Dawnguard!

This is an excerpt from my new and better coverage site: vehq.net - The place where what you wanna know more about, is what we write about.

Oh. My. God.

I am literally gasping for air, as awe and joy rush through my head like fish in Darkwater River, whilst I sit; sit here and watch the trailer for the first pack of Skyrim DLC: Dawguard. Something that we’ll get more info on next week, at E3 and will be covered here on the site under ‘Coverage –> E3 2012′ at the top panel, but enough about that!

You wanna watch the trailer, and you know what? Here IT IS! (I’ve analysed it; read below for details)

I’ve taken the liberty to analyse a bit; indulge me, if you will. (excuse my crying – it’s just that it’s so awesome!)

Okay, first of all there’s this unknown fortress out in the cold, which I imagine is kind of common in Skyrim. Inside we find this weird guy, which we’ll now refer to as The Lord of the Fortress, until we’ll get some more info on him. Obviously he’s a big deal, as he narrates the entire thing and invites you to become “one of them.” He begins by mentioning that you found the fortress (fair enough,) and that you’ve returned his daughter, which is all very well.

The Lord and his... Daughter?

The Fortress

"The Lord"

Well, as said, he invites you to become “one of them,” which raises the question: what does he mean by that?
It’s shrouded in mystery still, but we do see a transformation, which looks like some sort of Über-Vampire, although it is hard to say, as we only see our hero from the back. It does seem like we’ll be able to float or fly, however.

We do see our someone “feast on the souls of the living,” which supports the Vampire theory. Evidently we’ll also be able to feast on the souls of the dead as well, as narrated by The Lord. We also get some shots from what seems to be a sort of “Underworld,” but we’ll get to that later.

The player tansformation

A Vampire Lord? It seems that it can use a "Force Choke" like ability. Might this be our transformation from the front?

I toy with the thought that the above pictures, might be of the same creature; ergo our transformation. It’s a little hard to tell, but they have the same wings and look a lot alike. Don’t you think?

Anyway, The Lord clearly has an agenda. He explains that he wants to get some Elder Scrolls and end the “tyranny of the sun,” showing of a darkening of it, seen from Whiterun, revealing that it’ll effect the entire land of Skyrim, not just new playable areas. Again, it seems to be vampires, since they can’t survive in sunlight. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Yes, yes it does.

The Lord does reveal one last thing, though: he is not part of Dawnguard, for which the DLC is named. He asks in the trailer: “Or are you with them? The Dawnguard!” We then see some shots of a Bastion full of warriors. So what are the Dawnguard? Seems to me as if they are guarding the dawn – making sure it’ll come – by stopping The Lord. Now, I think you may haven’t realized this, because you’ve been busy reading, but THAT MEANS… OPPOSING FACTIONS! We’ll probably be able to choose a side: Dawnguard or Vampire.

The Darkening of The Sun

Now we’ve had a look at the plot, lets look at the new areas.  It is unclear where exactly the Fortress and the Dawnguard Bastion is located, but it looks like Skyrim – a lot! However, we do gain entrance to what looks like an “Underworld” of sorts. It has a very shady atmosphere and looks fairly big. The big thing-a-ma-bob the Lord shows us, might be the entrance – so maybe it is only available if you’re playing Vampire.

Underworld Entrance?

The Underworld

The Dawnguard Bastion

New monsters? Apart from the Vampire Lord we will supposedly be able to turn into, the trailer shows two new monsters. I’m not gonna pretend that I know there official names, but to me it looks like a Yeti and a Gargoyle. What’s cool is that the “Gargoyle” breaks out of a wall – ready to get scared? Also, we’ll evidently be able to get a sort of Spectral/Underworld/Soul horse to ride, which is at least as cool as Shadowmere.

Gargoyle

Yeti

Awesome horse

Finally it seems like we’re gonna get Crossbows (along with new weapon materials,) presumably a Dawnguard weapon, as it is the classic weapon of choice for vampire hunters. The vampires look to have some new abilities, since one of them transforms into a lot of bats at some point during the trailer. Another interesting thing is the display of a dragon flying into a lake (stupid?) which I presume means one of two things: Dragons has a part in the plot or that they get new behaviors, perhaps making fighting them more spectacular.

Enjoy the final pictures below; you can click them for large versions. Feel free to leave a comment, telling us what YOU would like to see in Dawnguard, or if YOU may have spotted something we missed.

McBraas Out!

Vampire turning into bats + New material weapon

Diving Dragon

Crossbows

Elder Scroll

Dovahkiin

Elder Scrolls Online

Hello, everyone

I realize that any stragglers that find their way here is probably fans of The Elder Scrolls series and since Skyrim has been out since November, I decided to cover every game and movie you want on vehq.net, instead of just Skyrim - You can tell us what you want "covered" on our facebook page and Twitter

On vehq.net I've now created a section called Elder Scrolls Online, which will cover the game Elder Scrolls Online and all that it entails, much like this blog did Skyrim from June 2011 to its release date.

Here is a Link

Any big posts on Skyrim stuff, I plan on grabbing from vehq.net and copying it to this site, but TBH, it's easier just going there.

