J'zargo

[mystical_funsheep]

Is J'zargo the best follower due to him having no level cap?

[Perplex]

There are other followers with no level cap. J'zargo is useless as he mostly does his level 1 lightning attack.

[Stormsong]

As far as Vanilla goes, if I'm looking for pure kick ass above anything else -- Teldryn Sero. Beyond just levels which is all people ever seem to consider, Teldryn is well-trained aka has investments in significant perks

[Rez Elwin]

The best follower is probably Ralis Sedarys, he is one of the few dual wielders and has the extra damage 2 perk. He may only level to 60 but if equipped properly he is a monster. You do need to spend several thousand gold and complete his quest to get him as a follower but he is worth it.

[Eternie]

If your only playing vanilla Skyrim then J'zargo has no Level cap if you use the unofficial patches then he has a Level 30 cap according to UESP followers. Of course if your using any follower mods like EFF or AFT then he will level with you like all followers. (making him no better than any other follower)

As far as mages go Brelyna has better magic skills than J'zargo although I loved J'zargo's scrolls for combating undead. (At least in my game)

The followers that seemed to have the highest levels I thought were the two dark brotherhood initiates, that get recruited near the end of the DB quests

[Vlad 254]

Ralis Sedarys & Teldryn Sero are two of the best Vanilla Followers as far as pure combat.

[Locklave]

The Dawnguard companions are all no level cap. No companions vamp side however, not counting the dogs which are level capped, so you are blocked out of them if you go vamp side.

[Senpaija]

J'zargo is trash because of his choice of magic, mostly novice level. Since he was meant to cap at lvl 30, that means his perks are all below that and he will never gain new perks.

Even Serena does not go beyond apprentice level magic, when she's not raising dead corpses. Those reanimated corpses often attack you, making her even more annoying. You also cannot play stealth character while having her as follower.

If you want a mage follower, Teldryn Sero is the best due to his experience in conjuration, he spawns a companion or flame atronach in almost every battle, allowing more overall damage or distractions. I'm not sure what level of magic he uses overall, though. I believe he uses staffs as well if they are in his inventory.

I personally prefer Cicero as follower, not because he is superior in any way, but he allows the player to be stealthy with bow or dagger without allerting the enemy due to high skill in sneak. He is a good distraction and unlike mages, goes head first into battle if the enemy is within reach, he prefers blade over bow mostly and even uses staffs.

[Skarmo]

J'zargo may not be the best follower, nevertheless, he is the best because he is J'zargo!

[Noah]

there aren't any good followers in my opinion, they reduce the amount of xp you gain by doing damage that you otherwise would have done.