- Skyrim Best Sneak Follower
- Skyrim Best Sneak Follower Guide
- Skyrim Best Sneak Archer Follower
- Skyrim Best Sneak Follower Bot
Generally speaking, Cicero, Frea, Mjoll and Serana are the essential followers with good stats to offer, but Frea and Serana will require DLC. But ultimately, the choice of the best companion will depend on your play style, and your personal preferences, of course.
I'm a khajiit, so naturally I want to be sneaky and sneak attack. I'd like a follower that is a long range offensive character so that they don't get in my way when hitting enemies. Bethesda Game Studios' blockbuster open-world RPG puts players on the precipice of determining the future of Skyrim as the Empire waits for the prophesized Dragonborn to come; a hero born with the.
Top 10 Best Followers in Skyrim
10. Celann
- However, if you're like me and really want to use followers with your sneak character, I recommend you obtain a muffle enchantment or at least some muffled footwear (shrouded boots, nightingale boots ect.) and give it to your follower. It also doesn't hurt to slap a 'fortify sneaking' ring or medallion on 'em.
- Aela is a Nord werewolf follower who becomes available once the Companions questline is completed. She’s fantastic at doing long-range damage with her bow, but also has decent one-handed weapon skills to do decent melee damage. She has a level cap of 50 and her sneak skill can reach 97. She’s the perfect follower for hardcore stealth players.
He is Breton with magic resistance; a great warrior-type companion with indefinite leveling and armor perks, who does 1.5 extra damage, and liberally uses high quality bows. By the way, there is the Bound Bow Guide for you.
9. Inigo
Inigo is a fully voiced khajiit follower with a fun but short quest. He talks about the places you visit, nicely blends into the vanilla game, has great voice acting, and is very customizable. But you can get him only through a mod.
8. Ralis Sedarys
A miner from Ahzidal’s quest, who has the most destructive melee abilities in the game.
He dual wields anything you give him, has dual flurry (for fast attack) and Extra damage 2 perks, which doubles his overall damage.
He has some magic perks but no spells, but they say he can use the two spells from Ahzidal’s ring when equipped. By the way, this ring is quite useful, because with it you can bring the Ignite spell up to 13000 damage! Find out more in the post about the best destruction spells in Skyrim.
7. Aela the Huntress
She is strong and good looking, a well-balanced character, who can give you her blood to make you a werewolf.
Aela offers a great support with the ranged attacks, as well as in a melee combat due to the decent skill with one-handed weapons. Her max level is 50, but the sneak skill can reach up to 97, turning her into an efficient stealthy archer. And while having her around, you can get the on-the-go archery training.
6. Mjoll the Lioness
A versatile companion, who handles both one-handed and two-handed weapons, and can even use staves. She has high health and attack, and lots of space in the inventory.
Mjoll is a tank character with level cap 40, who can effectively distract enemies, giving Dragonborn some room for action. Give her some nice two-handed sword and a good heavy armor, and she will take on everyone in the vicinity.
She goes straight into the battle, taking all the damage for you; give her good enchanted weapons and armor, and she becomes unstoppable. You can get Mjoll as a follower at the level 14 or 16.
She will fill your ears with interesting stories, and can become one of the best wives in Skyrim as well.
5. J’zargo
He is one of the two khajiit’s in Skyrim, and being a mage, he’s very strong in destruction. You can give him some heavy armor, and he’ll become one of the strongest followers in the game – especially useful if you stuck on a quest.
Some people do not recommend taking him due to the lowest spell levels among all the mage followers. Yet, there is a workaround: just give him very high staffs, and he will make double fireball blasters; another benefit from it is that he will keep the distance in a battle, without rushing into the front line.
His One-Handed and Heavy Armor skills max out around level 50, turning him into a strong battle mage.
4. Teldryn Sero
He is one of the best spellsword-type characters, and is highly skilled in destruction, light armor and one-handed weapon (where he has a few ranks of Armsman, so his one-handed damage is much greater than most).
He can cast firebolt from afar and can conjure a flame atronarch to aid in the battle (actually it is the first thing he does in the combat). When the enemies get closer, he whacks them with an ebony sword. He keeps his distance, stays out of your way, and has level cap 60.
It’s interesting that his chitin armor, as he says, was especially made for him by Grendis Rolovo, one of the best armor smiths in Morrowind.
You can hire him for 500 gold at The Retching Netch, in Raven Rock.
3. Cicero
He is an assassin with level cap 50, and his best skills are stabbing and sneaking, so he won’t set off every trap on your way.