McBraas out!

Skyrim DLC: Dawnguard

This is an excerpt of a post on my new and better gaming coverage website: VEHQ.net (which includes but isn't limited to Skyrim. We cover whatever you ask on our facebook group, on twitter or via mail.)

Here it is, my fellow Dovahkiin!! The time has come! Bethesda has posted a picture on their blog just now and it confirms our suspicions – The first pack of DLC for Skyrim is called Dawnguard. So far we know nothing about it, other than it’ll probably include crossbows and the Snow Elf Prince, as well as the fact that it’ll be out for Xbox 30 days before PS3 and PC, because of the deal struck with Microsoft.

Dawnguard DLC - teaser image

As soon as information is released (at E3, Bethesda says,) I’ll include it here instead of writing a new post. For you convenience, I’ll update the date, which will shoot it to the front page again, faster than you can “fus ro dah” or get trolled for keep using the “arrow to the knee” comment (which spread unbelievably fast.)

You people ready?

Pete Hines said that there would be updates this month; lets hope so.
I'll add them here and on VEHQ.net once there out, like I did with the "leaked DLC post" and the "Dawnguard" one.

Mike

Hey, Mike.

I need to talk to you; hit me back when you have the chance - comment section is open.

-
McBraas

Skyrim: DLC info leaked

As for the credibility of this topic, I can confirm nothing.
I must say, however, that I have a feeling this isn’t lies, but hey – I’m just the middle man between the news andyou!

If you read the topic, and lets assume you did, then you already know that this post is about Skyrim DLC, which we all knew was coming.
Under normal circumstances I would deliver the info with a comedic twist and a tomboyish attitude, but alas my friends, since I am conveying the exact words of others, I’ve decided to simply upload a snippet and let you have a glimpse at the thing for yourselves!
Underneath the picture I will make a list of the key points of the entire snippet, in case you don’t care for reading it all the way through.

KEY POINTS:

• Three massive expansions

• The Riders of Hammerfell (Hammerfell expansion)

• New land: Adjacent Hammerfell landmass
• Quest line: About a guild called Dragon Riders
• New mounts: Dragon (with shout attacks,) Sabre cat, Bear, Wolf, Mammoth and more
• New side quests
• New spells, armor, weapons and companions

Morrowind expansion

• New land: Somewhere in Morrowind (*supposedly the land adjacent to Skyrim)
• Horse armor
• More houses, like Frostcraig Spire
• Quest line: revolving around werewolves
• The ability to shapeshift into other monsters and animals

Cyrodiil expansion

• New land: Somewhere in Cyrodiil
• Quest line: Waging war on the Thalmor

On a side note:
I cover both Skyrim and many other things at Virtual Entertainment HeadQuarters: http://vehq.net/

What other games do I cover? Whatever you want! Just go to 'about--> contact' from the top panel and make your requests.

See you there!

VEHQ! NOW!

Virtual Entertainment HeadQuarters!

Articles on gaming, movies, tv-series, you name it!

Written by yours truly!

Is after several months opening - today!

So do me and yourself a favor...

...And click the fricken link!

VEHQ

NOTE*

VEHQ is not completely done yet. There are still updates on design and tweaks that need to be done. Yet, I believe that this is a perfectly acceptable site ATM, so go enjoy it if you enjoyed Skyrim Coverage. And buy a cow! They're holy in India, I hear!

Patch 1.4 and... Where's the creation kit?

Listeners, readers, followers, disciples and guy who googled 'chronic diarrhea' only to come upon this place and be shocked in how often I use that term regarding a video game - rejoice! For I bring news!

Patch 1.4 is now live on Steam (Sorry console users, you'll have to wait a little while longer) and we couldn't be happier! To celebrate, I've taken the time to mention what I think are the most important points to this update! After all, everyone loves my opinion - those that don't? Well, I make them an offer they can't refuse. (think Don Vito.)

• General optimizations for memory and performance
• Fixed crash in “Haemar’s Shame” if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
• Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
• Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
• Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any upgrades
• Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells (McBraas NOTE* I seriously don't hope they're referring to the way things that dies by the clubs of giants are launched into the air, 'cause that ROCKS!)
• "The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
• Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first 
• Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

Personal favorites, right there!

That aside, I'm sure that everyone's eagerly (and impatiently) awaiting the creation kit, which we were told we'd have by mid-January. I urge you not to fill with anger due to the lateness, since it is a delicate task and well... They did provide us with Skyrim, so we kind of love Bethesda and want to forgive them for sleeping with our mothers. Oh, and not having the creation kit out yet!

It actually seems that they are right about done, but given my work on VEC I know that that means they aren't sure about when it'll be out and their schedule may fuck up! That said, I believe it will be out soon and I will personally begin my own, major questline - if it works out, I'll post updates on it here, as well as other cool stuff.

Cheerio.

Coins, coins, coins!

Of all there things there can be re-textured in Skyrim, modders seem to favor two things, the first being glass armor (for some unknown reason,) the second being coins - There are A LOT of coin re-textures. I've been scouting through them and decided to post my top 5 coins re-textures!

