnguard’s stronger follower writing,Hearthfiremarked a shift inThe Elder Scrolls' design that many fans will be happy to see return inThe Elder Scrolls 6. Players of the next game will likely expect to be able to affect the landscape around them far more than in previous games. Bethesda will likely need to include building mechanics in the base game, allowing players to change the world around them through everything from setting up camps in the wilderness to building huge houses to store their trophies and treasure.
What would really takeThe Elder Scrolls 6to the next level, however, would be a combination of the stronger character writing found inDawnguardwith the expansive roleplaying opportunities found inHearthfire. It’s all well and good finally tying the knot withfollowers like Lydiaand moving to the countryside to start a family, but at the end of the day that doesn’t overcome the fact that she’s an extremely 1-dimensional character.
DawnguardandHearthfiretogether made strides to improve on theElder Scrollsformula. Now,The Elder Scrolls 6needs to synthesize the two, introducing strong characters with compelling storylines as well as a breadth of roleplaying opportunities in the game’s open world.
Dragonborn
Dragonborn, likeDawnguard, made strides to improve the often-criticized storytelling ofThe Elder Scrollsgames. After an attempted assassination, the Dragonborn found themselves journeying to the island of Solstheim. This island had become a refuge for the Dark Elves who fled Morrowind following the eruption of the Red Mountain, the destruction of Vvardenfell, andthe Argonian invasionto the south. Raven Rock has some of the best environmental storytelling found in anyElder Scrollsgame. The town was affected by mysterious dreams nobody seemed able to explain, with strange obelisks being built by the villagers beyond the town walls, seemingly without their knowledge.
Solstheim was also included inThe Elder Scrolls 3: Bloodmoon, and returning to the island was a great opportunity to show just how much had changed in Tamriel over the 200 year leap betweenOblivionandSkyrim. The add-on also allowed players to tame and ride dragons. This was a cool concept, though it did have a tendency to reveal just how smallSkyrim’s map really is, and would likely lack a place in the story ofThe Elder Scrolls 6.
Regardless, many players would be happy to see the kind of environmental storytelling shown off inDragonbornreturn inThe Elder Scrolls 6. ManyMorrowindfans were also delighted to see the add-ons focus on the Dark Elves. HopefullyThe Elder Scrolls 6has areas which allow players to explore the various cultures of Tamriel even more, especially those races often left at the sidelines like theKhajiit and Argonians.
Skyrim’s add-ons allowed for some early experiments which Bethesda fans saw realized further inFallout 4. Now,Bethesdaneeds to bring the strong storytelling and opportunities for environmental interaction seen inSkyrim’s DLC toThe Elder Scrolls 6.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis available to play now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.
