^
IMO the overall shape of the both Dawnguard Castle and "Unnamed Vampire Faction" is strongly resembling French/Western Medieval Stonework and stereotypical Vampire Count's Castle, that are in turn a fundament of Breton/ high Rock/Direnni etc creation.

Also having in mind existing lore I'd point that the Dawnguard will have place somewhere else than Skyrim, most likely High Rock!(DG castle/ vampires' castle) or even in Oblivion(V.castle).

My assumption also comes from the interview in which our beloved Todd said that he'd want to create "the High Rock game" and the well-known Molag Bal connection with Vamps.

So, to be short, post your opinions folks:D

High Rock would be cool but I did notice in one part of the trailer, it showed a castle that looked an awful lot like Skingrad in Cyrodil. After that we saw some guards that appeared to be wearing the type of Guard Armor that all the city guards wore in each city in Cyrodil/Oblivion. In Skyrim they all wear the nordic helmet and armor which is obviously different so it looks to me like it might take place in Cyrodil which is cool too.

I really hope so. If they created another Province though, it would be lame if we could only go there to enter a castle. I don't think they would add an entire Province.

Considering the climate and the flora seen, I think it's further south... maybe the well known 'gate to Hammerfell' will just lead to this castle, after all. Vampire castle may be in Roscrea, as someone said in another thread.

What I want:Summerset Isles. Specifically, Alinor.

What I Expect: The new locations will just be put into preexisting Skyrim areas. The large castle that I assume belongs to the Dawnguard looked like it was in the Rift since all the trees by it were Silver-birches with autumnal leaves and the other castle appeared to be by the coast, so probably Winterhold or the Pale.

Im pretty sure they will be locate inside Skyrim, replacing some wilderness area. I dont think Bethesda will use a entire new province for one DLC.

Replacing wilderness? It better not. It might not add a province, but it would look really odd if it replaced existing landscape.

I think the location of the vamp castle and DG fortress will not be inside the current borders.

It will either be two islands (on opposite sides of the map) reached by longboat or two new small areas opened up far away from each other.
Skyrim will provide the battleground for the crisis as usual.

I think its just goingto take place in skyrim + in another realm.
But lets hope it opens a little bit of a another province!

IMO, this is one of those things where there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Inserting locations by altering the existing landscape would be the wrong way to do it. It would not make sense and, when we consider that the current landscape was carefully designed by Bethesda developers, it would devalue the existing work. The right way to do it would be to introduce new areas, either by using the roads leading out of Skyrim, or by having a boat take you somewhere or some other means of transportation.

Personally, I hope that the game world is expanded to include new areas, and that the new areas include more than just the two castles.

It'd be tricky adding new locations in Skyrim because of all the mods that have been made for the game. Chances are you'll start in Skyrim but most of the game will take place outside its borders. And from what I've seen Beth have created lots of virgin undeveloped terrain outside the Skyrim map area (both Cyrodiil and Hammerfell at least!), so it looks promising.

I really hope that this expansion isn't set in Skyrim! Sure, Skyrim is an awesome place, but honestly, I want a new place to explore. From what we have seen from the trailer, my best guess is (sadly) that the fort is just going to replace some landscape...

I seriously hope that the new location is Solstheim as some speculation suspects.

The simplest way to include two new areas without displacing anything in the core game would be to implement them in two small microworlds, along the lines of Japhet's Folly (or like Shivering Isles if you prefer, or perhaps even Mournhold if that rings a bell).

One could be reachable by boat, and the other via some mountain pass. No walking to them, and no other integration with the existing game world.

That way they can also be said to be practically anywhere, and it doesn't matter a bit what that anywhere might be.

Well, considering that it is more than six months after launch, which is substantially longer than it usually takes to get DLCs announced, I am hoping that they did not choose the simplest option and that they are making more extensive additions to the game. (Also, at $20, it is not out of line to expect a new region)

I kinda doubt it will be that far away from skyrim the Elder Scroll map only showed Markarth and Solitude.

True, but we don't know what role that map plays or the full limits of that map.

well during the trailer when they're holding the elder scroll, markath and solitude are in red, so perhaps the DLC is set west of Skyrim.
However the cold look to it all suggests further north -although thats just my personal hopes that its on an island between Tamriel and Atmora-

Skyrim and Molag Bal's realm. Why? Becuase we saw that dark version of Whiterun and Molag Bal's realm is supposedly a twisted version of Tamriel. Although that could be the destroyed sun world. Though I don't actually see that working.

OK, replacing is too radical. But, my guess is that they will simple add a small area for the new HQs of the dawnguard and vampires, and most of the quests will take place on skyrim.

Probably, that mountain that was impossible to climb now have a small track that we can follow to the dark castle of the vampires. And that empty forest somewhere, now have a cave that leads to the dawnguard fortress.

I hope Im wrong, but this is my felling.

I think it'll be an area towards the east near the rift like people said. That's pretty close to Vvardenfell and Cyrodil (would explain the rocky coastline and Imperial style buildings).
As for it's location in-game, think "the divide" in Lonesome Road, it's accesible through a valley close to a town. So yeah.

I wouldn't be so sure, Bethesda have a history of somewhere completely new for DLC.. look at Bloodmoon, Tribunal & Shivering Isles

Er, have anyone seen http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198008047148/screenshots/?

on the map we see 4 marks: Markarth, Solitude, something between Deep folk Crossing and mor Kazgur stronghold(weird simbol - if I recall correctly it's the same one from the Elder Scroll handle ) and something located near Deepwood Redoubt.

In the trailer we seen also some ice-cold scenery and lake and ice and birch in the close proximity(crossbow scene). Are there any locations in Skyrim that utilise both of these environments in that specific way? Somehow that rapid birch-ice wall change and that giant ice monster(ice giant, ogre?, grahl(nada)) brings some memories of Solstheim, also backed by leaked Snow elf and their Prince info.

I don't want to sound like an unreliable and wild-guessing one, by shooting at these locations(High Rock and Solstheim) though.

Oh my lord Sheogorath, what have I done.

ooooh there was that very pretty passage leading east out of skyrim, i forget what location its near, but they couldnt place the DLC down that way, towards the Morrowindy area

-edit- i think its near Refugee's Rest.

Riften`? ^^ yeah i think you mean riften! there is a gate to morrowind there