Dragonborn: My Initial Experience

[Hanaisse]

Wow, where to start. 12 straight hours of playing, there's so much that's happened, so much to tell, and I think I'm only halfway done. I'll try to remember things but it's going to be a convoluted mess.

Since this was in the trailer, it isn't really a spoiler. The boat ride into Raven Rock really happens, and it's pretty awesome. The scene rides you right up to the docks to meet the first person you're supposed to meet. Simply amazing.

The start:

You can start Dragonborn one of two ways. Either you can go directly to the ship in Windhelm or you can wander around cities until you're confronted by two "Cultists", which is what I did. I ran into them in Markarth. They accuse you of falsely labeling yourself the Dragonborn and attack. You find a note on one of them that tells you about the ship, mentions the name Miraak, and the quest starts.

Off I jump to the Windhelm docks to approach the captain of the ship. It takes some persuading because he doesn't want to go back to Solstheim - ever. Be ready and well supplied to go because once you convince him to take you, you go. One little load screen then into the ride to the Raven Rock docks. Once you land the 2nd Councilor greets you, gives you a little history such as a city called Blacklight is now the capitol of Morrowind after Mournhold had been sacked, talks about an Argonian invasion, tells you about the strong ties Raven Rock has with the East Empire Company, and mentions Councilor Morvayn of House Redoran as the standing ruler. Of course you get the general "We don't trust strangers" speech too. Once you're there you can easily fast travel back to Skyrim and then back to Solstheim at any time.

Once you're there:

When you get there you're pretty much free to do whatever you want. Your objective, of course, is to find out what you can about this Miraak. Talk to everyone you can and they all pretty much have the same answer - the name sounds familiar but they can't place it, or they feel like they had a dream about it.

There are lots of interesting people to talk to and get backstory from. An orc who thinks he runs the town but doesn't, an alchemist peddling her wares from all the new exotic ingredients (who will give you a side quest to collect stuff for her), a general merchant Dunmer who also mentions ties with the East Empire Company (and gives you a standing side quest to collect and sell him rare East Empire Company pendants - that you can find locked in strongboxes in your travels), and the blacksmith, Glover Mallory. I *think* you need to be in the Thieves Guild to start that certain discussion with him but once you tell him you recognize the Shadowmark on his house, he is happy to see a fellow TG member and asks how his brother Delvin is doing. He has a couple of side quests for you too.

At this point, besides picking up the side quests, I haven't done much. Oh! The Retching Netch ... the local pub. Talk to the bartender for a hilarious story of how it got it's name. Also, take a walk down the road to see people building a shrine. There's something not quite right there. All the people talk like they're in a trance and don't interact. Hmm.

Some side quests:

My plan all along was not to rush through the MQ first, but to explore and do some of the other things to absorb it all. So after talking to all the people I headed for a doorway off to the side and found the Raven Rock Mine. Cool, I like to mine, so I head inside. After witnessing a small scene with a married couple you can volunteer to help the older gentleman get to the bottom of a mystery of his grandfather and an "accident" that happened in the (currently closed) mine many years ago. Or what the East Empire Company claims was an accident. This was the first real quest I did here. An interesting plot and setup with mine turns to uncovered Nordic tomb (omg all the draugr .. and at my level, draugr deathlords). There's a brand new type of puzzle door here, but I won't spoil the solution (unless someone asks). Once you find the body of the grandfather, and his journal, you learn the East Empire Company covered up what really happened, just as the old man suspected. It's a well done, heartfelt story.

