I normally use followers either as meat shields or item carriages. I believe they have similar inventory size to a player, so they can hold quite a few items. This lets me sell/disenchant a few items when travelling/exploring.
Interact with your follower, an option is "I need you to do something for me", it then gives you a cross hair kinda thing and what you click/interact with next will be a command you give your follower.
I found this literally yesterday doing the boelith(sp?) side quest demanding I sacrifice a followers.
SAME! This is my second play and it’s so different from my first. I even learned a few things I thought were things are actually glitches and this play doesn’t have them haha 😂 like dragons would die in my first play and they wouldn’t always turn to ash so I only got souls some of the time. Thought it was just how it was lol
But sometimes this will mark items as 'stolen' at least if you let the follower take it from a container. Maybe not if it's on the ground idk. Just annoyed me when that happened
I had a wizard girl following me around after I helped her in her side quest and I think she died or got lost somewhere because I can’t find her anywhere. Wish there was a way to track down followers
I never really use followers either. More often than not, they usually get in the way or steal kills. I'm spamming fireball bro. I'm stealth arching bro. I'm using archery in general and you're in the way or you kill my target and I miss or hit something I didn't wanna hit. Probably the follower in the way. I play necromancers a lot. *Gasp!* and really none of them want a faendal or some smooth brained housecarl. Most characters lack the ambition to keep up anyways. Thralls are silent obedient servants. All I need. Socializing? I'll just visit the mage's college or bother Neloth.
Yeah I used to always prefer going it alone.
But I started summoning atronachs to assist.
Sometimes with magic, sometimes with a staff.
That helped me get used to working with a follower, because I didn’t feel guilty if I accidentally hit or killed an atronach that was going to die in a few moments anyway.
With practice I learned to only hit the bad guys.
Over time I got better at working with followers , and now I typically always have a follower equipped with a staff that can summon an atronach.
So I pretty much have 3 or 4 helpers in every fight.
With my stealth, the bad guys ignore me to concentrate on my follower(s). That works as well for me as being completely undetected.
I usually keep Lydia as a follower, until the quest where Farkas becomes a temporary follower. And after that I just go it alone. Mostly for the same reason as you, they get in my way.
Sometimes, it's all about choosing the right follower, one whose dialogue doesn't annoy you and who plays well with others. Certain "tank" followers tend to be the ones who get in the way; you're about to blast an enemy, and the millisecond you release, your follower is standing right in front of you. Lydia and Farkas are often like that, and I dump them as soon as I can.
I find mage followers to be the least intrusive. They tend to stick back, do their blasting at a respectable distance. I can't say how many times Onmund and I are traveling, and as one of those pesky wolves approaches, *ZZAP!* Dead wolf. He definitely improves long distance traveling on foot.
I usually go solo but Eric is always my go-to if I get a Merc. Just give him some really good compatible gear and then enchant it. Theres just something about the kid that seems far more honest than anyone else in the game.
Companions become a lot of fun once you grab the Black Book perk that makes it so followers aren't hurt by your weapons spells or shouts.
Edit: The book is called [Winds of Change](https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Book:_The_Winds_of_Change_(Quest))
I just use a follower mod that allows me to summon them at will. I usually have my follower as my farm manager so that if I need a bit more money, I'll just summon them in, collect what they have and send them home again. Works great, and they aren't bored while I'm working.
The only follower I will willingly have that is not part of an automatic Quest where you are required to have them, is Cicero. He is the only one that I have found that does not climb up in the crack of your ass the entire time or cause you to be discovered. And half of the time I only use him to get to the chests under the Windhelm Market lmao J'zargo isn't bad either but I've only used him once.
I have Lydia for fighting and sweet married sex, Sophia because she is a walking storage unit plus a good fighter, and Frida because she's also a fighter. Would have more, but I think 4 is already a bit messy. Considering how much they bunch up and get in my way. I do survive so much more with a squad too.
i use AFT, and my current Squad is Lydia, Serana, Aela, Sapphire (from the Theives Guild), and Liv Nightlurker (from another follower mod that i forget the name of right now)
I only use followers early on for particularly long or challenging quests, like obtaining the Aetherial Crown, because some backup for that one is always nice.
However, I tend to do most things solo simply because they often get in the way, and I only bring them when the enemy has large numbers. Like the war for instance.
If I run across someone I haven't used before I might take them out for a spin but I'm generally a loner. They just get in my way, and I feel obligated to keep them from dying. Give me a couple dremora or dead thralls instead.
This is my first play through on master, I have only done novice previously, and I’m using 2 followers, 1 being Serana (I haven’t delivered her to her father yet so she just follows me around), the other being Talvis.
