Summary

• Wait a few hours in-game for Lydia to respawn if she gets lost, allowing her to find her way back to the player.
• PC players can use console commands to bring Lydia back to life by clicking on her and typing "resurrect" into the console, or simply typing "000A2C94.resurrect."
• Make Lydia immortal by marking her as an essential NPC using console commands or mods to prevent her from dying in Skyrim.

Lydia is arguably one of the most memorable followers in all of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, but unfortunately, it's all too easy to either lose track of her, or watch Lydia die in a fight during the Dragonborn's journey across the region. Companions are technically able to heal themselves, but Lydia doesn't have any innate healing abilities, so she'll require the Dragonborn's help. And even then, she'll sometimes take too much damage too quickly for the player to keep up. Luckily, there are a few tricks to revive Lydia after death.

For many players, Lydia will be the first follower encountered in-game. She's assigned as the Dragonborn's housecarl in Whiterun, following the progression of Skyrim's main storyline. She only scales with the player up to level 50, though, meaning it gets riskier to bring her along as players progress to higher levels. While Lydia isn't as powerful as some of Skyrim's other followers, there's a certain degree of nostalgia that comes along with her as the player's first companion. Thankfully, there are some ways to ensure Lydia stays alive, and even revive her if she does end up dying. It's worth noting, however, that these tips almost all make use of the in-game command console, which is only available for PC s.

Unsure of exactly how to get Lydia in Skyrim? Simply follow the main quest markers and do what the Jarl of Whiterun asks, and Lydia will be assigned as a follower once the player is made Thane of Whiterun. Check out that scene in the video from Waifu Simulator 27 on YouTube below!

How to Get Lydia Back If She Got Lost In Skyrim

Waiting For Lydia To Respawn

Firstly, if Lydia's just lost, it's best to skip a few hours ahead in-game to see if she just got stuck somewhere. Lydia can get stuck on oddly-shaped patches of ground or protruding cave walls, and while she'll usually find her own way out, she may end up far behind the Dragonborn. In that case, she may just need a few hours to find her way out. If she were told to wait somewhere, Lydia will likely either appear at the player's house in Skyrim, or exactly where they met her, beside the Jarl at Dragonsreach, after a few in-game days have ed.

If she still doesn't turn up after that, PC players can open Skyrim's command console by pressing the "~" key. There, they can use Lydia's reference ID to bring her directly to their side by typing prid 000A2C94 moveto player. If the Dragonborn would rather teleport to Lydia, the command is player.moveto 000A2C94. In this case, "000A2C94" is Lydia's ref ID - a sequence of letters and numbers identifying her in the game's files. This will be used in many of the other console codes related to finding or reviving Lydia, and can also be used to create a wide variety of effects for NPCs throughout the game.

In Skyrim, Lydia's reference ID is 000A2C94. This refers to her the currently spawned version of Lydia, but not the character herself. However, there are some console commands which require Lydia's base ID, which is 000A2C8E. Players are encouraged to try the other ID code if the above instructions don't produce the desired results. It is also not necessary to always add the initial "000" when inputting NPC codes - a2c94.resurrect or a2c8e.resurrect will work just as well. Proper manipulation of NPC ID codes can even be utilized to create an entirely new copy of Lydia, so Skyrim players on PC have a lot of options if they want to keep Lydia alive.

To learn more about how Skyrim's ID codes work, and all the fun tricks players can do with them, check out the official Skyrim Wiki's page on NPCs.

How to Revive Lydia If She Died In Skyrim

Bringing Lydia Back To Life

If Lydia died in Skyrim, however, the problem becomes more difficult for players to resolve. There are no spells that can effectively bring an NPC back from the dead. The Raise Zombie spell will only temporarily bring Lydia back as a mindless undead, and she'll turn into a pile of ashes afterward. The Soul Tear dragon shout achieves a similar result. The only real option (at least for console players) is to load a previous save to get Lydia back.

Once again, however, PC players can use console commands to revive Lydia if she has died. They just need to open the console, click on Lydia's body, and type the word "resurrect" into the console. Alternatively, 000A2C94.resurrect works just the same without clicking on Lydia's body. Lydia will then return just as she was, though some players report her inventory resetting after she's brought back to life. To that end, it might be best to loot any important items from Lydia's dead body in advance before reviving her.

If the player didn't see where Lydia died, or she somehow got lost before getting herself killed, resurrect commands can be combined with moveto commands in order to bring her back to life. Simply open the console and type prid 000A2C94 moveto player (or 000A2C8E if that doesn't work), and Lydia's dead body will appear by their side. Then, click on her, enter the "resurrect" command, and she'll spring back to her feet.

And if all else fails, players can also make a new copy of Lydia using a different console command. In this case, they'll need to use her base ID. The command to create a whole new Lydia is player.placeatme 000A2C8E. This can be repeated infinitely, even creating a whole army of Lydias if the player so desires.

Make Lydia Essential To Keep Her Alive In Skyrim

How To Prevent Lydia From Dying

It's also possible to simply make Lydia immortal from the beginning, so the player never has to deal with her dying. All they have to do is open the console, click on Lydia, and enter setessential 1. Alternatively, Lydia's base ID works just as well: try setessential 000A2C8E 1 instead. This works by marking Lydia as an "essential" NPC, a status normally reserved for characters who are vital to the plot. Using this command to prevent Lydia from dying is usually safe, but using it on other NPCs (such as quest givers or targets) may break certain aspects of the game. As a result, it's best to use essential status sparingly.

Mods To Keep Lydia Alive In Skyrim

Available For Both PC & Console Players

Players who don't want the hassle of worrying about Lydia dying in Skyrim can simply any one of several mods that make her invincible. Since all players have to do is one mod and make sure it is activated, this is the easiest way to make sure Lydia stays alive, rather than using console commands to find or revive Lydia each time she dies. Skyrim's essential NPCs, meaning she will no longer be able to fully die, no matter how much damage she takes.

Essential NPCs are knocked out when their HP is reduced to zero, so while Lydia may go down in combat, she'll always get up again after.

Thankfully, several mods that make Lydia essential are also available for the console versions of Skyrim. The available mods vary by console, but searching for "essential Lydia" in the Creation Club should reveal a wealth of options.

Lydia's propensity towards a premature death can be frustrating, but the problem is common enough that a variety of solutions exist. While prevention via essential status is the most reliable way to keep her alive, it's still possible to get Lydia back if she dies in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.

Sources: Skyrim Wiki, NexusMods, Waifu Simulator 27/YouTube