7 best Skyrim follower mods & guide

From player to player, we got different experiences by playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. First of all, some of us managed to see the different paths that the Dragonborn needs to take and become a legend in that particular territory. Secondly, other players take the map seriously and check every icon that randomly appears as they walk in different environments.

Most noteworthy, some of us took the time to build the perfect champion or took more time to try everything that this game has to offer. Some video games, especially the RPGs (Role Playing Games), give you the freedom to take your time and enjoy yourself at your own pace. Hence, with Bethesda’s Skyrim, you always have the opportunity to lose yourself in the immersive adventure.

Furthermore, with the Skyrim fans’ constant support, we have the chance to find new ways to enjoy the game. From new costumes/weapons to impressive gameplay mechanics, we have many ways to enjoy or fight against dragons. It doesn’t matter if you’re a new player or a veteran gamer. Finding new content for Skyrim keeps the game alive (until Elder Scrolls VI arrives).

For that same reason, players that already have Skyrim Special Edition tend to use Nexusmods to share or download new content for the rest of the community. Within that website, you have the potential to find new ways to experience the game and mold it to your tastes. Some modders give you ways to alter light armor, new perks, and exciting NPCs to discover.

Follower mods

If you don’t know where to start in this modding journey, do not worry. You can find all the files and information about this subject on the Nexus Mods Website. Depending on your selection, you’ll need to follow additional steps to make it accessible on your platform.

Furthermore, some Follower Mods have additional features that you can enjoy without paying a cent. For example, you can come across some modding features between Voiced Follower, Questline, and Standalone.

  • Voiced Follower: When you’re playing with a modded follower, you could even enjoy new voice lines that make it more enjoyable. Indeed, the modders took their time to make their creations a lot better with features like this one.
  • Questlines: Some followers may just require that you find them in a specific town or dungeon, waiting for you to recruit them. On the other hand, you can find unique items on the Nexus Mod Website that require you to complete a few steps to unlock them.
  • Standalone File: This is a little bit tricky. Sometimes, you’ll come across some modding files that require the collaboration of other modders. For example, one follower may need a different hairstyle that Skyrim Vanilla doesn’t have. As a result, you’ll need to download the “hair mod” and simultaneously run both files. If you miss this step, the modded follower may look bald or with a weird hairstyle when you load it in your save file. Luckily, some options have the “standalone” feature, which means that you’ll only need to download one file to make it all work as intended.

Best Follower mods

In this part of the article, we’ll give you the best suggestions that you could try when you’re venturing with the modding capabilities of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Remember to visit the Nexusmod website for each Follower mod, and follow the instructions carefully. Most noteworthy, with mods’ integration in consoles, you could even obtain any follower on Xbox or PlayStation.

Most noteworthy, remember to support the modder by giving a positive endorsement or extra aid through donations. Some of the picks that you’ll find in this list require a lot of work and dedication. Indeed, you could enjoy every follower mod without paying any cent.

Lastly, you can add more “depth” to all potential followers by installing the Ultimate Follower Overhaul (UFO) or the Extensible Follower Framework.

The following list contains those mods that follow the Skyrim theme but add more elements to your gaming experience. As a result, you could see different follower mods with some of the official races and come with a model that perfectly fits the game.

1. Inigo

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Inigo comes with approximately a thousand lines of khajiit voice dialogue for you to try. He’s essential, which means that he doesn’t die even if you hit him (unintentionally). Additionally, one of the main features is the stealth capabilities like avoiding most traps. If you’re sneaking, he’ll whisper and remain undetected. Above all, you can find Inigo in Riften Jail.

2. Sofia

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She appears in Whiterun Stables. This particular mod comes with many new voice lines for you to try as you travel around her by your side. Since she is programmed to be always aware of the location or quest, you’ll find exciting ways to interact with her as you progress through the game. Last but not least, she usually uses destruction magic or a one-handed weapon in combat.

