Well, the leveling affects all level-offset NPCs, like Delphine, Tullius and Ulfric (especially bad for them, since you meet Ulfric and Tullius at level 1).

And their carrying capacity goes down because the game keeps adding an unplayable hunting bow and twelve unplayable arrows to their inventory when you recruit them. The bad news is that they'll use that bow instead of one you give them. The good news is that they'll use what arrows you give them, and as long as they fire from that unplayable bow, their arrows are infinite.

You can remove it on PC with "removeitem 10e2dd 1" until the text spam indicates that they're not carrying any (for the arrows, it's "removeitem 10e2de 12", but arrows are weightless). Literally no way to fix that on Xbox or PS3. You can, however, complain to Bethesda, and it's actually likely that they'd fix it, since all it would take is to either remove the two script lines that add the bow, or add two script lines that remove the bow when they're dismissed.

Honestly, the fact that their arrows are infinite when using that bow seems like an exploit to me, and it seems like unitended behavior (else, why add twelve arrows when one would have sufficed?).

I find if I don't give them armor, they will use the bow I give them along with 1 arrow. But if I kit them out in armor, they go back to the hunting bow. The game adds their starting armor as well as the bow, so lydia for example will lose a good 50-70 carry weight each time you rehire her.

I believe this method respawns them, so they get a new inventory, removing all the dead weight. Haven't tested it though.

I wish bethesda just allowed us to see all their items, remove whatever I want, leave them naked if I want. Then they wll only equip what I give them.

This is an excellent work-around, though it'd be nice if they just patched the damn issue.

No, they don't get their outfit back. Trust me. NPCs have an outfit assigned to them that respawns if all of the pieces are removed from them. Followers only get the hunting bow and arrows (excepting Cicero and the Dark Brotherhood followers).

If you remove all of their clothing and armor, and then add a new item that changes their appearance, the outfit comes back, but not on top of their old equipment; it's a new set to replace the one that was lost.

The only way that an NPC can end up with more than one outfit is if you manage to steal theirs and give it back after their outfit has respawned. Then they'll have two.

I'm bummed.... I did this and now Lydia will not equip enchanted legendary glass armor,boots etc. I may go back and reload, even though I've done a fair bit after. I was hoping she would gear up, but no go. I don' t pickpocket, so I can't steal her original kit....

This is because her heavy armor skill is now at 100, or close. So her steel gives her a better rating, why not just give her steel plate armor (I'm guessing you smith on the light side), not sure why you are giving her light armor anyway ha.

It really doesn't matter. It seems that they get a lot more weight added than the 7 or so from an additional hunting bow, i've read a few times that their default armor is added when you dismiss/rehire them.

Don't they become hostile if you wabbajack them? Do you know if the same applies to dead thrall, meaning do they level after you kill then reanimate?

Ahhhh..... Makes sense now. Yeah - my character is high in sneak / archery, so I went light armor. Crap. Now I gotta get her the heavy stuff... Mess up my sneaking around for sure!

If wabbajack hits them with a destruction spell three times they will be hostile, save before doing it. But if it transforms them when they are hostile they will respawn calm to you.

I believe dead thralls level anyway with you, their health etc will increase as you level.

so... what's the easy fix for pcs? disable enable or..?

thanks for the help and sweet wabbajack discovery...i've only used wabbajack to mess around with lydia but unfortunately she turns back into her anniying self. I turned her into a dinner plate and wanted to put her on my table but was denied

I am having serious problems with Argis not being able to carry ANYTHING anymore. From what I've read, this is apparently because I dismiss him whenever we are at the Markarth house, so that he doesn't follow me around incessantly. Then ask him to come with me when I'm ready to head out. It's gotten so bad I can't even give him a healing potion. I do have him using a set of Epic level Orcish armor I made for him. Now he can barely carry that.

I've used the console command (PC) to setclass 13176, which is supposed to reset him so that he'll level up with my character. But it hasn't fixed the encumbered problem. I also tried using the openactorcontainer 1 command, but all I can see is what I can see anyway,which does not include the armor and weapons he originally came with. I'm also not sure how to access those items once you "open" a character, as all you can get is numbers. Does clicking on them remove them?

Anyone know how I can get the original kit (or anything extra) off my follower so that he can carry stuff again? It's getting to the point where he may no longer be able to use the great armor I gave him.

Edit: Wrong forum!

I'm bummed.... I did this and now Lydia will not equip enchanted legendary glass armor,boots etc. I may go back and reload, even though I've done a fair bit after. I was hoping she would gear up, but no go. I don' t pickpocket, so I can't steal her original kit....



Have you tried giving her Heavy Armour things. I have found in my game Lydia will only replace the standard Issue Armour with heavy armour (except the helm - she wears an open faced Glass helm giving her the face of an angel).

Just as an FYI. If you marry a housecarl and Wabbajack them to reset his/her stats, their "married" greeting seems to reset to their "housecarl" greeting. I'm no longer "my love" but "my Thane" again. Eh, maybe it's just me.

I believe the cause is what was said above and mirrors your suggestion. She is a heavy armor stat character, and now needs heavy armor or should I say she'll only equip the heavy stuff, unless I give her something astounding. Even then, her skill set it better now for heavy.