I'll admit, I did scan through the BGS spoiler forum and found out you can own a house in Raven Rock. So that's the next path I took, to claim that house to drop all my collectibles. If you're a pack rat like me you'll be picking up almost everything you come across. You get a new sword in the above quest, I picked up an ancient Nordic pickaxe, because it looked cool and I figured, hey, I'm in a mine, I'll need it. Turns out you can't actually mine in there until you finish the quest and the mine re-opens. At the end of the above quest you encounter "Reavers", the bandits of Solstheim. Got a cool set of Carved Nordic armor from the boss. Oh, and an ancient dragon decided to attack Raven Rock, and we all know how heavy those bones and scales are. Suffice it to say, bring a companion to help carry stuff, or be prepared to jump back to Skyrim alot until you get the house. Oh yes, the house. Head SE out of town and not far out into the barren ash-covered land you'll come across Captain Veleth fighting three Ash Spawn. Help him, and he'll talk to you about how he's trying to figure out where they're coming from. Be sure to loot the ash piles, you'll find a note about a war, and a General calling for Raven Rock's surrender. Captain Veleth finds this odd, as that particular General has been dead for 200 years. So he sends you to his Fort to root him out. Once you take care of that (and all the ash spawn - his 'army', which drop lots of good ore and ingots) talk to the Captain again who sends you to talk to Adril (the 2nd Councilor you met at the beginning).

Adril has a problem. It's his job to keep Councilor Morvayn safe, and he has information that there is an assassination plot against him and he wants you to find out from who. He believes it's someone from House Hlaalu but has no proof and sends you to find it. The evidence leads you on a hunt for the family, who are also in league with Morag Tong. Stop them and Morvayn finally rewards you with that family's house. Whew, I can finally unload!

I forgot to mention one thing. After finding the grandfather and making your way out of the Nordic tomb, you'll come across a pedestal with a rather large black book on it. If you're a curious monkey like me, you'll probably read it. When the green glow comes out of it and your companion says "What the...." you'll know you're in trouble. You end up in the Apocrypha - Hermaeus Mora's realm, also known as The Library. He'll bid you to sate your thirst for knowledge. What you need to do is find a second black book, after fighting your way through (I forget what they're called) and a giant Lurker at the end. Once you find the second book you can read the first book (in your inventory) to return back to Solstheim. Trust me, it's a strange scary place that you have to return to again and again (I haven't yet, but so I hear).

..to be continued..

[lilith]

Ooo, this sounds so very interesting! Thank you a million times!

[lilith]

Wow! Neat stuffs!

[Kooroe]

Can't wait to play this!

[Hanaisse]

Ok, now that I've finished Dragonborn here's more stuff Again, random as I think of it.

Creatures I've met;

The Rieklings - ugh, nasty buggers. Kinda look like goblins and Dunmer had children and they lived in the wild. They are pretty much all over the island and annoying, like falmer. They use spears, the only spears added to the game (and they're pretty weak). I have yet to test throwing one to see what it's like. I've made it my mission to rid the island of this pudgy vermin.

Dusty the Silt Strider - there's only one. Talk to her handler to find out more. Most were wiped out with the Red Mountain erupting but he found her as a larva and raised her. Now she's old and ready to die. You can climb on her back but you can't go anywhere.

Ash Spawn - kinda like surface dwelling draugr, only made of ash. They toss fireballs at you.

Ash Hopper - yes, exactly what you're thinking ... they're ashy looking grasshoppers. Big ones.

Ash Guardians - only conjured by wizards, pretty much an ashy Storm Atronach.

Netch - giant floating jellyfish like things, have a distinct moaning/wailing sound. Passive but hunters like to hunt them. The alchemist in Raven Rock has a quest to send you to get some netch jelly (I assume it means having to kill one).

Spriggans - but apparently they're burnt now.

Bristlebacks - giant boars, the Rieklings ride them.

Werebears - only 3 of them, you meet them through one of the Skaal's quests when he sends you to look for his brother. Tough guys, be ready for them.

Ballista - new annoying little thing in Solstheim's dwarven ruins.

Lurkers - the equivalent of giants on the island. They stomp and they vomit black goo at you. Ick.

Seekers - ugh .. hate the seekers. Only found in Hermaeus Mora's realm they HURT, sending shock spells at you. Luckily they are very slow to move.

As well as several new named Dragons.

Oh, the spiders - Albino spider, small, white, creepy, and Flame Cloaked spiders that run at you and explode. There's also jumping ones. You first come across them in a Nordic ruin you're sent to explore. You also find the wizard that's been making them. Yes, you can make them in an Imbuing machine out of various materials and control them (they're classed as scrolls in your inventory). Weird.

