How to Shed That Weight: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Rid of Over Encumbrance in Skyrim
So, you’re lumbering through Skyrim like a snail carrying a mountain, huh? We’ve all been there. That dreaded “You are over encumbered and cannot run” message is the bane of every adventurer’s existence. But fear not, Dragonborn! There are numerous ways to shed that extra baggage and get back to exploring the snowy peaks and bandit-infested caves at a reasonable pace. The most direct solution is simple: reduce the weight you’re carrying by dropping items, storing them, selling them, or increasing your maximum carry weight. But let’s dive into the details, shall we?
The Burden of Choice: Immediate Solutions to Over Encumbrance
1. Dropping Items Like They’re Hot
This is the most immediate solution, albeit often the most painful. Open your inventory and identify the heaviest, least valuable items. Consider potions, ingredients, and extra weapons or armor. If you’re in a dungeon, be mindful of where you drop items. You might want to retrieve them later, or they could disappear entirely!
2. Stashing Your Stuff: Containers Are Your Friends
Look for chests, barrels, sacks, or wardrobes near your location. Most containers are safe to store items in temporarily. However, be warned: containers in public areas (like shops) reset their contents periodically, so your precious loot might vanish. Your own house (once purchased) is the safest place to store items permanently.
3. A Merchant’s Delight: Selling Your Wares
Visit a local vendor and sell any unwanted items. Prioritize selling weapons, armor, potions, and valuable gems. Investing in the Speech skill can improve prices, allowing you to offload more for the same weight.
4. Companion Care: Letting Others Carry the Load
If you have a follower, ask them to carry some of your items. Be mindful of their carry weight limit, which, like yours, can be increased. Some followers have higher base carry weight than others. Lydia, your housecarl, is a common early-game option, but many others exist.
5. Horse Power: A Mount’s Assistance
If you have a horse, you can often circumvent the over encumbrance penalty. While on horseback, you can fast travel even if you’re carrying too much. This can be a lifesaver for getting back to a town to sell goods.
6. Potion Power-Up: Fortify Carry Weight Potions
Fortify Carry Weight potions temporarily increase your carrying capacity. These can be crafted through Alchemy or purchased from alchemists. The stronger the potion, the greater the weight increase, and the longer the effect lasts.
Long-Term Solutions: Increasing Your Carrying Capacity
1. Level Up and Invest in Stamina
Each time you level up, you can choose to increase your stamina. This directly increases your carry weight by 5 points per level. This is a consistent, permanent solution that gradually alleviates the burden.
2. The Steed Stone: A Weightless Wonder
The Steed Stone, located east of Solitude, provides a permanent blessing that increases your carry weight by 100 points and makes equipped armor weigh nothing. This is a significant boost, especially early in the game.
3. Enchanting Expertise: Fortify Carry Weight Enchantments
You can enchant armor with the Fortify Carry Weight enchantment. Find items with this enchantment (random loot, or purchaseable from merchants) and learn the enchantment by disenchanting them at an enchanting table. Then, enchant your own armor to permanently increase your carrying capacity.
4. Pickpocket Perk: Extra Pockets
Investing in the Pickpocket skill tree unlocks the “Extra Pockets” perk. This increases your maximum carry weight by 100 points. While requiring investment in a specific skill, it’s a substantial permanent increase.
5. Console Commands (PC Only): The Cheater’s Way
If you’re playing on PC and don’t mind a little cheating, you can use the console command “player.modav carryweight X”, where X is the amount you want to increase your carry weight. For example, “player.modav carryweight 500” would add 500 to your carry weight. Be warned, this can disable achievements. The command tgm (Toggle God Mode) will also give you unlimited carry weight.
FAQs: Delving Deeper into the Weighty Matters of Skyrim
1. What happens if I’m over encumbered?
You become unable to run or sprint, and you cannot fast travel. Your movement speed is significantly reduced, making exploration a tedious crawl.
2. What is the default carry weight in Skyrim?
The default carry weight is 300 units.
3. Does armor weight affect my movement speed before I’m over encumbered?
No. Armor weight only affects your movement speed once you exceed your carry weight limit. Up to that point, it has no impact.
4. Can I use carriages while over encumbered?
No. Carriages function similarly to fast travel. If you are over encumbered, you cannot use them.
5. Does stamina affect carry weight in Skyrim?
Yes. Increasing your stamina through leveling up increases your carry weight by 5 points per level.
6. Who is a good follower to help carry my items?
Followers like Lydia, Erik the Slayer, and Uthgerd the Unbroken are good early-game options with decent carry weight capacity. Later, more specialized followers might be preferable.
7. Can I increase a follower’s carry weight?
Yes. You can give followers items with Fortify Carry Weight enchantments to increase their carrying capacity. However, followers cannot equip multiple items with the same enchantment.
8. Are there any quests that reward increased carry weight?
While no specific quest directly rewards increased carry weight, completing certain questlines and receiving unique items can indirectly help manage weight. For example, acquiring powerful, lightweight weapons and armor can reduce the overall burden.
9. Is it possible to become permanently over encumbered due to a glitch?
While rare, it’s possible for the game to miscalculate your carry weight. Opening your inventory or unequipping/reequipping items can often fix this. If the problem persists, try loading an earlier save.
10. What’s the best way to manage weight when exploring a dungeon?
Plan ahead! Bring only essential supplies. Regularly return to the entrance to stash loot. Use a follower to carry heavy items. Prioritize valuable items over heavy, low-value ones.
11. Does the type of armor I wear affect how quickly I become over encumbered?
Indirectly, yes. Heavier armor types (like heavy armor) will contribute more to your overall weight, making it easier to reach the over encumbrance threshold. Lighter armor types (like light armor) will reduce your burden.
12. Where can I find Fortify Carry Weight potions?
You can purchase them from alchemists in most major cities. Alternatively, you can craft them yourself using ingredients like Creep Cluster, Giant’s Toe, and Scaly Pholiota.
13. Does the “Conditioning” perk in the Heavy Armor skill tree help with carry weight?
Yes, substantially. The “Conditioning” perk makes all equipped heavy armor weigh nothing, freeing up significant carry weight.
14. Are there any unique items that significantly increase carry weight?
The Steed Stone is the most accessible. Some unique items might have Fortify Carry Weight enchantments, but these are relatively rare and randomly generated.
15. How does over encumbrance impact combat?
Besides limiting movement, over encumbrance prevents you from dodging effectively and makes it more difficult to reposition during a fight. Managing your weight is crucial for combat effectiveness.
Remember, the key to conquering over encumbrance in Skyrim is a combination of careful planning, resource management, and strategic investment in skills and enchantments. Happy adventuring, Dragonborn! And don’t forget to check out the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org to see how games can influence learning.