Is there a safe way to resurrect NPCs?

[ALV]

During a vampire attack in Morthal a few people "bravely" "aided" me in attacking the vamps but died in the process and since I really really don't like it when NPCs die I want to resurrect them but I heard that using console commands usually breaks things more than it fixes things

[Nabinkemper]

The best way is to reload a save prior to the attack. There is a chance that it won't even occur.

Additionally, using the mod 'run for your lives' will cause the NPCs to go home when vampires or dragons attack.

[Sairek Ceareste]

I mean, if using a console command to revive them would break stuff, then wouldn't any other method naturally do so as well?

Either way, other than going back in time via a save, the only way to do this is through the console command.

The only vanilla method is reanimating an NPC, but that just makes the NPC follow them around like a zombie, until the effect expires and they plop back to being a corpse, anyway.


If they're not essential and die, resurrecting them shouldn't break anything. However, you can also use the "recycleactor" command as well to revive an NPC from death. This is different from the resurrect command, as it resets the NPC to their default state, reviving them, resetting dialogue, equipping their default weapon, etc.

Just make sure not to use it on yourself.

[smr1957]

See the following for definitive information regarding using the console and why it should not be used to bring back unique NPCs:

Regarding Use of Console Commands
https://steamcommunity.com/app/489830/discussions/0/174109439048♥♥♥♥350/


- and as regards using the resurrect comand specifically, scroll down until you see the following

"ALSO:
Player.placeatme and Resurrect
Two commands that should never be used on unique NPCs."

Gives complete information as to why unique NPCs should never be resurrected using the console

Linked topic is from the following section of the PINNED TOPIC Helpful Links and References:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2882871440

[Fluffy_Llama]

Ive used the resurrect command on NPCs in Riften who died to a dragon attack inside the city and i noticed while alive they never returned to their normal AI packages of being store keepers so best to reload a older save as mentioned before.

[smr1957]

Originally posted by Fluffy_Llama:

Ive used the resurrect command on NPCs in Riften who died to a dragon attack inside the city and i noticed while alive they never returned to their normal AI packages of being store keepers so best to reload a older save as mentioned before.

This, in a nutshell. It's explained completely in the link I posted, but it basically boils down to this (and various other potential glitches - some far worse).

[Altbert]

These type of conversations, to say at least, have always bothered me. And, this is really the first time I joined into the conversation since Oldrim, keeping a low profile on this subject ever since. After all these years I think it's very well possible to "resurrect" some unique NPCs, but certainly not all, and you have to use additional measures to keep those NPC alive and in game. You just need to know the situation a particular NPC is in (being an alias in a quest, having "death" scripts attached, etc.). Some scripts are executed on death and can't be reversed, such are family and friends mourning or receiving a heritage by courier. Not ground breaking but certainly not immersive. Also, if you're not taking the appropriate measures, either by console or by a mod, the resurrect NPC will disappear from the game anyway after a certain amount of time.

I know it's general practice to say you should never resurrect unique NPCs after they have died. True!! Very true, at least if you don't know what you're doing! And, if you don't know what you are doing load a save before those NPCs was killed and try to save them.

I have tested this for several years with over 60 unique NPCs without issues, but with the proper measures!

If you don't what measures to take, just stick to the advice given before!

[Synopse]

Originally posted by Altbert:

These type of conversations, to say at least, have always bothered me. And, this is really the first time I joined into the conversation since Oldrim, keeping a low profile on this subject ever since. After all these years I think it's very well possible to "resurrect" some unique NPCs, but certainly not all, and you have to use additional measures to keep those NPC alive and in game. You just need to know the situation a particular NPC is in (being an alias in a quest, having "death" scripts attached, etc.). Some scripts are executed on death and can't be reversed, such are family and friends mourning or receiving a heritage by courier. Not ground breaking but certainly not immersive. Also, if you're not taking the appropriate measures, either by console or by a mod, the resurrect NPC will disappear from the game anyway after a certain amount of time.

