Skyrim talk:Dead Thrall

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Archive 1: Mar 2012 - Aug 2013

Proposal to revamp the page: Opinions needed

This page needs lots of cleanup. I have remade the page in two different sandboxes. This example is a slightly altered version of the current page, which removes a little unnecessary info and removes leveled NPC lists (since those are listed on the appropriate NPC pages). It could use a bit more cleanup, but I'm focusing on the other sandbox for the moment.

I would like for this to be the new page. Here is a list of changes I have made from the current page to that one, aside from grammar tweaks:

• No NPC data, as that belongs on NPC pages. NPC data is the following:
  • Leveled lists ("level 36 vampire is named [...]")
  • Attacks
  • Spells
  • Weaknesses
  • Armor and weapons
  • Perks
  • Other such specific info that exists on NPC pages already
• Notes and bugs shared with all other Reanimate spells have been removed; they affect all such spells, not just Dead Thrall.
• Removed Northwatch Keep. Nothing makes it special; forts, camps, Forsworn camps, and vampire dens can all have large amounts of NPCs.
• Removed specific mention of vampires and Forsworn, since they're generic just like bandits.
• Removed some point-of-view things. This wiki is not for a playstyle guide; it is for information. The new format displays the information by saying "you can do this or that; see the NPC page for more details on that type of NPC".
• The names of permanent corpses have been replaced by a category link. Any permanent corpses not already in that category may be added by adding the page to the category.
• Removed a few repetitive things.
  • Length of spell is in the infobox, it's already mentioned in the first section that the thralls won't turn to ash, etc.
• Removed some bugs that aren't bugs.

If nobody comments on this, I'll replace the page in a week. As I said, I would much prefer the second version I'm showing, as it removes all that unnecessary clutter to make a clean little page. I'm asking for input because it would be trimmed down quite a lot, and I want to make sure I don't remove anything I shouldn't. Vely^►t►e 22:09, 26 March 2013 (GMT)

I like the new version better, although I'd keep the names of unique NPCs with special abilites, especially Orchendor; not everyone might remember that a barely stronger than average boss in a completely optional quest can teleport, or they could think it's just a scripted event. If we tream it down, Ulfric, Malkoran and Orchendor are the only three with useful abilities, and even then Malkoran's Shade is potentially dangerous since it's hostile to the player. Oh, and making a clear mention of the fact that unique NPCs keep leveling after death, too. Some people might come here wondering why they can't raise their favorite thrall anymore, and "some are leveled and some are not" is not really helpful.

Also, I know that Necromage applies to all Reanimate spells, but I think it's important to mention it, given that there are level 42 and 48 vampires. And I didn't see the note regarding thrall equipment before but it needs to be changed from "died in" to "spawned in". I did a lot of tests, basically giving a follower an armor and jewels and then killing them, and they always went back to their standart equipment when changing zone. This is very important in choosing a thrall because many followers don't wear armor, or one not corresponding to their skillset and you can't do anyhting about it.

Otherwise, it's good for me. Removing all that stuff about perks and locations and whatever really makes the place cleaner. Elakyn (talk) 09:39, 27 March 2013 (GMT)

I've made a few tweaks to the box. Not sure about wording, but if you have better wording, go ahead and change it. Vely^►t►e 18:04, 27 March 2013 (GMT)

I liked it a lot better before, it was far more informative and useful. I especially liked the mini-table regarding bandits and forsworn. Fortunately, I copied and printed it before the changes. Also, other wikis have more informative pages, so I was able to learn a lot more about the spell and how to use it. Secret Jedi (talk) 19:02, 12 April 2013 (GMT)

I've made a few tweaks to the page, but nothing incredible. Honestly, while the page is now more UESP-worthy, I gotta say we got rid of a lot of interesting stuff. It's true that the site's purpose in information and not holding the player's hand, but this spell is completely unique in TES and I think people could benefit from a few tips on how to choose a good thrall - it's the entire point of the spell, after all. The previous version was cluttered with useless stuff, but some of it was important and the few things we kept (improving armor, watching level cap, etc..) is thrown in the middle of a paragraph. Or would it be better to make a Hint page for this? -- Elakyn (talk) 09:28, 13 April 2013 (GMT)

Secret Jedi, the NPC tables should be on the respective NPC pages.

Elakyn, if you'd like to sort out the info a bit more, be my guest! It doesn't need to be in a paragraph. As for the tips on how to select a good thrall, I'm not sure how much is needed. Other than unique NPCs, what's important? Spell/perk info is on the NPC pages and doesn't need repeating here, but that's all I can see. Vely^►t►e 16:08, 13 April 2013 (GMT)

Those who look for this page are seeking a list of good candidates to choose from, not how to use or achieve this spell. Searching candidates in the generic NPCs page it's unpractical. Now, I know that you want to be better than elderscrolls.wikia, and you usually do, but in this particular case you are behind.--Damx (talk) 18:50, 5 May 2013 (GMT)

Dead Thrall no longer 'dead'

