20 Best Follower Mods For Enhancing Skyrim (All Free)
This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something we may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. (Learn more).It’s fair to say the Skyrim follower system works much better than its pretty poor Oblivion counterpart.
However, as TES gamers we all know there’s always something to complain about.
Whether it be not enough followers or certain companions not being good enough, room for improvement will always exist. Don’t worry, there’s a solution: modding the hell out of your game.
I’ve compiled my picks for the absolute best follower mods to add into Skyrim for your downloading pleasure.
Let’s discover new followers that you can add to the game, without forgetting some fantastic mods that also serve to enhance the experience with your followers too.
Adding new people to follow you around is always cool. But let’s have them stop acting like idiots, that’s even better!
20. Aurora and Twilight Followers
I think one of the most essential things that a follower mod needs to have is an impeccable voice over.
I can’t tell you that this one is perfect, but both of these followers are fully voiced as well as really well designed.
Aurora and Twilight are fully customizable, which means you’ll be able to select their body types and even choose whether you’d like them to be werewolves or vampires.
So is there even more, you ask?
Yes, they can both get married!
19. Eryniel Elf Reborn
Eryniel is an elf who has become one with nature.
She handles herself exceptionally well in combat, and she does so by summoning the strength of all nature spirits to fight at her side.
This unique mod adds a total of 35 new Spriggan spells, all of which are part of Eryniel’s magic arsenal.
The character comes with various traits, a warrior skillset, and even the ability to call her your wife. Nice!
18. Tame the Beasts of Skyrim
Have you ever wanted to take control of Skyrim creatures?
I wouldn’t blame you if you did – some of the animals in the game would work fantastically as followers. Or even a few modded beasts while you’re at it.
Tame the Beasts of Skyrim allows you to do just that!
Approach any creature in the game and speak the ancient elf tongue, which will let you tame them with words. Fight alongside any of your animal brethren.
17. Danariel Stormbow
This mod is basically a remastered version of the 20th mod on my list above.
But instead of Twilight and Aurora, it adds one of the best archer companions that I’ve ever seen in Skyrim.
Worth checking out if you dig the look, although certainly not the best(or worst) follower mod you can get.
16. Arvak – Legendary Edition
Tired of the basic horses that come with the game?
If the answer is yes, then I might have the solution to your predicaments.
Arvak is a horse/companion that seems to have been taken straight out of Oblivion and thrown onto your doorstep.
Powerful, mighty, and looking slick with its purple flames. What else could you ask of a follower or companion? Maybe not to poop so much, but eh what can you do.
15. Followers Can Relax
In terms of mods that enhance follower experience, this has to be one of my favorites.
No longer will your followers stay with you through thick and thin if you just want to do other stuff without them.
Order them around and have them wander the woods in search of raw materials, or simply tell them to sit down and stay out of the way.
It’s up to you to decide what they do. And for some reason they’ll just listen, every damn time.
14. Poet Follower
This relatively small follower comes with the ability to act like an absolutely sadistic barbarian and some of the highest-quality blunt skills that I’ve seen.
She does remind me of one of those old Final Fantasy characters.
The inspiration to create her might’ve come from that lore, but she fits so well into Skyrim too.
13. Better Stealth AI for Followers
One thing we can all agree on is the fact that followers are extremely idiotic when it comes to acting with stealth.
If you’ve ever tried to sneak past an enemy with a follower behind you, chances are that they’ve rushed to action and ruined all the fun for you.
This mod allows your followers to stop acting like complete tards and focus on the act of stealth whenever you are sticking with it too.
12. Recorder
If you want a useful follower that will spice up your adventures, then Recorder might be the one you’re after.
This woman seems to have it all.
And that’s quite a huge compliment when said to someone in the world of TES.
Recorder is a masterful bow-woman as well as a fully-voiced character that has some of the best custom dialogue lines I’ve heard.
Again, I’m glad I’m able to complement the voice lines of a modded character – I’ve seen some absolute abominations in my days downloading mods for this game. Some people should really stay away from voice acting… but not whoever did Recorder’s voice.
11. Tania The Hermit
Tania is an elf that now wanders, lost, the lands of Skyrim.
According to the stories, there used to be a small elven kingdom that was destroyed by an unknown force; she was the sole survivor of the attack.
You can now have her join your adventures while you help her solve her own questions.
Whatever happened to her land?
Who was responsible for bringing it to an end?
Tania is a very interesting follower that might lack a bit of combat expertise, but hey – that’s nothing a few hours of training can’t fix.
10. Spouses Can Live Everywhere
One of the things that many people hate is how limited spouses seem to be.
