The frigid land of Skyrim is best explored with a companion. Not only do they help in fights, but they also keep players company during the long journeys on their adventures. In Skyrim Special Edition, players have a wide variety of followers to choose from, each offering something unique. However, many players feel these followers start to feel more than a little bland after a while of repeating the same dialogue over and over again.

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Thanks to the active and robust modding community for Skyrim Special Edition, though, players have hundreds of follower mods to choose from. Some have the same dialogue options as the vanilla followers, but some feature some excellent custom voice acting.

Updated on November 16, 2021 by Talha Bin Rizwan: Having friends and companions makes traveling through the frigid and unforgiving land of Skyrim much more bearable. They are a helping hand in fights, carry some of the players' items for them, and also provide some commentary in certain circumstances. While the game has an excellent selection of followers, many players feel they get stale and repetitive over time. But thanks to the excellent modding community for Skyrim Special Edition, players can choose their perfect companion from hundreds of follower mods. While some have generic dialogue, others have had some extra work done on them in terms of voice acting.

15 Hoth By Hothtrooper44: A Bounty Hunter With A Tale To Tell

Hoth by Hothtrooper44 stands in a field in the northern Skyrim

Hoth by Hothtrooper44 is an aged bounty hunter, one of the most visually customized followers available as a mod. He wears trophies of his most prized kills, which he has collected on some of his greatest bounties. He boasts unique gear, is fully custom-voiced, and offers various missions that players can complete alongside him.

These bounties make use of locations and characters added by other mods, in addition to areas in vanilla Skyrim. Hoth fights with powerful two-handed weapons as well as a bow, and will always have some of his stories to share with players. Players can recruit him by talking to him at the Morthal Inn, and he is best suited for those looking to roleplay as a bounty hunter.

14 Sofia By Djjohnjarvis/FinalCrystine: A Comedic Follower With A Knack For Trouble

Sofia by Djjohjarvis sits in The Bannered Mare in Whiterun in Skyrim

Sofia by djjohnjarvis/finalCrystine is a humorous, fully voiced follower perfect for players that like some entertainment on their travels. She is fully location- and quest-aware and will offer comments on her surroundings. Sofia has a fondness for the player's character, but her attempts to disguise it lead to some awkward and funny conversations.

She wields a sword in one hand and a formidable Destruction spell in the other. However, players can change her combat style to their own liking in the MCM menu. Sofia brings some much-needed life to the otherwise cold and bleak landscape of Skyrim, making long journeys all the more enjoyable with her humor.

13 Recorder By Potasticpanda: A Mysterious Young Woman From Another World

Recorder by Potasticpanda stands in front of one of many rivers of Skyrim

Potasticpanda's Recorder is a quirky follower, sent to the world of Skyrim from a mysterious academy to record the Dragonborn's journeys and adventures. Players can find her in the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood and can recruit her by simply talking to her.

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Recorder has an upbeat personality and will crack jokes during her journey with the Dragonborn. Moreover, she will make references to other video games, implying she has visited those worlds. Players will find Recorder to be an entertaining companion to take on their adventure, one who can also hold her own in a fight.

12 Caesia By Miroslav Yegorov/Anbeegod: The Mysterious Mage With A Hidden Story

Caesia by Miroslav Yegorov mid-conversation in Skyrim's Morthal

Caesia by Miroslav Yegorov/anbeegod is a smug and mysterious mage that uses her witty dialogue to keep players entertained on their journey. Technically part of a bigger mod, players can download the standalone version of Caesia and go on adventures with her. With close to a thousand lines of voiced dialogue, Caesia starts off as a secretive individual; but with time she will open to players and share her story.

As a mage, she is best suited for players who mainly deal physical damage. Players need to be careful while choosing dialog options with Caesia, as she can react negatively if the incorrect option is chosen. In doing so, players may also lock themselves out of romancing Caesia.

