Lydia is dead but she isn’t in the Hall of the dead in Whiterun

[NovaLight7]

So in short Lydia died when fighting a dragon with me, she didnt die by the dragon but rather with my poor timing she died by my shout when she was at low HP, so once the fight was over I looted her body and went on my way, after a few quest done I decided to look for a new follower, but they told me I had already someone following me, but I knew Lydia died I killed her by accident, I went and checked the Hall of the Dead, she wasn’t there, I went and check on dragonsreach, she wasn’t there, I checked the house I got in whiterun, she wasnt there either, so I used console command to teleport me to where she was, indeed I got teleported to where she died but her body isnt there anymore to loot, I tried using console command to set my follower count to 0 no success, I tried killing Lydia with the console command, no success, so before I go any further I was wondering if anyone got suggestion in fixing this bug, I am playing skyrim vanilla, no mods or any additional plugins.

[fauxpas]

Best bet is reload to before she died.

[NovaLight7]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Best bet is reload to before she died.

Ill just have to finish this game without any followers then, I already spent too much time in the save, I should have looked into this issue way earlier.

[fauxpas]

Originally posted by NovaLight7:

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Best bet is reload to before she died.

Ill just have to finish this game without any followers then, I already spent too much time in the save, I should have looked into this issue way earlier.

Honestly without mods followers are more of a pain than they are worth.


I would try installing both the Unofficial Patch and Engine Fixes; although they aren't very effective with existing issues due to data being baked into your save they are still useful and helpful.


Engine Fixes re-enables achievements if you are worried about them.

[NovaLight7]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Originally posted by NovaLight7:

Ill just have to finish this game without any followers then, I already spent too much time in the save, I should have looked into this issue way earlier.

Honestly without mods followers are more of a pain than they are worth.


I would try installing both the Unofficial Patch and Engine Fixes; although they aren't very effective with existing issues due to data being baked into your save they are still useful and helpful.


Engine Fixes re-enables achievements if you are worried about them.

I dont know anything about that so Ill just have to investiage about it but thank for the info, this gives me a direction to where to go now

[SpeedFreak1972]

Well I never use followers, but if I do I use Inigo I think you can use him with a base game follower: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1461 just something to think about.

[Silent Protagonist]

not to mention lydia has the personality of a cinder block inigo actually acts like a real character and not an android

[Nabinkemper]

Other than a potential bug that has baked the code in regarding a follower (since you already tried the console command) and thereby messing up the save, is there a quest that you partially completed that added a follower?
For example, the Companion Questline when sent to Dustman's Cairn with Farkas. Any questline that adds a follower will lock this up.

[Altbert]

Lydia doesn't have a specific death script attached (WIDeadBodyCleanupScript), so she will never end up in the Hall of the Dead. But if an NPC has that script attached, they will never end up in the Hall of the Dead, only their inventory will in their coffin or urn, and their body is moved to a specific death cell. Lydia will be disabled and deleted after the cell in which she died resets, and she is actually removed from the game.

[smr1957]

Originally posted by Altbert:

Lydia doesn't have a specific death script attached (WIDeadBodyCleanupScript), so she will never end up in the Hall of the Dead. But if an NPC has that script attached, they will never end up in the Hall of the Dead, only their inventory will in their coffin or urn, and their body is moved to a specific death cell. Lydia will be disabled and deleted after the cell in which she died resets, and she is actually removed from the game.

Unless you have the Unofficial Patch, which adds it in for Lydia. One of those things I wonder how many people really notice.

[Altbert]

Originally posted by smr1957:

Unless you have the Unofficial Patch, which adds it in for Lydia. One of those things I wonder how many people really notice.

You're right, Steve! Though USSEP doesn't provide a coffin or urn for her in the Hall of the Dead. So, it seems OP isn't using USSEP, otherwise OP would have been teleported to either her body at the place she was killed (within 12 days after death) or to the death cell (after 12 days). USSEP, it's a must have!

[SpeedFreak1972]

in either way not much that can be done except go to an earlier save.

[NovaLight7]

Originally posted by Nabinkemper:

Other than a potential bug that has baked the code in regarding a follower (since you already tried the console command) and thereby messing up the save, is there a quest that you partially completed that added a follower?
For example, the Companion Questline when sent to Dustman's Cairn with Farkas. Any questline that adds a follower will lock this up.

I started that the quest but havent gone to the location to continue it, what will it lock? or do you mean I won't be able to progress through the quest?

[Nabinkemper]

If you haven't gone to Dustman's Cairn, then Farkas has been assigned to you. This will block you from being able to gain a new follower until you complete it.

EDIT: I found the above information in some old posts about the same issue you are having. I would say, run through the dungeon with Farkas (he is completely useless during the run). After its completed, and you're back in Whiterun, see if you can hire Janassa (she's usually in The Drunken Huntsman).

[Altbert]

Originally posted by NovaLight7:

Originally posted by Nabinkemper:

Other than a potential bug that has baked the code in regarding a follower (since you already tried the console command) and thereby messing up the save, is there a quest that you partially completed that added a follower?
For example, the Companion Questline when sent to Dustman's Cairn with Farkas. Any questline that adds a follower will lock this up.

I started that the quest but havent gone to the location to continue it, what will it lock? or do you mean I won't be able to progress through the quest?

You have to figure that out! Go to Dustman's Cairn and see if Farkas is there. Normally any permanent follower (such as Lydia) will be dismissed by temporary followers during Companions quests (Aela, Farkas, Vilkas). If Farkas is waiting for you in Dustman's Cairn, this means that Lydia is dismissed as a follower (even if she is dead) and you should be able to continue and complete the quest in Dustman's Cairn.

[NovaLight7]

Originally posted by Nabinkemper:

If you haven't gone to Dustman's Cairn, then Farkas has been assigned to you. This will block you from being able to gain a new follower until you complete it.

EDIT: I found the above information in some old posts about the same issue you are having. I would say, run through the dungeon with Farkas (he is completely useless during the run). After its completed, and you're back in Whiterun, see if you can hire Janassa (she's usually in The Drunken Huntsman).

Originally posted by Altbert:

Originally posted by NovaLight7:

I started that the quest but havent gone to the location to continue it, what will it lock? or do you mean I won't be able to progress through the quest?

You have to figure that out! Go to Dustman's Cairn and see if Farkas is there. Normally any permanent follower (such as Lydia) will be dismissed by temporary followers during Companions quests (Aela, Farkas, Vilkas). If Farkas is waiting for you in Dustman's Cairn, this means that Lydia is dismissed as a follower (even if she is dead) and you should be able to continue and complete the quest in Dustman's Cairn.

I will try that soon thank you guys! Ill let you know what happened once I have continued or finished the quest