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Why Can’t Lydia Follow Me? A Skyrim Troubleshooting Guide

Lydia, the stalwart Housecarl of Whiterun, is often one of the first companions players encounter in Skyrim. However, players frequently find themselves scratching their heads, wondering, “Why can’t Lydia follow me?” The answer is multi-faceted, stemming from a range of potential issues from basic oversights to more complex game glitches. More often than not, the reasons can be quickly identified and resolved, allowing you to resume your adventures with your loyal companion at your side. Let’s dive into common causes and how to fix them.

Common Reasons Lydia Refuses to Budge

There are several primary reasons why Lydia might be stubbornly refusing to follow your Dragonborn:

You Already Have a Follower: In Skyrim, you can generally only have one human follower at a time. If you’ve already recruited someone like Jenassa, Mjoll the Lioness, or any other recruitable NPC, Lydia will politely but firmly decline to join you. Dismiss your current follower first.
Steward Assignment: If you’ve appointed Lydia as a steward for one of your Hearthfire homes (like Goldenhills Plantation), she will be dedicated to managing that property. You’ll need to fire her from her steward position before she can resume adventuring with you.
Quest Conflicts: Certain quests automatically assign you a temporary follower. This prevents you from having another companion simultaneously. Complete the quest that forces a specific NPC on you to resolve this issue.
You Told Her to Wait: Perhaps you asked Lydia to wait for you somewhere, and she’s still patiently (or not so patiently) waiting. The longer you leave her, the more likely she is to return to Whiterun.
She’s Lost or Stuck: Lydia can sometimes get stuck on terrain or lost in dungeons. Skyrim’s AI isn’t perfect, and sometimes she might not be able to navigate complex environments effectively.
She’s Dead: Sadly, Lydia isn’t invincible. If she took too much damage in a fight, particularly from friendly fire, she may have perished. Without console commands, this death is permanent on non-essential versions of the game.
Bugs and Glitches: Skyrim is notorious for its bugs. A glitch could be preventing Lydia from following you. Sometimes the cause is not something obvious.
Over Encumbered: Lydia has a maximum carry weight and can only carry so much. If she is over encumbered she will be slow to respond to following and may refuse to follow you.

Troubleshooting Steps to Get Lydia Back on Track

Dismiss Your Current Follower: If you have another follower, tell them, “It’s time for us to part ways.” They’ll return to their default location (usually a tavern or their home).
Check Your Hearthfire Homes: If you suspect Lydia is a steward, travel to each of your Hearthfire properties and see if she’s there managing the place. If so, dismiss her.
Retrace Your Steps: Think about the last place you saw Lydia. If you told her to wait, return to that spot. She might still be there. If it has been a while, she may have returned to Whiterun.
Fast Travel: Fast traveling to a different location can sometimes “reset” Lydia’s position and bring her back to your side. Try fast traveling to Whiterun or another major city.
Check Whiterun: If all else fails, head to Whiterun. She’s likely to be in one of three places: Dragonsreach (the Jarl’s palace), Breezehome (if you own it), or the Hall of the Dead.
Check her inventory: If she is over encumbered, this could be causing problems. Have her give you some of the items she is carrying.
Console Commands (PC Only): If you’re playing on PC, you can use console commands to resolve most Lydia-related issues.
- Open the console by pressing the ~ key.
- Type prid a2c94 (this selects Lydia’s reference ID).
- Type moveto player (this teleports Lydia to your location).
- If she’s dead, type resurrect after selecting her reference ID.
- If she is disabled, type enable after selecting her reference ID.
Load a Previous Save: If you’re unable to resolve the issue with the above steps, your best bet might be to load an earlier save where Lydia was still following you.

Preventing Future Lydia Issues

Be Mindful of “Wait Here”: Avoid telling Lydia to wait for extended periods. If you do, make a note of the location so you can easily find her again.
Avoid Overloading Her: Don’t give Lydia so much to carry that she becomes over-encumbered. This can slow her down and make her more susceptible to getting lost or stuck.
Pay Attention During Combat: Be careful with area-of-effect spells and shouts during combat to minimize the risk of friendly fire.
Install Bug Fixes: Consider installing mods or patches that address common Skyrim bugs, which may improve follower AI and reduce the likelihood of Lydia getting stuck.
Consider Essential Follower Mods: These prevent followers from dying. It’s very convenient!

