If you are looking into buying Skyrim: Hearthfire, you have to ask yourself one big question: how much more do you intend to play Skyrim? If the answer is "A ton," then by all means this DLC is totally worth the money and is a great addition to the game. If your answer is "a little/not much," then I highly suggest reading on and choosing for yourself whether it is truly worth it or not.
So, what exactly is in Hearthfire? Well, the DLC adds two new (and rather exciting) components into the game - house-building and adoption - for the low price of 5 dollars (400 Microsoft points). One key thing about this DLC is that it immediately introduces you to these concepts in the form of a courier spawning next to you and giving you two different letters.
The first one addresses house-building. For me, it sent me to the Jarl of Falkreath, who then had me do a short quest for him. Upon completion, he told me I could buy a plot of land from the Housecarl which cost 5000 gold. Once you reach your property, you find a chest that has everything you need to build a basic house. Its surprisingly extensive; you have to build nails and locks along with walls and a roof. Now, unfortunately there is little customization that was noticeable for the layout of the house. Granted, while you can add on wings, a tower, and so on, you are somewhat restricted to a basic shape and idea. This is not like the Sims; there can be no mansion building with this DLC. That said, that isn't a problem, as the customization that is there is cool, plus the fact that you're build the house makes it all the better.
Now the other letter was on the subject of adoption. Now, having already begun the Dark Brotherhood and having (spoiler alert!) killed the owner of the orphanage, the game told me that the letter was sent from the new owner requesting for the kids to be adopted. I don't know how that works if you haven't done this, I do not know how you begin. The owner asks you questions about who you are, and determines whether you are worthy of adopting a child. Because I did not have a house at the time, I wasn't eligible, so I cannot speak to what the children ask of you. But honestly, if you've played Skyrim, you already know the kids are just unbearable, and I wonder why anyone would voluntarily have one outside of getting the achievement. However, as the trailer suggests, you are meant to raise the kids, and to protect them from the harms that may come to your house.
Now, at the end of the day, this isn't that much stuff. There aren't any major questlines to follow, this doesn't give you new areas to explore, and there isn't all that much to do. However, what it does give you are two new tools to further immerse you into the land of Skyrim. I am totally and completely in love with Skyrim, and being able to build my own property and have my own family is simply unmissable, and for the price of 5 dollars, it really is a steal. So if you are on the border on this DLC, all I can say is that while it may not be as substantial as Dawnguard, it does add stuff that will makes fans of the game that much more involved in the world.
5.0