People of Interest;

Glover Mallory - I love this guy, probably because I'm TG Master. Already mentioned he's Delvin's brother. Also, it turns out, he's Sapphire's father who ran away from her and her mother because he's always been a thief at heart and didn't want to settle into a farming life. Do a couple of favours for him and he'll let you in his house to take your own reward. You'll find a letter he wrote to Sapphire but never sent. Take it and deliver it. It's a heartfelt moment. It's too bad Delvin has no dialogue to acknowledge you met his brother. Perhaps there's something there that can be corrected in the PC version.

Neloth - a Telvanni wizard who lives in a mushroom. I've heard (cause I don't know MW at all) that he was in Morrowind, and he does mention fleeing when the Red Mountain erupted. His little mushroom village (he has other apprentices that live there too) sits on the shore and looks out toward the still erupting Red Mountain in the distance. No I did not try to swim out there. He's quite eccentric, more worried about who will make his tea when his houseservant dies than the attacks on his life from an old apprentice. Linked to the MQ, you can also get a few sidequests from him. When you're finished, he'll make you an honourary member of House Telvanni. He also says he'll have a bed and chest for you, but apparently he doesn't (bug?).

The Skaal - a settlement of Nords living the simple life. First met when you free them from their mindless work on a shrine stone. The shaman is crucial to the MQ and there's several side quests to do among them. There's only one child in Solstheim and she lives here, walking around in the same old drab children's clothes while everyone else has clothing of very thick fur. What?

Miraak - the antagonist, the first Dragonborn, Hermaeus Mora's champion. He's actually a very polite fellow, doesn't seem intimidating at all. He wants to leave HM's service and he wants you to be trapped in his realm serving him. His outfit, while very cool looking, is best for mage's with a bonus of 60 magicka. It also absorbs magicka from dragon breath but meh, my warrior isn't interested.

Hermaeus Mora - that sneaky devil you first met during Skyrim's MQ in Elder Knowledge, when you met Septimus. He always appears as a void, sometimes a tentacled void to speak to you. Owner of the Black Books that transport you to his realm. It's a scary place. Seriously.

The Frostmoon Pack - a group of people living in the wild, are apparently werewolves. The leader has a few unique rings to sell you relating to beast form.

Things of Interest;

Heart Stone deposits - said to be fragments of the Red Mountain strewn about the southern end of the island. You can mine them, and collect heart stones, but I see no reason to them. You can't make anything out of them.

Two new Dragonpriests and masks, well, that I found anyway. The wiki says there's four.

Ruby and Sapphire geode's to mine.

The art of Dragon riding;

Don't ask me, I couldn't figure it out, lol. You get to ride one during the MQ final boss fight but I believe it's scripted. I couldn't control the dragon and he made it a point to specifically take out a couple of Seekers and a Lurker before he takes you to Miraak. He also would rather fight the two other dragons there rather than attack Miraak, so I just landed, dismounted and took out Miraak myself. I'm wondering if there's more to it, if you can "tame" a real dragon and ride it too. Will have to test that.

My overall impression? Amazingly well done, very few bugs. The stories seem to be deeper, more interesting, keeps you absorbed and wanting to play. I've explored the entire island and discovered everything there is to discover and I still want to hang around. Two thumbs up, Bethesda. This is what DLC's are about.

I'll probably add more to this thread as I think of it.

[lilith]

Wow, wow, wow! A very glowing review, you've made this sound absolutely awesome Hana! I really appreciate you taking your time to share your impressions, I could actually feel them quite well. I am really looking forward to seeing it on PC.

Again, thanks so much!

[lilith]

I've come back and had another read.

There's a few things that have really caught my interest, but I've got to say I am most intrigued by:

The Mallory/Sapphire connection. Wow. This sounds very cool in that it seems like it affords the player the opportunity to discover deeper meanings in her personality. Kudos to Bethesda.

And I'm glad I got a warning on:

The Rieklings, they sound very, very irritating. However, I am looking forward to the spiders!

Please add more as you think of it.