Just realized Harkon's plan actually makes no sense and it bugs me

[NordOfSolitude]

Okay so I'm replaying Dawnguard for the first time since like 2017 and I'm actually paying attention to what Harkon is trying to do this time around. He wants to blot out the sun using Auriel's Bow and the Bloodcursed Arrows so vampires can hunt during the day without burning up, right?

But like... why does he need you specifically? He's got Serana, he's got Valerica, he's got an entire castle full of vampire thralls and minions. The Dawnguard is like twelve people in a fort. Why does the quest basically require you to go fetch everything for him? He just... sits in his throne room and waits for you to bring him the bow, the arrows, and Serana. He doesn't send anyone after Auriel's Bow himself. He doesn't have a plan B if you side with the Dawnguard.

It feels like the whole vampire questline is just "Harkon tells you what to get and you get it" instead of him actually being a threat. Compare that to the Dawnguard side where you're actually stopping an apocalypse scenario. At least Isran is out there doing things.

Anyone else think Harkon needed way more agency in his own questline? Like he should've been actively hunting for the bow while you're doing other stuff, or had actual vampire operations happening across Skyrim that you could've joined. Instead he's just waiting around hoping you don't betray him.

 

[DragonbornVet]

Yeah, Harkon's basically a quest dispenser in a throne room. You're not wrong. The whole vampire side of Dawnguard suffers from the fact that he has no real leverage over you and no contingency plan, which is wild for someone who's supposedly been plotting this for centuries.

The thing that gets me is Serana herself is way more interesting than her dad. She's got actual character development, doubts about the plan, history with the family drama. Harkon just... exists and asks you to do errands. Even when you're actively working against him, he doesn't seem to care that much or try to stop you. A real threat would've had his people actively sabotaging the Dawnguard or hunting you down if you started looking like a liability.

And yeah, the Dawnguard side is way more cohesive because Isran actually has a goal and resources and you're working together toward it. Harkon's questline just feels like he's outsourcing his entire apocalypse plan to a stranger he met five minutes ago. No wonder people side with the Dawnguard - at least they treat you like you're part of something instead of just a fetch quest with legs.