3. Vilja

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Another unique follower that even contains different voice lines depending on your natal language. Found in Bannered Mare in Whiterun that comes with an additional quest that you could complete if you find it interesting. The significant part of this mod is that she is a bard, which means she might sing something randomly. Furthermore, you can have additional support with her restoration spells.

4. Arissa

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Arissa is a rogue-like new follower that comes with exciting voice acting and multiple dialog lines. Her backstory will take you on a couple of quests that can lead you to know her better. To unlock her as your companion, visit the Dead Man’s Drink in Falkreath.

5. Hoth

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This particular companion is a Nordic who appears in the Morthal Inn. He usually uses a two-handed style or bow in combat. Besides having complete voice acting, there’s a unique gimmick that appears when you use this follower mod in your journey. As you travel along, he’ll come with special “bounty hunter” tasks for you to complete.

6. Cerwiden

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The ultimate support AI follower mod that you can quickly obtain in the game. Furthermore, you can interact with her and add more tools to make her better in combat. All of the dialog lines have unique voice acting responses. You can meet Cerwiden at Riverwood’s Sleeping Giant Inn.

7. Mirai

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You can meet this unique follower mod at Markarth. Additionally, since she’s a talented mage, she’ll use powerful “ice” magic when she’s attacking from far or melee if there’s no other option. Thanks to her programming, she’ll talk less while sneaking and make it harder for the enemy to notice her. Lastly, she comes with additional quests and tons of exciting voice acting capabilities.

Enhancement

Besides the additional content from the previous list, you can increase the effectiveness of the actual followers in the game with some mods. Therefore, you can find modifications for Lydia, Aela, and the rest of the crew. Some of the tools will help you improve the AI, add features, or make them essential.

Other Franchises

If you want to enrich Skyrim’s capabilities by adding some chaos in the game, you could add some of these mods. For example, you have the opportunity to add specific followers from the Witcher or Lord of the Rings. Most noteworthy, you can even find goods like Famous Actors (Angelina Jolie, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Wilde) that can battle by your side as you progress even further in the game.

Non-Playable Characters (NPC)

Before we dig into the Follower gameplay mechanics in Skyrim, let us discuss NPCs. Like other games in the market, these “tools” allow you to immerse yourself in the virtual world. You’ll often see some “people” waiting for you with an “exclamation mark” above their hands. In other words, they allow you to share some knowledge through text or recorded audio about the current story’s progression.

Overall they follow the same “pattern” as you follow the main story of the game. As a result, the same “guy” will talk to you and say/write the same words all over again. Similarly to what happens when you reread a fantasy book, you’ll see the same results as you read through the pages once again.

Due to their importance in the fantasy world, they often come with some kind of “protection.” As a result, when a game lets you harm anything that you could see, you see then “pass-out” instead of dying. Hence, when you come back another time, they’ll give you the ways to continue with the narrative.

Other NPCs aren’t that lucky in almost all of the games. Since they have no relevant meaning to the story, you could do as you please. Indeed, some of their function is to fill the environment and give the notion that many people “live” around. Therefore you see them walking around with a particular purpose or “talking” with other NPCs.

In a certain way, the developers use these “tools” to increase the game’s immersion and give you hints about the lore and how to proceed in the game. Hence, the more you accept the contents that they “share,” the better you’ll do in the narrative.

Within Skyrim, you have another layer, or NPCs, that have specific patterns and particular behavior. To those gameplay elements, the developers introduce them as followers.

Having a Follower in Skyrim

Getting another NPC following you around in different parts of Skyrim adds another layer of fantastic gaming mechanics. First off, the base game gives you the potential to “recruit” tons of other characters that move behind your back.

Indeed, you could choose between different races and archetypes, from mighty warriors to brilliant sorcerers. In the vanilla (without mods) version, you have the opportunity to pick your favorite follower and share the adventure with an AI (artificial intelligence).