To get him as a follower, you need to join the Dark Brotherhood and complete their whole questline.
By the way, Dark Brotherhood Initiates have the same stats as Cicero, and can level up indefinitely, but they don’t shoot arrows.
2. Frea
She cast restoration and alteration spells, wears heavy armor, won’t trigger the traps on her way, and has no level cap. She is rare dual wielder, but lacks the useful ranged attack skills, such as archery or destruction.
So, Frea is almost the best follower in Skyrim, with the exception of the fact, that you need the Dragonborn DLC for her. And until you complete the Dragonborn main quest, she won’t be able to become your permanent follower, which means you will get her only when you reach level 20 or so (this is where you can realistically finish the main quest).
Well, actually, you can finish the first two quests in the main quest line (Dragonborn and Temple of Miraak), and before proceeding to the Path of Knowledge (which is the next quest), talk to her, pass a speech check, and this way you can get her as a follower. Then you can return to the main quest (if you want to).
Note: when you make Frea follow you before completing the Dragonborn quest, she may leave you after Nchardak – this is a bug in the game, and to avoid this, you need to dismiss her at the end of Nchardak, but before you read the Black Book. Then, once you come back from Apocrypha, take her again.
Another point to mention is that Frea does not want to change her default amulet for most amulets you give her.
1. Serana
Her level cap is 50, and she’s good at sneak, conjuration and destruction. She constantly learns new spells, has a good starting gear, deals with the enemies from a distance, and can bring to life the last one she just killed. She is probably the best mage-type follower, and being essential, cannot be killed.
The problem is that she doesn’t put much thought into what she resurrects, so expect some useless ally in fighting your dragon.
The interesting thing is that Serana is the only character in Skyrim, who uses all the animation activators: she prays with the priests, mines in the mines, smiths at the forges, etc, which is quite cool and fun. You can achieve the same for other followers using the AFT mod (Amazing Follower Tweaks).
She can bite you turning into a vampire lord; and make your arrows stronger, if you play as an archer.
You will find Serana in the Fort Dawnguard, but the Dawnguard DLC is required. And be aware that she will probably start leaving too many ash piles behind, in case you prefer to keep your Skyrim clean. 🙂
Some Tips
The followers with no level cap are Frea, J’zargo, Celann, Ingjard and Durak, so they will have the same level you are. J’zargo is the only companion with no level cap you can have without installing any DLC, but since he is not an essential character, he can die during a battle.
If you play on PC, and lost your follower, use this console command to retrieve him or her: prid 0001C1A2 moveto player (Use the character’s RefID in it, not BaseID). But just in case, keep in mind that it may sometimes remove everything you made him carry from his inventory.
Well, of course, this list of Skyrim best followers is not all inclusive, and there are other good characters you are encouraged to try; but if you are just starting out and want someone reliable, this list is to help you.
Best Armor Enchantments for Followers in Skyrim
Do enchantments work on followers?
Before you even think about enchanting the follower’s armor, please, check this list of the enchantment effects that work on followers.
Now, this simple solution is probably Fortify Health and Resist Magic. If you have a mage follower, Magicka Regeneration can be handy, and Fortify Stamina as well. Fortify Health Regeneration only works during recovery phase, when your companion is out of combat.
Muffled can be also good if you want your follower to be less detectable.
If you have dual enchanting, you can do this:
Head armor: you can use Magicka Regen, or give your companion some nice protection with magic abilities, such as Helm of Ingol, Rahgot, Otar, Ancient Helm of the Unburned, or any other helmet that provides health or stamina regeneration, or have some kind of resistance.
Body: if your follower is of a warrior type, you can improve their armor skill, if needed, or you can invest in health or stamina.
Skyrim Best Sneak Follower
Gloves and Jewelry: normally it can be Magicka Regen or Resistance, Health or just some relevant armor skill.
Boots: you can use dual resistance here, like fire and shock, but the choice is up to you. (source)
What about carry weight?
If you ask your follower to pick up anything instead of trading, they will have almost no weight limit – you can use it to your advantage when visiting some loot heavy areas like Dwemer ruins.
Can a companion use an enchanted item?
Yes, followers can use enchanted items, and some items fit better to a particular follower. For example, for Farkus, heavy armor is better rather than light. But keep in mind the list linked to above.
Follower Weapon Enchantments
Followers can use enchanted weapons; if your follower has a weapon with soul trap, they can fill the soul gems if they have them. But the weapon itself has to be manually recharged by you.
But if you give your follower a bow, give them only one arrow, as they seem to have unlimited arrows somehow.
