Best way to make sure your family stays safe? : V

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:39 am

Especially when you are gone, what is everything you can to do make sure your family is protected when you are away?

I know you can have a housecarl there to protect them, but can you get more than one person to stay at the house? What all can you do to ensure safety?

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:00 pm

Move them to Proudspire in Solitude.

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:38 am

OK, what all can I do at my CURRENT house to make sure they stay safe from bandits, attacks, kidnapping, etc.

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:27 pm

Nothing you can do. Just like you can't stop rats from filling your cellar or giants from coming.

The worse part is if bandits kidnap your spouse she can get 'bugged' out like mine is, which makes my game unplayable now since I always used her as my follower when traveling. (the Lioness).

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim_talk:Hearthfire#Wife_kidnapping_hearthfire_glitch

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:19 am

Spoiler

You can have a Housecarl, a Steward that you recruit yourself from followers, a Bard and a carriage driver. You can purchase a horse to leave in the stable who will fight enemies that arrive. You can also leave Shadowmere in the stable as well to fight and (I think) also a dog follower. You can arm your Housecarl and Steward with the best weapons, and I've also reverse pick pocketed Dragonbone daggers into my Bards' inventories. I have also given my Stewards and Housecarls healing potions and food for in-battle heals. Choosing a powerful Steward is probably your first priority for protection.

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 8:49 am

1. Have a tough steward and housecarl. And spouse, if married.
2. Don't fast travel directly to your house. Doing so makes dragon attacks more likely.

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 10:02 am

1. Have a tough steward and housecarl. And spouse, if married.
2. Don't fast travel directly to your house. Doing so makes dragon attacks more likely.

Install my farming mod http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/25655/ and plant some chaurus eggs.

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:37 pm

I'm still building my house, will the kidnapping and all happen only if I move my family to the new house right? I still like my first home in whiterun never moved from there even once

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:00 am

For me, Lydia's my housecarl, and I'm a thane in Falkreath, so I have Rayya patrolling with her dual scimitars. Plus I followed some of the tips for giving the kids enchanted super-daggers, D?kk Eldur for Blaise and Hálka for Lucia. And of course my dear wife still has her oh-so-helpful pickaxe.

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 4:30 pm

Especially when you are gone, what is everything you can to do make sure your family is protected when you are away?

I know you can have a housecarl there to protect them, but can you get more than one person to stay at the house? What all can you do to ensure safety?

Apart from scripted kidnappings, your family is always safe while you are away, it is only when you are there that they are in danger. Your children are safe from everything except game glitches that make them vanish, but if you give them some good daggers they will sometimes help out with the fighting. It is your spouse you need to protect, and hopefully you would also help protect anyone else at your house. Give them some decent weapons, health potions and make sure you quickly kill anything that turns up to cause trouble. Unfortunately your chickens, cow and the house horse tend to die pretty easy, so they are not so easy to protect.

» Sat Nov 17, 2012 8:21 am

I once saw my horse *and* the carriage horse *and* the cow give a four-hoof beatdown to some poor bandits during a raid. Another time, the local horker colony took out a bandit between them. I didn't have to lift a finger.

Valdimar wields a mean ice spike, too. Took out two wolves and went back to digging at the quarry before I could say "Wha?"