So, it’s that time again: major Skyrim DLC is on its way, due to arrive in the shape of Dragonborn on the 4^th December (for Xbox 360 owners at any rate).

For any dedicated dweller of Skyrim’s expansive world, this can only be welcome news. Hot on the heels of the excellent Dawnguard and Hearthfire packages, Dragonborn promises to be a real treat. While the most recent significant DLC package, Hearthfire, was classed as a ‘small’ expansion by the developers, Dragonborn is significantly larger, weighing in at a similar size to Dawnguard, giving a lot of dragon for your Septime.

Talk to da hand!!

The timing of Dragonborn is pretty optimal too, coming as a welcome boost to playability and new challenge to a game that, let’s be honest, has been around a while now. More than any other company it seems, Bethesda are adept at extending a game’s relevancy and lifespan beyond its traditional length. Without the DLC packages, Skyrim would most likely be relegated down many gamer’s playlists currently, but the steady stream of fresh content has helped it beat out newer titles to retain its place in disc trays and hard drives the world over. In some ways it’s a demonstration of the idiom that beauty is temporary, but class is permanent. Skyrim, while aesthetically beautiful, is already starting to look dated visually when compared to new games such as Halo 4, but under the hood its excellent mechanics and gameplay still allow it to hold its own, with regular once overs of its paintwork.

So, what do we know of this latest valet treatment to the Skyrim behemoth? Well, a trailer has been released, along with a few screenshots. However, as ever with Bethesda, the trailer is the one pulling main duty in giving the public a feel for what the new content is all about.

All your Whiterun are belong to us!

At its surface the trailer announces that the player is to discover that the eponymous Dragonborn, the protagonist and player-surrogate of the main game, is not, in fact, the only Dragonborn in the world. Through an excellently realised fireside narration, it is revealed that there was, in times gone by, a dragon priest (you know, the guys who you had to hunt down for their fancy masks) who once ruled the world of Solstheim, a neighbouring island nation to Skyrim. Turns out, this Dragon Priest was, in fact, a Dragonborn like you. Not only that, but he’s trying to come back to the world to resume his dominion. Now, what self-respecting Dovahkiin can let that sort of thing slide, I ask you?

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the trailer is the insight it gives into Solstheim, the new land you will be exploring. It looks rather different to the world of Skyrim, with giant mushrooms used as houses, sweeping cavernous areas and massive amphitheatre-like structures. Indeed, one clip from the trailer at approximately 0.49s looks decidedly Oblivion-dimension-esque.

Looks almost homely right? Well, armoured AND homely

This certainly seems to live up to the grandeur and scale of world Skyrim has established, while being something wholly new to experience. This, above all else, is welcome. Skyrim’s world, while epic and vast in scale, can suffer from burnout after the amount of hours inevitably spent roving through it. A new injection of variety can only be a good thing and the trailer promises much of that.

Now, this wouldn’t be Bethesda if they hadn’t thrown a few titbits and teasers in there for good measure. Perhaps the most significant of these, item wise, is what is rumoured to be Bonemould armour, something veterans of Morrowind will be familiar with. This is the spectral armour you get a glimpse of at around 0.50s into the trailer. Looks nifty doesn’t it.

The open-air Cathedral of Doom never caught on here…

In addition, there are some shots of new enemies, which is always good. Nothing better than getting the chance to lock horns with a new challenge. Easily the most intriguing is the ‘Witch-King-Of-Angmar-a-like at the end of the trailer, who is presumably the Dragonborn of the title (he’s assimilating a dragon’s soul so it’s a fair guess I’d say!). The idea of fighting an enemy with the same abilities as you, perhaps greater ones, is a truly intriguing one and promises a significant challenge, as well as a change from the standard dragon fights of the original game. (I love that we can now say ‘standard dragon fights’ without irony – the world is a funny place!)

So, all in all, the forthcoming Skyrim: Dragonborn DLC package is promising much while saying little. Its due to arrive in little under 2 weeks, so while you watch the trailer below, please excuse me as I don my armour, sharpen my sword and perform some throat exercises ready for its arrival!

Fus Ro Dah my friends!