On reddit one user mentioned that they gave their follower Auriel’s Shield and she was able to Fus Ro Bash people.
Keep in mind, that 100% cost reduction won’t work on your follower.
By the way, there is an easy way to fill your soul gems: give your follower with a soul trap weapon, a stack of soul gems (more than 8), and when they kill something, your whole stack will be filled. It’s best to give them a bow or a melee weapon for this purpose.
Your companions can benefit from using the enchanted weapons, for example, if you give them a sword with health absorb, it will absorb 5 points of health for them (as in the case with Aela, for example). (source)
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Adventuring by yourself in Skyrim can be lonely. Sometimes you want a companion to socialize with, need someone to help you carry some items, or just provide some backup in combat.
The good news is Skyrim allows you to pick from a number of different NPCs to become your follower.
In general, you want to pick someone who complements your playstyle. If you’re a thief or stealth character, you might want to opt for a Dark Brotherhood follower or Serana as they can Sneak with you.
If you’re a warrior, you might want a backline archer or mage. Just be careful of mages as they can fire indiscriminately – I still remember Illia throwing icy spears at me, which she has yet to apologize for.
Also, pick a follower who shares the same ethics as you. You don’t want your friend turning on you if they have zero crime morality.
With all that said, here are the best Skyrim followers to help you choose from.
10. Jenassa
Jenassa is a Dunmer (Dark Elf) mercenary who is one of the best early game followers, especially in vanilla Skyrim. The only downside is her level cap is 40, which is why you might want to find a new companion in the later game.
She specializes in Archery and Sneak, so she can complement Thief play styles and support you from afar in fights. Additionally, Jenassa can also dual wield weapons which makes her a beast in close quarters combat.
She’s great at reacting to threats and can hold her own in dragon fights as she’s 50% resistant to fire. Just be careful, though, as she is capable of dying since she’s a non-essential NPC.
A cool trick you may not know is if you give an NPC an arrow type that’s superior to their default, they can generate an infinite amount for themselves. So you can give Jenassa your Daedric Arrows or Dragonbone Arrows to resupply yourself by picking up her missed arrows.
Given her mercenary status and dark nature, she has no qualms about killing people, even if you order her to attack hold guards. She also doesn’t judge you for doing the same.
In terms of companionship, Jenassa is respectful and has a pleasant sounding, calm voice. She won’t blabber in your ear unnecessarily. If you decide you really want to solidify your partnership with Jenassa, you can marry her by equipping the Amulet of Mara and talking to her.
Find Jenassa in Whiterun in The Drunken Huntsman tavern and have her join you for just 500 gold.
9. Frea
Frea is a Skaal (Nord) shaman and is a potential companion if you have the Dragonborn DLC.
Frea is one of the best followers from a pure damage and combat perspective, just after Durak. Like Jenassa, she can dual wield to dish out a ton of damage, has great base line stats in terms of Health, Magicka, and Stamina, wears heavy armor, and has no level cap. She also heals herself during combat to keep fighting longer.
In terms of dialogue, Frea is one of the few followers that provides new context based on certain environments or situations. She never complains either, even if you accidentally whack her in the head (speaking from experience – sorry, Frea!).
Find Frea in Solstheim in the Skaal Village. To have her join you, first complete The Fate of the Skaal quest then either persuade her if your Speech is at least 25 or bribe her.
8. Serana
As an ancient pure-blood vampire, Serana is one of the Daughters of Coldharbour. She is a part of the Dawnguard DLC and caps out at level 50.
What makes Serana a good follower is her necromancy fighting style combined with her sneak ability, which is rare among mages. She can resurrect the dead – both humans and creatures, including powerful Daedras – so essentially you have two followers fighting for you at times. Her destruction spells are devastating and she can life drain enemies. She also happens to be an Essential character, so you can rest safe knowing she won’t die on you.
Serana’s biggest drawback is how much she complains. The weather isn’t that bad, OK?! Seriously, don’t underestimate how annoying it is to adventure with someone who whines a lot.
Her stealth also isn’t perfect, despite it being level 100. So if you play a sneak style she might ruin it for you from time to time.
Serena’s location depends on which faction you belong to in the Dawnguard DLC. If Dawnguard, go to Fort Dawnguard – if Volkihar vampires, go to Volkihar Keep to find her.
7. Mjoll the Lioness
Most of the followers we’ve seen so far are primarily ranged damage dealers, but Mjoll is essentially a pure tank making her a great companion if you need some extra melee presence in fights.
She maxes out her Heavy Armor and Two-Handed skills at her level cap of 40 alongside a beefy 580 health and good block. If you’re playing as a mage or archer, Mjoll is a great companion for your fighting style. Since she’s Essential, she can’t die either.