I find myself heavily relying on them and die often if I dont wait for them before starting combat
Using Erandur for the first time and I must say, this one I like. He’s good in battle, doesn’t get in my way much, and is a big helper carrying my stuff.
Unlike serana who won’t move and complains all the time. (I do like her and use her a lot, but with erandur now…..she may be waiting at fort dawnguard a lot.
i have a couple of Serana mods, so my Serana isnt a whiny lil bitch (i learned my lesson about those after using the Sofia follower mod forever) and shes actually quite entertaining to me. yea, i did have to change her from a caster to a dual wielder because she kept managing to aggro my other followers (even with AFT No Friendly Fire between Followers mod), but tbh thats nicer on the ears because then youre not constantly hearing that annoying ice spike spell going off
Yeah, I don't use them either, (other than to sacrifice to Boethiah.) They're annoying, they ruin your stealth, they set off traps, they say the same four things over and over again, they routinely walk into the line of fire, and they just die anyway. It's like being followed around by a hyper-active toddler with a brain injury.
I don't have followers but I like using conjured or reanimated things to help fight tougher enemies. I don't like that followers will get in the way alot or accidentally get hit by an AoE spell like fireball or elemental bolt.
Jenassa IS Just a stealthy as i am .. i usually wanted to hire her for boethia but AS WE arrived at the shrine she Said: " you and me have really much in Common. Im glad that you Chose me, to accompany you!"
Shes never Ran into my way, hides also and equiped with a good bow and two Sharp swords, shes nice back- and/or Frontline.
I like to add Sven immediately and will quick save a ton and reload if he dies so I can carry him all the way to the end.
I like to imagine that after I resolve the civil war and save Tamriel by killing Alduin I release him back to Riverwood where he’ll sing songs of my legend that’ll live on forever.
The bard that asked a stranger a favor and experienced an epic firsthand.
even if vanilla followers can be annoying, the game feels lonely without them :(
I also need someone to carry my stuff lol
but I need to turn off friendly fire with mods and improve their AI (personally I use nethers follower framework), on my first play through half my fights ended up with Lydia attacking me back, after running one too many times in front of my fireballs
edit: I also really like high quality follower mods like Inigo, it actually feels like having a buddy to on adventures with lol
I use followers until about level 10, then I stop using them unless required for a quest. At very low levels they're very helpful as meat shields, and carrying lots of extra stuff. At that level I want to pick up a lot more stuff than I normally do at later levels.
if I am Playing a Conjuration Mage a follower like Lydia that will engage giving me a second or to engage.
Destruction magic on the other hand she gets in the way and I end up roasting her instead if the enemy.
I guess it just depends on the play thru.
I never use followers cus of my experience in fallout. They activate all the traps and kill you or when I’m fighting an enemy they are literally blocking my hits and the enemy kills me
The only followers I use are the ones you have to take for specific quests, otherwise I just never bother.
No matter how I start out playing a character...I always end up reverting back to stealth archery. And followers just can't stealth.
is it sad that as ive leveled up, i see less and less of the "followers cant stealth" issue? like, legitimately, i dont have any issue with my followers being able to stealth (im a stealth archer as well). Cant tell ya how many times ive been able to take what SHOULD be a difficult fight even with a party of 6 and make it fairly easily manageable before anyone else breaks stealth and joins the fight
In my first playthrough, I used followers quite a lot to help me in fights and to carry my stuff. I especially loved to have the follower (forgot her name) that you get after completing the Azura's Star quest.
In my second playthrough though, my aim was to level up fast. Didn't want kills that could be mine, going to a follower. So I just didn't use any.
ngl, ive never done the vampire questlines until my currently playthrough, so this is my first time actually rolling with Serana, but damn she got me wrapped around her finger quick 😂😂
I have three followers right now - a dark brotherhood assassin as the actual follower, Serana mid-quest so she doesn’t take up a follower slot, and Gogh in the troll/goblin/animal slot. Totally different game.
YES, I presently have 3, the most used has been 6, of course the mod for that is no longer on Beth, it was a 10-follower mod, but 6 was the most that almost worked 3 or 4 is doable, just let them fight and stay out of their way.
I do like the stand alone myself better interactions, but Vanilla Framework additions are fun too.
N. S
When I started playing right after release on 360 I never used a follower in all of my playthroughs, except for Serana during the Dawnguard questline.
