Playing with a Follower gives a different game than playing without one. It good that way. Makes for a different experience. I think in all, the followers add more to the experience than they take away.

Besides, you can always tell them to go home.

On master difficulty I've found that early on they do most if not all of the work for you then later on they're as useless as you were to them. The way your character goes from "weaker than the lowliest NPC farmer" to "overpowered christ-like megalomaniac" over the course of a master level playthrough feels very awkward.

Anyone know if there is some way to 'reset' the skill/level value of a follower by either tricking the game to do it or using the console? I would like the game to re-determine the level of Lydia so that I can use an 'updated' version of her.

In reference to my comment about my inquiry of "tricking the game", here is an example of what I mean:



I haven't used followers much. Stealth character was better off alone and then now my dual sword wielding fighter type class tends to kill any followers and innocent bystanders (so sad cause he was supposed to be my "good" character). Now that my fighter is pretty much demolishing anything in his path I thought I would learn some finesse and utilize a follower to experience the dynamic a little more thoroughly.

If you want to do more sneaking around, don't use a follower, or like you said and just ask them to wait somewhere in the distance. They rush in before you so you need to know what you're getting into when against powerful enemies that you'd rather backstab

I find followers to be a waste of time, I'm too worried that they will get themselves killed and I don't feel like wasting a spot for Healing hands.

Never used one and not had a problem, the ones forced on you just got in my way.