Cicero
Imperial CombatAssassin
Level 40 (As a Dead Thrall)
Location: Loreius Farm, Falkreath Sanctuary, Dawnstar Sanctuary
Health 375
Magicka 115
Stamina 245
Primary Skills: 1H 100, Sneak 100, Archery 73, Light Armor 73
Level 50 (As a Follower)
Health 558
Magicka 132
Stamina 295
Primary Skills: 1H 100, Sneak 100, Archery 97, Light Armor 97
Sweet, sweet Cicero. Oh how much I loved to kill you in different ways, every single time, just to dupe your extremely valuable clothes. Whether it be suicide to a group of Bandits, fly away by Giants, get eaten by Dragons, eat your face off as a Werewolf, or Fus Ro Dah you off the Throat of the World, didn't matter, your clothes made me rich!... in a game that is so easy to get rich quick anyway..... and then I reloaded my save before killing Cicero.... And that's where the differences end between him as a Dead Thrall and a Follower.
Truth is, he's WAY better as a follower as almost any companion is (except Illia, she's better dead). The most obvious difference is follower Cicero lasts way longer than dead thrall Cicero before he drops to his knees. This is because the Cicero you can kill is capped at 40, while the one as a follower is capped at 50, same as Serana, Erandur, the Circle Companions, and Housecarls. The dead Cicero's level is why you can thrall him and he's also actually PERMANENT! Not only can poor Cicero die, joining his dear Mother in the Void, his corpse can also be near her, too, at all times. Although, he can no longer preserve her. "Ugh! What's that smell? I knew I should've let that annoying jester live..."
Most people's reasons to kill poor Cicero is not only because he's annoying (subjective), but they want his unique clothing too (for money and looks). The Jester's Outfit won't do because it's just not as strong and expensive as Cicero's. Well, truth is, you can get it from him alive also. You don't need any perks whatsoever to do this. Just give him armor to wear so he takes off his clothes, dismiss him, PARALYZE HIM, and as he starts getting up, pickpocket him. Even 0% will be easily pickpocketed. This also hilariously works for the Ebony Warrior but you need to ragdoll and Pacify him because he can't be paralyzed and he'll aggro. Now you have absolutely no legitimate reason to kill Cicero except for the entirely ridiculous reason of he's annoying.
Now, for the actual review. Dead thrall Cicero has high One Handed and limited Block skill so him dual wielding is the most effective setup. Because his original outfit is clothing, it can't be tempered and enchanted either. The worst thing about him is his 0 armor rating. A benefit of him being a Dead Thrall over a Follower is that he can produce unlimited arrows because all dead thralls can. Follower Cicero has no default follower Hunting Bow so he has to be continuously be supplied with arrows if you want him to be an archer. The only downside to him being dead over alive is he's not as strong (level 40 compared to 50), and he can't wear other armor. An interesting difference between the two is that they both have different combat dialogue. Dead Cicero spews out lines like "HAHAHA, I'm bleeding! AHHHAHAHAHA!" or ""Come on! Do it again! HAAHAHAHAHA!" like a true masochist mostly because this is the bleeding Cicero before he died. He also says ""D'ow! Cheap shot!", "Who's the fool now?!", and "For the Night Mother!" when he's fighting against you. Alive, Cicero says, "Diiiiiiiie!", "Fall, damn you!" or "You're as good as dead!" Quite different actually. By now, you should already tell that he has a unique voice so he won't moan. He'll also say something about the current Hold you're in. He'll work perfectly with summon and Destruction staves.
9.5/10 WHY? Because he has extreme roleplay value with his unique lines and clothing. Not only does he look and sound fine, he's an extremely superb fighter with one of the best DPS in the game when dual wielding. I also like that masochistic nature of his Dead Thrall personality too. The 0.5 points lost is because of no armor and enchant slots but the unique clothes is where most of his charm is anyway. Even as a follower, I still don't give him any armor because the jester look is just so naturally fitting for him. Only for really challenging dungeons do I suit up poor Cicero with a full set of Elven Armor and an Elven & Forsworn Sword. Again, he's WAY better as a follower than a Dead Thrall. Most of the given points is just for his retained personality and mad dancing.
My favorite line of his:
(On Road and caught pickpocketing Cicero)
"What do you expect to find? My juggling balls? He he."
EDIT: UPDATED STATS.