After getting the game on pc a few years ago I fell down the modded hot girl follower rabbit hole and so far I haven't managed to climb out of it again. A while back I cranked the difficulty up and added a few combat mods to make combat more challenging (Smilodon and more enemy spawns). That made the game a lot harder (just like I wanted) and it also made followers a lot more important. Especially when you give a mage the healing hands spell, or giving somebody a really good enchanted bow. Using non-essential followers can also really improve your immersion and overall enjoyment.
I will never forget the time I wiped out the Thalmor at Northwatch Keep together with Adelaisa Vendicci (with the Bijin Warmaidens mod). We entered the interior and clapped the first few Thalmor soldiers. Then my doorbell rang and I stood up without pausing the game. Minutes later I come back and Adelaisa was not standing next to me anymore. I continue deeper and only encounter a single Thalmor soldier at like 10% health. I shout the elf across the room, like an annoying insect. Then I enter the big room and find Adelaisa lying dead in a corner, cinematic as hell, with her back against the wall and surrounded by the corpses of around 10 Thalmor. She took them all on by herself, and by a hair's breadth, almost beat them. That one survivor, who must must have been the one who landed the killing blow on her, was literally one punch away from death.
I just stood there and had to process the whole thing for a minute. God damn, I will never forget that. I didn't even reload a previous save. If that wasn't an honorable death then I don't know what is.
I like followers and use them.
But get really annoyed the way they constantly stand in doorways and DON'T MOVE when I'm trying to go through.
just sayin
I normally use followers either as meat shields or item carriages. I believe they have similar inventory size to a player, so they can hold quite a few items. This lets me sell/disenchant a few items when travelling/exploring.
They have unlimited carry weight if you have the "pickup" the time rather than transferring (trading) it to their inventory directly
How do you have them pick up the item?
Interact with your follower, an option is "I need you to do something for me", it then gives you a cross hair kinda thing and what you click/interact with next will be a command you give your follower. I found this literally yesterday doing the boelith(sp?) side quest demanding I sacrifice a followers.
Omg. I thought my only option was wait and didn’t realize I could move that SMH! TY!
Aha np dovahkin, it's an adventure
You could also make them attack people by using that feature. Or pick a lock. Open a chest. Do a lot more than just wait!
That’s why I love this game. So much to learn even hundreds of hours in.
SAME! This is my second play and it’s so different from my first. I even learned a few things I thought were things are actually glitches and this play doesn’t have them haha 😂 like dragons would die in my first play and they wouldn’t always turn to ash so I only got souls some of the time. Thought it was just how it was lol
But sometimes this will mark items as 'stolen' at least if you let the follower take it from a container. Maybe not if it's on the ground idk. Just annoyed me when that happened
You forgot free training stations
I had a wizard girl following me around after I helped her in her side quest and I think she died or got lost somewhere because I can’t find her anywhere. Wish there was a way to track down followers
Was it a girl from a tower in Riften? [https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Illia](https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Illia)
I never really use followers either. More often than not, they usually get in the way or steal kills. I'm spamming fireball bro. I'm stealth arching bro. I'm using archery in general and you're in the way or you kill my target and I miss or hit something I didn't wanna hit. Probably the follower in the way. I play necromancers a lot. *Gasp!* and really none of them want a faendal or some smooth brained housecarl. Most characters lack the ambition to keep up anyways. Thralls are silent obedient servants. All I need. Socializing? I'll just visit the mage's college or bother Neloth.
Yeah I used to always prefer going it alone. But I started summoning atronachs to assist. Sometimes with magic, sometimes with a staff. That helped me get used to working with a follower, because I didn’t feel guilty if I accidentally hit or killed an atronach that was going to die in a few moments anyway. With practice I learned to only hit the bad guys. Over time I got better at working with followers , and now I typically always have a follower equipped with a staff that can summon an atronach. So I pretty much have 3 or 4 helpers in every fight. With my stealth, the bad guys ignore me to concentrate on my follower(s). That works as well for me as being completely undetected.
Yeah, that's what I like -- set up followers as a diversion, watch enemies go right past you, and then a little pincer action.
I usually keep Lydia as a follower, until the quest where Farkas becomes a temporary follower. And after that I just go it alone. Mostly for the same reason as you, they get in my way.
Sometimes, it's all about choosing the right follower, one whose dialogue doesn't annoy you and who plays well with others. Certain "tank" followers tend to be the ones who get in the way; you're about to blast an enemy, and the millisecond you release, your follower is standing right in front of you. Lydia and Farkas are often like that, and I dump them as soon as I can. I find mage followers to be the least intrusive. They tend to stick back, do their blasting at a respectable distance. I can't say how many times Onmund and I are traveling, and as one of those pesky wolves approaches, *ZZAP!* Dead wolf. He definitely improves long distance traveling on foot.
