Modders have put an awful lot of effort into making sure Skyrim has continually evolved and expanded in the years since it was first released into the world.
Many have focused on changing the game by adding new questlines, fresh dungeons, and plenty of cheese wheels to it, with a few even going as far as giving the Dragonborn the ability to summon NPCs by yelling their names or adding an Oblivion-style arena to Falkreath.
If you’re someone who loves siding with the vampires during the Dragonborn DLC, but wish your choice to become the ultimate creature of the night had more to offer once you’ve vanquished the Dawnguard, a new mod might be worth taking a look at.
Ever wished Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC had more to offer those with a thirst for blood?
The mod in question is called ‘Old Blood’, and is the latest work of modder Craftian. Some of their previous projects have given you the chance to be accompanied on your travels by a rather grouchy Dwarven spider or an enigmatic Imperial who’ll come to reflect how you play the game.
This time, inspired by the early 90s TTRPG Vampire: The Masquerade, they’ve created a brand new questline designed to expand upon the Dawnguard DLC by fleshing out the characters and lore on offer to those who choose to side with the Volkihar vampires.
As you might have grasped from the trailer above, the mod’s narrative begins once you’ve defeated both Lord Harkon at the end of the vanilla quest ‘Kindred Judgment’ and Isran’s Dawnguard via a string of radiant quests, at which point the Dragonborn will have become the new leader of the vampire clan.
You’ll now be able to continue down this “darker path”, playing through a bunch of character-focused and fully voiced quests designed to “provide (the chance to experience) actual, meaningful leadership of a faction” via several branching choices.
“The goal, more than anything else, is to believably explore how these characters act as a functioning society, as they each grapple with 'The Beast' in their own way.” says Craftian, adding: “This (mod) provides a sliding spectrum of (characters) still in touch with their humanity (to different degrees), as well as the feeling of being part of an actual clan.”
As such, the modder suggests those who might become uncomfortable when confronted with dark, horror-style themes and imagery might want to give the mod a miss, as well as recommending you team it with a more traditional vampire overhaul mod in order to make up for its lack of new abilities and mechanics.
Regardless of whether your Dragonborn has now morphed into a powerful and nefarious force skulking around Tamriel’s shadows, make sure to follow us for more updates on The Elder Scrolls 6 and the interesting world of Skyrim modding. You can also check out our mods of the month for April 2023.