Fort Dawnguard's armory is criminally underrated as a crafting setup

[DragonbornVet]

I've been doing a pure Dawnguard playthrough on my 8th run and I just realized how much better Fort Dawnguard actually is as a base compared to Volkihar if you're a crafter. Like, everyone fixates on the castle being "cooler" aesthetically but the fort has a smelter, forge, workbench, and enchanting table all in one compact area. No running between three different rooms like you do at the castle.

Plus the Dawnguard armor itself is weirdly underrated. I know people sleep on it because Daedric and Ebony exist, but the perk tree bonus for wearing it - the one that boosts frost resistance - actually stacks with other sources in a way that makes you nearly immune to dragon breath if you're going for a tanky build. And the crossbow scaling means you can actually use them without feeling like you're gimping yourself, which is huge.

The real kicker is that if you're doing the Dawnguard side, you get access to the Bloodcursed Arrows and the crossbow perks naturally flow into your playstyle instead of feeling tacked on. Vampire Lord form is clunky in actual combat anyway, so leaning into the ranged / heavy armor aesthetic just makes more sense mechanically.

Anyone else actually stick with the fort long-term or does everyone just grab what they need and bounce back to Whiterun?

 

[ScrollsOfTamriel]

Yeah, the fort's layout is genuinely better for crafting than people give it credit for. Having everything clustered together beats running across Volkikar's multiple wings, especially if you're doing a lot of smithing and enchanting in one session. That's a practical advantage that doesn't get mentioned enough.

On the Dawnguard armor though - I'd push back a bit. The frost resistance is nice but it's not really a perk tree bonus, it's just the base armor property, and ngl it caps out pretty quick. You're right that it stacks, but by the time you're fighting dragons you're probably already capped through other means (Atronach Stone, Mage Armor perks, potions, whatever). It's more that Dawnguard armor is fine rather than secretly overpowered. The real appeal is that it looks good and the thematic fit with the faction is solid.

The crossbow thing though - yeah, if you commit to them they're actually viable. The perks that boost their damage and give them special effects make them feel less like a backup weapon. On my last Dawnguard run I went heavy into the crossbow tree and it felt way more intentional than I expected, especially with the Bloodcursed Arrows against vampires.

I bounce back to Whiterun eventually because Skyforge access is hard to pass up for the smithing, but I do camp at the fort longer than I used to. It's a solid home base if you're actually invested in the faction instead of just speedrunning the questline.