Skyrim: Dragonborn Review

Nasrin

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May 30, 2011
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Skyrim: Dragonborn Review

Riding a dragon isn't that great, but the DLC is worth it.

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Fappy

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Good work Nas, I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're a fellow Khajiit-player XD

It's interesting to see the perspective on this DLC from someone who hasn't played Morrowind, because it's pretty easy to fall into the trap of comparing this DLC to that of Bloodmoon. Agreed with all points made. Dragonborn is worthy of your money!

Also, nice job showing off all your daedric artifacts in the video >:D
 

Nasrin

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May 30, 2011
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Fappy said:
Good work Nas, I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're a fellow Khajiit-player XD

It's interesting to see the perspective on this DLC from someone who hasn't played Morrowind, because it's pretty easy to fall into the trap of comparing this DLC to that of Bloodmoon. Agreed with all points made. Dragonborn is worthy of your money!

Also, nice job showing off all your daedric artifacts in the video >:D
I am an evil mage kitten, after all! Thanks for noticing, it's always great to be complimented for your loot ^_^
 

Legion

Were it so easy
Oct 2, 2008
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Hmm, maybe I should borrow it from a friend to play it then. I sold my copy as I didn't think I'd end up playing it again seeing I'd done everything else.
 

LG Jargon

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Feb 9, 2012
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Great job on the review. I'm salivating at the thought of more DLC and more content for Skyrim, though I'll have to be patient since my copy is on the PC. I saw at the bottom of your review that you had said "end-game content". Does this mean that if I play through this DLC, that my game has a definitive end? I haven't seen and done everything I've wanted to yet, so...

Also, all hail the Khajiit! Sneaky sneaky, mrrrrr~ :3
 

Proverbial Jon

Not evil, just mildly malevolent
Nov 10, 2009
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I'm glad I waited for this review before purchase. I got burned with that stupid customisable home building in Hearthfire that just turned out to be a load of busy work to end up with identical houses with zero customisation. I had some fun with it but far less than I expected.

It's a real shame that Bethesda never quite deliver when they say they're going to do something. The ability to "ride a dragon" does give one the impression that there will be a certain amount of control to be had over the aforementioned mount. So instead we just get an alternative, albeit fancy, fast travel option. Pssh.

At least now my expectations will be suitably levelled out when I do take the plunge and purchase this DLC. So thanks, Nasrin.
 

Nasrin

Leviathan
May 30, 2011
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LG Jargon said:
Great job on the review. I'm salivating at the thought of more DLC and more content for Skyrim, though I'll have to be patient since my copy is on the PC. I saw at the bottom of your review that you had said "end-game content". Does this mean that if I play through this DLC, that my game has a definitive end? I haven't seen and done everything I've wanted to yet, so...

Also, all hail the Khajiit! Sneaky sneaky, mrrrrr~ :3
More like it continues issues and quest topics that were at the end of your vanilla Skyrim game :)
 

Ragsnstitches

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Here's to hoping they fix or find a workaround for the issues they had with the PS3 version since this DLC has me excited, more so then the Dawnguard DLC. Otherwise I'll hold off until I can afford a PC to play it on (which could be years away at this rate).
 

Fappy

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LG Jargon said:
Great job on the review. I'm salivating at the thought of more DLC and more content for Skyrim, though I'll have to be patient since my copy is on the PC. I saw at the bottom of your review that you had said "end-game content". Does this mean that if I play through this DLC, that my game has a definitive end? I haven't seen and done everything I've wanted to yet, so...

Also, all hail the Khajiit! Sneaky sneaky, mrrrrr~ :3
Nah, the main quest of the DLC triggers once you are named Dragonborn by the Greybeards. You can play the content whenever you want after that point, but it is generally more challenging than most of the vanilla content so it'd be a good idea to go there no earlier than level 20 or so.
 

Scow2

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Dragon riding's considered the most tantalizing part? I thought the big sell was the return to Morrowind.
 

tmande2nd

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One good thing about being a PC player is that someone is going to come along and tweak Dragon riding.
Do they let you use spells from horseback now though? I hope they do.
 

SajuukKhar

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Proverbial Jon said:
The ability to "ride a dragon" does give one the impression that there will be a certain amount of control to be had over the aforementioned mount.
When you ride on a plane do you control where it goes?
When you ride on a train are you setting the stations it stops at?
When you ride on a boat do you control it?
When you are ride in a car, are you driving it?

The answer to all of those questions is no, because riding is a passive action. Riding is something you do when you are in a mode of transportation, but you yourself are not actively controlling said means of transportation.

Now, had they said "control" a dragon, or "pilot" a dragon, or "steer" a dragon, or "drive" a dragon you would have a valid point, because those are all active actions.
 

Proverbial Jon

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Nov 10, 2009
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SajuukKhar said:
Proverbial Jon said:
The ability to "ride a dragon" does give one the impression that there will be a certain amount of control to be had over the aforementioned mount.
When you ride on a plane do you control where it goes?
When you ride on a boat do you control it?
when you are ride in a car, are you driving it?
When you ride on a train are you setting the stations it stops as?