Alright, so I used the Dead Thrall spell on a Master Necromancer, but after fast traveling, he disappeared on me, yet the spell remained active. I checked, and saw thralls fast traveled like horses. Alright, but after he finally caught up, he no longer had the reanimated appearance, he was normal. I tested it, and he still 'died' after summoning two more summons, so he was still being treated as such. But while doing Telrav's Request, my character died. However, as the screen shows your dead body for a bit, I noticed my thralled necromancer was still fighting. I tried it again, this time merely standing around while they attacked me, and he is indeed still fighting while my character is dead. I'm on PC. Lord Irvine (talk) 20:31, 16 March 2014 (GMT)

Also, the voice is back to normal, no longer the groaning and simplistic speech. Lord Irvine (talk) 20:42, 16 March 2014 (GMT)

Meridia's Shrine

How is it a bug that thralls disappear there? It is Merida's will that the undead be vanquished. If the player is foolish enough to summon them, so be it. 205.133.129.251 22:12, 6 April 2015 (GMT)

Active Magical Effects

Xbox 360

In the Magic, Active Magical Effects listing, it says that I still have a Dead Thrall after having twin souls two of them--man and woman. The man stayed with me, but the woman has been lost for several days. I am on Xbox 360 so cannot use the console commands for anything. I had given them both dragon bone war ax and other useful equipment that they had been using during battles.

An internet Q & A or blog or forum has a questioner asking how to find missing / lost thralls, but no suitable answer was provided other than a link to a FAQ file or whatnot that must lack the requisite keywords, otherwise it would have come up in the search results too.

No answer is provided here either. I have kept playing and not summoning other creatures, etc, beyond replacing my now dead male thrall temporarily with a 120 second such creature. The Active Magical Effects listing still has it that the thrall "lives."

I have been all over the place since her disappearance so cannot recall where I summoned them, nor what caves, etc, I have visited in case they are trapped within one of them. 198.91.176.251 03:10, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

Two of the bugs listed my give you a solution. If possible or needed, delete Dawnguard data then cast a cloak spell. Otherwise try using Vampire Lord/Werewolf transformation if available. A note on the reanimate page also notes arrest as a solution to removing the active effect. Obviously try the Dawnguard one as a last resort as everything Dawnguard related will be reset. Silence is Golden^{Break the Silence} 22:29, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

On XB1...

I was having the missing thralls equipped up with a huge amount of my loot so that I would not be over burdened due to carry weight and that I wanted that valuable loot back.

Is there a tried and true way to download Xbox One Skyrim SE Mod, load a prior save where thralls were not missing yet with the MOD equipped to know the unique ID for the missing thrall, load the save where the thrall is missing, move my playing character self to wherever they are situated to know where on the map to locate them, disable the Mod so I'm playing cleanly, then fast travel or sprint over to where those loot filled thralls are still supposedly "alive," then get them "working properly again" to get my stuff back? If so, what are the Mod names that might permit such console type commands? 216.58.27.151 12:15, 3 July 2022 (UTC)

Corpse Storage

Which location should be safer for storing corpses to use as Dead Thralls: Windstad Manor or Ustengrav? And by "safer", I mean less likely for the corpses to despawn or be relocated.24.159.122.98 01:19, 22 February 2019 (UTC)

A Couple of Minor Notes or Bugs

I've been experimenting with Dead Thralls and noticed a couple of things. If you guys think they are worth noting, I will add them to the article.

First, it appears that after an NPC has been a Dead Thrall for a while, he is likely to stop the moaning and groaning and revert to his typical dialogue from when he was alive. Based on what I've read here, others have also experienced this, but whether a Dead Thrall stops moaning may depend upon the NPC being used. Ancano stopped, but The Caller never did.

Second, I put a Torch in the inventory of the Dremora Markynaz I was using as a Dead Thrall. He equipped it and held it up whenever it was dark and there were no enemies nearby, just like a regular follower. However, the torch was invisible, and I don't think it gave off any light.Valeria (talk) 18:45, 5 March 2019 (UTC)

Level Cap of Thrall as Vampire Player

For years, the article has vaguely stated that the level cap of your thrall can be "slightly above 40" if you're a vampire. An editor recently specified level 50, but without an edit summary, so I think we need some verification. --Xyzzy ^Talk 11:18, 10 October 2020 (UTC)

If the max level of Dead Thrall 40 is, then having Necromage perk and the target being undead should increase that level with 25% to 50. But as far as I know the highest level target for Dead Thrall is the level 48 Volkihar Vampire. Also the player being a vampire should be irrelevant to that increase, so like the notes in Restoration say. 217.120.80.77 18:15, 17 October 2020 (UTC)

This is the issue. I've seen a few places where editors have claimed that the level cap of Reanimate spells can be boosted by the player being a vampire. This article, the Restoration article and the Necromage articles address this differently, so we need some in-game testing for verification. --Xyzzy ^Talk 16:51, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