#5 - DOLLAR coins - by Zxeddery

 The modder were clearly inspired by the outstanding artwork of American currency. The re-texture is high res. and very well done - it gets spot number 5 on my list!

#4 - British Pounds - by FoolsPower

Like the my #5, FoolsPower have had the interesting, yet not so slightly creative idea of copying real-world valuta. Never the less, he has done an outstanding job - and who doesn't love Queen Elizabeth? She's hot!

#3 - Teutonic Coin - by LieutenantHawk

I've gotta be honest with you; when we're talking Teutonic, we're talking a massive gap in my knowledge - I have no idea what Teutonic is - a country? I'll look it up on Wikipedia after this post, I think. But what Teutonic is all about, is not really what counts! All I know is that I love the design and it gets a spot as #3 on my list!

#2 - Aztec Gold - by du

I've never really been to the old Aztec Empire, primarily because it doesn't exist anymore and it's also really far away! The point is, I've never seen an actual Aztec coin, so I'm not sure what they'd look like, but I believe that both I and du (the modder) gets our idea of Aztec gold from the hit movie Pirates of the Carribean and du has done a great job of re-creating it!

#1 - Dragonborn Coin - by Crypton

My all time favorite re-texture, is the Dragonborn coin! Why? Because anything that has to do with Dovahkiin is awesome! The coins are absolutely stunning, with great reflection - everytime I look at the coin, I'm like... "Wow!" Crypton had done an amazing job here and we love him for it. Not in that way, though. He'll have to buy us a couple of dinners first.

 

Mods, VEHQ and Boobs

First of all - I lied, there will be no boobs.

There will however be mods and VEHQ news!
Lets start with VEHQ: Due to... lets call it "technical issues," the launch has been delayed, but we're right around the corner. When it is up, I'll put a link on the top of the sidebar. Of course the work I do there has an impact on how long the mod reviews will be ATM.

Now to mods!

Visible Windows - by isoku

Don't let the name of the mod trick you, we won't be able to see the outside from the inside of our cozy houses - no sir! What this mod does, is that enhances the quality of the low-quality vanilla window textures. This is purely for people who are bothered by low detail.

Wars in Skyrim - by Alexandrox

Wars in Skyrim is pretty damn awesome!

It has several modes based on how hardcore you want it to be, but ultimately it adds more life to Skyrim, by adding several new spawn points (with new spawn-able creatures) and reducing cooldown time on those already existing. There are also several new random encounters included, which usually involve creatures or bandits battling each other or trying to attack town. Or perhaps a patrol, hunting down the menaces of the roads. There are also a are boss-like encounter, which will be hard to beat, but also yield greater rewards.

This mod has gone and become a necessity to me, 'cause it fixes the only 'real' issue I had with Skyrim: the lack of encounters when travelling. The only problem I can find with this mod is that once it's been activated... Vanilla Skyrim will bore you to death.

VEHQ is coming!

As most of my readers are aware of, I have for months been planning on making a website called Virtual Entertainment Central, which would be the mother-hub of all the coverage projects, as well as covering news, rumors, info (etc.) on Games, Movies, TV-Series and the likes.

Apart from the minor setback of there being too many VEC abbreviated projects already, everything is going according to plan. We've renamed it to Virtual Entertainment Head Quarters and it will function as planned. If everything goes according to our pre-made schedule, then we will be done by January 22nd-23rd (TBH stuff is already fucking up a bit, but we'll still make it.) Once the site is up and running I'll start posting immediately and constantly, as to give it some content, so it doesn't start out seeming to lifeless. I'll be a mushroom cloud of activity. My fingers will sore up. I will get AIDS -  but let us not speak of work right now.

So what is the future of the current coverage projects?
GTA V Coverage and Digimon World Re:Digitize Coverage will be integrated into our new site and the previous sites will vanish from their impure and ultimately unnecessary existence. Skyrim Coverage, on the other hand, will stay open for the time being, given that that's where people are going to go - I am hoping to migrate all of the readers to VEHQ though - afterwards it will stand as a testament to the magnificent beginning of VEHQ. Kinda like Picasso did for poor art.

The intensive focus on the VEHQ website unfortunately bears some negative impact on the degree of activity, which will be displayed on the current Coverage pages - meaning that there will be practically none. After that I will start posting on VEHQ instead and I will of course notify you and provide you with a link, once I am done.

Furthermore, here is a little list of things that VEHQ will feature from launch:

- WaffleComic (A WebComic by WalkingWaffles himself - Weekly update.)
- Coverage Pages (Like GTA and Skyrim)
- Regular posts on the various subjects that the site handles
- (hopefully) polls - I love polls more than anything in the world. I wish i could marry polls.
- The Author's recommendation series (We recommend games, both new and old, and explain why and to which audience they will appeal.)

Now as another treat for everyone (including me,) is that I will no longer be the sole author. Everyone on my local team will have the ability to write posts and one of them is there solely to do so.

So I think that's it for now - If you have any questions, feel free to drop 'em below.

Peace
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