Unburdened by Ignorance: Understanding Follower Carry Weight in Skyrim
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So, you’re venturing through the frosty peaks and bandit-infested caves of Skyrim, pockets overflowing with loot, and your trusty follower is starting to resemble a pack mule on its last legs? The eternal question plagues every Dragonborn at some point: How much weight can a follower carry in Skyrim?
The straightforward answer: A follower in Skyrim can, by default, carry 300 pounds (or units). This is their base carry weight. However, several factors can modify this limit, making your follower a surprisingly efficient, or frustratingly limited, pack animal. This guide will unpack everything you need to know about follower carry weight, maximizing your adventuring efficiency.
Digging Deeper: The Mechanics of Carry Weight
The 300-pound base is just the starting point. Understanding the underlying mechanics is crucial to mastering the art of effective follower management. This isn’t just about dumping your unwanted iron daggers on Lydia; it’s about strategic resource allocation.
Strength: The Foundation of Carrying Capacity
Strength, as a statistic, directly impacts carry weight. While followers don’t display a visible Strength stat like the player character, it’s present behind the scenes. Certain followers, due to their race or pre-determined class, possess higher inherent Strength, granting them a greater initial carry capacity. Unfortunately, you can’t directly increase a follower’s Strength through leveling or perks. What they start with is largely what you’re stuck with.
Fortify Carry Weight: The Temporary Boost
This is where things get interesting. Just like you can use potions and enchantments to Fortify Carry Weight, so too can your followers benefit (although indirectly). Potions are sadly ineffective; however, equipment is the key. Enchanting items with Fortify Carry Weight and equipping them on your follower will increase their carrying capacity. You will need a mod, however, in order for your follower to benefit from this enchantment.
The Overburdened Effect: Slowed Down, Not Stopped
Reaching the carry weight limit doesn’t completely paralyze your follower. Instead, they become Overburdened. This means they move much slower, often trailing behind you like a grumpy snail. They can still fight, but their effectiveness in combat is noticeably hampered. Furthermore, overburdened followers refuse to run or sprint, making tactical retreats difficult. Keep an eye on their movement speed; a sudden slowdown is a clear indicator that they’re nearing their limit.
Mastering Follower Management: Tips and Tricks
Now that you understand the fundamentals, let’s explore practical strategies for maximizing your follower’s carrying potential and avoiding the dreaded “You are carrying too much to run” message.
Choosing the Right Follower: Strength in Numbers (Literally)
Not all followers are created equal. Some, like housecarls (Lydia, Irileth, Argis the Bulwark, etc.), are generally more durable and likely have a higher Strength score than others. Experiment with different followers to see who can haul the most loot without complaining.
Strategic Inventory Management: Prioritize Essentials
Before embarking on a dungeon delve, meticulously plan your inventory and your follower’s. Prioritize essential items like potions, scrolls, and weapons. Unnecessary clutter should be left behind or sold. Consider the weight-to-value ratio of items. A lightweight, high-value gem is a far better burden than a heavy, low-value iron ore.
The “I Need You To Do Something” Command: A Hidden Carry Weight Exploit
This is a classic Skyrim trick. When your follower is overburdened, you can use the “I need you to do something” command (usually activated by pointing at an object) to instruct them to pick up items, even if they exceed their carry weight limit. The item disappears from your perspective, and even though they are overburdened, they are still carrying the item. Be careful not to overdo this, as it can lead to glitches and unpredictable behavior.
Using Mounts: Equestrian Assistance
Don’t forget about your trusty steed! Mounts can carry a significant amount of weight, freeing up both you and your follower. Utilize horses or other ridable creatures to transport larger hauls of loot back to town.
Investing in Perks: Your Own Strength Matters
While you can’t directly increase your follower’s Strength, investing in perks like “Extra Pockets” in the Pickpocket skill tree increases your carry weight by 100 points. This indirectly benefits your follower, as you can carry more essentials and leave more space for them to haul loot.