A quick test I have done. A level 44 Thalmor Wizards can not be reanimated with Dead Thrall by a Necromage vampire. A level 48 Volkihar Vampire can be reanimated by a non-vampire Necromage and a level 53 Volkihar Master Vampire can not be reanimated. Thus, being vampire doesn't affect the max level and Necromage only makes Dead Thrall stronger against undead targets. And since Necromage makes spells 25% stronger it would make sense that Dead Thrall caps for undead targets at level 50, who might not exist. 217.120.80.77 07:25, 22 October 2020 (UTC)

I did some testing and got the same results as anon. As a non-vampire with the Necromage Perk, I was able to resurrect a level 48 Volkihar Vampire but not a level 44 Thalmor Wizard. It seems that, as expected from the perk description and Restoration notes, being a vampire doesn't matter since you're not casting a spell on yourself. However, it does matter that the target is undead (before you kill and resurrect it), which is why the vampire works and the Thalmor doesn't. To test the level cap I used the setlevel command to resurrect Volkihar Vampires with varying levels, and was able to resurrect a level 49 and level 50 vampire, but not a level 51 vampire. --Oriwa ^Talk 01:19, 28 October 2020 (UTC)

(←) Perfect! Thank you both for the testing. --Xyzzy ^Talk 17:30, 28 October 2020 (UTC)

A Disembodied Voice

This is probably the wrong place to put this, but I don't know the right place, so I think I'll post it to the talk pages for both Dead Thrall and Storm Atronach. Also, I'll probably include irrelevant info, but I don't know what is and isn't relevant.

My character Valeria raised Emperor Titus from the Katariah as a dead thrall that I'm using for generating extra copies of his robes and sometimes for hauling loot. Valeria was inside her home at Windstad Manor. I conjured a storm atronach to drop the thrall and access the loot he was carrying. As usual, Uthgerd the Unbroken who is the steward at that house and who was inside at the time asked "What is the meaning of this?" when I conjured the atronach. When I attempted to cast the Dead Thrall spell on my thrall's body, the storm atronach teleported to the spot where my character was standing, as followers and conjured critters tend to do when they cannot find a path to move normally over to your location. The dead thrall spell hit the storm atronach and failed to raise my thrall. No problem. Valeria has gear that gives her zero magicka casting for conjuration, so I just slid the Emperor's body out from under the storm atronach and cast the spell again. And when I cast the spell again, I heard a male voice who sounded something like Marcurio say "Oh, dangerous!" when I cast the spell.

Valeria also has gear that gives her zero magicka casting for alteration spells, so I equipped that gear and trotted around the house casting Detect Life to try to find the source of the voice. The only people or critters I found in the house were:

• my character Valeria
• Uthgerd the Unbroken, Valeria's steward at Heljarchen Hall
• the storm atronach who disappeared as soon as I raised the thrall again
• the thrall himself

As I said, the thrall in question was the Emperor from the Katariah. The voice did not sound like his. Nor did it sound like Valdimar who is the housecarl at Windstad Manor but who did not seem to be in the house at the time. It was a male voice, so it certainly shouldn't have been Uthgerd, and I have heard all of her lines many, many times. It also isn't something I've ever heard Valdimar or Marcurio say. When Valdimar protests because my character is casting, he says "By Ysmir, this will not end well." Valeria did not have an active follower or pet at that time. She also has no bard at any of her properties. Marcurio is Valeria's steward at Lakeview Manor, but although I sometimes spot Valdimar or Gregor at Lakeview Manor, I don't think I've ever had my Lakeview Manor steward or housecarl show up at one of my other Hearthfire properties.

Do I have a phantom character following Valeria around, or did the dead thrall spell cause the storm atronach to speak, or is something else going on? Has anyone else ever had anything like this happen? And if so, what led up to it? I'd appreciate any light that anyone can shed on this subject.

Because this episode was not only weird, it was also a little creepy.

Valeria (talk) 23:12, 3 November 2021 (UTC)

This Spell Is Completely Broken

Dead Thrall appears to be completely broken for my current character. I raise an enemy body as a thrall, and it often doesn't follow me until I go through a transfer point such as a door. And now, it seems that whenever I fast travel or go through a transfer point, my thrall turns hostile and attacks me. The second time it happened was when I fast travelled back to Windstad Manor with a vampire thrall, and Shadowmere - who usually won't get out of the way when I'm battling bandits - paid no attention to the vampire thrall trying to kill me. I killed my thrall again. It resisted soul trap because it was already dead, and then I raised it again to take it inside and see if it turned hostile again. Instead, it completely disappeared. I ran around the property while casting Detect Dead continuously and it ain't there, but I still have Reanimate Thrall listed under my active effects. Has anyone else had anything like this happen? And did you figure out how to get the spell working again? This is a tough spell to get, and you have such a limited span for casting it on the best targets, and then it becomes useless. Considering that it's also incredibly inconvenient dealing with your thrall spawning at the horse location instead of yours and getting lost trying to follow you and dropping weapons on death etc. Couldn't they have at least made it a little less buggy? As it stands, it's simply not worth the hassle except to duplicate unique armors and clothing. Valeria (talk) 18:37, 25 August 2024 (UTC)