How Followers Level Up

[Kohlar the Unkilled]

I've wondered about this. Do they automatically level up according to your own level, or do they actually accumulate skills through use, leveling up in the same manner that you do? For instance, when I see Lydia, or Gregor, or whoever is with me at the time getting clubbed by a giant, I imagine that their heavy-armor skill is increasing. And when blocking the blow of a Draugr Deathlord's warhammer, their block skill increases. But is it true?

 

[tx12001]

They level as you level strange why I have to level my skills before they get any better

 

[Ciocal Gricenchos]

I think they level their skills according to your level. The Amazing Follower Tweaks mod lets you look at and make changes to the skill levels of your followers. When my character started adventuring with her husband at a low level, his Pickpocket level was decent at best. As she leveled, so did her husband, and recently I looked at his skill levels again. His pickpocket skill is higher, but I've never had him pickpocket anything. So yeah.

 

[Kohlar the Unkilled]

Still, surely a follower must accompany you in order in order to level up with you?

 

[Hildolfr]

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Followers

A follower levels up according to your level, up to the follower's maximum level (which varies for each). With few exceptions, each follower has a maximum level, and a specific set of primary skills, which are dictated by theirclass. This leveling occurs whether or not they are actively following you.
Prior to patch 1.6, a follower's skills, health, and other stats were set when they were first spawned (which is typically when you enter their starting cell, become a Thane, and so on) and would not increase as their level increased. Prior to the fixing of this failure of stats to update with patch 1.6, players could update a non-essential follower's stats so they would increase based on their current level by using theWabbajackto polymorph them into another creature, after which their stats would update upon recovering their original form. Players of the PC version could also use certain console commands to fix any follower's inability to update their stats with each level the player gains.

 

[DdraigGwyn]

On a related note: do all followers have the same carrying capacity?

 

[ColleenG]

Yeah, they assume the same level as you, however, it's good to know what skills they've been outfitted with by looking them up on the Wiki. Then you can enhance those skills with their armor, rings, and necklaces. You can make a follower MUCH more powerful that way. Also, any follower will use staves so if you give them a powerful staff, that increases their battle abilities.

 

[Brewman]

They level up as you do, it helps to give them the best weapons and armor too.

 

[berzum]

my followers wear dragon armor, nothing strikes fear into masses when 2 warrior show up in dragonbone armor, it sends a message also, I boost my follower hp/ health well over the 1k mark.

 

[Hildolfr]

my followers wear dragon armor, nothing strikes fear into masses when 2 warrior show up in dragonbone armor, it sends a message also, I boost my follower hp/ health well over the 1k mark.

The horrendous clipping helmet made me SOOOOO sad.

Such a cool armor and the helmet was awesome, but the clipping was unbearable.

 

[Twiffle]

On a related note: do all followers have the same carrying capacity?

there capacity varies slightly so i am to believe but not all that noticeable. However, if you tell your follower to pick something up they have an unlimited carry, for example i went to a dwarven ruin once with sven and i just got him to pick all the dwemer scrap up for me, when we got back to windhelm to smelt it down to ingots i got 249 ingots from what he was carrying without over encumbered. . . hope that helps.

 

[berzum]

I have the prima official skyrim guide somewhere, but as i recall I don't think followers had a limit. same idea as using a horse, if i find myself burdened with bandit gear i usualy get on my horse and then can fast travel to a house or a vendor to unload my loot. sadly if your in a cave and you become burdened your only options are to either give to follower or drop loot. LOL or you could drink carry cpacity pots but that may be a pain in itself lol.

 

[Kohlar the Unkilled]

I have the prima official skyrim guide somewhere, but as i recall I don't think followers had a limit. same idea as using a horse, if i find myself burdened with bandit gear i usualy get on my horse and then can fast travel to a house or a vendor to unload my loot. sadly if your in a cave and you become burdened your only options are to either give to follower or drop loot. LOL or you could drink carry cpacity pots but that may be a pain in itself lol.

OR, you can sell to your trusty neighborhood blackmarket Daedric merchant. Too bad he doesn't hang around longer, I've come to enjoy our small-talk banter.