I got a cool khajiit to who offered to be my follower. He isn't a [censored] like the mercenary's in the taverns with attitude lol. I also got another friend, a bard named Sven I think.

I haven't asked them for help though because I don't know if there is a downside.

Do they steal experience points? Do my abilities level slower? Do they interfere with any quests?

They don't exactly steal experience points from you, but your combat skills will level slower because enemies die faster and you won't being using them as much. To me, this is the only downside.

There's a few, but luckily you can dismiss and rehire them as much as you want - dismissing just causes them to return to where you found them.

Pros - they help fight for you, can carry items to act as a pack mule for you, and can often act as a distraction to enemies, making them a great tank if you're taking too much damage.

Cons - They tend to get in your way in doorways (but a quick Unrelenting Force shout teaches them not to), and you can easily kill them, especially with area of effect spells like fireball. They can also get in the way in fights (like if you're a caster that maintains distance and they're a warrior, they'll usually block your line of fire by running right into the fight). And if you let them fight too much for you it's possible to level up slower, since leveling offensive skills like two handed or destruction requires you to hit enemies and deal damage, while leveling heavy/light armor requires getting hit, which won't happen if the companion is getting hit instead. Also, just a personal thing, they often say repetitive phrases, and after a while I find it annoying.

For these reasons I prefer conjured assistants, but the pack mules can really be great for keeping you in the dungeons instead of always traveling to town. I often select a Housecarl to be my mule, so I can send them home once they're loaded with stuff and then they're waiting for me in town when I come back. They can't die from enemies hitting them, so that's nice, but be aware that if you accidentally kill them, they're dead for good. Try 'em out, see what you think, and if you don't like them they're easy to get rid of.

ok good info but I am confused.

I am thane of whiterun and my housecarl is a girl named lyda or something. So your saying enemies can't kill her but I can? That's kind of weird.

only housecarl companions cannot die?

What about about Sven or the khajiit?

1. they get into door ways. gets annoying over time.
2. GL with steath when they are following.

Actually, Jenassa (found in Whiterun) made a good stealthy follower to my Nord fighter. She's a ranger, she could actually stealth better than my Nord at times, since my Nord wore mostly heavy armor.

Have a dog, Vigilance, and Lydia, the housecarl. I take them everywhere; it's like working as a team, you just have to adjust to them. Lydia gets all the enchanted weapons I get or find because my character doesn't use any magic and I made her a full enhanced heavy plate armour, the same my character is wearing. No armour for the dog, uh? Pity! :wink_smile:

Some of the magic-using followers will sometimes accidentally hit me with their spells, which can be very annoying.

Follower's are a pain in my opinion. They are only good for one thing -- pack mules. Other than that, they get in the way. They attempt to occupy the same space as you. They attempt to charge into battle while you are in "stealth posture" -- that's probably bad programming. Some followers you can't order around because they are quest "tag-alongs". It depends on how much you want to put up with.

honestly I don't use them unless I have to. Far to many times I have had the dumb @sses block my way when I want to go some where. If I have a problem in an area then I'll grab one, but till then I'll fly solo and move where I want. Oh, and half the time the idiots will run into a room filled with mobs only to come limping back to you with every baddie in the dungeon following them right to your feet. Yea, quiet the help they are. Oh and lets not even talk about the times when they stand there and not fight at all after they were seen and drug out half an army worth of enemies. My opinion is simply, if you don't need them they are more of a pain then they are worth.

Almost all the companions/followers can be killed, including Lydia; only http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Mjoll_the_Lioness, who is an essential character, cannot die.

They're nice to have around for a fight, but they frequently get in the way. They don't steal XP, but if you're trying to sneak, you're better off on your own. However, if your going to raid with spells blazing, bring them along. Just make sure they don't get caught in one of your Dragon Shouts.

Oh I always travel with my husband Vorstag! He comments on various sights we encounter, warns me if danger is ahead and when I turn to him, he says "I'm right behind you" or "I got your back" (very comforting...)
I do recommend to travel with a companion, it alleviates loneliness LOL Just don't take them on any stealth missions, they like to rush in!

Only downside with them I have faced is that when you try to fill your petty/lesser/common soulgems they can kill the target with single arrow before your soul-drinker-dagger reach it's goal.

I haven't tried all the follwers in the entire game, but Jenassa of Whiterun will not do this. She always waited until my Nord fighter made the first move out of stealth mode before she joined him in battle.

The only time I used a companion was when I was on a quest for a certain daedric prince

Like people have said there's no experience penalty in the traditional sense, but when they're around you get hit less and you hit enemies less. Every enemy a follower kills is an enemy you could've built your armor and weapon skills on.

It's funny because on Master difficulty they're pretty much essential to survive any moderately difficult fight when you're low level, but if you keep them around you stay low level a lot longer. I keep wanting to get rid of my follower just to find out I still need them.

One other thing that's not been mentioned... Some companions feel the need to voice their opinion (nothing serous just a pre-set "oh look at that" line). Often they will do this RIGHT in the middle of key scene and talk MUCH louder than the actual scene playing out. For example I had to make Mijoll go wait in the corner during the treaty... she just would not SHUT UP about her sword wielding momma.

but can they be killed by enemies or just me?

All followers are invincible* to a point. Basically enemies will beat down on them until they're at the point of death. At that point your follower/companion will drop to one knee and the enemies will look for someone else to beat on (scripted). If they go untouched, they'll get back up in a few seconds and start regenerating their health. However, if they're struck while they're down on a knee - they're dead, whether that's from you or a stray shot from an enemy.

It's probably the first follower they worked on and did everything right. The others they played with "roles". I'm just guessing here. Farkas runs off. Vilkas runs off and so on.

I don't take a follower with me very often, but when i do i love to sneak around. because they will see or hear my follower and come running to kill her and then i just step out of the way and wait for them to pass me and then i hit them in the back with my dagger.

What do you think? Would it be logical that you can kill them but not your enemies? Of course, if they can be killed, it's by you, them, everybody...

I predict here and now: Skyrim's first DLC will be Dog Armor.

I use a follower most of the time for carrying, also helping to fight. I often direct them to stand way in front of me to take most of the fights so I can follow in and get behind the ones detracted fighting the follower and take them out.

I notice people mention ruining stealth, to be honest if you know your going for that play style I dont think any AI is good so dont take them. Having said that if you tell your follower to wait or point them a place to stay they can wait while you go inside and do stealth. I left one of my followers in a cave far from White-run and returned back (no fast travel) only to realise I had to go all the way back and get them from the cave again

I see people complaining but, with a few work arounds knowing the small annoying things I dont normally leave without one.