The 20 Best Skyrim Follower Mods

What are the best Skyrim follower mods?

Although the follower system in Skyrim is worlds better than the one featured in Oblivion, there is still room for improvement.

Whether fixing the way that base game followers behave or adding all-new followers to the system, there is no shortage of great mods created by some of the most well-known Skyrim modders.

However, because there are so many mods on the Nexus Mods website, you can end up losing a lot of valuable gaming time sifting through them all. Fortunately for you, you’ve come to the right place. 

The Best Skyrim Follower Mods

To make searching for the best mods easier, we’ve done the hard work of finding the top follower mods so that all you have to do is install them and start playing. 

Here’s our list of the 20 best Skyrim follower mods:

20. Arvak – Legendary Edition

It’s no secret that Arvak is one of the best horses in the game, and this is mainly because he can be summoned anywhere and cannot die.

However, the base game version of this horse looks a bit lackluster, and this mod fixes his appearance.

Now Arvak can look like the demon horse that he is, and you can choose from six different appearances, including undead, which gives him a billowing cold fire mane, and flame atronach, which provides him with charred bones and a body of flames.

With this mod, Arvak is without a doubt the best looking horse in the entire game, and you’ll definitely feel intimidating riding across Skyrim on him.

19. Followers Can Relax

Skyrim lacks a few fundamental mechanics that could make it even better despite being a phenomenal game. One of which is the ability to command followers to do practical actions.

With this follower mod, you can command your followers to venture off to search for materials or just tell them to sit down and relax for a bit.

This gives you time to explore without them, and you won’t have to worry about them constantly being in your way or blocking every single doorway.

18. Poet Follower

This is one of the best follower mods if you want to add a new follower into Skyrim, and she is definitely a great companion.

Poet is a barbarian specializing in the two-handed style, and she can be found easily at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood. This makes her easy to get right at the start of the game.

Despite looking similar to a character that you might find in the Final Fantasy VII remake, Poet manages to fit seamlessly into the world of the Elder Scrolls, and she makes a damn good follower overall.

17. Familiar Faces

This is one of the most unique follower mods ever created, and you definitely will be hard-pressed to find anything else like it.

Familiar Faces allows you to add other Dragonborn characters that you have created into your current game, where you can use them as companions or even fight them to see which one of you is the strongest.

If you’ve ever wanted to traverse the world of Skyrim with one of your favorite Dragonborns, you definitely need to download this mod.

16. Mirai

Although it is one of the most popular video games of all time, the vanilla companions in Skyrim can be a little lackluster, especially when so many have the same voice actors.

Mirai breaks this trend by giving players a brand new, fully voiced follower who has a surprisingly engaging backstory.

As a follower, Mirai also comes with a unique combat system and her own story quest that helps players learn more about her character. She can also be married and has her own home in Markarth.

With over a thousand lines of dialogue, this is one follower that you need to travel with at least once.

15. Spouses Can Live Everywhere

Having a spouse in Skryim can be great, but they are incredibly limited in where they can live. Thankfully, this mod makes it so that you can literally have your spouse live anywhere, even in custom locations.

Get tired of your spouse complaining about their current home? Assign them to live on the streets of Windhelm to teach them a bit of humility!

No matter where you assign them, they will act as if they were in a vanilla home, and you can still access all of their special features and vendor abilities.

When coupled with a mod like Multiple Marriages, you can even assign multiple spouses to live in the same area and let the hilarity ensue!

14. Valfar

If you’re a true Nord and believe in the Stormcloak cause, Valfar is someone that you’re definitely going to want to have watching your back.

This fully-voiced follower is big, hairy, and ready to teach those dirty elves who Skyrim belongs to!

Between his fierce combat abilities and impressive backstory, Valfar is the best standalone follower for those playing as a true Nordic Dragonborn.

13. Eryniel

Eryniel is a gorgeous follower from a unique elven race, and she comes equipped with over 35 customized Spriggan spells.

