Having played through all possible faction paths in A Tale of Blood and Snow, I wanted to provide a review for those considering purchasing this paid mod. While it offers plenty of content and an engaging premise, its execution leaves room for improvement in key areas, particularly in storytelling and quest design.

The Story and Premise

The mod begins after your character becomes a vampire and experiences a series of haunting nightmares upon sleeping for the first time. Alternatively, you can skip vampirism entirely and head straight to Stendarr’s Beacon to join the Vigilants. However, choosing this route means missing out on the nightmares, one of the mod's best aspects in my opinion. These eerie dream sequences involve puzzle-solving in order to escape the nightmares, and I found the riddles and the atmosphere quite entertaining. However, I didn't like how the character wakes up in a completely different location after each nightmare, with no clear in-game explanation for why this happens.

Following this introduction, you are given a choice: join one of two vampire clans, Quarra or Cronvangr, or seek a cure and side with the Vigilants of Stendarr. The Quarra clan has roots in official Elder Scrolls lore, while the Cronvangr appears to be the mod author's creation (though I may be mistaken on this).

Writing, Plot and Quest Design

The voice acting throughout the mod is really good, but the dialogue itself often falls flat. It lacks the depth, intrigue, and philosophical weight expected in a vampire-centric narrative. Compared to other mods like Old Blood by Craftian (available on Nexus), A Tale of Blood and Snow doesn’t fully capitalize on the complex themes of vampirism, such as moral ambiguity, internal clan politics, or personal transformation.

Of the two vampire factions, the Cronvangr were, in my opinion, the most uninteresting. Their core concept - stealthy, honor-bound vampires with a spider motif - is a good premise, but the execution feels contradictory and overly benevolent. Their emphasis on “hunting with honor” feels forced and at odds with their nature, making them less compelling as a faction in my opinion. The Quarra, by contrast, are more entertaining. They embrace a brutal, bloodthirsty existence, and their lair and overall aesthetic are more visually and thematically appealing. Surprisingly, despite being a vampire player at heart, I found the Vigilants to be the most engaging faction. Their characters are well-developed, their questlines feel more meaningful, and they ultimately left a stronger impression on me than the vampire clans.

The main story is serviceable but ultimately underwhelming. It follows a straightforward “there is a dangerous thing here, and you must handle it” structure, missing opportunities for intrigue, betrayal, or dramatic catharsis - elements that could have elevated the narrative. There is a moment late in the main quest where it seems like you may have been manipulated, but the lack of consequences or meaningful resolution makes this plot twist feel hollow.

Most of the quests are typical fetch-quests or "go kill this evil thing" missions, and you need to complete a series of radiant quests to unlock the special ones. This can quickly become repetitive - unless you’re someone who enjoys radiant quests. As for the special quests, some feel dull, leading to simple, serpentine dungeons, while others are more engaging, taking you to creative and exciting locations (I particularly enjoyed everything on Solstheim and in Blackreach). As for combat, there are a few unique enemies, especially in Blackreach, but there aren’t any innovative combat mechanics or standout bosses to speak of. Also, I might be mistaken or have missed something, but it seems like the Vigilants offer more intriguing content than the vampire clans. Even after completing the main quest, the Vigilants still had unique and compelling endgame content to explore, while the vampire clans didn’t seem to provide the same level of depth.

That said, I appreciate the mod author’s effort in integrating The Elder Scrolls vampire lore through writen material and dialogue and even including references to other popular mods, such as Vicn’s Vigilant. It’s a nice touch that enhances the overall experience, creating a more interconnected world.

Rewards and Items

When it comes to rewards... honestly, most of them are a blur. Given that memory plays a big role in this, it might just be me - I don’t tend to focus much on item rewards. There’s a cool wearable that acts like a "Detect Life" spell, which I've been using a lot, and an amulet for vampires that negates the effects of sunlight (though the clan leaders just hand it to you, despite their earlier obsession with claiming it to assert dominance over the other clans- yet another weak plot point). It’s like if Harkon casually let you keep Auriel's Bow after you fetched it for him, lol. On a more positive note, the new vampire clan uniforms are actually pretty well-designed and original.

Final Thoughts

Despite my criticisms, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with A Tale of Blood and Snow. It offers hours of content and replayability, and I don’t regret purchasing it. However, I went in expecting a more complex and nuanced vampire story, and in that regard, it fell short. So, if that’s what you're hoping for, you might find yourself disappointed.

For now, I’d recommend it with a few caveats: it’s definitely enjoyable, but it’s best to temper your expectations.

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EDIT: There seems to have been some confusion in the comments about what I meant when I said the rewards were "a blur," so let me clarify. What I was trying to express is that they didn’t leave a lasting impression on me, but there are a few possible reasons for this. It could be that indeed, the rewards themselves just weren’t all that memorable, but it could simply be my terrible memory and the fact that I'm not very reward-oriented. Another possibility is that I use several other mods that add similar or even better items, which may cause these rewards to get lost in the mix. Given all these factors, I don’t want to put the blame solely on the mod. It’s likely a combination of things. There are plenty of rewards, from jewelry to weapons, but honestly, I can’t remember what most of them do.