Look, we've all been there. You just became Thane of Whiterun, you’re feeling like a total boss, and suddenly this woman in heavy steel armor follows you into your new house and tells you she’s sworn to carry your burdens. Lydia is the classic entry point. She’s the face of the list of skyrim companions for a reason, mostly because she’s basically a doorstop with a sarcastic attitude about your dragon bone collection. But if you’re still dragging her through the frozen wastes of Winterhold sixty hours into your playthrough, you’re honestly missing out on some of the best writing Bethesda ever put in the game. Skyrim has over 50 potential followers. Most people only ever use three of them.
Choosing a follower isn't just about who can carry the most dwarven scrap metal. It’s about combat synergy, level caps, and whether or not they’re going to alert every Draugr Deathlord in the dungeon while you’re trying to play a stealthy archer. Some followers are absolute tanks. Others are literal glass cannons. And then there are the ones who just... well, they just won't stop talking.
Why Your Current Skyrim Follower Probably Sucks
Most players pick a follower based on proximity. You finish a quest, they offer to join, you say yes. Simple. But there is a massive disparity in how these NPCs actually perform in a fight. Take the Housecarls, for example. Lydia, Jordis the Sword-Maiden, and Iona are basically clones of each other. They’re fine. They hit things with swords. But they all cap out at level 50. In the early game, that’s plenty. By the time you’re level 80 and fighting Legendary Dragons, they start feeling a bit squishy.
Then you have the specialists. If you’re a mage, the last thing you want is another mage like Onmund getting in your way and catching a stray fireball to the back of the head. You want a meat shield. Conversely, if you’re a heavy-armor warrior, you want someone like Marcurio—who you can find sitting in the Bee and Barb in Riften—to sit back and rain lightning bolts while you take the hits. Marcurio is actually one of the most underrated characters in the entire list of skyrim companions because his AI is surprisingly aggressive with Chain Lightning, which is great for crowd control but terrible if you have a dog or another summon that gets in the way.
The Essential Tier: Followers Who Actually Scale
If you want a follower who stays relevant for the entire game, you have to look at their level caps. Not everyone is created equal.
- J'zargo: This Khajiit apprentice from the College of Winterhold is a bit of a meme because of his ego, but he is one of the only followers in the base game with no level cap. He will keep leveling with you all the way to 81 and beyond. He’s a powerhouse, though he has a weird obsession with using low-level sparks even when he has better spells.
- Frea: Found in the Dragonborn DLC. Like J'zargo, she has no level cap. She also dual-wields, which is exceptionally rare for AI followers. She’s essentially the ultimate end-game tank.
- Durak and Celann: If you have the Dawnguard DLC, these two are beastly. They also scale indefinitely. They aren't as "chatty" as Serana, but they won't complain about the sun every five minutes either.
The Serana Problem: Is She Actually the Best?
We have to talk about Serana. She is arguably the most complex follower in the game. Bethesda gave her unique idle animations—she’ll actually interact with the environment, sitting down, using tanning racks, or warming her hands by a fire. It makes the world feel alive. But from a pure gameplay perspective? She’s a bit of a nightmare.
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Her necromancy is the biggest issue. She loves to resurrect the weakest thing in the room. You’ll be fighting a Briarheart and she’ll decide that a dead goat is the perfect ally for the battle. Plus, her "drain life" spell is notoriously buggy; if she hits you with it while you’re a Vampire Lord, it can permanently nerf your damage output. Despite that, people love her because she has a soul. Well, figuratively. She’s one of the few characters on the list of skyrim companions who feels like a person rather than a pack mule with a sword.
Dark Brotherhood and the Ethics of Efficiency
If you don't mind a bit of murder, the Dark Brotherhood Initiates are technically some of the "best" followers in terms of raw stats. They have high sneak, high one-handed skills, and—crucially—they are marked as essential, meaning they can’t die.
Cicero is in the same boat. He’s polarizing. Some people find his high-pitched screeching and dancing unbearable. Others find it hilarious. Performance-wise, he’s a monster with a dagger. If you can stomach the constant jokes about oiling Mother’s corpse, he’s a top-tier choice for a chaotic playthrough.
