It’s hard to imagine a being more powerful than the Dovahkiin. Seriously — the Dragonborn can turn woodland creatures into frozen popsicles or launch innocent bards off of steep cliffs just by shouting at them really hard. For funzies.

But in Dawnguard, the upcoming add-on to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you’ll gain a new power: the ability to transform into a bloodsucking Vampire Lord. Granted, you can only obtain this power by joining the Vampires, one of two new factions in the game. Your other option? The Dawnguard, a group of vampire hunters intent on killing every last one of the undead.

Our hands-on session began well into Dawnguard’s main quest line in a zone called the Soul Cairn, an otherworldly place populated by misty graveyards, ghoulish enemies, and crumbling castles. The environment’s creepy aesthetic mirrored the grotesque appearance of our character once we transformed into a Vampire Lord. Watching razor-sharp claws and powerful wings erupt from the flesh of our once-human Nord was almost as fun as using those new tools to rip enemies into pieces or quickly navigate the world.

In this new form, our hands became powerful melee weapons (remember those sharp claws?) and we had access to a large lineup of vampire magic. From raising the dead as minions to syphoning life from foes, the spells at our disposal were all fit for a newly appointed member of the undead, and we further enhanced our powers via a brand new vampire skill tree. A new Lycanthropy tree has been added for werewolf enthusiasts as well, though our demo focused on the Vampire Lord.

To prevent you from becoming too powerful, weapons and dragon shouts are unavailable while in vampire form — but we had plenty of fun toying around with the new skills, especially an ability that temporarily transformed us into a swarm of bats and teleported us forward. Of course, you can revert back to your normal form at any time to test out other new additions, such as the crossbow. Even if you aren’t sold on the idea of transforming into a sun-hating monster, you can look forward to sticking living things full of bolts throughout a solid 15 hours of new content. But, really, we’re most excited to test out our newfound powers and weapons on those woodland creatures and innocent bards. For funzies.

PUBLISHER: Bethesda  •  DEVELOPER: Bethesda  •  MULTIPLAYER: No  •  RELEASE DATE: June 26, 2012  •  FOR FANS OF: Skyrim, vampires, funzies