Curing Vampirism in Skyrim: A Comprehensive Guide
Vampirism in Skyrim can be a thrilling experience, granting you potent powers and abilities. However, the downsides, such as vulnerability to sunlight and the need to feed on blood, can become cumbersome and even detrimental to your gameplay. Fortunately, Skyrim offers a reliable method to cure yourself of vampirism. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process, ensuring you can return to your mortal form.
## Understanding Vampirism in Skyrim
Before diving into the cure, it’s essential to understand how vampirism works in Skyrim. You contract vampirism through a disease called Sanguinare Vampiris, typically from encounters with vampires in caves, crypts, and other dark locations. Initially, you’ll only experience the first stage of vampirism, where the effects are minimal. However, if left untreated for three in-game days, the disease will progress into full-blown vampirism.
### Stages of Vampirism
There are four stages of vampirism in Skyrim, each with increasing effects:
* **Stage 1:** Weakness to fire (25%), increased sneaking ability, and resistance to disease. You can still blend in with society and feed on sleeping victims without being detected.
* **Stage 2:** Weakness to fire (50%), increased sneaking ability, resistance to disease, and NPCs may start commenting on your appearance.
* **Stage 3:** Weakness to fire (75%), increased sneaking ability, resistance to disease, NPCs will actively avoid you, and you’ll be forced to feed on blood to avoid advancing to the next stage.
* **Stage 4:** Weakness to fire (100%), increased sneaking ability, resistance to disease, NPCs will attack you on sight, and you must feed regularly to survive. You gain potent vampire abilities, but at a significant cost.
### Benefits of Vampirism (Before Curing)
While the negative effects can be severe, vampirism also offers some powerful benefits:
* **Increased Strength and Health:** Vampires gain bonuses to their Strength and Health, enhancing their combat prowess.
* **Night Vision:** The Night Vision ability allows you to see clearly in dark environments.
* **Vampiric Drain:** This spell drains health from your enemies, sustaining you in combat.
* **Vampire Lord Transformation (Dawnguard DLC):** If you have the Dawnguard DLC, you can transform into a powerful Vampire Lord, gaining access to unique abilities and powers.
Despite these benefits, many players eventually choose to cure their vampirism due to the social stigma, constant need to feed, and vulnerability to sunlight.
## Methods for Curing Vampirism
There are two primary methods for curing vampirism in Skyrim:
1. **Curing Sanguinare Vampiris (Early Stages):** If you catch Sanguinare Vampiris before it progresses into full vampirism, you can cure it with a simple remedy.
2. **Curing Full Vampirism (Advanced Stages):** Once you become a full vampire, you’ll need to undertake a quest to find a cure.
We’ll cover both methods in detail below.
## Curing Sanguinare Vampiris (Early Stages)
If you’ve just been infected with Sanguinare Vampiris and haven’t yet become a full vampire, curing it is relatively straightforward. You have a three-day window to take action before the disease progresses.
### Methods to Cure Sanguinare Vampiris:
* **Potion of Cure Disease:** The most common and readily available method is to use a Potion of Cure Disease. These potions can be purchased from alchemists, found in chests, or crafted at an alchemy lab using the following ingredients:
* Charred Skeever Hide
* Felsaad Tern Feathers (Dragonborn DLC)
* Mudcrab Chitin
* Vampire Dust
* **Praying at a Shrine:** You can visit any shrine dedicated to the Divines (e.g., Talos, Mara, Akatosh) and pray. This will cure all diseases, including Sanguinare Vampiris.
* **Becoming a Werewolf:** If you embrace lycanthropy (becoming a werewolf) through The Companions questline, you’ll be cured of all diseases, including Sanguinare Vampiris. However, this will replace vampirism with lycanthropy, which has its own set of effects and gameplay mechanics. It is a permanent change, unless you also cure your lycanthropy later.
### Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. **Identify the Disease:** Check your active effects in the Magic menu to confirm that you have Sanguinare Vampiris.
2. **Acquire a Cure:** Obtain a Potion of Cure Disease, visit a Divine shrine, or become a werewolf.
3. **Apply the Cure:**
* **Potion:** Drink the Potion of Cure Disease.
* **Shrine:** Interact with the shrine and select the option to pray.
* **Werewolf:** Complete The Companions questline to become a werewolf.
4. **Verify the Cure:** Check your active effects again to ensure that Sanguinare Vampiris is no longer listed.
If you act quickly, curing Sanguinare Vampiris is a simple process that prevents you from becoming a full vampire.
## Curing Full Vampirism (Advanced Stages)
If you’ve progressed to any of the four stages of vampirism, you’ll need to undertake a quest to find a cure. This involves seeking the help of Falion, a mage residing in Morthal.
### The Quest: Rising at Dawn
The quest to cure full vampirism is called “Rising at Dawn.” Here’s a detailed walkthrough:
#### 1. Talk to Innkeepers and Citizens
The first step is to speak with innkeepers or other citizens. They will comment on your appearance and direct you to Falion in Morthal. Any innkeeper or citizen who recognizes you as a vampire will trigger the quest.
* **Example Dialogue:** “Have you seen yourself lately? You look… unwell. Maybe you should talk to Falion in Morthal. He knows about these things.”
#### 2. Travel to Morthal and Find Falion
Morthal is a small town located in the swampy Hjaalmarch region. It’s situated north of Whiterun and west of Windhelm. Once you arrive, locate Falion’s house, which is typically on the outskirts of town. Falion can usually be found inside his home or wandering around the town.
