Skyrim Special Edition is full of powerful and exciting items that players can craft and use on their journeys in the game. However, doing so requires players to have certain rare ingredients and crafting items that are hard to find. Players are most likely to find only one or two of an item required at a given time and have to wait a long time until they find more.
But by using a few glitches and exploits, players can acquire these items in higher quantities in just a few minutes. As many of these glitches are fixed in the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch mod, players are recommended to disable it before proceeding.
Updated on September 28, 2021 by Talha Bin Rizwan: Players often come across items that are in short supply during their journey through Skyrim. Often, they will find one or two of a rarer item at a time, and usually will have to wait for more to appear in-game. But thanks to an item duplication glitch, players can create multiple copies of any given item. To take advantage of this glitch, all players will need is a follower, some time, and a place where they will not be disturbed. Players will then need to perform certain steps in a certain order to use Skyrim's item duplication glitch — here's how.
Acquire At Least One Quantity Of An Item
For those playing on the PC, duplication is as simple as bringing up the console, selecting the item, and entering the correct console command. However, for console players or PC players who don't want to use console commands, this glitch will allow them to duplicate any item.
Understandably, players must first acquire the item they want to duplicate. Skyrim's duplication glitch can work on up to five items at a time, but players must make sure to duplicate each item one by one. If players attempt to duplicate multiple items at once, the glitch may not work. Players must also remember to save frequently throughout the process in case things go wrong.
Recruit A Follower
Once players have the items they want to duplicate, they must recruit a follower. The easiest way to do this is to ask a housecarl. Players are assigned Lydia as a housecarl by Jarl Balgruuf during the main quest in Whiterun, and she can be found at Dragonsreach. Alternatively, if players have purchased Breezehome, Lydia can be found there.
Players can also attempt to hire a few followers in various inns across the realm, in exchange for some gold. For example, Marcurio in Riften or Belrand in Solitude are some options to consider.
Followers Handling Stolen Items
In case players want to duplicate items that have been stolen, they must ensure that their follower does not have an issue with crime and handling stolen items. If the follower does not approve of criminal activity, they may refuse to handle the stolen item. Fortunately, many followers do not have an issue with trading stolen items. Players can ask:
- Any of the housecarls, which are provided to players as soon as they become a Thane of the Hold. Housecarls will do just about anything players ask them to and will have no problem handling stolen items.
- The College of Winterhold followers, which are available after players join the college and complete each member's personal quests. Players can recruit the Dunmer mage Brelyna Maryon, the Khajiit mage J'zargo, and a Nord mage named Onmund. All three followers will handle any item that players ask them to pick up.
- The Dark Brotherhood followers, which become available after players complete the main quest for the faction. Players can ask the Dark Brotherhood Initiates to become their followers. Cicero is also available as a follower but he needs to have been spared in "The Cure For Madness" quest.
- Agmaer and Beleval from Dawnguard faction, who become available after players have completed the "Prophet" quest after siding with the Dawnguard. These two followers have no problem with any crime that the players commit.
- Teldryn Sero on Solstheim, who can be hired for 500 gold. He is added as part of the Dragonborn DLC and will do anything players ask of him, including handling stolen items.
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Hirelings who are found in the various location in Skyrim. These are mercenaries who can be hired for 500 gold and stay with the players until dismissed. They include:
- Belrand at the Winking Skeever in Solitude
- Erik the Slayer at the Frostfruit Inn in Rorikstead
- Jenassa at the Drunken Huntsman in Whiterun
- Marcurio at the Bee and Barb in Riften
- Stenvar at Candlehearth Hall in Windhelm
- Vorstag at the Silver-Blood Inn in Markarth
Travel To City Gates
After acquiring a follower, players must make their way to a door in the world space with a loading screen. Players will be entering and leaving this world space in quick succession. The best candidates would be the player homes; however, in doing so players risk attracting the attention of some unwanted NPCs during certain steps of the item duplication glitch. These characters may pick up the items being duplicated and approach the players, asking if they can keep the item. Moreover, in some cases, a brawl may break out.
In order to avoid such circumstances, players will need to make their way to the major city gates in Skyrim's various holds. They must look for an isolated corner close to the gate where they can work uninterrupted in peace.
Drop The Items
To duplicate the items they want, players must drop them on the ground one by one and then ask their followers to pick them up. The glitch creates one copy of each item that is dropped on the ground and then picked up.
If more than one quantity of an item is dropped at once, only one copy will generate regardless of how many items were dropped. Players must also make sure not to duplicate too many items in one go, as it can mess with the scripts for the game. They can duplicate up to five items using this process.
Exit The Gates And Enter Again
Once the follower picks up the items, players must exit through the city gates and then immediately enter again. The glitch relies on players performing this part of the task quickly. Any delay will mean the glitch may not work as intended. Once players have done so they will find duplicates of the items they dropped at the location they dropped them.
In some cases, the glitch may not work as intended, and players will not find any items on the ground as they re-enter the city. In that case, players must repeat the cycle once more. After they exit the city, players can fast travel to nearby location and then fast travel back to the city directly. The items will be there as intended.
Repeat As Necessary
Once the items are duplicated, players must make sure to take the original items back from their followers. They can repeat the process until they reach their desired number of duplication. Keep in mind that the chance of duplicating the same type of item is much higher than duplicating various items.
In some cases, the glitch may not work, or may yield less than the required number of duplicates. Players can simply repeat the process. Remember that when duplicating equipment, the follower might equip these items if they are better than their current items. In that case, players must first give their followers better equipment and proceed with the glitch so their followers don't equip the duplicated gear.