Vanilla Followers AI SSE
⚪ Last updated 2016⚠️ Install Order · 5 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
Preview

🔍 Analysis
- 👍 6.2% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #153 of 378 Followers & Companions mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
Vanilla Follower's AI
OV5KDIMwJOcmNsGks6GK5g The other introduction videos are in videos section.
This mod assigns special custom AI Packages to some vanilla followers. Priests will heal Player and other followers. Members of Dark Brotherhood will do stealth attacks to enemies in darkness (or in light). Housecarls will really become your sword and your shield. You can always turn off custom AI by giving followers "broom(Misc item)". Custom AI packages may not be so perfect as you expect. However, this mod is very simple and script-free. You can try this mod with ease.
Compatibility This mod doesn't change any vanilla data, so it has compatibility with almost all mods which change NPCs. However some mods which override follower's AI may not work well while Custom AI of this mod is on.
Their custom AI will work with AFT(Amazing Follower Tweaks), UFO(Ultimate Follower Overhaul), Amazing Follower Tweaks SSE. Custom AI overrides the follower's AI which those follower overhaul mods assign them. When custom AI is turned on, the follower's AI does not work. Custom AI is turned off, if it is not necessary to work. You can always turn off custom AI by giving followers "broom(Misc item)".
Known issue
- []A follower gets stuck. []A mage follower blinks the spells in one's hand very fast and doesn't attack enemies.
You can stop all custom AI when something goes wrong with custom AI. Open the console, type "StopQuest SL99IVF" and Enter. All custom AI will be removed from the followers. Then type "StartQuest SL99IVF" and Enter. All custom AI are assigned to the followers again. However, this mod's framework is very simple and all custom AI can recover itself from stuck. The case which is required fixing AI via the console will rarely happen.
In-game Description You can know about this mod's AI in the game. Get a "Roll of Paper" and craft the book "Vanilla Followers' AI" in MISC category at a tanning rack.
J'zargo, Erandur, Aranea Ienith, Illia (Their Primary skills include Restoration except for J'Zargo. But he has learned "Heal Other")
- AI behavior -
Vanilla Followers AI SSE gives special AI packages to select vanilla followers: priests heal the player and allies, Dark Brotherhood members perform stealth attacks in darkness or light, and housecarls act as true swords. A lightweight tweak for Skyrim Special Edition players wanting smarter follower behavior without overhauling the system.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Community-approved with 440 endorsements and over 7,000 downloads.
- Adds meaningful AI behavior to vanilla followers without needing a full overhaul.
- Last updated in December 2016, so it's stable for the SSE version it targets.
⚠️ Cons
- Only affects a handful of followers, so if you use mod-added followers, they won't benefit.
- May conflict with other mods that alter follower AI or packages, so test load order.
- Not updated since 2016, so it might not be compatible with the latest Skyrim SE patches or other mods.
For Skyrim SE players who want their vanilla followers to be smarter in combat—priests healing, assassins sneaking, housecarls tanking. If you're using a follower overhaul mod or rely on mod-added followers, this might not be for you. Skip if you want a complete follower AI overhaul; this is a targeted tweak.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Place this mod early in your load order to avoid conflicts with other follower AI mods.
- If you use a mod manager, let it handle the file placement to keep things clean.
- Test with a new save or after a clean save to ensure the AI packages trigger correctly.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- uni_SL
- Version
- 3.01
- Downloads
- 7,147
- Endorsements
- 440
- Category
- Followers & Companions
- Created
- 11/26/2016
- Updated
- 12/8/2016
🔧 How to Install Skyrim Mods
Download from Nexus.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Skyrim →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
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