I know it's general practice to say you should never resurrect unique NPCs after they have died. True!! Very true, at least if you don't know what you're doing! And, if you don't know what you are doing load a save before those NPCs was killed and try to save them.

I have tested this for several years with over 60 unique NPCs without issues, but with the proper measures!

If you don't what measures to take, just stick to the advice given before!

This. Console commands requires a lot of knowledge to make sure you do it right. That's why most people put warnings. At the end we are all able to make our own decisions on that topic.

[ALV]

Alrighty from the posts I've read I decided to just bite my lip and go back a few saves rather than to mess with the console. Thx everyone for all the helpful advice!

[Valden21]

Originally posted by ALV:

Alrighty from the posts I've read I decided to just bight my lip and go back a few saves rather than to mess with the console. Thx everyone for all the helpful advice!

That's generally considered the safest way to do it.

[Squall]

Originally posted by ALV:

During a vampire attack in Morthal a few people "bravely" "aided" me in attacking the vamps but died in the process and since I really really don't like it when NPCs die I want to resurrect them but I heard that using console commands usually breaks things more than it fixes things

Safe resurrecting is not possible.
When an NPC dies, he gets flagged as dead and the scripts running for that NPC are stopped. So the resurrected NPC will most likely be broken.
The only safe option always will be to reload a save before this happened.

[Altbert]

Originally posted by Squall:

Safe resurrecting is not possible.
When an NPC dies, he gets flagged as dead and the scripts running for that NPC are stopped. So the resurrected NPC will most likely be broken.
The only safe option always will be to reload a save before this happened.

Not entirely true! This "death-flag" is set to true when a unique NPC has died, but set to NOT true when this NPC has been resurrected. Only in a few known occassions the game uses the "death-flag" and resurrection (Gulum-Ei, Logrolf the Willful and some members of the Severin family). In other cases the game will use the "death cell" to check if an NPC has died (as stated by the devs in one of the death scripts). There is far more to it than just using the resurrect command to get an NPC alive and kicking in game.

Say you have befriended Nazeem (?). You have killed Nazeem and resurrected him. As a friend you would still receive a small heritage and Ahlam would be mourning some time. These things are scripted and can't be reversed. If you leave Whiterum, Nazeem would still be moved to the "death-cell", either alive or dead after some time. To keep him alive, you would have to be in the same same cell as Nazeem all the time (keep Nazeem 3D loaded)! But that would be very difficult as Nazeem will leave the city to go to his farm or enter the Drunken Huntsman and by entering an other exterior or interior cell scripts can immediately be executed.

In general, if you don't know what you are doing, don't use console commands!

[smr1957]

Even if think you do know, it is not safe to resurrect unique NPCs once the game has recorded they are dead. The fact is that Albert is mistaken about some things. The info is in the linked thread concerning console commands, and there are some things which about how the game handles things in the save that Albert is not taking into account - or does not quite fully understand as regards to how the game records death in the saves.

[Altbert]

I'm pretty sure I understand how the game records deaths in the saves. In the Change Forms Table in the save file a Change Form flag is used: 0x00000400 CHANGE_ACTOR_LIFESTATE, That flag can be set to 0 or 1, and is not permanently set to either value. A few years ago we have showed that this flag can change within a save and between saves. You can check this with 2 console commands:

GetDeadCount <BaseID>
<RefID>.GetDead

That flag is, as far as known, the only indication of recording an NPC's death, stored in ACHR record of the Change Forms Table, and referring to the NPC_ record, also in the Change Forms Table. As the name of this table already suggests, all data in those records can change and will constantly change during gameplay.

But, I agree that nobody should use the resurrect command without doing proper research. If you don't want to do some research, don't use that command.

[Alex]

Many quests also respond to a NPCs death, and you can't undo quest stages.

That means that the only NPCs which are "safe" to resurrect are the non-unique ones, which aren't involved in any quests or aren't merchants. But then, why even bother? So, simply let them rest in peace.

[Altbert]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2784458231