Volkihar Castle actually has better loot than people realize

[ScrollsOfTamriel]

I've been running through Dawnguard again on my current playthrough and I keep seeing people say Volkihar Castle is just a worse base than Fort Dawnguard because the alchemy lab is "in a weird spot" or whatever. But like, has anyone actually checked what's lying around in the castle? There's a ton of soul gems scattered throughout, some decent enchanted gear in the coffins if you're willing to loot vampire corpses, and the whole place has that dark academic vibe that actually fits a vampire character way better than the Dawnguard's military aesthetic.

I think the real issue is just that people make their choice early and never actually explore both bases fully. The castle doesn't have everything crammed into one convenient room like Fort Dawnguard does, but that's kind of the point? It feels like an actual place you'd live in instead of a base of operations. Plus if you're doing a vampire playthrough the immersion of walking around Volkihar just hits different.

What's everyone else's experience with this? Am I just justifying a worse setup or is there actually something to the castle base that gets overlooked?

 

[DragonbornVet]

The soul gems thing is real, and yeah the coffins have some decent loot if you're not already drowning in enchanted gear by the time you join the Volkihar. But I think you're underselling the actual problem with the castle setup - it's not just about convenience, it's about how the game is designed.

Fort Dawnguard has everything in one or two rooms because that's how Skyrim bases work. You're not supposed to be running laps around a castle every time you need to craft something. The alchemy lab being tucked away isn't charming, it's just friction. Same with the enchanting table. On my vampire playthrough I ended up using the castle as a roleplay space and doing actual crafting at a player house instead, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a base at all.

That said, if immersion matters more to you than efficiency - and fair enough if it does - Volkihar absolutely wins. The atmosphere is unmatched. Walking through those halls as an actual vampire lord instead of a glorified soldier feels way better. You're not wrong that most people probably don't spend enough time there to appreciate it. I just wouldn't call it a better base mechanically. It's a better home, which is different.