Finding the Niche: Beyond the Usual Suspects
Most people ignore the mercenaries you can hire for 500 gold. That’s a mistake. Teldryn Sero, found in the Retching Netch in Raven Rock, is widely considered by veteran players to be the best all-around follower in the game. He’s a spellsword. He summons Flame Atronachs, uses Destruction magic, and is lethal with a one-handed blade. He also has way more unique dialogue than almost any other hireling, frequently commenting on the different cities you visit.
Then there’s Mjoll the Lioness in Riften. You have to find her sword, Grimsever, in a Dwemer ruin to recruit her. It’s a bit of a trek. But Mjoll is essential. She literally cannot be killed. This makes her the perfect companion for players who tend to be "accident-prone" with their shouts or area-of-effect spells. Just be prepared for her to tell the same story about her father and the cliff racers every ten minutes.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Follower Gear
You can't just throw a random enchanted plate armor at a follower and expect it to work. Skyrim’s engine is weird. Followers have specific "classes" that dictate which skills they are proficient in. If you give Aela the Huntress a massive warhammer and heavy armor, she’s going to suck. She’s a ranger. She needs light armor and a bow.
Also, the "Highest Value" bug is real. Followers will almost always equip whatever has the highest armor rating, regardless of their skills or your enchantments. If you want them to use a specific set of gear, you often have to make sure it's significantly better than their default "hidden" armor.
The Stealth Archer Dilemma
If you’re playing the inevitable stealth archer, most followers are a liability. They don't understand the concept of "waiting for the right moment." They see an enemy and they charge.
The fix? Only use followers with high Sneak stats, or just go solo. Jenassa, found in the Drunken Huntsman in Whiterun, is one of the few early-game followers who actually understands how to stay in the shadows. She’s a "pro-art" mercenary who views killing as a craft. She’s dark, she’s efficient, and she won't walk right into a pressure plate trap while you're trying to bypass a hallway of swinging blades. Usually.
A Quick Note on Dogs and Non-Humanoids
Barbas is the best follower in the game if you never finish his quest. He’s an invincible dog who pushes you off cliffs and barks constantly, but he draws aggro like a god. If you actually finish the Clavicus Vile quest, you lose him. Many players just... keep the dog. It’s a valid strategy.
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On the other hand, Stenvar in Windhelm is a great "classic" mercenary. He’s a heavy-hitter who doesn't have a complex backstory or a world-ending prophecy attached to him. He just likes hitting things. Sometimes, when the game gets too heavy with the "Chosen One" narrative, having a guy who just wants to swing a mace is refreshing.
How to Manage Your Skyrim Companions Without Losing Your Mind
- Check the Level Cap: Before committing to a long-term partner, look them up. If they cap at level 20 (like Sven or Roggi Knot-Beard), dump them by the time you reach Solitude.
- Give Them Staffs: Followers don't use up staff charges the same way players do. Giving a follower a Staff of Fireballs turns them into a high-level mage instantly.
- The "I Need You To Do Something" Command: You can make followers steal items, open chests, or even attack giants while you stay at a safe distance. Just hold the interact button on them from a distance to enter command mode.
- Mind the Morality: Some followers (like those in the Companions) will refuse to commit crimes. Others (like Jenassa or Eola) couldn't care less if you murder a whole village. Match your companion to your moral compass, or lack thereof.
The reality of the list of skyrim companions is that there is no single "best" choice. It depends on your build. If you're a squishy mage, get Mjoll or Vilkas to take the hits. If you're a tank, get Marcurio or J'zargo to provide fire support. And if you're a vampire, well, you’re probably stuck with Serana anyway, so you might as well get used to her complaining about the weather.
The most important thing to remember is that followers are more than just mobile chests. They change the flavor of your journey. Traveling with Erik the Slayer—a farm boy you helped become an adventurer—feels very different than traveling with a cold-blooded assassin like Cicero. Take someone new with you on your next dungeon crawl. You might be surprised at who actually has your back when the shouting starts.
To optimize your current setup, head over to your favorite follower's default location and check their inventory; if they’re still using their starting hunting bow despite having a Daedric one in their bags, take away their iron arrows. They will always prioritize the "best" bow but often get stuck on the "best" ammo, so clearing out their low-tier trash is the first step to making them actually useful in a high-level skirmish.