Following a successful beta run this past week, Bethesda has announced (via Twitter) that the first DLC for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will launch on schedule June 26 (1600 MSP), an Xbox exclusive launch ahead of PC and PS3. Dawnguard brings approximately 10-20 hours of additional gameplay, roughly the same length as other faction quest lines, such as completing the Thieves’ Guild (revealed at E3). Along with the new story and quests, the DLC adds new features including vampire lord and werewolf skill trees; there’s even a spectral mount.
The main story of the DLC surrounds the struggle between the Dawnguard, a brotherhood of vampire hunters and the pure vampires, lead by Lord Harkon (featured in the Dawnguard trailer). Additional content includes: side quests, the Soul Cairn realm (a plane of Oblivion), a host of new skills, new weaponry, new shouts, and an assortment of creatures and characters; including one woman in Riften who allows players to change their character’s appearance (another E3 reveal). Are there any of the rumored Snow Elves? It’s possible, but, when asked at E3, Todd Howard stopped short of directly confirming it. The DLC is integrated such that it comes seamlessly incorporated as part of the existing Skyrim world, accessible within the regular game. Characters need to be level 10 to begin the main Dawnguard quests, which begin at the far North of Skryim.