The answer to all of those questions is no, because riding is a passive action. Riding is something you do when you are in a mode of transportation, but you yourself are not actively controlling said means of transportation.

Now, had they said "control" a dragon, or "pilot" a dragon, or "steer" a dragon, you would have a valid point.
To counter your argument:

When you ride a horse do you control/steer it?

Why yes, yes you do. In fact I would say a horse is the better comparison in this case because it is a living, breathing creature. It has a mind of its own, its own impulses and reactions but they can be directed and channelled to do what you wish if you know what to do.

As far as the game lore goes I figured the Dragonborn would have this level of control over a dragon. As far as the game's limitations go... well, let's just say I should have known better.
 

SajuukKhar

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Proverbial Jon said:
To counter your argument:

When you ride a horse do you control/steer it?

Why yes, yes you do. In fact I would say a horse is the better comparison in this case because it is a living, breathing creature. It has a mind of its own, its own impulses and reactions but they can be directed and channelled to do what you wish if you know what to do.

As far as the game lore goes I figured the Dragonborn would have this level of control over a dragon. As far as the game's limitations go... well, let's just say I should have known better.
To counter your counter argument when you ride a bull do you control/steer it? no. And I would say that bulls are a more accurate representation of dragons then horses.


Also, controlling dragons in such a manner has nothing to do with game engine limitations, it can easily be done.

As for lore, Dragonborn have never exhibited that level of control over a dragon before, but then again, no other dragonborn has been alive when Dragons were numerous to try.
 

DrunkOnEstus

In the name of Harman...
May 11, 2012
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SajuukKhar said:
Proverbial Jon said:
The ability to "ride a dragon" does give one the impression that there will be a certain amount of control to be had over the aforementioned mount.
When you ride on a plane do you control where it goes?
When you ride on a train are you setting the stations it stops at?
When you ride on a boat do you control it?
when you are ride in a car, are you driving it?

The answer to all of those questions is no, because riding is a passive action. Riding is something you do when you are in a mode of transportation, but you yourself are not actively controlling said means of transportation.

Now, had they said "control" a dragon, or "pilot" a dragon, or "steer" a dragon, you would have a valid point.
To be fair, everyone says "ride" a horse. I don't think anyone would be saying "buy a horse so you can pilot it, drive it, or steer it". If vanilla Skyrim had you buy horses and you couldn't control them, people would say something about it. There's probably a reason Nasrin had to clarify that in the review, I'm sure it's not clear to everyone due to semantics.
 

SajuukKhar

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DrunkOnEstus said:
To be fair, everyone says "ride" a horse. I don't think anyone would be saying "buy a horse so you can pilot it, drive it, or steer it". If vanilla Skyrim had you buy horses and you couldn't control them, people would say something about it. There's probably a reason Nasrin had to clarify that in the review, I'm sure it's not clear to everyone due to semantics.
What most people fail to take into account is that horses people ride have been tamed, and programed through training to let you control them. Horses are controlled through years of programming from their training. Wild horses do not act in a similar way.

Riding a dragon is more like trying to ride a bull, they are wild animals, and I doubt they particularly care for you using a shout to warp their mind, and while you may be able to get a bull to turn its head in a direction to where its horn hurt your enemies, it still retains the majority over the control of where it goes.
 

Proverbial Jon

Not evil, just mildly malevolent
Nov 10, 2009
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SajuukKhar said:
Proverbial Jon said:
To counter your argument:

When you ride a horse do you control/steer it?

Why yes, yes you do. In fact I would say a horse is the better comparison in this case because it is a living, breathing creature. It has a mind of its own, its own impulses and reactions but they can be directed and channelled to do what you wish if you know what to do.

As far as the game lore goes I figured the Dragonborn would have this level of control over a dragon. As far as the game's limitations go... well, let's just say I should have known better.
To counter your counter argument when you ride a bull do you control/steer it? no. And I would say that bulls are a more accurate representation of dragons then horses.


Also, controlling dragons in such a manner has nothing to do with game engine limitations, it can easily be done.

As for lore, Dragonborn have never exhibited that level of control over a dragon before, but then again, no other dragonborn has been alive when Dragons were numerous to try.
Wow, you're just doing your best to discredit me now aren't you? ^_^

Fine, I shall concede. Clearly my over-active imagination and overall desire to ride/control a dragon got the better of me and generated a false expectation of this particular DLC.
 

SajuukKhar

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Sep 26, 2010
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Proverbial Jon said:
Wow, you're just doing your best to discredit me now aren't you? ^_^

Fine, I shall concede. Clearly my over-active imagination and overall desire to ride/control a dragon got the better of me and generated a false expectation of this particular DLC.
well I do think Bethesda should have been..... far more clear..... about it.

It was pretty deceptive to anyone not taking a really serious look at what was said.
 

Kelthurin

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Jun 18, 2009
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"If you were hoping for a spiffy new dragon mount to swap out for that horse of yours, you're going to be disappointed. Although you can bend them to your will and convince them to allow you to mount them, you can't actually direct the dragon's flight path except to fast travel from one location to another."

Good!
Dragon riding is a bloody gimmick, and I'm glad it stops there.