E3 - New Details Emerge From Bethesda About Skyrim's New Downloadable Content, Dawnguard

Unless you've been living in the sewers with a pack of mud crabs, you've probably heard of the video game phenomenon known as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Well, fellow gamers, Elder Scrolls director Todd Howard heard that you like Skyrim, so he put more Skyrim in your Skyrim, so you can...er, never mind. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is upon us, and as assumed by many TES fans, new details for the game's upcoming downloadable content are pouring out like the strongest waterfalls in the province of Skyrim. This new DLC is called Dawnguard, and it has much in store for high-level characters that have a thirst for more adventure.

Oblivion veterans that seek shiny new armor for their Skyrim steed will probably be disappointed. Todd Howard and his team have been pushing out some impressive DLC in Fallout 3 with depth adding up to what feels more like an expansion pack than just a weapon or a few quests. For instance, The Pitt threw players into tough moral situations involving slavery and Point Lookout was a large new landscape blanketed with intrigue and mystery. Bethesda has passion in what they do, and it's completely apparent in their acknowledgment of fan feedback and the variety in their additional content. I'll probably have to play Skyrim's latest DLC to see for myself how much this tradition holds up, but so far, color me impressed by the content I've seen on the web.

The major theme in Dawnguard is vampirism. You may choose to become a crossbow-toting vampire slayer badass, or succumb to the vampires' bidding. Siding with Fort Dawnguard's vampire hunters should certainly provide an interesting quest line, and crossbows are a much-requested welcome addition to Skyrim's arsenal. On the contrary, Bethesda has crafted more benefits for vampirism than ever before, including the ability to become a Vampire Lord, and summon a mount from a demonic plane of Oblivion (known as Soul Cairn). Vampires will also receive their own skill tree. As for the werewolves of Skyrim, you haven't been left out in the cold either, as werewolf characters will also receive some love with their own skill tree as well. Top that with additional legendary dragon encounters, and craftable dragon bone weapons and you have yourself a DLC with quite a bit of meat.

The Vampire Skill Tree from Dawnguard (Source: GameInformer)

Is your mouth watering for more Skyrim content to sink your plastic vampire teeth into? Well, the Xbox crowd won't have to wait much longer. Dawnguard releases on Xbox 360 on June 26th, and will cost 20 US dollars. It seems steep, but according to reports, the new content will clock players just around 20 hours. That's approximately a dollar per hour, so enjoying Dawnguard in the most lengthy manner will save you money from that price point per hour, technically speaking. Unfortunately, PC and PS3 users will have to hang in there a bit longer for their releases. Todd Howard and his team are so pleased with the near-finished product, that a few lucky Xbox 360 owners will have a chance to get an early taste of Dawnguard in the form of a pre-release beta version.

Stay tuned for more E3-related news, and my honest input.

DISCLAIMER: I did NOT go to E3. I simply read and watched countless other sources (including IGN, Kotaku, GameTrailers, etc) and summarized the news in my own words including my genuine, honest opinions.