Yeah, yeah, I know you cleared Bleak Falls Barrow alone in Apprentice difficulty. But let me ask you something: When does the Apprentice become the Master? When you put on your grown-up pants to tackle Master or Legendary difficulty and enemies are taking less than half the normal damage while dealing double or triple back to you, you’ll be crying for some help. More precisely, you’ll want a tank. While vanilla Skyrim offers an array of interesting and loyal followers, mods are where you’ll find the most outstanding warriors. So if you’re having trouble getting 1hko’d in every fight, these tanky followers may help.
1. Housecarls Are Tanks
Check Out This Mod We’re kicking things off with a convenient and straightforward mod that will let you enjoy the firm support of a proper tank without changing the essence of Skyrim. Not everyone wants an ultra-hot anime girl to protect them from Draugr. Some people just want Lydia to do something other than alerting your enemies while trying to sneak around. “Housecarls Are Tanks” dramatically expands the usefulness of every follower you were granted when becoming Thane of each hold. Lydia, Argis, Iona, and the rest will now taunt your enemies to draw agro, and have the physical resistance to take the ensuing beating while you rain fire down on the group – your follower included.
2. Neisa – Definitive Edition
Check Out This Mod If you do want the ultra-hot anime girl, consider Neisa. She’s a classic tanky follower whose generous cleavage is the stuff of legends. Neisa is my ideal girl. The short, black hair and porcelain-white skin do a number on me – not to mention the angelical face and “sexy but badass” armor. Her voice is also really charming and cute, which is only appropriate for such a delicate-looking tank. Besides protecting you, Neisa is also willing to marry you – if you beat her in a fight. Talk about a fun marriage proposal!
3. Kaidan 2
Check Out This Mod As far as fully voiced custom companions go, Kaidan is one of the few whose narrative resembles vanilla followers. Instead of some complex backstory explained through a six-hour questline, he just follows you as thanks for rescuing him from prison – no questions asked. That’s not to say he has no personality. Kaidan’s character is revealed slowly but surely as you adventure together and interact with him on your time off. He shines for his genius remarks and attitude – plus the voice acting is top-notch. In all honesty, he’s not the best tank around, but he’s competent. And you couldn’t ask for better company camping around the fire.
4. Anabella – High-Poly Tank Follower
Check Out This Mod If Kaidan shines for feeling like a vanilla follower, Anabella brings the exact opposite to the table. This heavy-armor-loving, sword-and-shield-wielding girl is simply gorgeous, though her face clearly doesn’t belong anywhere in Tamriel. If anything, he has the look of a Twitch streamer or a famous TikTok star. Considering she comes from another dimension, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. The reason she’s able to take such a heavy beating and keep fighting is her extensive experience – after all, she was the Dragonborn in her own world. Now she’s here with an incredible wardrobe and tons of Health to help you forge your own legend.
5. Hoth
Check Out This Mod The Dragonborn is clearly a god among men and mer. They’re built different! But they’re not the only one… Hoth is one of the most menacing followers I’ve ever seen. This dude looks like he belongs in a Medieval Folk Metal album cover. I can almost hear the heavy shreddin’ in the background as we brutally take out our marks – and with Hoth, you’ll never run out of marks. That’s because Hoth is a special follower that’ll dynamically generate quests as you explore Skyrim, which he shares with you in the form of “contracts” he picked up off-camera. Finally we have a follower that inspires as much fear as I do while walking into a bandit camp.
