Still reeling from Bethesda’s announcement that you’ll have to wait until 2023 to dive into a fresh RPG from them in the form of Starfield?
Well, thanks to Skyrim’s modding community, an old friend is ready and waiting to comfort you while you grieve, complete with a freshly overhauled look.
A new mod by reindeer51, called “The Ultimate Lydia” takes everyone’s favourite Whiterun housecarl and turns her into the kind of follower that can stand toe to toe with the top-notch brigade of custom would-be companions available on the nexus nowadays.
Skyrim Mod Revamps Everyone’s Favourite Follower
Designed to work alongside other NPC and follower overhaul mods, including Roadhouse699, LMG Wilson and TheMayor897’s “Improved Follower Dialogue - Lydia”, reindeer51’s mod also works as a standalone installation if you’re trying to keep your mod count low.
Among its changes is something a little unique, this being the ability to switch up Lydia’s hairdo in-game and mid-playthrough, accomplished via some wigs in her inventory that range from her traditional loose style to a samurai inspired bun that’s perfect for combat.
The mod also makes a few other minor adjustments to Lydia, including changing her animations to female, equipping her with Whiterun guard armour by default and changing her weight, which can cause a neck seam issue if you’re installing mid-save, though this can be fixed using console commands.
If you’re a big fan of the visual changes the mod includes, you can get similar hairstyles and facial feature overhauls for your own player character using mods like “KS Hairdos SSE” by Kalilies and Stealthic, “The Eyes Of Beauty” by LogRaam and “Kyoe's Bang'n Brows (LE)” by Kyoe.
Or if you’re after a familiar figure from another fantasy series, The Witcher, to accompany you on your travels, you could try Levionte’s “Yennefer of Vengerberg - The Witcher 3 Voiced Standalone Follower SE”, which is perfect if your player character happens to be a gruff, grey-haired monster hunter.
Whatever you choose, definitely ready your ears before loading in and make sure to follow us for updates on The Elder Scrolls 6 and the wacky world of Skyrim modding.