Skyrim's Hearthfire DLC Announcement Trailer

by **DogManDan** Wed Aug 29, 2012 2:52 pm

You may have read speculation that the next Skyrim DLC would be called Hearthfire, and that it would bring a zombie invasion. Those rumors were derived from the obscurities of Elder Scrolls lore that spoke of the rising dead during a Halloween-like holiday. As it turns out the name was correct, but the uberfans were overthinking things a bit. A hearthfire is a symbol of home, and the announcement trailer for Skyrim's next DLC reveals that the Dovahkiin is going all domestic on us. For those seeking action, adventure, and dragonslaying, I issue a warning: a complete lack of epicness follows.

Wow. That trailer has all the excitement of an episode of This Old House. Maybe Little House on the Prairie, tops. I kept waiting for the dramatic twist that shifted from the idyllic home life to a bloody battle with some vicious new enemy, at which point the non-threatening narrator would be tossed aside by a vengeful deep-voiced movie trailer guy... but it never came.

Don't get me wrong, I do understand what Bethesda's going for here: lots of Skyrim players I know, particularly the long-term guys who spend thousands of hours playing, want to really live in this world. These features -- owning land, building a house, and raising and protecting a family -- will let them do that to a degree they've never been able to before. From a strictly roleplaying perspective this could be a boon, and a welcome addition to an area of gameplay that's been largely neglected thus far.

But I think I speak for another large faction of players -- those who seek action, adventure, and loot -- when I ask what's in Hearthfire for me? Are there new enemies to fight? New shouts to earn and spells to use? New weapons to forge and potions to brew? If so, this trailer gives us not even a taste. These features are something I'd probably use and appreciate if they were already there while I'm playing, but it's certainly not something that'll draw me back in for more adventuring. Because this doesn't appear to be an adventure-focused expansion -- it's more like the opposite of adventure.

Hearthfire is coming to Xbox on September 4th (that's next Tuesday) Update: it's $5 on Xbox, probably similar for PC, and if it follows the same exclusivity pattern as Dawnguard it'll hit PC around five weeks later, which would be October 9th. Based solely on what we know so far, though, it'll be a lot longer than that before I play it. I'll probably pass on Hearthfire until whatever DLC comes next hopefully adds more quests to undertake and obstacles to overcome, then build my "dream house" while I'm at it. How about you? Does Hearthfire feel like your kind of thing?

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/elder-scrolls-v/1225891p1.html?utm_campaign=twposts&utm_source=twitter