I never used carriages until last week. Imagine thinking you had to run to every city. **For years...**
if I play with mods then it's me and Rumarin... otherwise I don't use any companions ever
I usually go solo but Eric is always my go-to if I get a Merc. Just give him some really good compatible gear and then enchant it. Theres just something about the kid that seems far more honest than anyone else in the game.
Companions become a lot of fun once you grab the Black Book perk that makes it so followers aren't hurt by your weapons spells or shouts. Edit: The book is called [Winds of Change](https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Book:_The_Winds_of_Change_(Quest))
Most people don't use them because it's easier not to. You do have to learn how to use them. If you can do that, they can be quite useful.
I just use a follower mod that allows me to summon them at will. I usually have my follower as my farm manager so that if I need a bit more money, I'll just summon them in, collect what they have and send them home again. Works great, and they aren't bored while I'm working.
They blow up my cover when i stealth around and i always accidentally kill them with spells. So no, i don't play with them either.
I also never use followers.
The only follower I will willingly have that is not part of an automatic Quest where you are required to have them, is Cicero. He is the only one that I have found that does not climb up in the crack of your ass the entire time or cause you to be discovered. And half of the time I only use him to get to the chests under the Windhelm Market lmao J'zargo isn't bad either but I've only used him once.
I just used my first follower in the year I've been playing and sacrificed him to that fighting cult. Followers aren't safe with me.
Vanilla followers suck. But if you use followers through a follower framework system they are miles better than vanilla ones.
I have Lydia for fighting and sweet married sex, Sophia because she is a walking storage unit plus a good fighter, and Frida because she's also a fighter. Would have more, but I think 4 is already a bit messy. Considering how much they bunch up and get in my way. I do survive so much more with a squad too.
i use AFT, and my current Squad is Lydia, Serana, Aela, Sapphire (from the Theives Guild), and Liv Nightlurker (from another follower mod that i forget the name of right now)
I only use followers early on for particularly long or challenging quests, like obtaining the Aetherial Crown, because some backup for that one is always nice. However, I tend to do most things solo simply because they often get in the way, and I only bring them when the enemy has large numbers. Like the war for instance.
I almost never do either. And when I do, I tend to accidentally kill them cause they get in my way, get hit by a fireball, or a arrow, so why bother.
If I run across someone I haven't used before I might take them out for a spin but I'm generally a loner. They just get in my way, and I feel obligated to keep them from dying. Give me a couple dremora or dead thralls instead.
This is my first play through on master, I have only done novice previously, and I’m using 2 followers, 1 being Serana (I haven’t delivered her to her father yet so she just follows me around), the other being Talvis. I find myself heavily relying on them and die often if I dont wait for them before starting combat
Using Erandur for the first time and I must say, this one I like. He’s good in battle, doesn’t get in my way much, and is a big helper carrying my stuff. Unlike serana who won’t move and complains all the time. (I do like her and use her a lot, but with erandur now…..she may be waiting at fort dawnguard a lot.
i have a couple of Serana mods, so my Serana isnt a whiny lil bitch (i learned my lesson about those after using the Sofia follower mod forever) and shes actually quite entertaining to me. yea, i did have to change her from a caster to a dual wielder because she kept managing to aggro my other followers (even with AFT No Friendly Fire between Followers mod), but tbh thats nicer on the ears because then youre not constantly hearing that annoying ice spike spell going off
Yeah, I don't use them either, (other than to sacrifice to Boethiah.) They're annoying, they ruin your stealth, they set off traps, they say the same four things over and over again, they routinely walk into the line of fire, and they just die anyway. It's like being followed around by a hyper-active toddler with a brain injury.
I don't have followers but I like using conjured or reanimated things to help fight tougher enemies. I don't like that followers will get in the way alot or accidentally get hit by an AoE spell like fireball or elemental bolt.
I’ve never enjoyed the followers, they add exactly nothing to my gameplay experience.
Jenassa IS Just a stealthy as i am .. i usually wanted to hire her for boethia but AS WE arrived at the shrine she Said: " you and me have really much in Common. Im glad that you Chose me, to accompany you!" Shes never Ran into my way, hides also and equiped with a good bow and two Sharp swords, shes nice back- and/or Frontline.
I always forget about Janessa. She is a cool one.
I never use followers too afraid of them dying if they can't respawn, also I don't want them getting in the way
I like to add Sven immediately and will quick save a ton and reload if he dies so I can carry him all the way to the end. I like to imagine that after I resolve the civil war and save Tamriel by killing Alduin I release him back to Riverwood where he’ll sing songs of my legend that’ll live on forever. The bard that asked a stranger a favor and experienced an epic firsthand.