11 Vilja By Emma Ampego Lycanthrapos: A Bard Companion For Every Playthrough

Vilja by Emma Amgepo Lycanthrops stands outside in Skyrim's Whiterun plains

Players looking for a long-term companion that they can play beside from level 1 to level 100 will find that Vilja by Emma Ampego Lycanthrapos fits the bill well. She has over 9,000 lines of voiced dialogue, 28 custom music pieces, and her own questline. She is designed to feel more like an organic character and less like a static NPC.

Vilja also has a romance track (some deserving characters don't) where players court Vilja, rather than just wearing the Amulet of Mara and asking to be married. The mod also adds a few other custom-voiced NPCs that Vilja can interact with. Moreover, if players bring certain other followers with them on the journey, Vilja can engage in discussions with them.

10 Lucien By JosephRussell: The Scholar Itching For An Adventure

Lucien by JosephRussell stands on a snowy Skyrim Mountain

Lucien by JosephRussell is a fully-voiced Imperial follower mod who comes with over 5,000 lines of dialogue. He's a scholar and can be encountered at the tavern in Falkreath. Lucien is designed to accompany players for a long time. He starts off his journey as somewhat of a coward, barely able to hold the weight of a sword. With time, however, he learns from his experiences, becoming strong, confident and worthy to be the Dragonborn's companion.

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He offers full commentary on Skyrim's main quest, the College of Winterhold questline and the Companions questline. Lucien comes with his own follower system that does not count towards players' follower count. This allows players to recruit vanilla NPCs for extra backup.

9 Aurlyn Dawnstone By Mlee3141 And Darkrogue21: The Reclusive Philosopher Seeking Redemption

Aurlyn Dawnstone by mlee3141 with a blurred background outside in Skyrim

A custom-voiced Aldmeri (of Mer descent) sorceress with over a thousand lines of voiced dialogue, Aurlyn by mlee3141 and Darkrogue21 is a reclusive philosopher from a time long past, seeking peace and redemption. She is designed to be a game-long companion that will stay with players from level 1 until the end of the game.

Aurlyn has acquired a wealth of knowledge over her lifespan, which she is more than willing to share. Players can acquire some unique books and spellbooks simply by talking to her and selecting the appropriate dialog option. Aurlyn also provides players with some useful passive buffs as long as she is following them.

8 Livia Salvian by Miroslav Yegorov/Anbeegod And Robyn Rybnik: The Daughter Of The High Chancellor

Livia Salvian by Miroslav Yegorov in modded armor standing outside Meridia's Temple in Skyrim

An honorable and dedicated Imperial, Livia Salvian by Miroslav Yegorov/anbeegod and Robyn Rybnik is a custom-voiced follower best suited for players who dislike the Thalmor. With over 500 lines of voiced dialogue, she is a strong fighter who joins players for a very specific reason. The mod also adds many books and loading screens that go into Livia's backstory.

She can be found very early on at Dragonsreach in the hold of Whiterun and will react differently if players used mods to alter their character's origins. Livia is best suited for players who join the Empire in the civil war and will have some arguments with Stormcloak players. She can be married, but players need to progress their relationship by traveling and talking to her.

7 Inigo By Smartbluecat: The Clever Khajiit Companion Looking For A Fun Time

Inigo In Skyrim's Ebony Armor during a moment of self reflection

Smartbluecat's Inigo is a fully voiced Khajiit follower with over 7,000 lines of unique, voice-acted dialogue. He boasts one of the most advanced AI systems that react accordingly to player actions. Not only does Inigo interact with the game world normally, but he may also approach other characters and strike up conversations with them.

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Moreover, he treats them based on their relationship with the player. Inigo is an accomplished warrior players can definitely depend upon in a tight situation. He levels up alongside players and avoids traps while sneaking, making him an ideal follower for stealth builds.

6 Mirai By Kaleidx/BigAndFlabby: The Breton With A Dragon's Heart

Mod follower Mirai by Kaleidx wearing her wedding dress and standing in a Skyrim field

Mirai by kaleidx/BigAndFlabby is a young Breton mage who is in Skyrim looking for her parents. She often keeps up a cold and abrasive outward attitude but will warm up to players as time goes on. Mirai is one of the few followers who can use those unique and iconic shouts in combat.

