Hi,

After doing some reading on various message boards and testing it for myself, it seems like the stats (skills) of followers are determined when you first get them, and do not level with the player. So, as the player levels up and encounters higher leveled monsters, the follower still has the same stats as before, becoming weaker relatively.

E.g. if the player gets Lydia at level 5 and then levels to 50, his Lydia will be significantly weaker than another player who gets Lydia at level 50.

It doesn't really make sense design wise. If someone wants to use a follower for the entire game they should not feel gimped because they got the follower early on.

An example from another forum:

How did he get follower stats?

Using console with the follower selected,

getav

It's unclear what's going on.

I'm travelling with Marcurio and his magicka is definitely levelling up as we level up. I'm not sure what's going on with his health because I've upped it to ridiculous levels in the console. And the skills, and whether they level, may or may not be important to how the companions perform in the game. In the Fallouts, most skills don't make a significant difference to how effectively the companions peform and I don't know if that will be true or not here in Skyrim and we won't know until we have the CK and can experiment with them. However, if the health number is not leveling and they start out with a low number that's definitely going to be a problem.

Is it possible that for followers to level up, they actually have to level their skills like the player, by hitting things etc.? Needs some testing. Even then you're not going to be able to level all your followers... some will remain really weak relative to enemies even if you're constantly changing them around I guess.

I remember Bethesda saying in one of the dev videos that followers do in fact level up with you.

Then I hope this is fixed in a patch because I don't think Lydia is leveling with me. I'll keep checking her numbers but she's having a harder time fighting the enemies than before and they're getting stronger. I'd like to see her level up.

:tes:

Then something's wrong. >_>

I don't really care about followers. I hired the masculine chick in Whiterun. I thought she was to overpowered so i left her and havent played with any since today. I'm lvl 39 and started doing some quests for The Companions and eventually i had to ahve some dude with me, and he got spanked ny the Draugr deathlords pertty easy - But 100 Archery and 100 Sneaking with an ebony bow he's just in the way, not to mention shouts.

I'm going with BUG on this one and not "working as intended". If you check Uthgerd, you will notice that she levels up Block and Marksman properly, but the rest....nope. Because of this, I have to conclude that it is intended that the followers skills level up with you.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1285338-folower-stats-do-not-update-with-level-probably-a-bug/page__p__19412963__hl__follower+stats__fromsearch__1#entry19412963

For the roleplayers, here my role playing excuse for fixing her stats:

Lydia got really sick and needed to go home for a while. I went adventuring on my own for a bit, came home after a few days and she is feeling all better now!! :thumbsup: :whistling:

Followers stats are quite good if you compare them to players level when you got them. The thing is they have a bad gear. So to make to them "level" with you give them better weapons and armors when you are able to found them. That keeps followers to be usable in battles little longer. Another thing is to get a new follower after a while. Example I married with my first follower after a while. Second follower who was like a brother to me joined in the Blades to protect the whole Skyrim after the great battle of Solitude. Now I have a hired bodyguard with legendary/epic plate and glass stuff (some of them enchanted) and of course he have well enchanted ring and amulet. With those stuff he is so good that I'm not able to beat him in single melee combat without potions.

I think they stay the level when you meet them, for me lydia svcks, but a brotherhood initiate (met when I was 60+) is very strong. Doesn't matter anyway as I don't bother with companions ha.