Skyrim, the popular role-playing game from Bethesda Softworks, contains many characters that play an integral part in the story. One of the most important sets of characters in the game are its followers. Followers can fight alongside the player, carry items, and even provide marry you. In-game, of course.
But Skyrim is a dangerous place for a follower. And this raises an important question:
Can Skyrim followers die?
In this blog post, I will explore the answer to this question and discuss the consequences of companions dying in Skyrim.
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Can Followers Die?
The short answer is yes, followers can die.
However, companions cannot be killed by other NPCs directly, for if they are near death, they will become unconscious and start crawling around, regenerating their health back to full. However, errant blows, arrows, or spells from enemies can kill your follower.
If you are the one to deal the finishing blow, they will die – and this can happen quite easily, for example if they run in front of you while you swing a sword, or if you cast an area-of-effect spell that ends up killing them. It’s important to take extra care when fighting with companions, as you don’t want to accidentally kill them!
If a follower falls in battle, they will not be resurrected, meaning that the unique stories they carried and the quests they were on will be irrevocably lost. Though they may appear small and insignificant, these stories and quests are a vital part of the world, providing a sense of life and connection to the characters who inhabit it.
Also keep in mind that player companions can be killed by traps quite easily. So always scout ahead in dungeons and disable any traps.
However, there is one exception. If the player has the Unofficial Skyrim Patch installed, followers will not die from enemy attacks. The patch prevents followers from permanently dying in the game.
It is also possible for followers to become stuck in the environment and unable to move. This can happen if the player moves too far away from the follower. The only way to fix this is to either reload a saved game or fast-travel away and back to the follower.
What Happens When Followers Die?
When followers die, they are dead forever. This is unfortunate, as some of the followers in the game have unique stories and quests that can only be accomplished with that follower. The player may also have grown attached to the follower over time, so their death will be a negative experience.
If the follower is killed, the player will face the consequences of their death. This means that, not only will all quests involving the follower be incompletable, but some main story quests will also be affected. Consequently, the progress of Skyrim’s main story quest may be hindered or not completable as a result of the follower’s death.
Furthermore, the player will have to find a new follower to join them on future quests, which can be a time-consuming and tedious task. All in all, the death of a follower can significantly impact the game, making it much harder for the player to reach their goals.
In some cases, the player may also lose items that the follower was carrying. For example, if a follower was carrying a valuable item that the player placed in their inventory. Usually can just take these items back from your followers corpse. But sometimes, if you don’t know where the follower has died, their corpse can disappear, along with your valuable items, before it can be found.
One major advantage of a follower’s death is that, if you are married to them, you can remarry without having to go through the process of divorce. In Skyrim, divorce is not an option for those seeking to end their marriage. Therefore, the only way to remarry is for one’s current spouse to pass away, leaving you free to find a new life partner.
What can you do if a follower in Skyrim Dies?
You’ve found yourself in the unfortunate position of having a follower die. Sadly, their story arc has died along with them. What can you do to prevent followers from dying? And what should you do if one has already died? In this section, I’ll explore what to do if a follower dies and how to avoid it.
Install a mod to stop your followers from dieing.
You can install mods to stop followers from dying. These mods prevent followers from dying and can be found on popular modding sites such as NexusMods.
Reload a save game.
If your follower dies, it is possible to reload a saved game that was created before they died. This will bring the follower back to life and restore their unique stories and quests.
Use the Skyrim Console (PC only) to revive dead followers.
The Skyrim console commands can be used to revive dead followers, providing a convenient way to bring them back from the brink of death. However, due to the limitations of the console commands, some aspects of the follower’s abilities and features may be lost in the process. To avoid any potential issues, it is highly recommended to save the game before attempting to revive a dead follower, so that if anything goes wrong, you can simply reload the saved game and try again. Additionally, it is also recommended to check the follower’s inventory before reviving them, as any items they were carrying may have been lost in the process.
To revive a dead follower, follow the following (Sorry) process:
- While in the game, press the button to the left of the number one at the top of the keyboard. This will bring up the Skyrim console.
- Type in the following without quotation marks: “player.placeatme <BaseID> <#>”.
- Notice, you’ll need a base I’d of the character and there’s a hash or pound sign. First, we need the baseID for your follower. To find the baseId for a follower, navigate to the Elder Scrolls fandom Wiki here. once there, Click the search button in the top right corner. (A little magnifying glass icon).
- Next, type in the follower’s name in the search area. For example, “Lydia”. Click on the first result on the results window.
- Under the character’s image, you should find their BaseID. For example, Lydia’s baseID is, 000A2C8E.
- Add this baseID to the Console command you typed in earlier. For example, “player.placeatme <000A2C8E> <#>”.
