How to change followers essential status

[arkonas]

ok before i start i am a huge noob when it comes to mods and doing anything in the creation kit. Anyways so my title says it all. i'm one of those players that like seeing my followers die because i might of hit them or just a bad choice like setting off a trap on them or they did it blah blah. so i just like it natural. anyways i have looked all over and can't find a way to modify followers that are essential to nonessential. i felt it took away from my game when i saw my followers just get back up after something that would of killed them. so i only used followers that would die. after thinking and talking with one author on steam workshop it made me want to use others if i could figure out how to do it. this is all for my game and not taking anyones ideas/assets.

 

reason is i really enjoy some followers i saw but they're always essential. so it stops me from wanting to get them despite how nice it maybe. i tried to see if i could figure out the creation kit but i was so lost. i looked for videos and it always showed how to make one but never to modify. i saw how to turn it off in the video but i don't know the steps to get to it then after i did it how would i go to make sure that version got into my game. so yes that is my question how to do it. so remember if you answer i would need step by step since im a noob :) i don't mind admitting that.

[KaelVirum]

If you're using a Mod Manager (Nexus Mod Manager, Mod Organizer) then it's easy to make modifications and turn them on in your game. If you're not using a Mod Manager I believe the Skyrim launcher has a button you can click that will allow you to turn on or off different mods.

 

If you're using a Mod Manager to download and install mods for your game you would have to place the esp of the mod you want to modify in your Skyrim Data Folder, then open the CK, load the esp that you just placed in your Data folder and set it as active file (this means CK will save any changes you make to this esp), find the follower you're looking to change and double click their name then simply uncheck the box on the left side that says "Essential". If it is already unchecked then your follower should be able to die. If they still don't then there is probably something else about the mod that makes them Essential.

[redrew89]

Both major "follower overhaul" mods do what you're looking for, without messing with the Creation Kit. Ultimate Follower Overhaul, and Amazing Follower Tweaks. They each add a variety of new dialogue options to configure how your followers behave, what they wear, and whether or not they can die. I have used both, and have found that, while AFT has more features, UFO works better for mod-added followers, such as those added by Interesting NPCs.

 

I know for a fact that you can use UFO to set non-essential followers to essential, preventing them from dying, but I haven't confirmed if the opposite is true. Give it a shot, and let us know if it works for you! :)

[KaelVirum]

UFO does have an option for setting Essential Followers to non-Essential.

 

If they are Essential you'll get the dialogue option "You know... Everyone dies."

[cloudedtruth]

If you'd rather not use the Creation Kit or TES5Edit to fix this issue, which is probably the best way because you'll have to do this one time, there is another way (besides downloading a mod that does this as well). You'll have to do this every time you meet that NPC in a new game, but you can use the console to change each NPC to be essential or not.

 

Open the console (the " ~ " key, next to 1, if you do not know)

Type: help NPCname

Then look for the NPC name in the results. This is the base ID of the NPC, which is what you need. Using the reference ID, the ID each NPC in the world shows when clicking on them in the console, will not work. It must be the base ID.

Now type (without parenthesis): setessential (Base ID of NPC) 0

To check to see if this change has occurred, find the NPC you changed to be not essential and click on that NPC so their reference ID is displayed on the console.

Now type: Isessential

If the return value is 0 then that NPC is no longer essential, if the value is 1 then that NPC is still essential.

 

Here's an example for setting Mjoll to not essential:

Type: help mjoll

Type: setessential 0001336B 0

(Click on Mjoll in-game so her reference ID is displaying)

Type: Isessential

(Value should return 0 which confirms that she is no longer essential)

 

Like I said, you'll have to do this every time you start a new game but it does work, so if you'd rather not try to make/edit a plugin or find a mod does this, you can use this method.

[rellick1313]

If I met a follower in the game, later set her to essential in the CK, and load the game, is it normal that she is not essential? I am using my own custom followers and tweaks and all other followers and custom followers the CK works at making essential. Lydia i met, then set to essential in CK so is she stuck as not essential because I saw her like that before?

[Perraine]

A lot of things about NPC's get "baked" into the save file - Lydia is one of those NPC's that pretty much cannot be changed once she is spawned (the very first time you enter Dragonsreach I think?) Many other NPC's are the same, once a certain plot point is reached in the game, and the NPC is "created", even if you haven't physically met them face to face yet, can't be altered afterwards. In most cases you need to start a new game to see the changes take effect.

 

Any NPC's can be set to essential/non-essential in the CK, but for most you'd have to start all over again to see the change. The "setessential" console command listed above however does overwrite what is "baked" into the save file, but as mentioned, it needs to be done for every NPC you want to change that has already been created.