This works for PC, PS3 and XBOX.

As some of you know, your followers do not level up...

If you enter a zone for the first time all NPCs are spawned at a level roughly around your own. And they'll stay that level for the rest of the game - including your followers.

However there is a trick to respawn your followers, which will reset their level. Assuming you have gained 30 levels, you'll get a level 30 Lydia (or whatever) to accompany you.

Here's how it works:

• Get the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Wabbajack
  
• Tell your follower to leave.
  
• Shoot your follower with the Wabbajack until he/she transforms into an animal. Be careful not kill him/her in the process.
  
• After a time the follower transforms back, wearing the default gear. Don't worry, all other items will still be there.

You can test it by hitting the follower with a big swing from a battleaxe to see how much damage you cause. Once before, once after the procedure.
In my case my level 30 Battleaxe Warrior nearly killed Uthgerd with a single power attack. Afterwards I managed to only reduce her lifebar by about a fourth.

Also note this: Followers seem to possess a maximum level if https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0Aly8njaU3H1adGJYTlJaUnRxRUN2RnM5MkxPaU1mQkE&type=view&gid=0&f=true&sortcolid=1&sortasc=true&rowsperpage=250is accurate. So change your followers accordingly.
All house carls have a maximum level of 50 btw. so there's a relief for Lydia fans.

Very good find. I will love doing this.

What if you are limiting your acquisition and use of Daedra God Artifacts?

Then make an exception. Jeeezz

indeed ... svck it up.!

Thanks! This will hopefully help!
You could try being out of character for some time and just get wabbajack for this purpose. I was doing that with stolen skill books in NV.

I've just got the Wabbajack, and I can't seem to get any effect except the destruction magic- fire, ice or shock explosions. I have been trying for 30 minutes on Mjoll and every single hit is like this. Not one transformation. Has anyone experienced this? I'm very frustrated. I did Mjoll's quest specifically for this reason, since I met her at about level 5 and now I'm level 30, and really need her to level up. Any help?

Been doing the same thign myself, and haven't gotten a transformation yet either. It's amusing to wabbajack her while she's asleep though...she yells and doesn't move. XD

Are you attempting to use the Wabbajack on your follower when he/she is indoors? For whatever reason I am never able to get the necessary critter transformations unless outside.

If you use the Wabbajack on essential actors, all you'll get is an explosion. Mjoll is essential. See the UESP Wiki for more info on the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Wabbajack.

Hmm, you can make Mjoll killable by recruiting her ... but the transformation doesn't respawn her if she's your follower - she'll come back just as she was before you wabbajacked her.

Maybe there's a way around it. Go to a questgiver that throws out your follower, like the first companion quest with Skjor. Wabbajack Mjoll while she's still your follower, then talk to Skjor and accept his quest which will throw out Mjoll as your follower.
With a bit of luck she'll respawn in her original clothes, signifying her adjusted level.
I'm not sure who else is throwing out your followers in case you already did the companion quests.


On the long run I'd suggest finding another follower, though. I parked my wife in a mansion, too, because I needed a follower with another skillset.

Well then that explains it. Thanks for the info, I suppose I'll get another follower.

I was using it outdoors, but if the above is true, then I'm boned either way.

The Wabbajack trick has been posted before but it never hurts to bring it to more peoples attention. Alternatively, PC players can use the console to achieve the same effect. Dismiss your follower, press ~ to open the console, click your follower, type

disable

and press enter followed by

enable

and enter again. Close console and rehire. Then if you go back to the console and type

getlevel

you'll see that it worked.

There is another way.. Make your Follower a Blade and next time you enter a cell where they are in, they'll level up to yours.

Now this is tricky to do, depending on if you want to kill Paarthurax. (I don't; I Fus Ro Dah the Blades off the mountain after the peace meeting)

If you want to let Paarthurax to live then train your follower RIGHT after "Alduin's Wall" Quest. If you don't care about Paarthurax then do that quick quest for the Blades then train your follower.

I have a level 81 Derkeethus because I trained him right after "Alduin's Wall" Quest.

Bad thing is they'll have Blades Armor. To get rid of this, just pickpocket it when they aren't following you. You should be able to pickpocket everything but the main Blades Armor (Body/Legs piece)

Thought of using this but never got around to it...meh no matter it's all the same. And the wabbajack was fun because it always turned my companions into dremora or spirit dust or something.

THANK YOU OP!!

I was about to give up on followers altogether.

I did what you said, and now Lydia kicks butt. I bumped her up at level 36. It's nice to have a little help with thoses pesky dragons.

To make followers kick even more butt, equip them with dual weapons. Not sure if Lydia will dual wield but some followers do.
Their melee AI is trying to use blocks way too often and when dual wielding they can't block.

Oh, and I can confirm the Blades respawn. Getting followers into the Blades seems to respawn them at a higher leve, too.

Is this when you first meet them that they are low level, or when you first aquire them as follower, I mean, for example, lets say I first did the quest for one of the Witnerhold students at level 15, but I didn't come back and get one of them as a follower until level 25, would they be level 15, or level 25?

Also, this problem would be fixed by just replacing your follower every 10 levels or so with a different follower (give old ones to the blades or to Boethia for her quest, or to the ebony blade)

Also, because there are two DB initiates, one male, one female, can they have different levels, also, if one of them dies, does another take his or her place.

I took Mjoll out for a stroll for the first time today. The only other time I had business with her was when I fetched Grimsever. So Turjin is at 42, and I checked Mjoll's stats, which notes are at home, atm, sorry, but she was level 40. I don't think she needs any help. Her 2H was 73 or 78 as I recall, but I found two staves for her and she loves them. I almost wish she'd say, "Oh, I love blowing things up! It reminds me of when I tried to make breakfast for my parents."

With the blades armor issue if you give them other equipment they will wear it if it is better once they are following you. This works with weapons and armor.

I know they'll wear gear better than Blades Armor but you can't remove the Armor and it does count toward the Weight that your follower will carry. So pickpocking the armor is a smart move.

dont think db initiates can die mine hasn't and shes been through a lot

Update on Mjoll. I've gotten her a set of legendary ebony, etc., yet a single arrow will all but kill her. If she wasn't immortal, she'd be dead a hundred times over in a single day. After peering at different stats, I found DamageResist. On my character it was 304.6, but on Mjoll it was more than -20000! Once I adjusted hers to match mine, she becomes a fairly hardy soul.

This worked for me and I was able to get the animal transformation after a few tries when I was outdoors. However I did have a problem when I did this with Jzargo, all of the armor I had given him disappeared. He still had his weapons, amulet, and ring. I have him as one of my blades and I had no issues when doing this with the other two before him (Lydia and Benor). Thankfully I had saved right before and I was about to upgrade his armor anyway. Anyone else encounter this issue?