I just recently started playing and have a few questions about followers.

1. What is the max limit of followers you can have with you at one time?

2. I'm playing a thief and use sneak as much as possible. Will followers sneak at the same level you do or will they alert mobs to your presence?

3. Assuming the latter answer for #2, what are the best followers for thief characters who sneak a lot?

4. Can followers get over encumbered with too much weight?

5. Is the difficulty of the game, especially at high level, designed around the assumption you have several followers with you?

6. Any suggestions for mods that enhance followers?

Thanks in advance

I only know 1 and 5, and that is you can have up to 2 followers IIRC, but the game difficulty is no different with followers or not (unless you have Serana on your side, the game is a cakewalk )

1- You can have one human and animal follower.

2- I would advise against using followers as a sneaky character.

3- Followers will break your sneak so much.

4- Yes.

5- Based on you, followers might make it easier.

6- I think its called UFO Ultimate Follower Overhaul (I think).

1. You can have one humanoid follower and one pet at any time. Some mage followers will conjure summons, though.

2. Most of them don't, so get used to having your cover blown a lot. Also get used to them blundering into a lot of traps inside dungeons.

3. Typically, when I'm doing thief stuff, I make followers wait someplace else.

4. They have an encumbrance limit, and once they reach it they'll refuse to take items you give them. There's an exploit where you can use commands to make them pick things up and they'll go over their limit, but that can lead to a lot of glitchy behavior.

5. You can do anything in the game solo if you want, even at high levels, provided you have the skills. It's not like Dragon Age, where you have to have a party if you don't want to get destroyed.

6. The two most commonly used follower mods are http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/14037/? and http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/12933/?. I use EFF myself.

Here's the thing about Followers and Sneaking. They will give away your position, and will attack rather than hang back in the shadows. If you want to be truly sneaky, then don't take them with you.

However, they can be a very effective tool for a sneaky person to utilize and exploit.

So, use this to your advantage. Let your follower get discovered and be what the enemies focus on. Then sneak around the perimeter of the battle and take out the enemies when they are otherwise engaged.

If you are limited to one humanoid and one animal follower, then is my game glitched because I have two humans, Gorr and Lydia. I assume Gorr is an NPC from the Interesting NPC mod because he appeared in the Riverwood tavern after I installed that mod.

Just thought of another question. Will followers have their combat ability synched to your current level/combat skills?

When you first meet them, yes. Let's say you're level 40 when you meet Mjoll, she will also be 40.

If not, they level with you.

In addition there are specific mods that increase the number of followers you can have (amongst other things), so if you've also installed one of those, you can likely have five or more followers if you want them.

If you have Interesting NPCs installed, then the vanilla follower limits mean nothing. Those followers work completely outside the vanilla follower system, and it doesn't recognize them.

There's an exploit in the vanilla game with Dawnguard installed that allows you to have Serana and one other humanoid follower. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but the wiki explains it.

The exploit with Serana works till you return to Dawnguard castle with her, at that point she refuses to follow you with another follower... unless there is something else involved I don't know about.

I recommend Amazing Follower tweaks for your follower needs over UFO, personal preference but look at them both and see what suites your fancy

#5 No

#6 The "Followers Relax" mod allows you to give a follower free roam, essentially a Steward's AI when you are at home or another relaxing place. It allows you to get them out of your face and standing over you staring while you sleep. They will sit, read, eat, drink or use equipment around while you kick back. I find it very satisfying to come downstairs to see Lydia sitting in a chair drinking or eating rather than waking up to 'The Eye".

I also tried that at Candlehearth hall and woke up to find her not in the room. Searched the whole place frantically and finally found her in the room across the hall with the door open. Sitting relaxed in a chair and eating her breakfast. Apparently it allows them to rent a room for the night as well.

I highly recommend this mod. If you have a lot of followers all you would have to worry about is the racket from downstairs from their partying.