This. Kotaku had unrealistic expectations. For the first time in my life I have to agree with IGN over another outlet.

People expect different things from DLC. Some want more of the old while others want a departure. Dawnguard has plenty of neat stuff, but it falls in the same vein of the core game.

For me and many others, that is more than enough. The rest of the folks simply wanted a different experience but didn't get it. I wouldn't say that there's anyone to blame for that; Bethesda made a good product, just not one that appeals to everyone. And I think that's okay.

What I wanted was more things like the dungeon that led to the bow (being vague to prevent spoilers). It added new dungekn elements, mechanics (using currents, dark dungeons) new enemies, new flora and fauna, new buildings, expanded on lore and created new lore, new architectural forms from a race whose architecture we haven't seen before, a glimpse into a different culture etc. That should have been the spirit of Dawnguard as a whole. That's where it really shined. If it weren't for those issues I mentioned in. my really long thread, this bit would have made the dlc really wow me.

The Kotaku guy had his head in the clouds. Look at this sentence in the third paragraph:


No wonder he's disappointed: he expected an entire [censored] expansion, with a focus on new areas to explore and cities to play around in. Like Shivering Isles. Several other people have shared this sentiment on this board as well. I haven't a [censored] clue where they're coming from. I only found out that they were doing this DLC a week or so ago, and in the first five minutes of watching interviews and reading articles it was clear that wasn't going to be the case. That the main reason to buy the DLC is VL form, and Werewolf perk trees, and a new weapon class, along with a new MQ and maybe an area or two you'll get to run around in. That the value is in these intangibles, rather than in new locales and NPCs and raw gameplay hours.

I'm also not sure what to make of his complaint that you can't use potions or spells in VL form. Err...isn't the whole point that it's a new, Werewolf-style form?

You make very good points. I'd like to point out though that many journalists and players were expectinf a dlc. This was teased for months with posters, small leaks, datamines and interviews that got people thinking it would be huge. The devs even HEAVILY implied it would be. Is it our fault for falling for it? Maybe, but it was subtley marketed in a way to get people thinking it was going to be massive, so we would all fall for the trap and buy it before the reviews came out.

Sure we knew what was coming but that doesn't mean people still weren't disappointed. It isn't worth the price that is my problem with it. We should have gotten a new area and a full expansion for that price.

Very true. I agree. Everything down to the price lead us to believe this would be more substaintial than it was.

"[Dawnguard] will feel like an expansion" - Bethesda

Well then there you go: they outright lied.

It feels like a expansion to me.

I suppose you're entitled to your opinion, but when you compare it to other expansions (tribunal, bloodmoon, shivering isles) it's much more like a regular dlc questline than an expansion.
Edit: And who are all these anonymous members in all my threads? Haha I swear there's at least one in whatever I post.

I could have seen this for 800 points

I...Have to agree with you there, I feel its like a very large version of broken steel, adds more to the base game then to something new. (I say its a mini-expansion, bigger then a DLC but smaller then a real expansion...

Yeah we were mislead into thinking this was a full dlc. If you want my full opinion, I wrote my own amateur review in another thread. Agree or disagree, I'd love for you guys to post your opinions and to hear what you think of it: http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1390811-my-very-amateur-dawnguard-review/

I am on the fence with this one. I liked Dawnguard because it added new game play and items. But I felt it was to short, and the after you finished the main quest that was pretty much it. You could do radiant quests but after a while they repeated. I was also disappointed by the fact you couldn't upgrade either fortress. Todd Howard said you could "Trick" the fortress out. when all you get are two new crappy things. I hope they come out with another minor DLC or patch to fix this. It would also be cool if Skyrim, Dawnguard, and future DLCs got tied together so a decision in one would affect everything.

I agree. Good points. However anything that would "tie dlc together" would have to be free, since not everyone would have every dlc. Tha would be a trading card business scheme to force people to collect them all (buy all the dlcs). I hope they add more stuff for these dlcs, but I shouldn't have to pay for it. Unless it's like Fallout New Vegas, where the overarching narrative played into all of the dlc, but you still didn't need to buy them all

disappointed here also

In case you forgot, Bethesda said that the DLCs would be expansions.


I hope Bethesda isn't getting Peter Molyneux Syndrome. That would be sad.

They said in between Knights of the nine and shivering isles, which it is, they said nothing about it being an expansion, only being "meater" then your average dlc which it is.

Yeah I was excited for months to get dawnguard, but then when it came out and I played it, it barely seemed worth the while. Now I am bored with it.

"They'll feel closer to an expansion pack." - Todd Howard

What was that again about nothing about it being an expansion?

And the average DLC is a multiplayer map pack, is that really the gauge we're judging it by? Dawnguard was a disappointment.

Todd said numerous times that dlc in general will be more like expansions and that dawnguard will "feel like an expansion"

I dont think it's gone that far yet. Off topic, but I actually liked Fable 1 and 2. They were just overhyped.

I want the dlcs to be the size equal to or greater than shivering isles.

Dont we all....I would've been happy even if it was slightly smaller than SI if if didnt have all these issues