​Skyrim followers guide

Skyrim followers can range from crucial story characters to forgettable brutes with strong fists, but that doesn’t make them any less important. You can try to meet them all, marry some, or just pick up one for the duration of your playthrough.

That’s why we’ve got this Skyrim companions list – so you can make your decision before you set off on your lengthy adventure through the mountains and snow of Bethesda’s RPG. Looking for one you can marry? We recommend heading to our Skyrim marriage guide. If you’re not in it for love, head below and take your pick.

Skyrim followers

Here we go then, all the details you need about Skyrim companions. From their abilities to their death, we’ve got you covered. For anything else, check out our Skyrim enchanting, Skyrim Lydia, and Skyrim Serana guides.

Skyrim followers death

Most Skyrim companions can die when not following you, other than the essential ones as noted below. If a battle starts in an area with one of these followers not actively attached to you, be careful.

Once companions are following you, they cannot die easily. When an enemy gets their health low, the companion is incapacitated. In this state, they can still die, but the enemy will stop targeting them. Once incapacitated, you need to move the fight away from them to avoid one of the enemies striking them again even though they aren’t targeting them.

You can, however, kill your follower by your own hand. This means you too need to be careful where you’re swinging. The number of times I personally have killed a follower while playing a ranged build is more than I’m happy to admit. If you’re super worried about this, just be sure to save often.

Skyrim follower disappeared

If you find your Skyrim companion missing, there are a few things you can try to fix it:

• Find a new follower, ask them to join you, and then go back to where the original follower lives to find them
• Fast travel to your last destination
• Sleep in a bed
• Restart the game

In general, the first of these options has always worked for me in my more-than-a-decade of playing this game on a way-too-regular basis, but there are other solutions if you need them.

Skyrim followers equipment

You can trade items with your follower freely by speaking to them. If you want to give them better equipment, just ask them to carry it. You can’t force them to use it, but most of the time, Skyrim companions use what’s best.

You can also use them as a mule, as it were (“I am sworn to carry your burdens”, as Lydia dryly states). Give them all your heavy dragon bones and whatnot and you’re good to keep walking at full speed.

Skyrim followers list

Below, you can find a list of all the Skyrim companions, where to find them, and how to get them as a follower. There are almost one hundred followers, so strap in – this is a long one.

Some of the required quests below involve decisions. It should go without saying, but don’t make a decision that goes against the Skyrim follower you want to join you. For example, you can’t have Cicero as a follower if you kill him in the quest The Cure for Madness, obviously. Use your head, kids.

There you have it, all the Skyrim companions or Skyrim followers or whatever you want to call them. We’ve got more, too, with Skyrim maps, Skyrim cure vampirism, and Skyrim creation club guides.