The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn DLC Reviews
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Official Xbox Magazine, 7.5/10.
Though you'll find plenty of side quests and new dungeons to explore, that uneven main quest (about a seven-hour jaunt) is the high point of the whole affair. Dragonborn's supposed crown jewel the ability to temporarily tame and ride dragons turns out to be its most bitter disappointment. The first time you climb onto a dragon's neck is a thrill, but best of luck getting your new slave to do anything terribly useful. Even if you can tolerate its awkward combat targeting and glitchy flight patterns, its laughably lackadaisical attack speed means you're better off staying on your own two feet than trying to get a dragon to burn or bite your foes.
Of course, you'll also find new spells and shouts to learn, equipment to craft, and houses to earn. But it would take more than some moaning Ash Spawn zombies and goblin-like Rieklings to properly differentiate this joint from the mainland. Dragonborn gives players plenty more of what they loved about Skyrim, and is worth buying for that fact alone, but it could've and should've been so much more.
VentureBeat, 8.0/10.
Dragonborn is a creepy descent into madness set in a mini Morrowind that isn't quite as epic as Dawnguard, but it compensates for that with a wealth of new items, shouts, and spells. Its performance issues and overreliance on Skyrim storytelling tropes are difficult to ignore, but beneath all the frustration is a great adventure that examines the power of knowledge and how far one man will go to rule the world.
Cheat Code Central, 3.2/5.
Ultimately, though, this is Skyrim's most ambitious expansion to date. It adds a whole new landmass to explore (or re-explore), new mob types to kill, new potion ingredients to collect, and an absurd amount of side content to simply marvel at. Sure, it comes with a ton of bugs, and some of those bugs are damn near game-breaking, but if you can give Bethesda yet another (probably undeserved) pass here, Dragonborn has a ton of content to enjoy.