Players will need to complete a short side quest to unlock those powers first, however. Mirai has tie-ins to the Skyrim main quest, particularly to the Dragonborn DLC. Players will need to complete a few quests before they can recruit her as a follower. However, players can skip all of them by using the debug menu, accessed at her home in Markarth.

5 M.H.A.R.P.H.I.N. By Skinnytecboy: A Unique Automaton Follower

MHARPHIN the Dwemer Centurion style follower in Skyrim

M.H.A.R.P.H.I.N. by skinnytecboy is a unique follower that resembles a Dwemer Centurion in appearance but possesses a unique personality, unlike the Automatons from the game. He is a standalone companion with over a thousand lines of custom-voiced dialogue that comes with a small quest of his own. M.H.A.R.P.H.I.N. has his own custom armor, spells, and music.

Players can also customize M.H.A.R.P.H.I.N. according to their preferences via dialogue options. He can be found at the base of the Shrine of Azura where players can approach M.H.A.R.P.H.I.N. and interact with him, after which players must go to Whiterun where the quest begins.

4 Serana Dialogue Add-On By Martimius: Turning An Existing Follower Into A Unique One

Modded Serana showing off her custom dialogue added by Serana Dialogue Edit Skyrim

While the mod Serana Dialogue Add-On By Martimius does not add a separate follower into the game, it modifies an existing one added by the Dawnguard DLC into something that feels fresh and unique. Serana is one of the most beloved followers in Skyrim, and she is well known for her unique personality. The mod Serana Dialogue Add-On improves Serana, adding more than 3000 lines of custom-voiced dialogue that essentially turn her into a whole new character that fits in Skyrim seamlessly.

With the mod, Serana has commentary for a variety of locations and events in-game, sleep functionality, can sing, and also comes with a romance that occurs throughout the Dawnguard questline.

3 Auri, Song Of The Green By Waribiki: A Companion For Those With An Interest In Bosmers

Auri Song Of The Green shooting an arrow in Skyrim

Auri, Song Of The Green By Waribiki adds a wood elf companion in the game that centers around Bosmeri culture and tradition. She is fully custom-voiced and has a small quest that players can complete. Auri is a traditionalist wood elf archer that will follow players, do their bidding, and offer snarky comments about their surroundings and actions. She can be found in Falkreath hold at her pod which players can find on their map.

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To get Auri to open up, players must express an interest in Bosmeri culture and traditions which will get her to open up to them. In doing so, players will advance their relationship with her and she may reveal her reasons for coming to Skyrim. She is also a marriage candidate with a custom system, however, players will need to make the right choices while talking to her in order to do so.

2 Kaidan 2 By LivTempleton: A Romantic Follower For Every Love Story

Kaidan flirting with players in Skyrim

Kaidan 2 By LivTempleton is a romantic follower that is best for players who are looking to engage in some romantic role-play with their companions in Skyrim. The mod is a rework of an existing mod that includes a new range of features including over 1200 lines of custom voiced dialogue, a custom home, and a series of mini-quests.

Kaidan is written to be an immersive companion or lover to the Dragonborn that is reactive to quests and choices. Players can advance their relationship with him by interacting with him and developing a bond over time. He also has a custom follower framework that doesn't add to the existing follower count allowing players to take an additional vanilla follower with them on their journey.

1 Anna NPCs By Anduniel And Shrike: Multiple Followers In A Single Package

8 of the Anna NPCs in Skyrim

While most mods add one or two followers at most when installed, Anna NPCs by Anduniel and Shrike adds up to 10 unique companions in one single package. These followers are all custom voice acted with over 9,000 lines of dialogue including commentary, songs, and party banter with the players and among themselves.

The mod also adds 13 quests to play through along with several player homes, taverns, and inns. Each follower has a unique romance that leads up to marriage along with an approval and affection system. This mod is best for players who want variety in terms of companions but do not want to go through the hassle of installing multiple mods.

Skyrim is available on PS5, PS4, PS3, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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