I just thought it was kind of disappointing how much that the DLC's main storyline is tied to Hermaeus Mora. I mean, Apocrypha was REALLY cool and creative. I loved it.

But the fact that the Dragonborn stems from a Daedric prince that's not really that prominent or suitable for being the cause of the Dragonborn is kind of a letdown. The nature of the Dragonborn isn't even well explained. It's just that Miraak got "knowledge" from Hermaeus Mora and that's it. Nothing about anything else we know about the Dragonborns. Nothing about how they have the blood and soul of a dragon, nothing about how they can consume dragons' souls, and nothing about how they have such intuitive use of the Thu'um.

It's even explained that being a Dragonborn is a gift from Akatosh, yet he's never mentioned.

And then Miraak's Staff/Sword/Robes are tied to Hermaeus in that they have tentacle powers. Tentacles =/= dragons. This is DRAGONborn, not "Octoborn" or something. We should be getting stuff with dragon-based powers. Granted this stuff is cool, I feel like Apocrypha, Miraak's equipment, and all this stuff should have been used in a different manner.

I felt that this DLC was too overshadowed by Hermaeus Mora. In Dawnguard, they didn't throw Molag Bal in your face every single quest. They just said that he was the origin of vampires, but it wasn't all centered around him. It was centered around the Dawnguard vs. Volkihar. This DLC should have been centered around Dragonborn vs Dragonborn. We don't even get an explanation for the cultists that Miraak has! They're just there for like two quests and then never seen again.

P.S.: While I was disappointed (mostly, not totally) by the DLC's main questline, I do very much enjoy the rest of it. Solstheim is a very nice expansion, and all the new content is awesome. Except for Dragon Riding, that is absolute garbage.

His stuff has shout cool downs, no?

imsrrywut?

Octoborn! Awesome. I love Octopi. I want to be Octoborn.

I some what agree that more info on the Dragonborn aspect should of been in the DLC. But I really like Mora so I can't complain about him being in it a lot. Also Apocrypha is now my favourite Daedric Realm.

Nevermind, but Miraak's stuff does have enchanments relating to dragons. I'm personally glad that his stuff is tentacular since it creates some neat new effects.

Well yeah; dragon breath is absorbed. But that's just barely linked.

I agree that the tentacles are a cool effect, but out of place.

After being annoyed for a long time, and still somewhat, about the lack of interaction between Miraak and the PC I realized that Dragonborn conflict was not really the focus of this DLC. They could have made it longer and built up the relationship more but I think the focus was actually on Herma-Mora. He's the star of the show. It's focused around a Dragonborn conflict but it's not the point. The point is Mora won, the PC lost (in a way as he's now a servant), the Skaal lost. It's almost a tragic story. It definitely could have been expanded more.

So I don't mind all the tentacles although a better focus on Shouts would have been nice. I realize now that the PC is supposed to be an aspect of More now.

I admit, this DLC has more to do with Hermaeus Mora than anything Dragonborn-related, but at least Mora is awesome in his own right...even gave my character good reason to descend from Holy Paladin to Knowledge-Hungry Sorcerer while staying in-character.

Would have liked more Shout cooldown reductions though.

It was a great twist for me... But I definitely agree about the lack of backstory/lore about the first Dragonborn. So far, I've only found one book about him and he mentions that he would've killed Alduin a long time ago but he had other plans or something. Basically, since he mis-used the blessing of Akatosh, it all fell on you to kill Alduin.

Agreed. I like the fact they picked Mora for this DLC; he's always interested me.

Though the MQ should of been longer with more background info.

I suppose I'm more perturbed than others at this because I'm not a big fan of the Daedra myself. I told Hermaeus Mora to piss off in Discerning the Transmundane, so it was rather out of character for me to go through with what he says (even if it was to defeat Miraak). So I don't empathize with all of your liking of Hermaeus Mora.

Not that I wouldn't have liked the idea of Apocrypha and all of the stuff with Hermaeus, but it should have been saved for another DLC.

Regardless, the point still stands that having Hermaeus Mora, or anyone else but Miraak, take center stage of the DLC is wrong. The conflict should have been directly between Miraak and the Player. But instead it's indirect, and HM is all over the place. We only see Miraak three times, versus seeing HM like a dozen. And then to have HM come in and kill Miraak at the end is just the nail in the coffin. Couldn't these two just get a room and leave me to go find a better story?

