The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn

Francesco Destri has taken Skyrim back after almost a year away from Tamriel just to review Dragonborn. It was a real flashback and the fifteen hours of play quietly dissolved like snow in the sun. Ah, what a poet!

In proportion to the growing number of small and not too complicated DLC add-ons, the longing for large and complex game expansions, so common before the Oblivion era, is getting stronger. The massively released "horse armor" and short mini-campaigns today offer very little new content, and they cost a lot .

However, in this deluge of general cargo there are glorious exceptions - one of them is Dragonborn . Bethesda was tempted to create a real, full-fledged extension - like in the good old days . At a decent price, we get a new, huge location full of secrets, unique items and tasks. The number of novelties does not exclude their high quality - the addition has been designed almost flawlessly, and its richness makes you dizzy. It is undoubtedly the best DLC for Skyrim to date , and perhaps one of the most thoughtful and extensive expansions to be released this year.

Dragonborn enriches the base game with a whole new land - the island of Solstheim, a place of conspiracies, secrets and dark catacombs. Veterans of The Elder Scrolls series may associate this location with the expansion pack to the third installment of the series ( Morrowind : Bloodmoon ), but it should be noted that a lot has changed in the meantime. Buildings and cities known from years ago lay under tons of volcanic ash and completely new ones were built in their place. Nevertheless, old veterans should not wring their hands - the creators keep winking at them, referring to the previous installments of the saga and informing about the further fate of the characters they met once . The city of Raven Rock can also evoke a series of nice memories, and a visit to the south-east of the island will surely result in more than one sentimental tear. It is there that you can find giant mushrooms inhabited by dunmers and the last living rover - a touching symbol of old times.

Solstheim in its character is very different from what we could see in the Skyrim province. The island is located in the Far North, between the land of the Nords and the ravaged Morrowind. It is mostly inhabited by dark elves, although there are also other races. When the player takes his first steps on its shore, the first thing he sees is a fall - and more radical than in the time of the Nerevarean. The inhabitants live in poverty, the imperial legion has long disappeared, and bandits and the undead prowl the old forts and dungeons . As if that were not enough, the eruption from Red Mountain enveloped most of the area in a murderous air, and the ashen ghouls rose from their graves again. But all this is nothing in the face of a new threat - a mysterious spirit that poisons the minds of Solstheim's citizens and forces them to erect dark monuments. It's scary to be afraid!

However, the surface of the island, covered with both ash and snow, is only half the area that can be visited during a trip to the freezing North. The second dimension is the phantasmagoric Apocrypha - the domain of Hermaeus Mora. The Daedric lord inhabits a filthy and hideous world full of slimy creatures and half-living buildings . All associations with Lovecraft's R'lyeh and the ancient Cthulhu are fully justified in this case. An interesting flavor is added here by the fact that the dark deity is the patron of secret knowledge and destiny - hence the architecture of his land is made not only of tentacles, but also columns and walls made of old books and volumes. It is undoubtedly the most interesting of all the locations presented in Skyrim .

It takes around eight hours to complete the main storyline - a time filled with very rewarding and varied adventures. Discovering more clues of the crime and chasing the first dragon slayer - Miraak - is just an introduction to a multitude of side quests. During our stay in Solstheim, we can see the fall of the land with our own eyes, sneak into more than one underground and help the inhabitants of the island in their everyday worries. There are also political intrigues and battles between various political factions - including the well-known clans: Hlaalu and Redoran. In the background, there is an ominous sect of assassins - Morag Tong - and the possibility of economic renewal of the island (whose economy was previously based on supplies from ebon mines). In a word - there is something to do. Completing all side missions and visiting each location is a challenge that requires several dozen hours of fun - and it's a very good result.