Secondly, when you get a companion for your journey, you’ll earn many positive perks. On the one hand, you have a powerful “friend” who aids you defeat any threats. Depending on their skills and equipment, they can function as a shield or attack from far.

At the same time, they can reduce the burden of having too many items in your inventory. Overall, with the “trade” function, you could add/remove any item from them and equip/sell it later.

Sadly, as with any component in Bethesda’s Skyrim, there are some troubles that you might come across as you move forward. Sometimes, they may become “hostile” while throwing powerful spells and attack you until either of you dies.

Other times, they seem to lose your sight and disappear without a trace. When this happens, the game still “thinks” that you have one companion and cannot recruit another.

Thankfully, you have different tools worldwide to help you with any troubles you can have with the companion gameplay mechanics. With some modded files, you could have the assistance of other players that seek to fix some of these issues.

Skyrim Mods

Due to many tools from the developers at Bethesda, players can change multiple stuff from the game. From adding a single item in your inventory to alter the way, gameplay mechanics work in Skyrim. Depending on your “computer skills,” you could even add multiple campaigns or even “trains” instead of dragons.

Since the added content comes from random people and is totally “free,” the copyright rules tend to become somewhat ignored. As a result, you could even add content from different famous franchises and share it with the rest of the community. For example, you could add Geralt from the Witcher as an NPC and give some lines for interactions.

Modding is Skyrim can help you add your name as people download your content and like the new addition to the game. Who knows, you could even have the opportunity for a job in the gaming industry and work in your IP (Intellectual Property).

Either way, the amount of tools helps the game survive for a long time. The development team already left the project, and it’s currently working on other stuff, but Skyrim lives on. Indeed, you could even visit the Nexusmod website each day and find something new and exciting.

The way you make/install new mods in your game is practically simple. Sometimes, you just need to download a file, copy or extract the contents, and copy the new content in the Skyrim data folder. In contrast, though, you could use tools like the “Nexus Mod Manager,” which assist you with the mods installation, making things a lot easier.

Additionally, you could even add gameplay mechanics that could enhance the Followers’ interactions and overall behavior. Therefore, you have the chance to improve their quality and the way the NPCs function.

In-Game Followers versus Skyrim Mods

Even with the vanilla Skyrim (base game without mods), you could have a lot of fun with your followers. Furthermore, with each DLC (Dragonborn, for example), you’ll get more NPCs that could follow you between dungeons. Overall, like any other RPG, you could have some sort of “relationship” with your followers. Some will give you the option to marry them or scold you if you’re doing something that contrasts with their morale.

Furthermore, you could equip them with better weapons and armor. Teach them new spells and carry some of your items if you’re over-encumbered (pass your carrying limit). Hence, they increase their level and efficiency as you improve your skills as well. Naturally, you could only opt to pick one follower, and they won’t die if an enemy drops their health below zero.

They all come with their voice actor and use different lines as you move around the map. As you may already know, in the World of Skyrim, you’ll come across different accents depending on the NPCs’ race (For example, the Nords). Tools like Skyrim’s wiki can give you more knowledge about which followers you can recruit and their requirements.

Sadly, though, you can always find bugs as you explore the world of Skyrim. First off, you could accidentally kill your followers and lose them in a random encounter. Another example that you can find in Skyrim appears when the player character drops a powerful spell and hits both the enemy and your ally. Furthermore, they may lose track of you and disappear. Finally, they may even use lower level equipment/weapons even if you share with them better items.

Luckily you could leave all those troubles behind thanks to the work of the Skyrim modding community. With each contribution, you could increase the “Followers” potential and try new stuff. First of all, the bugs mentioned are a thing of the past with additional customization options.

Indeed, you can make all of your followers “essential,” which means that they won’t permanently die. Additionally, you can even prevent all of the damage that you could do to them unwillingly. Besides, you can even have full control of their equipment and their abilities. Last but not least, you have the opportunity to find a lot more Followers with fantastic voice acting.