Table of Contents

Is Becoming a Vampire in Skyrim Worth It? A Comprehensive Guide

Whether becoming a vampire in Skyrim is “best” is entirely subjective and depends on your playstyle, roleplaying preferences, and tolerance for sunlight. There’s no objectively “best” choice. Embracing vampirism offers powerful abilities, unique quests through the Volkihar clan, and an interesting roleplaying experience. However, it comes with significant downsides, primarily weakness to sunlight, fire, and potential hostility from NPCs. If you enjoy stealth, roleplaying an outcast, and wielding dark magic, vampirism can be incredibly rewarding. If you prefer a warrior playstyle, dislike micromanaging your feeding, or value acceptance in society, then joining the Dawnguard and hunting vampires might be a better fit.

The Allure of the Night: Perks of Vampirism

Choosing the path of the vampire offers a range of compelling advantages. Here are some key benefits:

Powerful Abilities: As a vampire, you gain access to potent abilities like Nightstalker’s Footsteps, making you harder to detect while sneaking, a boon for stealth archers and assassins. The Vampire Lord form, acquired through the Dawnguard questline if you side with the vampires or even if you side with the Dawnguard later on, grants incredible powers, including summoning gargoyles and draining life from your enemies.
Resistances and Immunities: Vampires gain immunity to diseases and poison, making you virtually immune to many of Skyrim’s common ailments. You also receive increased frost resistance, which is especially helpful in the colder regions of the game.
Illusion Magic Boost: If you favor illusion spells, you’ll find that they are 25% more powerful when you are a vampire. This allows you to control minds and manipulate situations with greater ease.
Roleplaying Opportunities: Becoming a vampire opens up a unique roleplaying experience. You can embrace the dark side, explore morally ambiguous quests, and become a creature of the night, lurking in the shadows and preying on the unsuspecting.

Shadows and Sunlight: Drawbacks of Vampirism

The path of the vampire is not without its challenges. Here’s what you need to consider:

Weakness to Sunlight: This is the most significant drawback. In sunlight, your health, stamina, and magicka regeneration are completely halted, and at higher stages of vampirism, you take direct damage. This requires careful planning and strategic use of time, restricting daylight activities.
Weakness to Fire: Vampires are vulnerable to fire damage, taking increased damage depending on your stage of vampirism. This makes encounters with dragons and fire mages particularly dangerous.
NPC Hostility: As you progress through the stages of vampirism without feeding, NPCs will become increasingly hostile towards you. This can make it difficult to complete quests, trade, or interact with the world.
Feeding Requirements: To mitigate the negative effects of vampirism, you must regularly feed on sleeping NPCs. This can be challenging for certain character builds and playstyles, especially if you prioritize being a “good” character.

Aligning Yourself: Volkihar vs. Dawnguard

Your choice between the Volkihar vampire clan and the Dawnguard heavily influences your vampire experience.

Volkihar: Joining the Volkihar clan grants permanent access to Castle Volkihar, unique quests centered around vampire lore, and the opportunity to embrace your vampiric nature fully.
Dawnguard: Siding with the Dawnguard provides access to superior weapons, especially the Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow, and a chance to fight against the vampire threat. You can still become a Vampire Lord even when siding with them.

FAQs: Your Questions Answered

1. Is it better to be a vampire or a Dawnguard in Skyrim?

It depends on your preference. Vampires gain powerful abilities and access to unique quests through the Volkihar clan. The Dawnguard offers better weapons and a morally “good” aligned questline focused on hunting vampires.

2. Is it better to be soul trapped or become a vampire?

The article you provided mentions becoming partially soul trapped in the Soul Cairn. This is a separate issue from vampirism. It makes little difference to gameplay and is easily reversed.

3. Is it worth feeding as a vampire in Skyrim?

Yes, feeding is crucial for managing the negative effects of vampirism. It resets your stage of vampirism, reducing your weakness to sunlight and preventing NPCs from becoming hostile.

4. Should I be a vampire or vampire hunter in Skyrim?

This depends on your desired roleplaying experience. Choose vampire for a dark, powerful, and challenging experience. Choose vampire hunter (Dawnguard) for a more heroic, weapon-focused, and community-accepted playthrough.

5. Is there a downside to becoming a vampire in Skyrim?

Yes, the primary downsides are weakness to sunlight (preventing health, stamina, and magicka regeneration), weakness to fire, and potential NPC hostility.

6. Can you still become a Vampire Lord if you side with the Dawnguard?

Yes, you can. Serana can offer you vampirism even if you’ve sided with the Dawnguard, allowing you to access the Vampire Lord form.

7. What are the problems with being a vampire in Skyrim?

The main problems are weakness to sunlight, weakness to fire, and the need for regular feeding to avoid negative consequences.

8. What is the best race for a vampire in Skyrim?

Dark Elves (Dunmer) are a good choice due to their natural fire resistance, which partially offsets the vampire’s weakness to fire, and their natural affinity to stealth.

9. Should I turn my wife into a vampire in Skyrim?

This is a roleplaying choice. Consider your spouse’s personality and whether they would embrace vampirism. Note that not all spouses can be turned, and some spouses will have unique markings when transformed.

10. What happens if you refuse becoming a vampire?

If you refuse Lord Harkon’s offer, you’ll be banished from Castle Volkihar and forced to side with the Dawnguard.

11. What are the perks of becoming a vampire in Skyrim?

The perks include immunity to diseases and poison, increased frost resistance, 25% stronger Illusion spells, and being 25% harder to detect while sneaking.

12. Can your follower become a vampire?

Yes, but you must first marry them. You can then use mods to get around them dying from the sun as there are no in-game possibilities to turn the follower into a vampire without mods.

13. Should I join Volkihar or Dawnguard?

If you want to fully embrace the vampiric lifestyle and enjoy unique vampire quests, join Volkihar. If you prefer hunting vampires and using superior weaponry, choose the Dawnguard.

14. What happens to Serana if you join the vampires?

If you side with the vampires, Serana remains a companion and offers you a chance to become a Vampire Lord, but she will not be available as a member of the Dawnguard.

15. What is the difference between a vampire and a Vampire Lord in Skyrim?

A Vampire Lord is a more powerful form of vampirism that grants you the ability to transform into a monstrous creature with unique abilities. Normal vampirism provides passive bonuses and abilities.

Final Verdict: Embrace the Darkness or Hunt the Night?

Ultimately, the decision to become a vampire in Skyrim rests with you. Carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages, your preferred playstyle, and your roleplaying aspirations. Whether you choose to embrace the darkness or stand against it, Skyrim offers a rich and rewarding experience for both vampires and vampire hunters alike.

For those interested in exploring the educational aspects of gaming and game design, be sure to visit the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org to discover how games can be used for learning and development.

Is it best to become a vampire in Skyrim?