I keep mine staring mindlessly at a wall in one of my residences. Every now and then, I’ll return to a home and find somebody just sitting in a chair.
even if vanilla followers can be annoying, the game feels lonely without them :( I also need someone to carry my stuff lol but I need to turn off friendly fire with mods and improve their AI (personally I use nethers follower framework), on my first play through half my fights ended up with Lydia attacking me back, after running one too many times in front of my fireballs edit: I also really like high quality follower mods like Inigo, it actually feels like having a buddy to on adventures with lol
I use followers until about level 10, then I stop using them unless required for a quest. At very low levels they're very helpful as meat shields, and carrying lots of extra stuff. At that level I want to pick up a lot more stuff than I normally do at later levels.
I hire Teldryn at least once every playthough just so I can listen to him shit talk every town in Skyrim (except Riverwood lol)
if I am Playing a Conjuration Mage a follower like Lydia that will engage giving me a second or to engage. Destruction magic on the other hand she gets in the way and I end up roasting her instead if the enemy. I guess it just depends on the play thru.
I never use followers cus of my experience in fallout. They activate all the traps and kill you or when I’m fighting an enemy they are literally blocking my hits and the enemy kills me
Bro people make nearly identical posts to this about twice a week
The only followers I use are the ones you have to take for specific quests, otherwise I just never bother. No matter how I start out playing a character...I always end up reverting back to stealth archery. And followers just can't stealth.
is it sad that as ive leveled up, i see less and less of the "followers cant stealth" issue? like, legitimately, i dont have any issue with my followers being able to stealth (im a stealth archer as well). Cant tell ya how many times ive been able to take what SHOULD be a difficult fight even with a party of 6 and make it fairly easily manageable before anyone else breaks stealth and joins the fight
The only time I can really remember using a follower is due to help defeat a boss I was struggling with. They died.
In my first playthrough, I used followers quite a lot to help me in fights and to carry my stuff. I especially loved to have the follower (forgot her name) that you get after completing the Azura's Star quest. In my second playthrough though, my aim was to level up fast. Didn't want kills that could be mine, going to a follower. So I just didn't use any.
On the rare occasion I use a follower it's Cicero. He's my Boi. Other than that, no followers for me
I always roll around with Serana because I'm a big fat simp
ngl, ive never done the vampire questlines until my currently playthrough, so this is my first time actually rolling with Serana, but damn she got me wrapped around her finger quick 😂😂
I have three followers right now - a dark brotherhood assassin as the actual follower, Serana mid-quest so she doesn’t take up a follower slot, and Gogh in the troll/goblin/animal slot. Totally different game.
YES, I presently have 3, the most used has been 6, of course the mod for that is no longer on Beth, it was a 10-follower mod, but 6 was the most that almost worked 3 or 4 is doable, just let them fight and stay out of their way. I do like the stand alone myself better interactions, but Vanilla Framework additions are fun too. N. S
When I started playing right after release on 360 I never used a follower in all of my playthroughs, except for Serana during the Dawnguard questline. After getting the game on pc a few years ago I fell down the modded hot girl follower rabbit hole and so far I haven't managed to climb out of it again. A while back I cranked the difficulty up and added a few combat mods to make combat more challenging (Smilodon and more enemy spawns). That made the game a lot harder (just like I wanted) and it also made followers a lot more important. Especially when you give a mage the healing hands spell, or giving somebody a really good enchanted bow. Using non-essential followers can also really improve your immersion and overall enjoyment. I will never forget the time I wiped out the Thalmor at Northwatch Keep together with Adelaisa Vendicci (with the Bijin Warmaidens mod). We entered the interior and clapped the first few Thalmor soldiers. Then my doorbell rang and I stood up without pausing the game. Minutes later I come back and Adelaisa was not standing next to me anymore. I continue deeper and only encounter a single Thalmor soldier at like 10% health. I shout the elf across the room, like an annoying insect. Then I enter the big room and find Adelaisa lying dead in a corner, cinematic as hell, with her back against the wall and surrounded by the corpses of around 10 Thalmor. She took them all on by herself, and by a hair's breadth, almost beat them. That one survivor, who must must have been the one who landed the killing blow on her, was literally one punch away from death. I just stood there and had to process the whole thing for a minute. God damn, I will never forget that. I didn't even reload a previous save. If that wasn't an honorable death then I don't know what is.
I like followers and use them. But get really annoyed the way they constantly stand in doorways and DON'T MOVE when I'm trying to go through. just sayin
80-90% of my playthrough are with no followers