Can't decide between Dragonborn dlc or Dark Souls

[Pastry Popper]

I guess this would go here, as it's also about the Dragonborn dlc. Mods feel free to move if necessary.
As the title says, I can't decide if I should get the dlc, or buy a whole new game, Dark Souls. They're both $20, but DS is in a totally new universe and woud be refreshing, but at the same time, I like the idea of exploring in Solstheim. Before I spend any money, I'd like some opinions, and a few questions answered.

Dark Souls' difficulty, is it really rage inducing and makes you regret your purchase, or is it more like "Okay, I see what I did wrong there" kind of thing? Also, how are the controls for a keyboard and mouse? I don't have the money for a controller, sadly. The atmosphere and combat mechanics, along with the rest of the gameplay looks amazing, but how about the story?
As for the Dragonborn dlc, well, is it worth it, with the new additions and storyline? Should I just wait for a sale to get it later and get DS now instead? Seems like the better purchase but I don't know.

[Miku]

dragonborn DLC mod the hell out of it and you have hours of fun :D

[Trigger]

I recommand you finish Skyrim, buy the dlc

[clkwrks]

Dark Souls difficulty is over hyped. Melee mechanics are similar to Skyrim with the benefit of having a lock on if wanted plus a wide range of attack move sets for various weapons. Learning enemy move sets, dodge rolling and/or blocking are essential. Going toe to toe in a hack and slash manner (with most enemies) will result in many deaths. Bow and Crossbow are very under powered and most people use them strategically to pull one enemy at a time. Boss fights can be rage inducing until you memorize their patterns. When you do die you are sent back to the last bonfire that you rested at, which could mean replaying thirty minutes or more of the same location over and over again. Co-op is generally with random players unless a friend happens to be in your pool and you locate his/her sign. And PvP is forced on you unless you play off line (no co-op). The real challenge for me was navigating the Dark Souls world. There is no map, no way points and very little instruction from NPCs. It's very easy to wander into an area with enemies that can't be defeated.
Dark Souls world is tiny compared to Skyrim, but it will still take ~40 hours or more to complete your first play through.
Keyboard and mouse is horribly implemented, I wouldn't recommend using them without dsfix and dsmfix (mods) which helps. I still use a controller though. It just feels better.
Dark Souls story is pretty slim, but the lore that you discover from reading item descriptions is very interesting and quite extensive.
Having said all that Dark Souls is still one of my favorite games. It's very satisfying to finally defeat challenging areas or bosses, but I'd suggest waiting for it to go on sale. It's a very different kind of RPG (more like action-platformer-rpg). Some people hate it, some love it.

[Pastry Popper]

I don't know what it is with Skyrim, but I just don't feel like I'm actually slicing anything with a sword. Maybe it's the sound effects, I don't know. I really want something more challenging too, as I can take pretty much anything except for high level draugr and dragons with 3-4 hits, with taking little damage. I'm at level 46 and on master difficulty. I'm kind of leaning towards Dark Souls as it's a new game, and if I want new Skyrim content I can just download quest mods.
I pretty much just play with a sword in one hand, and fast healing in the other. I just cant get myself to use shields or two handed weapons, even though I'd like to.
If DS is like an action platformer rpg, I might go with that, because I really miss platforming in games. Do you feel vunerable through the whole game, or do you eventually turn into an overpowered tank of death and destruction? I like the idea of going down in a few hits, seems more realistic. How is the lore in it? All I know is something about being immortal or something.

[jappleton95]

Well, when I started playing Skyrim, I had bought the Elder Scrolls Anthology which already has all the dlc included. But I'd say that it would be well worth the 20 bucks to purchase. It took me several days of almost non-stop play to complete it and I still have a few misc. objectives to do there. Not only that but its got a pretty good story along with it. Oh, and you also get a sweet set of armor that you can only get with the dlc, which is somewhere in between ebony and daedric armor. Also, I've never played Dark Souls either, and I agree with what clkwrks says. Wait for Dark Souls to go on sale. Hope I helped a little.

[clkwrks]

It's also worth noting that Dark Souls uses Games for Windows Live which is going to be shut down in July or August with no confirmation from the developer if it will be moved to Steam, nerfed to single player, offline only, etc.

[Pastry Popper]

I never play online anyway so that wouldn't be a problem, but does that mean the game wouldn't work at all?
With the new armor thing, I usually use light armor, but I could probably find a mod that makes it light. Really it's the $20 pricetag for a dlc that's holding me back. I really liked Dawnguard, but I think it's longer than Dragonborn. How long does it last, with sidequests and all?
I've played through Skyrim several times and am already used to the environment and everything, that's why I was also looking at DS.

[clkwrks]

Yes, I always feel vulnerable. Depending on the build, an end level character can be killed with a few hits from some enemies and bosses. I've completed the game probably a dozen times with different builds and never felt like I was playing god-mode. Though it does get much easier on the second play through. Once you've completed the game a few times subsequent play throughs take only about 4 hrs.

[clkwrks]

You can play offline by either tricking GFWL into starting in that mode or by creating an offline account before GFWL shuts down. I'd go with the first method.

[Pastry Popper]

We don't have high speed internet, but we do have this little wifi card we have to turn on to connect to the internet. So with no connection, could I just start offline? And what kind of offline account are you talking about?

[hedgie_yozh]

Dragonborn is an outstanding DLC that provides a lotof hours of gameplay. However, part of its great appeal is for the ability to go to/back to Morrowind. If Morrowind as a place doesn't make you all tingly, then you might have more fun with a new game. Dragonborn does have one pretty difficult to kill boss (not Miraak) , some great loot, some outstanding voice actors, and a whole island for exploring. It's pretty replayable, (unlike Dawnguard IMO). But as I said, you might want the change of pace, because it really is more Skyrim. But in Morrowind.

[clkwrks]

Yep. Just create a normal online account with your wifi connected. Once you've created the account turn the wifi off before starting the game. GFWL will automatically start in offlline mode. I've played about 200 hrs online and another 100 offline by doing just that.

[Pastry Popper]

I think I might go with Dark Souls because it's a new environment with new enemies and armor and everything. I've never played Morrowind, but I might get it eventually. Thanks for the input everyone.
And yeah, sometimes I have to do something like that with uplay and far cry 3/fc3 blood dragon because it always tries to connect to the servers, even though it's in offline mode. It's very frustrating.

[tehnoob514]

As someone who has played Skyrim long before playing Dark Souls, I will say that I can't guarantee that you will enjoy Dark Souls as it is VERY different from Skyrim, most notably with the combat. I didn't find it extremly difficult, but that's probably because I had a general idea as to what to do since i watched someone play DS before me. It takes some getting used to, but discovering the world and how to fight is part of the experience. If you're up to it and have liked what you saw in Dark Souls from Youtube videos and such, then by all means buy it because it is much better than a single DLC.

Still, I would get Dragonborn eventually as it is very fun, and adds a good amount of content to the game.

[ShocksVR #AirLink]

I actually own Dark Souls 1; but I have yet to play it.

Anyways, I hear DS for PC is a pretty bad port. On top of this, I also heard it is pretty hard to play with a mouse+KB setup.

So, if you buy Dark Souls, you may also have to buy an Xbox controller to be able to successfully play it. On the other hand, you know how the Dragonborn DLC will play on your computer, since you already own teh base game.

I say go for Dragonborn, it has less "unknowns" for you than Dark Souls.

PS - If you want DS, just save up for Dark Souls II; I am assuming it will be a proper PC port.