Dawnguard's vampire side genuinely has the better story

[ScrollsOfTamriel]

Been replaying the DLC and I keep forgetting how much more interesting the vampire questline is compared to the Dawnguard route. Like, the whole thing with Harkon's plan to blot out the sun is actually kind of compelling - it's this desperate last stand by a dying faction, and you're basically choosing to either help them go out swinging or side with the people hunting them down.

The Dawnguard side feels like you're just... doing chores for Isran. Go to Fort Dawnguard, go kill vampires, go get the Elder Scrolls, fight Harkon. It's functional but it doesn't have the same weight. Whereas if you side with Harkon you're actively choosing to be part of something that's genuinely doomed, which is way more interesting narratively.

Also Serana's quest makes way more sense if you're already vampire. Not that it matters much but it just feels less awkward.

Anyone else find themselves gravitating toward the vampire playthrough on replays, or is it just me?

 

[TamrielTactician]

I get what you're saying about the narrative framing, but I'd push back a little - I think the Dawnguard side gets unfairly dismissed as just "chores" when there's actually some solid thematic stuff happening underneath.

Like yeah, Isran's not the most charismatic quest-giver, but the whole point is that you're dealing with an institution that's actually competent and organized, versus a faction that's literally trying to end the world because they're bitter about it. The Dawnguard questline is kind of about choosing to be part of something that actually works - you rebuild the order, you hunt down a real threat, you stop an apocalypse. That's not as flashy as "I'm joining the doomed vampires," but narratively it's not nothing.

That said, you're not wrong about Harkon's plan being conceptually interesting. The whole "we're going extinct and we're taking the sun with us" angle is genuinely dark. But to me the actual execution of that questline feels thinner - you don't really get to experience the vampire faction as a functioning society the way you do with Dawnguard. You just kind of... show up and help with the ritual.

And Serana's arc honestly works better on the Dawnguard side imo, even though I see why you'd think otherwise. Her whole conflict is about choosing her own path versus her family's legacy, and that lands harder when you're also rejecting Harkon's vision. Going vampire with her kind of undercuts that tension.

What specific quests on the Dawnguard side felt like chores to you? Maybe I'm remembering them more charitably than they deserve.