How to make housecarls wear the armor you gave them

[SaveVsBedWet]

Sorry if someone has asked this already, but I've been trying to get Jordis to wear the armor I gave her since last night and she won't. It's an enchanted set of light armor, and she's currently wearing what looks to be steel, but the armor I'm giving her is far more powerful than the unenchanted crap she's got on. Was ist falsch Freundin? Do you not want to live? And look good doing it like I do?!

She dumped her steel bastard sword for the legendary Ebony version I gave her posthaste. What's up with the armor? Can't have her out on the road with me like this. Got a rep to protect, a way I present myself and I can't have some 50 point steel armor suit between us and and the cover of DragonBorn Weekly.

 

[Dragon Bourne]

I had the same issue when I gave her Glass Armor to wear. I assumed it was just not as strong but this post opens up a whole new possibility that she just won't change at all! I finally gave up and dressed her (and myself) in legendary Ebony armor with the DB fase mask. We are Dark Night Ninjas!!

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

I had the same issue when I gave her Glass Armor to wear. I assumed it was just not as strong but this post opens up a whole new possibility that she just won't change at all! I finally gave up and dressed her (and myself) in legendary Ebony armor with the DB fase mask. We are Dark Night Ninjas!!

Ahh but how did you do it? Did you just give her the armor and she put it on, or did you somehow have to take the steel armor from her first? And if so, how did you do that? I don't see her armor listed among her possessions.

What I was trying to give her was my second set of Nightingale armor, which I majik'd up using my +15 Console of Never-Ending Exploits. I originally did that thinking that I would either destroy it to learn enchantments or somehow use it as a scratch set that I could possibly alter the enchantments on. I've since learned that neither of those is wise/possible, and so it's just been sitting on one of my mannequins next to another wearing my old flawless Orcish gear. I thought she could do with it and look mighty like I do, but gift horse, mouth...you know the drill.

 

[Dragon Bourne]

Right. Just gave it to her after I stripped her of all her inventory. Still no dice.

 

[OutKast]

I'm not 100% sure on this, but pretty close to 99%....

Followers will equip the BEST available armor/weaponry they have, AS LONG AS it is in their proficiencies. For example, Jordis the Sword-Maiden is a Heavy Armor, two-handed warrior. She will only wear Heavy Armor. now she will arm herself with a one-handed weapon, just as long as it's considered heavy (steel, dwarven, orcish, ebony, daedric).

If you want your follower to change armor/weaponry, then you have to upgrade the type they are comfortable with. When Aela the Huntress was my follower i gave her an Ebony Soul trapping bow, and a crap load of soul gems. She filled them up nicely. Aela wouldnt wear the Dwarven armor i gave her, but she wore the Elven Armor with Archery enchantments. Same thing with the mage followers from Winterhold -- they'll never trade a dagger & magic for a Legendary Orcish warhammer......

Aside from the strategy guide, I dont know where you can find their abilities/proficiencies listed, but it certainly helps.

 

[Dagmar]

This is how it's supposed to work :

Followers are supposed to equip whatever weapon and armor is the best available weapon and armor for them. This means that their primary skills will be relevant as weapons damage and armor protection are increased by their heightened skill in those categories. This becomes even more relevant as you level because followers are supposed to level with you.

Since they can make better use of armor and weapons in their primary skills, it is better to give them the best armor and weapon you can in those categories than armor and weapons in another category that have a better base armor rating and damage, e.g. it would be better to give Aela Elven armor instead of Dwarven armor as she would actually probably net a better armor rating from it with her Light Armor skill and perks.

You can strip them of all of their inventory except what you want them to use but each follower has certain inventory items that are not visible, such as default armor, which is why stripping out their inventory may not force them to equip the armor you give them.

This is how it actually works :

Many followers are bugged (what a surprise! ) and their skills do not level as they should, e.g. some purported primary skills do not level much, if at all, while other non-primary skills may level as if they were primary skills. As followers level with you this means they may start favoring weapons and armor that they are not supposed to favor. Sometimes it's even worse and they favor a weapon or armor that is not supposed to be a primary skill and is not increasing much, if at all, with leveling.

Another bug is that some followers have a default bow in their inventory that is of low quality and type, e.g a hunting bow, and, even if you give them a super smithed Daedric Bow that does 500 damage they will opt to use the hunting bow.

 

[OutKast]

taken from the Skyrim strategy guide, p.63

"Equipment: Your followers will always equip the best weapons, armor, and items they have available, and try to use staffs and other items effectively. They take their own skills and proficiencies into account when making these decisions, so all else being equal, expect Janessa (an archer) to prefer a bow to a two-handed sword, and light armor to heavy plate.

Skills: All followers have a specific set of favored skills (listed below), which improve as their level increases. Unlike your character, Followers do not become better at the skills they use- no matter how you try to force Marcurio (a mage) to be a greatsword-wielding warrior, he'll always be better with magic. Make sure to select a Follower whose skill set meets your needs."

I'm just reiterating what Dagmar already posted, just posting the written data from the strategy guide....so to answer your original post, Jordis the Sword-Maiden's primary abilities are One-Handed, Heavy Armor, Archery, Block -- so it's best to outfit her with a badass sword/mace/axe/shield/ & bow from the Steel, Dwarven, Orc, Ebony, Daedric families.

Hope this helps

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

Ahh okay. Thanks a lot to everyone who answered. This clears it all up. Guess I shouldn't have tossed all those Ebony suits against the wall in the caves I've gotten them from cause they were going to come in handy. But I was so close to being over-encumbered, so I had to make a choice.

Well, maybe she'll get the Ebony Mail when the time comes. I don't need it and I can't take my Nightingale off. It's what The Winners wear.

 

[MacCorkle]

thank you guys i think that helped me out, i had the housecarl from markarth and i was trying to put dragonscale armor on him while he is a heavy armor / one handed shield warrior.