Hello everyone.
I'm not very good at this game. Addicted to it, but really rubbish at it...
So yeah, please take into account that I'm crap at this sort of game so be gentle with the flaming..

I while ago I was happily sheathing my sword after slaughtering some dungeon full of some beasties or another and running off to riverwood to sell things. The guards started attacking me for no reason and I legged it. Assumed it was a bug and went back later, to find the same result!
This happened at the various few cities I've discovered. Took me a while to realise somehow, I'd become a vampire.
This was a bit rubbish, as the posotive effects were not great, and the negative effects, ie burning and sick in sunglight and getting attacked by absolutely everyone, made the game extremely difficult for me.

It meant that I was hiding out in a lair I'd previously cleared out. It was dank and cold and horrible. I had all this nice stuff I couldnt sell and a [censored]ton of gold I couldnt even spend. I mean, it was an excellent way to level up and make gold.. but it was no fun living in a dirty dank little dungeon fighting bears and monsters for their food.

Eventually I found out that making a cure disease potion would work. Due to being a vampire I couldnt buy these, so ended up having to try and make them. And at that point it seemed mudcrabs had become extinct and vampire dust blew away.
In the end after lots of tedious stalking skyrim at night I had the potions. Excitedly I downed them, happy to finally rid of this damn disease.. and it didnt work!

the game was no fun so at that point I decided to simply throw in the 6 levels, epic quantity of gold and hard bitter experience I'd earned as a vampire and just go back to a save prior to vampirism.





So my questions:
How exactly did I become a vampire? As far as I can remember I've never been bitten. I've only dealt with a few vampires as they were the ones who's lair I moved into after turning.

And how can i get rid of this disease if it ever happens again? Shrines have been reccomended, but if you get attacked every time you step into a city, how are you meant to get to the shrines?

I'd really like to avoid becoming a vampire again, it was no fun. Any advice would be great..

Well being in vampire dens will be the reason you became one, they gave you the disease. As for everyone attacking you it was due to the level you were at. Since you had no idea you didnt feed and got stronger and became a level 4 vampire which is the max. It is also the point where everyone will fear you and attack on site. If you feed and lower that to 1 again you can talk to people at least and get cured. Here's some info on curing:http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Vampirism_(Skyrim)#Curing_Vampirism.

Feeding
In order to remain at or return to the first stage of vampirism you must feed on a sleeping NPC. To do this press Use while crouching or standing over them and select feed. Feeding should be done stealthily, as witnesses will immediately become hostile. You are able to feed on almost any NPC that can sleep in a bed, including all races and even ghosts and other vampires. You cannot feed on children.
Followers can be fed on with total impunity, assuming there are no other witnesses. Simply order them to sleep in a bed and feed on them before they stand up again. This makes them a reliable source of easy blood for the player

Cure for Vampirism
Visit any inn. They will send you to http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Morthal to speak to a man named http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Falion. From there the quest http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Rising_at_Dawn will begin. You can also cure your Vampirism by becoming a werewolf within the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Companions faction. However, once you contract http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Werewolves you gain a 100% resistance to disease and cannot be re-infected with Sanguinare Vampiris. You can, however, become a vampire again if you cure your lycanthropy.

-UESP

So you need to find a sleeping NPC to feed on them. In a small settlement, not a city (to avoid guard attack). This will lower your vampirism level, so you can do the next step - the cure quest, without the guraud on your back.
Vampires dont bite you to give you the disease, just touching you is enough. Good luck!

Thankyou both for the excellent advice and kindness. Awesome

Bloody vampires. They're going up on the list of things I hate right next to Deathclaws.

I try not to look at the skyrim wiki as I find it hard to resist 'cheating' and finding out excatly how the game ends. But I think in this situation it's essential. dammit.
I've got a really old grotty TV, one of the original giant fat widescreens, so the writing on the game screen that would warn me I'd become a vampire is partially off screen.

when you have had contact with vampires, check the 'active effects' menu to see if youve contracted anything. if you have, you have 3 days to get a potion, or visit a shrine. day 1 after that 3 days you are a stage 1 vampire. day 2, stage 2 etc. It is the highest stage, stage 4 that gets everyone after you. The feeding takes you back to stage 1, and while the potions or shrines wont help you now, you are safe to enter a city to go on the cure quest.
Looking at the wiki or UESP is not cheating IMO, not if youre genuinely stuck. No more cheating than coming here and asking us for the answer!!!

Good luck.

Ouch.

Just check your Active Effects after being anywhere near those filthy beasts. They can give you their disease even if they never touch you.

TES treats vampirism like any other sickness, so if you catch it early enough, you can cure it.

ummm...ive got that problem in riverwood as well and im beastblood so vampires dont affect me, i have no bounty so i think its a bug. It doesnt happen anywhere else and it annoying, simply because i love riverwood

"You seen what one of those Anti-Material rifles can do to a vampire?"

That's actually some nice roleplay you've done there , even if you may not have been aware of it.And the way you came to the slow realization of your condition that you didn't like and wanted to change fits really well.I wouldn't restart from an earlier save, I would go on with another character , get soe experience playing the game further then come back to him.You've got a potential gem situation there especially the way you described it rather well.In fact , I've always hated the vampire thing so badly I'm completely anol about making sure i never get it , but your presentation here has given me another premise to work on.Now to decide on race/six.....

Godd advice from all , I'll present mine in a rules of engagement type of list:

1) After all combat has ceased and you're fairly safe again , check active effects.

2)If you're not a particularly good alchemist , pay attention to potions being sold at vndors and make sure you keep at least 4-5 of those on you at all times.

3)Sneaking isn't just for thieves and assassins , scouting your surroundings before initiating combat is good tactics.Unless you're roleplaying some crazy holy paladin type that like to barge into everything hands ablaze with holy fire and sword flashing.This was my first playthrough BTW , it's actually pretty tough o play it like this EVERYWHERE.

4)If you come to rely on a companion that's cool it's your game they're there for you to use.It's in your best interest to craft/give them some extra gear/weapons you have.I do this considering as showing appreciation for their help.Use a companion that compliments your playstyle and strategy , and by all means experiment.

5) Trust your instincts and reflexes , this isn't a game like wow, the combat rewards you for thinking fast and planning.Some deadly enemy is taking large chunks of your life per swing or whatever he's using , retreat/find cover and adjust your combat startegy.If you're melee then flanking is your best freind if the enemy has one melee weapon equipped flanking to their left-hand side will usually result in a miss as most swings are from the right or straight down , but there are occasional backhand swings to be aware of.

6) Having trouble with a ranged enemy?Take cover behind something and force the issue and have them close into where YOU want them.Done properly this also negates other ranged enemies pelting you , but may also concentrate a mob in your face so use this strategy to start and adjust it to your playstyle.

There's obviously much more , but that's the 101 stuff to start.Most of the fun for this game for me now is reading these forums , playing some and smacking myself in the forehead with omg why didn't i see/think of that before?To be sure as an overl RPish type of player that scenario is pure gold to me thank you.