Her combat class is entirely new, and she has ten body options that you can choose from in-game.

She is another follower with an interesting background, and she can be easily found across the bridge leading away from Riverwood.

If you want a beautiful and deadly elf following you around one of the biggest open-world maps in video game history, Eryniel is the girl for you.

12. Danariel Stormbow

Danariel is a unique Bosmer follower who comes complete with an in-game body changer that allows you to easily switch through UNP and CBBE based bodies.

Found in Rorikstead at the Frost Fruit Inn, Danariel is both essential and marriageable, and she can level with the player up to level 150.

Danariel is one of the best archers you can find in a follower mod, and if you want someone with a range covering you on your adventures, she isn’t someone you’ll want to overlook.

11. Kaidan

This hunky companion has over 1200 dialogue lines, a custom home, and unique mini-quests.

Created to be as immersive as possible, this interesting follower fits right into the world of the Elder Scrolls, and he is very effective in combat.

Upon installing this mod, you will be prompted to rescue Kaidan from the Abandoned Prison, after which he can be recruited as a companion.

Because he comes with his own AI system, he won’t add to your follower count, and talking to him often is encouraged to learn more about him and develop a deeper relationship.

Kaidan is definitely one of the best-developed followers you can find in a mod, and the modding community has definitely fallen in love with him in the game.

10. Tania

There are a couple of elven followers in vanilla Skyrim, but despite being ranked as one of the best RPG PS4 games, there isn’t a lot of variety in the elven companions you can choose from.

Tania is an adorable elven archer follower who has a lot of questions that need answering.

The last of an elven kingdom that lived under the Eldergleam Sanctuary, Tania needs your help to discover what happened to her people and what evil brought her lands demise.

Having a follower with so much mystery is rare in Skyrim, and traveling with her can be a great break from the less fleshed-out vanilla companions.

9. Recorder

Recorder is a standalone follower who has it all. Sent to Skyrim from a mysterious academy to record the adventures of the Dragonborn, she is incredibly quirky and fun to travel with.

Despite being cute and curious, she has a strange fascination with blood in combat that causes her to go slightly battle-crazed, but that makes her all the more interesting!

Currently, she comes with over 700 dialogue lines, a full romance questline, and a unique personal quest with more to come.

Recorder is proficient with a bow but also with dual-wielding and sneaking. She also boasts custom taunts while in combat that are phenomenally voice acted.

If you are after one of the most unique follower mods on the Nexus, Record is definitely one you have to try for yourself.

8. Cerwiden 

Cerwiden is a custom-voiced follower who looks like someone you would find in one of the most popular video games right now.

She is incredibly designed and written, and she can be configured in-game to allow you to customize her abilities even further.

Her unique abilities allow her to heal and buff you and any of your additional followers. She will even engage in situational banter, and she can recognize other followers you have with you.

One of the great things about Cerwiden that makes her such a powerful mage companion is her use of SMARTcast, which allows her to change her spells to react better to the foe you’re facing.

So you won’t catch her using ice magic against an ice-resistant enemy, for instance.

If you tire of the base game, she even has her own questline that you can follow, giving you more insight into this fascinating follower.

7. Lucien

Lucien is one of the most fleshed-out followers, and he comes with some fantastic voice acting.

With over 5000 lines of immersive dialogue, Lucian undergoes some wonderfully written character growth, changing from a scared scholar into a capable warrior and hero in his own right.

This voiced follower can be found in the Dead Man’s Drink over in Falkreath, and despite being a bit cowardly at first, his enthusiastic comments and optimistic personality will make it hard to want to part from him.

He comes with his own questline and a dynamic personality system that allows him to gain or lose approval and bravery based on your actions.

Compared to vanilla followers, this is an incredibly in-depth design which makes him one of the best followers to add to your next playthrough.

6. Arissa

Arissa the Wandering Rogue is another great character, and she is one of the best archers and pickpockets you can find.

This follower mod has been completely designed from scratch, and it comes with over 600 custom voice lines to make her really come alive.

