Skyrim’s AI companions have a tendency to walk headfirst into danger, often towards their certain demise. There is, however, a simple feature that makes them less troublesome to take care of. Whether trampled by mammoths or sent skyward by a giant’s club, your companions always rise again of their own accord. That’s all set to change with the arrival of a mod that requires you to manually revive your accident-prone pals.
The ‘StayDown’ Skyrim mod forces your downed companions to remain immobile for the duration of combat. That is, unless you can pull yourself away from clobbering any nearby Thalmor to heal them up. Now, the hidden revive timer after battle is also influenced by a number of factors, including the NPC’s gear, gameplay style, and how much damage they took prior to going down.
The mod offers three distinct difficulties, allowing you to decide just how useless you want your companions to be. And, as the cherry on top, the overhauled revive system seems to extend to non-follower NPCs, such as the legendary Jarl Balgruuf. Not that you’d want to see him suffer, mind.
Here’s some rather grisly footage of the mod in action:
An MMO-style revive system might not seem like the most essential addition to Skyrim, but it will certainly add some extra challenge to proceedings – and no shortage of frustration, I’m sure. If you’re the type to think such systems add a touch of extra immersion, there’s no harm in taking this one for a spin.
You’ll find all of the necessary info, including the download itself, over on Nexus Mods. It should also be noted that this is creator Laromyr’s first mod. So, in their own words: “you have been warned”. As ever, mod at your own risk! And while you’re here, take a look at our list of the best Skyrim mods out there if you’re keen to tinker with your game some more.