Argonians are by far the most mysterious race in Tamriel.
Despite looking decidedly like lizard people, further investigation by Imperial researchers has shown them to be something else.
This is a fluid, adaptable people finely attuned to the will of the Hist – a race of sentient trees that function as a sort of hivemind in symbiosis with the Argonians.
For such an interesting race, Argonians are barely represented in Skyrim. There are very few Argonian NPCs and even fewer followers. Luckily, modders have risen up to the occasion and created many custom scaly warriors to travel with the Dragonborn.
Let’s meet some of the best.
10. Walks-in-Shadows – Male Pirate Captain Follower
Argonians make excellent seafarers thanks to their hardy composition and ability to breathe underwater.
They’re also masters of skulking around in the shadows and have a natural talent for hunting prey.
As such, Argonian pirates are some of the most feared and effective buccaneers on the seas surrounding Tamriel – and Walks-in-Shadows is no exception.
This bite-sized Argonian captain was created by modder Casiporvida to specialize in archery and melee combat. He’s the perfect sidekick for a romp across Skyrim’s coastline.
It’s no secret that beast races are treated as minorities in Skyrim – even by the developers, who included a single Argonian follower in the vanilla game.
Not only that, but Derkeethus is basically useless.
He has no perks, his base health is laughable, and he’ll even snitch on you if he sees you committing any crimes.
Derkeethus Improved by Zazuban completely rehabilitates this Argonian, and makes him an excellent follower with powerful archery and a better AI that makes good use of his new abilities.
He’s also a bro who won’t report you to the authorities, and his sneaking prowess is now worthy of an Argonian.
Another Argonian from the vanilla game that could use some help from mods is Veezara, the Dark Brotherhood acolyte that helps you escape Solitude after murdering Imperial noble Vittoria Vici.
Veezara has been an assassin all of his life.
He’s a Shadowscale – an Argonian born under the sign of The Shadow and trained by the DB ever since. He even mentions having served the King of Black Marsh himself.
Despite being arguably the most interesting Argonian in the game, Veezara dies tragically defending the Sanctuary from the Penitus Oculatus – that is, unless you get this mod by RexSol.
Once installed, Veezara will survive the attack and become a great sneaky companion.
I know many people who find beast races in Skyrim a bit too… beastly, so to speak.
If you find yourself in that camp, a great follower option is Janessa, the Half-Argonian spellsword.
This sizzling hot reptilian warrior was created by BubblesMage as the middle ground between an Argonian and a regular human.
Her facial bone structure is that of a human, and her skin is only half as scaly as the average lizardwoman – but her eyes have something unnatural about them. It’s the gaze of a predator looking at prey.
Kris Takahashi’s Interesting NPCs introduces over 250 fully voiced NPCs to Skyrim, all to enrich your experience and make the province feel more densely populated.
Around 25 are followers, including a couple of awesome voiced Argonians.
On the one hand, you have Among-the-Hist, a mysterious mystic hanging around Boulderfall Cave in The Rift; on the other, Anum-La – the Swamp Knight – found near Folgunthur in Hjaalmarch.
Of these two, Anum-La is definitely the most interesting.
She’s a “super follower” with many immersive context-aware interactions and a central role in several custom quests.
I like a follower with character. Someone who won’t just cut down my enemies but also help me endure the loneliness of being a prophesied hero.
Khash the Argonian by RabbittWinri is the perfect follower if you need to break up the tension of your mission.
She’s a young adventurer who’s just getting started, and she doesn’t know how to control her emotions in combat just yet. She’ll mess up your sneaking and charge into battle recklessly – but she can take care of herself, and you couldn’t ask for a more fresh companion.
The mod includes custom body meshes for every vanilla armor and three custom outfits you can purchase from blacksmiths to spruce up Khash’s fashion.
Contrary to Khash, Xelzaz is a solemn and mature Lawman belonging to House Telvanni in Morrowind.
Xelzaz isn’t meant to fight your battles.
Instead, he takes on the role of emotional support.
As an expert chef and alchemist, Xelzaz excels at preparing food and drinks that make you feel good. He’ll cook you delicious meals twice a day and give you a powerful potion of your choice half as frequently.
Other than that, he shines for his somewhat cynical commentary on many quests and locations. As an Argonian from the border between Black Marsh and Morrowind, he has a fresh perspective you won’t find anywhere else.
When you get a new follower with over 6000 lines of dialogue, you’ll want to ask them about themselves the moment you get a chance.
But Lucifer might find himself at a loss for words.
This fully-voiced Argonian follower by MrVideoFreak is just as confused about his identity and role in the world as the Dragonborn when they just step out of Helgen. Something inside tells him he’ll understand his origins if he sticks with the Dragonborn, so the adventure begins.
Lucifer has excellent context-aware dialogue and interactions with many other characters, such as the famous Khajiit follower Inigo and Argonians like Jessa, Xelzaz, and Khash.
He even has his own custom soundtrack!
You can’t ask for a better lizardman than Lucifer.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
