Bethesda has announced that the Hearthfire DLC add-on for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will allow players to design and build their own home when it launches next month on XBLA.
With the DLC pack installed, Skyrim players will be able purchase a plot of land, then get to work constructing their Elder Scrolls dream home using the new drafting table and carpenter’s workbench. It remains to be seen exactly what the limits of Hearthfire are, but it appears that you will eventually be able to build up a large compound that includes an armory, stables, a garden, greenhouse, alchemy laboratory, kitchen, trophy rooms, fish hatchery, and much more.
Once your home is built you can turn “almost any follower” into a steward to help improve your Skyrim homestead, hire a carriage driver, or get your very own annoying bard. With the staff in place, you can then move in your spouse, and start a family by adopting and raising children.
Hearthfire also adds some additional challenges to the game (aside from having to deal with demanding children), like the need to protect your new home from bandits, marauding kidnappers, skeever infestations, and the occasional giant attack.
Check out the official trailer for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Hearthfire below, and get ready to spend countless hours building your own virtual home when the DLC hits Xbox Live on September 4th for 400 Microsoft Points. Release date and pricing has not been revealed for either the PC or PS3.