Whether you want to have them live with you or have them stay elsewhere, customizing your spouse’s behavior doesn’t seem to be one of the main features that vanilla Skyrim offers.
This mod allows you to choose where you want your spouses to live, and this doesn’t even include custom locations or indoor areas.
You can actually have your spouse live in the streets if that’s what your heart wants!
Wherever you decide to set their preferred location, they will act just as they do in any vanilla home.
That includes their vendor features, too.
9. Cerwiden – Smart Healer
A mage with a custom voice? Sign me up!
This amazing follower is one of the most talented mage companions that you can download for the game.
She can assist you during your quests with a lot of help.
The best thing about Cerwiden, though, isn’t her prowess as a mage.
Her voice acting is impeccable. And her interactions with other followers and with you, based on environmental changes, are just too good.
If you want a character that feels like more than an NPC, you’ll want to check out Cerwiden.
8. Hoth
Hoth is not only the name of the planet where the Rebel Alliance had their base.
It’s also the name of one of the coolest follower mods that you can download for Skyrim. This is the first dude on my list, a spot he has earned by simply looking like a badass and offering a skillset that not many others can match.
This man is as brutal as they come.
He’s going to smash through your enemies’ skulls with superhuman strength, or simply shoot them from afar with his world-class marksmanship.
If you’re looking for a follower that isn’t just another pretty face, give Hoth a try. You won’t regret having him around.
7. Familiar Faces
Alright, this mod is by far the most original one on this list.
The whole concept of the mod is something that every Skyrim player will love to see.
Familiar Faces allows you to add your other Dragonborns to the game world.
That’s right: your other save files will now be able to import themselves into your game, and all of your other characters will now appear in a special area of the world.
Build a shrine for your other selves. Have them follow you around Skyrim as trusty companions to continue both of your adventures together.
Or even fight them to see who is the mightiest Dragonborn.
6. Arissa – The Wandering Rogue
Arissa has to be one of the best-voiced characters that I’ve ever downloaded for Skyrim.
And trust me when I say that I’ve downloaded quite a few.
She’s a rogue, which makes her a fantastic archer as well as one of the finest pickpockets around.
Like many other character mods on this list, Arissa is completely custom-made from scratch.
She has a unique appearance that makes her differ from many of the other characters in the game. Basically, a really cool follower to keep around.
5. Extensible Follower Framework
If you liked the “Followers Can Relax” mod then you’re going to fall in love with EFF.
This expands the way followers work and takes the experience to a completely different plane of existence.
With EFF you’ll be able to tell your followers to remain idle in a certain area, have them go on their horses to get you specific items, dual-wield weapons, or you can even have them change their status to Essential.
This mod allows you to turn followers into whatever it is that you want them to be.
When it comes to customization for your companions, this is the best mod that I’ve come across.
4. Vilja in Skyrim
Vilja is a cool bard that resembles Daenerys Targaryen a bit, but has her complete opposite personality.
This character comes with a full voiceover which is always nice.
And she’ll take any task you give her, also a nice addition.
Her backstory is as cool as they get, too, enriching the experience while holding pretty lore-friendly.
If all things go well between you and her, you might even be able to marry her.
She even has a small story progression system that makes her an even more appealing companion to keep around.
3. Inigo
Inigo, who I’m pretty sure was meant to be called Iñigo but the creator lacked the “ñ” on his keyboard, is a follower worth looking into.
He’s a legendary warrior with over a thousand lines of dialogue to provide a completely reinvigorated follower experience in the game.
The best thing about this guy is the level of depth that the creator of the mod gave him.
The dude can run out of arrows and you’ll have to restock him. And he can even level up alongside you to make it all feel even more realistic, yet not OP.
Overall a great addition to your battles and well worth downloading to see what you think.
2. Sofia
I’m pretty sure one of the reasons why this character is so popular in the community is because of the inherent thirst of many players. But trust me – there’s much more to Sofia than her looks.
This funny follower is as brave as they come, yet also as valiant as the best.
She is voiced by a professional voice actor and provides you with an experience that no other follower in the game is capable of giving.
Smart, good-looking, and with a killer eye for hunting prey – whether it be a beast or a human. Sofia’s a true MVP.
1. UFO: Ultimate Following Overhaul
We have finally reached the follower overhaul to end all follower overhauls.
If you thought that the EFF mod was good, then prepare to meet the best of the bunch.
This one includes a whole list of features that go from improving the basic follower system to adding new stuff that didn’t come with vanilla Skyrim. The list is almost endless.
Trust me, you’ll want to check it out yourself. Browse the mod page for more info but this is something you’ll need to experience to understand.