As a companion, she talks a lot about her upbringing and past. You’ll come to realize she’s a genuinely good person all around. This can actually be a nuisance though if you break the law a lot, as she’ll give you an earful every time.
If you decide to marry Mjoll, she opens up a shop where she shares the daily profits with you every day, starting from 100 gold and increasing by 100 daily.
Find Mjoll wandering around Riften, in Aerin’s House at night, or in the Bee and Barb Inn. You’ll need to complete the Grimsever quest to recruit her.
6. Teldryn Sero
Teldryn Sero is another Dunmer mercenary for hire that makes our list. He’s available in the Dragonborn DLC and caps out at level 60.
Teldryn’s fighting style is as a Spellsword, meaning he combines melee combat and magic to wreak havoc on foes. His high One-Handed and Destruction skills are high, but he also can summon a flame atronach through Conjuration. When he does, he then uses Destruction magic from afar to support. Teldryn also has the Fast Healing ability to heal himself.
Seriously, the dude can do basically everything. Bring him with you when you just want to destroy everything in sight.
As a social companion, Teldryn provides witty commentary and is a pleasure to be around.
You can find Teldryn Sero at The Retching Netch Inn in Raven Rock, where he’ll follow you for 500 gold.
5. Vorstag
Vorstag is a Nord of the warrior class who’s a good follower for rogue or mage players.
In combat, Vorstag specializes in Heavy Armor, Archery and One-handed skills. He can snipe dragons from afar which is super helpful. He caps out at level 40, though, so won’t scale indefinitely.
He may not be the strongest fighter amongst those listed here, but he’s polite and entertaining. Vorstag willingly carries your items, no questions asked, and makes good conversation. One of Vorstag’s quirks is that he seems to have a fascination for dwarves, specifically the Dwemer ruins.
Recruit Vorstag at the Silver-Blood Inn for a fee of 500 gold. If you want, you can also marry him after wearing the Amulet of Mara.
4. Cicero
Cicero is a one of a kind jester you’ll either love or hate. If you can deal with his eccentric antics, high-pitched voice, and random dance parties though, he makes for an amusing follower that is sure to keep you entertained.
Combat-wise, Cicero can hold his own as an Essential character and tends to be quite blood thirsty. He caps out at level 50 with max One-Handed and Sneak and high Light Armor and Archery. Give him a good dagger and he’ll go to town on anyone. It’s also fun watching him do Sneak rolls to get behind unsuspecting enemies.
Find Cicero near Loreius Farm, north of Whiterun.
3. Durak
Durak is the first Orsimer (Orc) to make the list! As a ranger of the Dawnguard, Durak makes for a great light armor companion specializing in Archery, One-Handed, Block and Light Armor.
On paper, Durak actually has the best stats amongst followers in vanilla Skyrim. This is because he is the only follower without a perk/skill weight mismatch and with no level cap. Now, Skyrim isn’t actually challenging enough to warrant having to optimize for followers this way, but it’s good to know if you just want the best follower in terms of absolute strength.
To recruit Durak, complete the Prophet quest and he’ll be available as a follower.
2. Celann
Celann is another member of the Dawnguard. As a Breton warrior, he specializes in Heavy Armor and One-handed, with light skills in Archery and Block.
With his perks of ExtraDamage and the Two-Handed power attack perk, Celann scales very well into the late game.
Like Durak, he has no level cap and is available as a follower after the Prophet quest is completed.
1. J’zargo
J’zargo is a Khajiit (read: cat) mage that’s a fun companion to have if you’re looking for some variety from the usual humanoids.
Skyrim Best Sneak Follower Guide
J’zargo is best used as a backline mage damage dealer who can use destruction, restoration, and illusion spells. He can also cast Paralyze, which is useful in a variety of situations and makes for some hilarious moments. Next time you see an enemy on the edge of a cliff, paralyze him and watch what happens.
While J’zargo scales with you indefinitely as he has no level cap, he’s still very susceptible to dying given his glass cannon status. If you partner with J’zargo, just make sure you’re tanking for him.
Skyrim Best Sneak Archer Follower
Find him in the Hall of Attainment or Hall of the Elements at the College of Winterhold, where you can complete his quest to have him follow you.
Conclusion
There you have it, our list of the top 10 best Skyrim followers.
As an honorary mention, we’ll also include Inigo if you have his mod installed.
Skyrim Best Sneak Follower Bot
Let us know who your favorite follower or companion in Skyrim is in the comments below!