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The house building mechanics were also a clear opportunity for Bethesda to experiment with the community building mechanics in Fallout 4, though ironically Fallout 4's more fixed story denied players the breadth of roleplaying opportunities that Hearthfire added to the game. Hearthfire was a total change of pace for The Elder Scrolls 5, allowing players who had accumulated vast treasure hoards across their adventures to truly settle down. It also allowed players to adopt children. This was a great mod for roleplayers, adding stewards, carriage drivers, and bards that the player could hire. Many Elder Scrolls fans will be hoping that the followers found in The Elder Scrolls 6 have as much to say as Serana and as much story of their own. Serana was deeply tied to the DLC's main plot, an idea that was then taken further in the far more fleshed out companion characters seen in Fallout 4.
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While many Skyrim companions had little connection or engagement with the questlines across Tamriel, new companion Serana's inclusion in the DLC marked a shift in Bethesda's follower design. The story of Dawnguard was also a lot stronger than many of the major questlines in Skyrim's retail release. Aesthetically, the DLC made some great upgrades, adding vampire outfits across Skyrim, introducing vampire hunting armor, and adding a feature fans had been asking for since it mysteriously disappeared after Morrowind: crossbows.
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Skill trees were added for Skyrim's vampires and werewolves, with vampires gaining the ability to transform into a Vampire Lord. Dawnguard saw the Dragonborn caught up in a way between a faction of vampire hunters and their ancient enemies, vampire Clan Volkihar.
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