#### 3. Speak with Falion
Talk to Falion and explain your condition. He will reveal that he knows a way to cure vampirism, but it requires a special ritual.
* **Falion’s Dialogue:** “Ah, yes, I see your affliction. Vampirism is a curse, but not one without a cure. I can help you, but it requires a specific ritual.”
#### 4. Obtain a Black Soul Gem
Falion will instruct you to acquire a Black Soul Gem. This is a special type of Soul Gem that can trap human souls. You can purchase a Black Soul Gem directly from Falion for a price.
* **Falion’s Dialogue:** “First, you’ll need a Black Soul Gem. I can sell you one, or you can find one yourself. But be warned, trapping souls is a dark practice.”
If you choose to find one yourself, Black Soul Gems can sometimes be found in the possession of necromancers, in their lairs, or as random loot in dungeons. However, purchasing one from Falion is the easiest and most reliable method.
#### 5. Fill the Black Soul Gem
To fill the Black Soul Gem, you must trap a human soul. This requires the Soul Trap spell or an enchanted weapon with the Soul Trap enchantment. Cast Soul Trap on a human enemy (bandits, hostile mages, etc.) and kill them while the spell is active. If successful, the Black Soul Gem will be filled.
* **Using the Soul Trap Spell:**
1. Acquire the Soul Trap spell. You can purchase it from magic vendors or find it in spell tomes.
2. Equip the Soul Trap spell.
3. Cast Soul Trap on a human target.
4. Kill the target while the Soul Trap effect is active.
* **Using a Soul Trap Enchantment:**
1. Obtain a weapon with the Soul Trap enchantment. You can find these weapons as loot or enchant one yourself using the Soul Trap enchantment.
2. Equip the weapon.
3. Kill a human target with the weapon.
Ensure that you kill a human target. Killing animals or creatures will not fill the Black Soul Gem.
#### 6. Return to Falion
Once you have a filled Black Soul Gem, return to Falion in Morthal. He will be waiting near a summoning circle north of Morthal, usually at dawn or dusk. If he’s not there, wait until the appropriate time and check again.
#### 7. Participate in the Ritual
Speak to Falion. He will take the filled Black Soul Gem and perform the ritual to cure your vampirism. The ritual involves a short animation, and afterward, you will be cured.
* **Falion’s Dialogue:** “You have the filled Black Soul Gem. Excellent. Now, stand here, and I will begin the ritual.”
#### 8. Verify the Cure
After the ritual, check your active effects to confirm that you are no longer a vampire. You should no longer have any vampire-related abilities or weaknesses.
### Important Considerations for the Quest:
* **Time of Day:** Falion typically performs the ritual at dawn or dusk. Ensure you meet him near the summoning circle at the correct time.
* **Feeding:** If you are at Stage 4 vampirism, NPCs will attack you on sight. You may need to feed on blood to lower your stage of vampirism temporarily, allowing you to travel to Morthal without being attacked. Alternatively, use invisibility potions or spells to avoid detection.
* **Werewolf Complications:** If you are a werewolf, you must cure your lycanthropy first before you can be cured of vampirism. You can cure lycanthropy by completing The Companions questline and then seeking a cure in the Underforge. However, curing lycanthropy involves its own set of quests and challenges.
* **Dawnguard DLC:** If you have the Dawnguard DLC and have embraced the Vampire Lord form, curing vampirism will remove your Vampire Lord abilities. If you wish to retain these abilities, you should carefully consider whether you want to cure yourself.
## Post-Cure Considerations
After curing your vampirism, there are a few things to keep in mind:
* **NPC Reactions:** NPCs will no longer react negatively to your presence, and you can freely interact with them without fear of being attacked.
* **Sunlight Vulnerability:** You will no longer be vulnerable to sunlight, allowing you to explore Skyrim during the day without penalty.
* **Abilities and Powers:** You will lose all vampire-related abilities and powers, including Night Vision, Vampiric Drain, and any bonuses to Strength and Health.
* **Restoring Attributes:** If your attributes (Health, Magicka, Stamina) were reduced due to vampirism, they will gradually restore to their normal levels over time.
## Preventing Future Vampirism
Once you’ve gone through the trouble of curing vampirism, you’ll likely want to avoid contracting it again. Here are some tips to prevent future infections:
* **Resist Magic:** Increasing your Resist Magic skill reduces your chances of contracting diseases, including Sanguinare Vampiris.
* **Resist Disease Potions:** Consuming potions that grant resistance to disease can protect you from contracting Sanguinare Vampiris.
* **Avoid Vampire Encounters:** Be cautious when exploring areas known to be inhabited by vampires, such as caves, crypts, and castles.
* **Cure Disease Quickly:** If you do contract Sanguinare Vampiris, cure it immediately using a Potion of Cure Disease or by praying at a shrine.
* **Become a Werewolf:** If you are absolutely sure you don’t want to be a vampire again, becoming a werewolf prevents you from contracting vampirism. However, this is a significant decision, as it replaces vampirism with lycanthropy.
## Conclusion
Curing vampirism in Skyrim is a challenging but rewarding endeavor. Whether you choose to use a simple potion in the early stages or undertake the quest to seek Falion’s help, the process allows you to reclaim your mortal life and explore Skyrim without the constraints of vampirism. By following this comprehensive guide, you can successfully cure yourself and enjoy the game on your own terms. Remember to consider the benefits and drawbacks of vampirism before making your decision, and take the necessary precautions to prevent future infections.
Enjoy your renewed freedom in the world of Skyrim!