Created to be a follower you can use throughout the game, Arissa has had an exceptional amount of detail put into her, and, like other voiced follower mods on this list, she won’t count against your follower limit.

While she may seem a bit closed off at first, Arissa does open up over time as you travel together, and getting to know her better will require you to raise her approval using her custom regard system, similar to Lucien’s.

A word of warning, though, this follower hates cannibalism. So if you’re going to be chowing down on corpses with the Ring of Namira, you’ll want to dismiss her because she will leave permanently if she catches you!

5. Vilja

Vilja is another follower mod that comes with her own quests, and she is fully voiced with unique dialogue depending on your location. She also has a very well-written, lore-friendly backstory that is rewarding to discover.

Having traveled from Solstheim after receiving a mysterious bottle from her grandmother, this young bard will need your help to uncover the secrets surrounding it.

One of the most unique things about Vilja is her desire to become a bard, which is shown off in her ability to play unique lute songs that can only be heard with this mod.

If you’ve always wanted to have your own beautiful bard following you around Skyrim, look no farther than Vilja.

4. Hoth

Hoth isn’t just an icy planet where the Rebels set up their base. In Skyrim, he is a brutal companion and one of the best you can download for the Elder Scrolls.

Just one look at him, and you’ll be convinced that he could take on some of the toughest video game bosses and win without breaking a sweat. He’s just that badass.

Hoth has many one-of-a-kind features, and he is one of the most visually unique companions you can add to your game. He is also a bounty hunter who will give you an infinite number of contracts to complete.

Between his custom appearance and incredible voice acting, this old bounty hunter is someone that you’ll definitely want watching your back during some of the most challenging fights in Skyrim.

3. Aurora

Aurora is a fully voiced standalone follower who comes complete with an in-game body switcher like Danariel.

She can be turned into either a vampire or a werewolf and can level with the player up to level 150.

In combat, she is an incredibly useful spellsword, favoring a one-handed weapon and destruction or restoration magic.

Best of all, while she can go down, Aurora cannot die in combat, and her proficiency as a mage enables her to seldom run low on Magicka.

This beautiful and powerful elf is a great custom-voiced follower, and she is definitely worth trying out during your next playthrough.

2. Sofia

Sofia is famous in the Skyrim modding community as one of the best characters you can find in a follower mod.

This mod introduces Sofia, a custom-voiced follower who is hilarious to travel with.

Fully quest and location-aware, she has her own custom dialogue system that allows her to interact with the world around her in an immersive and natural way.

Sofia is by far one of the most well-written and fleshed-out followers that you can add to your game, and you really have to try her out for yourself to understand just how great she can be.

1. Inigo

Taking our number one spot is the legendary Inigo, a fully voiced Khajiit follower with an astonishing 7000 lines of dialogue.

He also lives up to the sneaky Khajiit stereotype as he can avoid most traps and doesn’t clatter around making noise when you are sneaking.

Inigo is also one of the best archers you can recruit, and his entire character is completely lore-friendly. He is even popular enough to have his own Discord server!

Skyrim fans love this follower, and if you haven’t traveled with him, you are totally missing out on one seriously cool cat.

Summary

Vanilla Skyrim has some great followers, but there is still room for improvement. That is where these 20 amazing mods come into play.

Each is incredibly designed, and whether you’re after a whole new character to learn about or improvements to the framework of vanilla companions, you’re sure to find something to love on this list.

Here’s a quick recap of the 20 best Skyrim follower mods:

1. Inigo
2. Sofia
3. Aurora
4. Hoth
5. Vilja
6. Arissa
7. Lucien
8. Cerwiden
9. Recorder
10. Tania
11. Kaidan
12. Danariel Stormbow
13. Eryniel
14. Valfar
15. Spouses Can Live Everywhere
16. Mirai
17. Familiar Faces
18. Poet Follower
19. Followers Can Relax
20. Arvak – Legendary Edition

What’s the best Skyrim follower mod, in your opinion? Leave a comment below.