- Finally, replace the “#” sign with the number of copies of the follower you want. Usually, you’ll just want one, so replace the “#” with “1”. Your final console input should look like this: “player.placeatme <000A2C8E> <1>”.
- Press return, or enter, and the follower should spawn right next to you.
Keep in mind that some quest lines may still be broken even if you spawn a new version of the follower. Additionally, any equipment or items you gave your follower before they died will be deleted, so be sure to take them from your follower’s corpse before spawning the new version.
So to recap, remember that to revive a dead follower in Skyrim, first find the BaseID of the follower from the Elder Scrolls Wiki, then use the console command “player.placeatme <BaseID> <#>” where # is the number of followers to be spawned, usually 1. Note that any items given to the follower before death may be lost in the process.
How to avoid getting your companions and followers killed.
Don’t take followers into dangerous situations.
It is essential to keep in mind that followers should not be put into hazardous situations. Whenever feasible, make sure to keep followers away from danger and face adversaries on your own. If you must take a follower into a dangerous situation, take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety, such as ensuring they are equipped with the proper armor and weaponry.
Give followers good armor and heal them often.
The best way to ensure the safety of your followers is always to keep their health in mind and make sure they are equipped with the best armor available. Not only is this important for their defense, but it can also help to prevent them from taking too much damage in battle. In addition, it is wise to heal your followers often, as this will prevent them from taking too much damage and will help them to stay healthy and in fighting shape. Taking these measures can help make sure that your followers stay with you for the long haul.
Avoid friendly fire.
Earlier, we discussed how companions can’t be killed deliberately by other NPCs, though they can be killed by accidents or through indirect action from NPCs. However, followers can still be killed by friendly fire from your player character. For example, if you cast an area of effect spell, it can easily kill a follower near where you cast it. This is why, if you plan to use weapons that can damage multiple NPCs at once, I strongly suggest instructing your follower to stay back and out of the way. Alternatively, you can choose to use weapons that don’t cause damage over a wide area. Remember though, even misplaced arrows can still be deadly, so it is important to be careful and precise when using weapons that have the potential to harm your follower.
Watch out for traps.
It’s essential to scout ahead in dungeons and disable any traps you may encounter. Traps are a dangerous hazard that can easily take out followers who are already weakened by other battles. It’s important to be aware of your surroundings, as traps can be hidden in the most unexpected places. Taking the time to detect and disable traps can spell the difference between life and death for any adventurers and followers who are exploring Skyrim’s dungeons.
Get the Companion’s Insight perk.
The Companion’s Insight perk, found in the Dragonborn DLC, is an incredibly useful perk that completely eliminates the possibility of you accidentally killing your followers or companions. This is done by eliminating friendly fire damage, meaning that you can be sure that any damage you deliver to enemy NPCs won’t unintentionally hurt your follower. This perk can be acquired during the Black Book: The Winds of Change quest, and is a great asset to any Dragonborn looking to protect their followers and companions. It makes adventuring with your companions much safer, and can be a great asset to any player.
Skyrim Dragonborn – Black Book: The Winds of Change [The Final Descent quest]
Conclusion
In this blog post, we explored the grim truth of Skyrim followers – they can, in fact, die. Followers cannot be killed by other NPCs directly, but errant blows, arrows, or spells can kill them. If the player deals the finishing blow, they will die, and their stories and quests will be lost forever. Additionally, some main story quests may also be affected as a result of their death. Furthermore, if a follower has any valuable items in their inventory, these will be lost if the player is unable to locate their corpse. To avoid these situations, players can install mods to prevent followers from dying, reload saved games, and use the Skyrim Console to revive dead followers. Additionally, players should take extra care when fighting with companions and scout ahead in dungeons to disable any traps. Finally, the Companion’s Insight perk, found in the Dragonborn DLC, can completely prevent followers from taking friendly fire damage. All in all, it is important to be aware of the possible dangers that followers can face and take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety.
- Followers can die in Skyrim, but they cannot be killed by other NPCs directly.
- Errant blows, arrows, or spells from enemies can kill followers.
- If the player deals the finishing blow, their unique stories and quests will be lost forever.
- Some main story quests may also be affected as a result of the follower’s death.
- If the player is unable to locate the follower’s corpse, any valuable items in their inventory will also be lost.
- Mods can be installed to prevent followers from dying, and the Skyrim Console can be used to revive dead followers.
- To avoid followers dying, players should take extra care when fighting with them and scout ahead in dungeons to disable any traps.
- The Companion’s Insight perk, found in the Dragonborn DLC, can prevent followers from taking friendly fire damage.
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