Skyrim: Hearthfire DLC now on PC, PS3 owners waiting

Bethesda has released the Hearthfire Downloadable Content (DLC) for the PC version of one of last year’s biggest games, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The DLC is now available on Steam for $4.99 (around Rs 260). While the PC version is now up to date with all the DLC released for Skyrim so far, there is still no word on the DLCs for the PlayStaion 3 version of the game.

The Hearthfire DLC allows you to purchase land, and build your own house from the ground up – from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with armoury, alchemy laboratory, stable, garden and more. The DLC introduces new tools such as a drafting table and a carpenter’s workbench to transform stone, clay and logs into structures and furnishings. The new DLC also allows you to adopt children.

Looks exactly like the sort of fellow who'd like to build a house and settle down with a family

Recently, the developers at Bethesda announced in a forum post that they were having trouble porting the first DLC for the game, Dawnfire, to the PlayStation 3. The post reads, “We have tried a number of things, but none of them solve the issue enough to make Dawnguard good for everyone. The PS3 is a powerful system, and we're working hard to deliver the content you guys want. Dawnguard is obviously not the only DLC we’ve been working on either, so the issues of adding content get even more complicated. This is not a problem we’re positive we can solve, but we are working together with Sony to try to bring you this content”.

Skyrim puts players in control of the Dovhakiin, which is dragon tongue for Dragonborn, in the icy Viking-inspired region of Skyrim. The series is very well known for its open world that lets players roam around and do whatever they want, from exploring treacherous caverns to finding treasure, or picking flowers and making potions.

In June, Bethesda had released the first DLC for the game, named Dawnguard, which revolves around an ancient prophecy. The prophecy tells of the eternal obfuscation of the sun because of a magic ritual. Players are caught in the middle of a war between a cult of vampires and the Dawnguard, who are a group of vampire hunters. The DLC was released only for the Xbox 360 due to a 30-day exclusivity contract between Microsoft and Bethesda.

Skyrim has been a massive success for Bethesda, proving that big budget games without multiplayer can be successful. The Creation Kit for the game was released earlier this year in February. Within weeks, the Creation Kit had clocked in over two million downloads. This is a testament to the dedication of PC gamers and the popularity of Skyrim, the only other game on Steam that went toe-to-toe with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 last November. Bethesda had also announced that an average PC player of Skyrim has clocked nearly 75 hours in the game.