The Elder Scrolls V : Dawnguard The Elder Scrolls V : Dawnguard is the first official add - on for the fifth installment in series , . Released first for the Xbox 360 on 26 June 2012 , and later on 2 August for PC , " Dawnguard " revolves around an ancient prophecy predicted by an Elder Scroll . Foretelling the eternal obfuscation of the sun , the scroll gave instructions on how to perform a magic ritual with a mythic bow and a special blood sacrifice . A legion of vampires known as the Volkihar Clan , lead by Lord Harkon , seek to actuate the prophecy by performing the ritual ; the Dawnguard , a faction of crossbow - wielding vampire hunters counters their aims . ' s Dragonborn protagonist chooses whether to join the Dawnguard and prevent Nirn from being plunged in irrevocable night , or assist the vampire coven with realizing their malevolent ambition . Introduced in " Dawnguard " are two unique skill trees , one for vampirism noted as " Vampire Lord " and one for lycanthropy . Twenty - two quests featured in the plug - in ; twelve exist in the main quest , with several optional side quests . A few repeatable , radiant quests can also be completed . The questline forks at " A New Order " , where allegiance between the Volkihar Clan and the Dawnguard must be selected . Choice of side is irreversible . Storyline . The story of " The Elder Scrolls V : Dawnguard " involves the return of a Volkihar vampire lord named Harkon , who seeks to end the tyranny of the sun . Harkon intends to use the power in the ancient Elder Scrolls to accomplish his goal , while an order of vampire hunters known as the Dawnguard seek to stop him . The Dragonborn is given the option either join the Dawnguard and help defeat Harkon or join forces with the Volkihar vampires . " Dawnguard " can be started by listening for rumors or asking Hold Guards about a group of vampire hunters who are recruiting . This will steer the Dragonborn in the direction of Fort Dawnguard , and the add - on will begin . Alignment . Vampires . Joining forces with Harkon allows the Dragonborn to become a Vampire Lord - the paragon of the species . If the Dragonborn is already a Werewolf , accepting to become a Vampire Lord will remove the Lycanthropy , but it can be regained later . The transformation process works similar to Lycanthropy and grants access to unique powers . One ability is confirmed as Vampiric Grip which suspends an enemy in the air with telekinesis as their health is drained . Other powers and abilities include summoning a gargoyle , hovering above the ground and transforming into a cloud of bats . As with Lycanthropy , townspeople will attack a Vampire Lord on sight , however this will no longer happen if the Dragonborn is a regular vampire . Unlike werewolf transformations , the vampire form can be exited at will . In addition to new powers , joining the vampires grants access to Castle Volkihar - an island stronghold that not only serves as a base , but grants bonuses to vampiric powers and gives blood potions , which heal and count towards vampiric feeding . Dawnguard . Joining Dawnguard grants the Dragonborn access to Fort Dawnguard , a large keep said to be hidden somewhere in the southern region of Skyrim . The unique benefits of joining the Dawnguard include various new weapons and armor to fight vampires , including crossbows . Furthermore , Dawnguard members will also be able to " hire " Armored Troll s , which serve as temporary followers . Perks . " The Elder Scrolls V : Dawnguard " introduces two new perk trees : Vampire Lord and Werewolf . Rather than spending points to add perks as in the base game , new perks are gained by feeding on enemies with the new powers . For vampires , consuming life blood through a bite power attack or a Drain Life spell causes new perks to be gained ; for werewolves , it is consuming the heart when feeding on a dead corpse . This approach allows high or maximum level characters to obtain new perks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to obtain . Vampire Lord . The Vampire Lord skill tree includes eleven perks : Werewolf . The Werewolf skill tree includes eight perks . " * The quest Totems of Hircine must be completed before these will become usable . " Combat . " Dawnguard " introduces several new additions to both ranged and melee combat . The first new addition is the inclusion of Dragonbone weapons that are reported to be the stronger than Daedric Weapons . Crossbows are added to the arsenal of weapons at the Dragonborn ' s disposal . Crossbows will remain loaded while running through the world and provide a quicker shot . They are , however , slower to reload than bows . Another benefit is that each shot has a chance to stagger an opponent . All of the perks spent in Archery skill tree will apply to crossbows . Crossbow bolts can also be crafted with various enchantments , such as fire and frost damage . New shouts are also included in the add - on . One shout called Soul Tear can be learned from Durnehviir , an undead Dragon found in the Soul Cairn . This shout allows the Dragonborn to steal the soul of a defeated enemy and raise their soul as an undead minion . Soul Cairn . A plane of Oblivion known as Soul Cairn , an ethereal realm of trapped souls , is a new location that can be visited in " Dawnguard " . It can be accessed via a mysterious portal in Castle Volkihar . In addition , the Dragonborn can complete a side quest to free an undead skeletal horse named Arvak . This mount can then be summoned at will and is not restricted to the undead realm . Creatures . Legendary Dragons are the new maximum level Dragon class . In addition to legendary dragons , new enemies such as Gargoyles , Death Hound s , Armored Troll s can be also encountered . Within the Soul Cairn realm some of the enemies include Bonemen , Wrathmen , Keeper s and an undead Dragon named Durnehviir . Character makeover . " Dawnguard " adds a new character in The Ragged Flagon of Riften named Galathil who can alter the Dragonborn ' s appearance for 1000 . Race and gender are locked , but other facial features can be tweaked . Preview trailer . A preview trailer was released by Bethesda on 31st May 2012 that showed various aspects of the add - on . Narration . " You have found our fortress . You have returned my daughter . But what is it you seek ? Is it to be one of us ? To make the darkness your own ? To feast on the souls of the living . . . and the dead ? Or are you with them ? The Dawnguard . They think they can stop us . But we will find them . The Elder Scrolls will be mine . And the tyranny of the sun shall end . " Trailer . The trailer begins by showing a mysterious fortress on an island , known as Castle Volkihar . The leader of the Vampire faction , Harkon , narrates that the Dragonborn has found their fortress and returned his daughter , who is shown carrying an Elder Scroll on her back . An altar that bears a resemblance to the Altar of Molag Bal in Markarth is shown , which seems pertinent as Molag Bal is considered to be the creator and patron deity of Vampires . The trailer then depicts the transformation process in becoming a Vampire Lord and a new vampire feeding cinematic . Fort Dawnguard is shown and the inclusion of crossbows is confirmed . The trailer then shows the Dragonborn fighting a variety of creatures , including a gargoyle - like creature , an ogre - like giant and a vampire who bursts into a cloud of bats . Also included in the trailer is an example of mounted combat , an undead skeletal horse and a Dragon that dives into a frozen lake . The Dragonborn is also shown opening an Elder Scroll , then a map of Skyrim comes into view with they symbols for Markarth and Solitude labeled in red . The trailer concludes with the sun being blotted out above Dragonsreach in Whiterun , as a Dragonborn with glowing eyes walks toward the perspective . Release . On 26 June 2012 , " Dawnguard " released on Xbox 360 in the , priced at 1 , 600 . " Dawnguard " became available for download on Steam on 2 August 2012 in English , Spanish , German , and French . The PlayStation 3 version was delayed according to a Bethesda Softworks spokesperson who said , " " We are not satisfied yet with Dawnguard ' s performance on the PS3 , " " in an interview . It was released on PS3 in North America on February 26th 2013 . Public beta . Following the success of PC beta updates , Bethesda announced a Dawnguard Beta for Xbox 360 on 1 June 2012 . Bethesda selected applicants in the third week of June , and those accepted , receive an Xbox LIVE code to redeem the full version of " Dawnguard " .