The Modding Landscape: Expanding the Possibilities
For players seeking even greater control over follower carry weight, the modding community provides a plethora of options.
Carry Weight Mods: Fine-Tuning the Limits
Numerous mods allow you to adjust the base carry weight of followers. Some mods offer simple multipliers, while others provide more granular control. Be cautious when using these mods, as excessively high carry weights can trivialize the game’s resource management aspects.
Inventory Management Mods: Streamlining the Process
Mods that streamline inventory management can also indirectly benefit your follower. These mods often allow you to sort, filter, and quickly transfer items between your inventory and your follower’s, making the process more efficient and less tedious.
Follower Framework Mods: Total Follower Overhaul
Advanced follower framework mods often include features that allow you to train your followers, customize their skills, and even directly manage their inventories. These mods offer the greatest degree of control over follower behavior and capabilities. These mods also can enable Fortify Carry Weight enchantments on your follower items.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Follower Carry Weight
Here are some frequently asked questions that will help clarify some confusion:
1. What happens if my follower is completely overburdened?
They become extremely slow and may refuse to move at all until you remove some of the weight. It’s best to avoid reaching this point.
2. Can my follower equip armor that increases their carry weight?
No, Vanilla Skyrim does not allow enchantments of Fortify Carry Weight to benefit followers.
3. Can I give my follower potions to increase their carry weight?
No, followers cannot benefit from potions in the same way players can.
4. Do different follower races have different carry weights?
While race doesn’t directly dictate carry weight, some followers from races known for their strength (like Orcs) might have higher base Strength scores, leading to a slightly higher carrying capacity.
5. How do I know how much weight my follower is carrying?
The game doesn’t directly display your follower’s current weight. You can only indirectly infer it from their movement speed and dialogue cues. Mods can provide more accurate weight displays.
6. Does my follower drop items when they become overburdened?
No, they won’t drop items automatically. You’ll need to manually remove items from their inventory.
7. Can I use the console commands to increase my follower’s carry weight?
Yes, you can use console commands to directly modify their Strength stat or add items to their inventory. However, this is generally discouraged as it can disrupt the game’s balance.
8. Does the difficulty setting affect follower carry weight?
No, the difficulty setting only affects combat-related aspects of the game. It doesn’t impact carry weight.
9. Can followers carry quest items?
Yes, followers can carry quest items. However, some quest items are flagged as “unremovable,” meaning you can’t take them back from your follower.
10. What happens if my follower dies while carrying a lot of items?
Their inventory is transferred to a container near their body (usually a chest), or their body itself acts as the container. You can then retrieve the items.
11. Do different followers have different carry weight limits at different levels?
No, a follower’s carry weight is fixed. It does not increase as they level up.
12. Can I use a mod to make followers weightless?
Yes, many mods can change the weight of all items in the game to 0, including items that are carried.
13. Does equipping armor on my follower improve their defense if they are overburdened?
Yes, equipping armor on your follower improves their defense regardless of their carry weight status. However, being overburdened will still negatively impact their movement speed and combat effectiveness.
14. Is there a perk that increases follower carry weight?
No, there is no perk that directly increases a follower’s carry weight. Perks like “Extra Pockets” increase your own carry weight, which can indirectly help.
15. Can I make a follower a permanent storage container?
While you can use followers as a form of portable storage, it’s not entirely reliable. Followers can be dismissed, killed, or glitched, potentially losing your items. For long-term storage, it’s best to use containers in your owned homes.
Conclusion: Balancing the Load
Mastering follower carry weight in Skyrim is a delicate balancing act. By understanding the underlying mechanics, employing strategic inventory management, and leveraging available tools (including mods), you can transform your follower into a valuable asset on your adventures. Just remember to be mindful of their limits, and don’t overload them to the point of exhaustion. Happy adventuring!
For more insights into the mechanics and design of games, visit the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. Learning about the intentionality behind game design can improve not only gameplay, but our understanding of educational game design too.