Perhaps this whole DLC was just to cater to the Japanese audience. I don't know.

And again, where is Akatosh in all of this? I don't recall his name being said even once. Unless, as Fyrisi says, there's a book somewhere that talks about him being misusing the gift given to him by Akatosh. Okay, but then where does Hermaeus Mora fit in? What does any of this even have to do with being a Dragonborn, besides the fact that Miraak is one? It feels so surreal to be playing something called "DRAGONBORN" and have little to no attention actually paid to it. It's like if in Dawnguard, you had no choice but to be a vampire, and the Dawnguard were only featured in two quests.

Actually, the Mushroom wizard elf said there is no evidence of permanent influence of Herma-Mora in the hero. Miraaks robes may be connected to him however.

Yeah we're left with questions as to what role Akatosh actually plays regarding the dragonborn and how much power or knowledge or good intentions he has when he bestows said gift.

Exactly. In fact, as I said, we're even left with questions as to what role Hermaeus Mora even played in Miraak becoming Dragonborn.

The story is too set in the present for a story meant to be set about the past. Look at how the main Alduin questline was done. That's how they should have executed this DLC, but instead they treated it more as a Hermaeus Mora DLC than a DLC about the first Dragonborn. Again, that'd have been a great idea in its own DLC, perhaps a smaller $10 one, but either you make a DLC about the Dragonborn or you don't.

I don't think Hermaeus Mora played any role in Miraak becoming Dragonborn, he was probably born as Dragonborn and Hermaeus Mora merely gifted him with the knowledge of more Words of Power that allowed him to utilize his status as a Dragonborn to become very powerful.

Well, I'm not really convinced that Hermaeus Mora had a role in Miraak becoming Dragonborn... If he did, then it was answered in the book "The Guardian and the Traitor." Perhaps that was the greater power that tempted Miraak into turning against the dragons. But I think this was a part that Bethesda shouldn't have left openly vague.

i personally think that his stuff is awesome. 25% absorbtion that according to the description it is a garanteed absorption?

I don't read many books within Skyrim (I mean, I don't play a video game to read), but that was one of the few books I did read, due to it being cited often in the loading screen. If what it said is true, then I guess the connection could be made that Akatosh gave Miraak the gift of being Dragonborn, but then Hermaeus Mora lured Miraak into serving him and rebelling against the dragons.

But then that leaves the question as to why Akatosh made Miraak a Dragonborn, what Miraak did between becoming Dragonborn and being approached by Hermaeus Mora, and why Akatosh is never even mentioned anywhere.

On an unrelated note, another thing that annoyed me is how Miraak's mask itself is a sort of representation of Hermaeus Mora (looks kind of like Cthulhu). Again, too much focus on Hermaeus Mora.

Not sure, but I think it's a 25% chance of absorption despite what the description says. I use almost all of it (except the gloves) + Atronach Stone + Atronach Perk (Alteration) to get 100% Spell Absorption and I'm now immune to spells and shouts, although for some reason I just got affected by a Drain Vitality shout from a Legendary Dragon yesterday. (Draugr Shouts don't work against me though, I absorb them)

Well, you gotta realize that he wasn't JUST dragonborn, he was a devoted follower of Hermaeus Mora, sooo the mask makes sense.

Was it a chance of absorption, or just absorption? As in, you get hit with it, but absorb 25% of the damage? That's what I think it is.

I can indeed reconcile with that context. But in the other context, the fact that this DLC was called Dragonborn, and was meant to focus on that subject, it's odd how the literal face of the DLC is Hermaeus Mora. The other Dragon Priest masks are all very indistinct, but this one very specifically has to do with Hermaeus Mora.

I suppose this bothers me because I wear all of Miraak's stuff (as I think it's a cool idea to wear the stuff of the first Dragonborn). But from an objective standpoint it's still not very sound.

I get what you're saying... Fact is, they should've infiltrated this stuff in Miraak's Tomb. Perhaps even had some unique armor/weapon before he turned to Hermaeus Mora... The tomb itself represents his decline into Hermaeus Mora's grip.

Really? How so?

Well, it starts off as your typical Draugr filled tomb with the respective Dragonpriest set-up... But as you proceed. What were once figureheads of dragons and such, shift to statues of beasts from Apocrypha finally ending with Hermaeus Mora's shrine/statue at the end.