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve most issues preventing Lydia from following you and resume your Skyrim adventures with your trusty companion. And if you’re interested in exploring how games like Skyrim can be used for learning and research, be sure to visit the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Lydia and Followers in Skyrim

1. Is Lydia my steward for Goldenhills Plantation? If so, why does that stop her from following me?

Yes, if you’ve assigned Lydia as the steward for Goldenhills Plantation (or any Hearthfire home), she’s dedicated to managing that property. Stewards have specific duties related to the homestead, and they won’t leave their post to follow you on adventures. Firing her from the position will make her available as a follower again.

2. How do I get Lydia to follow me again after telling her to wait?

If you wait for more than a few in-game days after telling Lydia to stay in the same spot, she will walk back to Whiterun. She will usually hang around where you found her or she may be near Breezehome, so check those places. Make sure she follows you once you meet up with her.

3. How do I fix the follower glitch in Skyrim where they just stand still?

Try going to jail. Sometimes this forces followers to catch up with you. If there are any more quests that stick you with a follower then try doing one. Your current follower will be dismissed as the new one steps up. Fast travel may work as well.

4. How do I fix Lydia in Skyrim if console commands aren’t working?

Talking to her in stealth makes her walk around, but has no real effect. Just take the stuff you want off her, turn her essential off (if possible), kill her and then resurrect her via console. it should reset her status. If that doesn’t work then do the above but instead of killing her, get her ID and then disable and re-enable her. However, if console commands are not working at all, then you cannot follow these steps.

5. How do I get Lydia as a follower if I accidentally dismissed her?

Lydia is your Housecarl for becoming Thane of Whiterun. She should be in Whiterun in Dragonsreach or in Breezehome if you have purchased it. If she is not, try to become Thane in another major city to be assigned a new one, and that should cause her to spawn back in Whiterun.

6. How do I find my lost companion in Skyrim if I can’t remember where I left them?

When you have lost your follower, you should first try to retrace your steps. If you told your follower to wait for you, they will be where you asked them to wait. If you still can’t find them, try using Fast Travel, your follower should reappear with you at your new location. If they don’t appear after this, try waiting a day or two in the game.

7. Why did I lose my follower in Skyrim, and how do I prevent it from happening again?

Just fast-travel to any place and, if your follower didn’t respawn near you there are three possible Issues: Your follower died, it’s a bug, or you told him/her to wait and forgot where or can’t return to where you told them to wait. To avoid losing a follower, be careful where you tell them to wait.

8. Who is considered the best follower in Skyrim besides Lydia?

Some of the best followers in Skyrim include Serana (from the Dawnguard DLC), Cicero, J’zargo, Mjoll The Lioness, Aela The Huntress, and Marcurio. Each has unique skills and personalities.

9. What can kill followers in Skyrim, and how can I protect them?

Normally a follower will permanently die due to friendly fire or to an enemy with an exceedingly high level like a dragon or constant enemy fire. To protect them, provide them with good armor, heal them during combat, and be mindful of your own attacks.

10. How do you reset Lydia in Skyrim if she’s acting strangely?

The only real option (at least for console players) is to load a previous save to get Lydia back. Once again, however, PC players can use console commands to revive Lydia if she has died. They just need to type the “resurrect” code, “000A2C94.”

11. Where does Lydia go when she stops following you, assuming she isn’t dead?

If you own Breezehome, she will be there. Otherwise, she will be at Dragonsreach. She goes to the bathroom and has to wait in a long line. She will either be at Breezehome or Dragonsreach. It might take a few days for her to get back to her location.

12. Can you permanently lose Lydia in Skyrim, and if so, how can you prevent it?

Lydia is arguably one of the most memorable followers in all of Skyrim, but unfortunately, it’s all too easy to either lose track of her or watch Lydia die in a fight during the Dragonborn’s journey across the region. To prevent this, take extra precaution during battle.

13. How do you get Lydia unstuck if she’s trapped in a corner or behind an object?

Fast travel somewhere and she should be there when you arrive. Go get Healing Hands and heal her enough to where she can move out of it. That, or leave her, go somewhere else and wait a few days and it should say that she is “Tired of waiting for you” and she’ll go to your house or Dragonsreach.

14. Who is considered the strongest female follower in Skyrim?

Serana is often considered the strongest female follower in Skyrim. She is often marked as the only follower with “a soul”. While of course her dialogue gets repetitive, I always felt comfortable next to her.

15. Why might someone remove me as a follower, and how can I improve my content to attract and retain followers?

There could be several reasons why someone might remove you as a follower on Instagram, including: They no longer have an interest in your content. They are cleaning up their account. They disagree with your views or opinions. (This is unrelated to Skyrim).