Our pick for the best follower in Skyrim is Serana, the Dawnguard vampire who cannot die, levels with you and raises fallen enemies to fight at your side. For a base-game warrior, Mjoll the Lioness and Lydia are the strongest tanks, while J’zargo and Marcurio are the best mages, and Teldryn Sero is the pick on Solstheim.
Below we cover the rules that decide which followers are worth having, a comparison of our top picks, the best creature companions, the Anniversary Edition additions and how to keep any follower alive.
This guide covers The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition and Anniversary Edition on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Special Edition includes all three official add-ons, so Dawnguard and Dragonborn followers are available to everyone. Followers from Creation Club content need the Anniversary Edition or the individual Creation.
What Makes a Follower Good
Per the community wiki, three rules separate great followers from forgettable ones:
- Whether they can die. A handful of followers are essential and can never be killed: Serana, Mjoll, Frea, Cicero and the two Dark Brotherhood Initiates. Every other permanent follower is only protected. Enemies knock them down instead of killing them, but losing all their health again while they recover, or a killing blow from you, ends them for good.
- How high they level. Followers level with you up to a personal cap. J’zargo, Frea and three Dawnguard recruits have no cap at all, and the Dark Brotherhood Initiates reach level 100, while many common followers stop at 30.
- Their fighting style. A follower’s class decides whether they tank in heavy armor, shoot from range or cast spells. Pick someone who covers your weak spot.
You can have one person, one combat creature and two non-combat pets following you at once, so a dog or troll never takes your main follower’s slot.
Our Top Follower Picks
| Follower | How to recruit | Style | Level cap | Can die | Can marry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serana (Dawnguard) | Dawnguard questline | Vampire necromancer | 50 | No | No |
| Mjoll the Lioness | Riften, quest Grimsever’s Return | Heavy-armor warrior | 40 | No | Yes |
| Lydia | Whiterun housecarl after Dragon Rising | Sword-and-shield tank | 50 | Yes | Yes |
| J’zargo | College of Winterhold, J’zargo’s Experiment | Destruction mage | None | Yes | No |
| Marcurio | The Bee and Barb, Riften, 500 gold | Destruction mage | 40 | Yes | Yes |
| Teldryn Sero (Dragonborn) | Retching Netch, Raven Rock, 500 gold | Spellsword | 60 | Yes | No |
| Frea (Dragonborn) | After The Fate of the Skaal | Warrior and healer | None | No | No |
| Aela the Huntress | After the Companions questline | Archer | 50 | Yes | Yes |
Source: the community wiki’s follower tables.
Serana joins you through most of the Dawnguard questline on either side, and per the community wiki she can be recruited as a regular follower from the quest Prophet onward. She is essential, fights with spells and a dagger, and often reanimates corpses to help in fights.
Mjoll the Lioness is the best base-game tank you cannot lose. Find her in Riften and recover her sword in Grimsever’s Return.
Lydia is the first follower most players get, handed to you when the Jarl of Whiterun makes you Thane after Dragon Rising. She is sturdy early but can die, so watch your swings.
J’zargo has no level cap and hits hard with Destruction magic. Finish his quest at the College of Winterhold to recruit him.
Teldryn Sero is the best Dragonborn hire, a spellsword with a level cap of 60 who costs 500 gold.
For stealth builds, the Dark Brotherhood Initiates in the Dawnstar Sanctuary are essential, level to 100, and join once you finish the questline in our guide to joining the Dark Brotherhood. Aela, Farkas and Vilkas become available after the Companions questline, which our guide to becoming a werewolf in Skyrim starts you on.
Best Creature Followers
Creatures use their own slot, so pairing one with a person is free extra muscle. Per the community wiki:
- Meeko, a dog found at Meeko’s Shack, is the easiest early companion.
- Vigilance costs 500 gold from Banning at the Markarth stables and levels higher than Meeko.
- Armored Troll (Dawnguard) can be bought from Gunmar at Fort Dawnguard for 500 gold. You may get an Armored Frost Troll instead.
Anniversary Edition Followers
The Anniversary Edition’s Creations add more. Ghosts of the Tribunal adds four followers with a level cap of 100, recruitable if you side with the Tribunal Temple during the quest Ghosts of the Tribunal. Bittercup adds Rulnik Wind-Strider, a sorcerer you can marry, if you choose the Altar of Nothing in A Dying Wish. Pets of Skyrim adds animal pets that fill the non-combat slots; per the community wiki they do not fight and cannot be hurt.
How to Keep Your Follower Alive
- Upgrade their armor. Followers only wear gear they judge better than their default kit, so give them a clearly stronger set, per the community wiki.
- Enchant for defense. Only some enchantments work on followers. Fortify Health and the resist effects do; Fortify skill enchantments do not raise their damage.
- Carry store-bought healing potions for them. Per the community wiki, followers will drink standard healing potions you give them, but not potions you brewed yourself. Keep the ones you brew for yourself; our health potion guide covers making them.
- Heal them with magic. Healing Hands works on followers and trains your Restoration skill.
To give an order, hold Activate while looking at your follower (E on PC, A on Xbox, X on PlayStation, A on Switch). Followers can also carry your loot, a quick fix alongside our guide to increasing carry weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many followers can you have in Skyrim? One permanent person at a time, plus one combat creature and two non-combat pets. Quest followers can tag along on top of that.
Which followers can never die? Per the community wiki: Serana, Mjoll the Lioness, Frea, Cicero and the two Dark Brotherhood Initiates.
Can you marry your follower? Many of them, including Lydia, Mjoll, Aela and Marcurio. Our guide to getting married in Skyrim covers the Amulet of Mara and the ceremony.
What is the best follower for a mage? A tank such as Mjoll or Lydia to hold enemies off you, or J’zargo for extra Destruction damage.
Where are the other Skyrim guides? Our Elder Scrolls guides hub lists every Skyrim and Oblivion guide we have published.