Eternal Love: A Step-by-Step Guide to Turning Your Spouse into a Vampire in Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC

Ah, Skyrim, a land of dragons, draugr, and… marital bliss? For some Dragonborns, the bonds of matrimony are just the beginning. Perhaps you’ve found your soulmate, a steadfast companion who’s pledged their life to you, and now you’re looking for ways to, shall we say, *enhance* that commitment. Look no further, for this guide will walk you through the intricate steps of turning your beloved spouse into a creature of the night, a vampire, using the powers granted by the Dawnguard DLC.

Before we delve into the dark heart of this endeavor, it’s crucial to understand the prerequisites, the risks, and the rewards (or at least, the *unique* relationship dynamic) you’re about to embark upon. This isn’t a simple quest; it requires planning, patience, and a touch of… disregard for conventional morality.

Understanding the Mechanics: How Vampirism Works in Skyrim

Before attempting to turn your spouse, it’s important to understand how vampirism functions in Skyrim, particularly with the Dawnguard DLC installed. Vampirism is a disease called Sanguinare Vampiris, which, if left untreated, will turn a person into a vampire. The Dawnguard DLC adds the ability to become a Vampire Lord through a questline, which provides a completely different set of powers, perks, and transformations. This guide focuses on the standard vampire transformation process, not turning them into a Vampire Lord (which unfortunately isn’t possible for your spouse, but we can make them a powerful vampire underling). A regular vampire is created via a bite from another vampire (or through other in-game events). The first stage of the disease is not vampirism yet; it’s still curable by any potion that removes diseases. So, speed is key here.

Unlike becoming a Vampire Lord, becoming a standard vampire through infection has several negative consequences, such as a weakened constitution in daylight, a reduction in maximum health, magicka, and stamina in daylight, and a hostile reaction from some NPCs if their condition progresses too far. Your spouse will experience all these as well. So, there’s a need for careful planning and an understanding that your spouse will experience changes. Your spouse won’t, sadly, get access to Vampire Lord powers.

Prerequisites: Preparing for the Transformation

Before you attempt to turn your spouse into a creature of the night, several crucial steps are needed. These steps are designed to maximize your chances of success and minimize any potential complications:

1. Get Married: Obviously, you need a spouse. Choose wisely. Skyrim offers a diverse range of potential partners. Characters like Ysolda, Aela the Huntress, Mjoll the Lioness, and many more are available to be courted and wed. They all react similarly to vampirism. Your chosen spouse will also follow you into combat if needed, and while they will not benefit from all of the Vampire benefits, their increased strength and general vampire status will make them a formidable ally.
2. Acquire the Dawnguard DLC: This DLC is essential as it introduces the vampire mechanics and also provides more vampires to encounter. Without it, your options for infection are limited, so ensure the DLC is activated in your game before starting.
3. Locate a suitable Vampire Location: Vampires are found in various places in Skyrim, and the frequency of finding them increases the more you engage in the Dawnguard Questline. Locations like Movarth’s Lair, Haemar’s Shame, or specific crypts you encounter during the Dawnguard questline are excellent places to find vampires, but you can easily find them in any common dungeon. Remember, not all vampires have the ability to transmit Sanguinare Vampiris. It is often the more powerful vampires, and Vampire Lords in particular, who are capable of passing the disease through their attacks. Regular weak vampires may not infect. Your best bet is to find a dungeon that contains many vampires and have your spouse follow you.
4. Plan for Healing Diseases: You will need to go to a Shrine to cure your spouse in case the vampirism is cured by accident or on purpose. These shrines can be found all over Skyrim in temples. Ensure you know where the nearest ones are. You’ll be utilizing these to your advantage. Also, make sure you have a stock of potions that cure disease in your inventory for yourself if you get infected by accident.
5. Stock up on Buffs: Combat will be required, both for your spouse to get infected and for you to keep your spouse alive. Before beginning, make sure you have potions and enchantments that buff your armor, damage, or health. You will want to make this process as smooth as possible.

The Transformation Process: A Detailed Walkthrough

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork, let’s get to the exciting part – transforming your spouse into a vampire. This process requires careful management and a bit of risk. It’s crucial to remember that once your spouse contracts Sanguinare Vampiris, they’ll progress to full vampirism within three in-game days unless a cure is administered.

1. Lead Your Spouse to the Vampires: Begin by bringing your spouse to your chosen vampire lair. It’s essential that they follow you closely. If they’re not with you, they won’t be exposed to the needed attacks. Ensure you’re ready for a fight and have a good plan for keeping your spouse alive.
2. Engage the Vampires and Position Your Spouse: Once you’ve found some vampires, aggro them, and make sure they are attacking you. Then, position your spouse close to the fighting, but still at a safe distance where they will not be downed too quickly. The objective is for them to get hit by the Vampires as much as possible without dying. Try to stay out of their way and focus on keeping them alive. If your spouse does not get attacked by the vampires, aggro the vampires until they do, ensuring that you are between your spouse and the vampires at all times so that the main aggro stays on you.
3. Check for Sanguinare Vampiris: Now, after a fair amount of fighting, open up your menu and navigate to the active effects tab. Scroll down and check your spouse’s active effects to see if they have the disease. If they have not contracted Sanguinare Vampiris after multiple attempts, it may be necessary to either leave and rest for a day or find a new dungeon with more vampires. If they have contracted the disease, that means that the vampires have been successful.
4. Wait, Cure, or Progress: If your spouse has the disease, you now have a choice: you can either immediately cure it or let it progress. If you choose to cure it, do so immediately using potions or a shrine. If you want them to become a vampire, wait for 3 days. You must note that when you are waiting, you will be exposed to the sunlight. It is very easy for your spouse to die from sunlight exposure. Make sure to wait indoors or in a shady area so that you do not accidentally lose your spouse in this part of the process.
5. Observe Your New Vampire Spouse: After three in-game days of not treating the disease, your spouse will become a vampire. They will now be subject to the same changes as a normal vampire. If they are not, something went wrong, and you will need to repeat the process again.

The Consequences and How to Live with a Vampire Spouse

Having a vampire spouse comes with its own set of challenges, but also potential advantages, if you are role-playing. Here are some things you should expect:

• Sunlight Weakness: Your spouse will be weaker during daylight hours. If left in direct sunlight, they will take constant health damage and can die very quickly. It is essential to keep your spouse indoors or to wait until night time to go out. If you are planning on doing a quest that requires you to be outside in the sun, consider asking your spouse to wait indoors or to go at night time.
• Reactions from NPCs: As your spouse will now be a vampire, they might elicit some negative reactions from NPCs. Some will not trade with them and might react violently if your spouse is caught feeding. You will need to be careful about where you take your spouse. It’s best to keep them indoors or in less populated areas, to avoid issues. This doesn’t happen that often, however.
• Combat Assistance: On the other hand, your spouse will become much stronger at night, thanks to their new vampiric powers. They can now be a more potent ally in combat, dealing increased damage to enemies. This is the biggest advantage. Your spouse will be more powerful and a better fighter in general.
• Feeding: Your spouse will likely now be seeking blood. While your spouse will likely feed while you’re sleeping, you might find yourself a target if they are not able to do so. The easiest way to deal with this is to feed your spouse regularly by letting them feast on enemies.

Potential Issues and Troubleshooting

Turning your spouse into a vampire isn’t without its challenges. Here are some common problems and solutions:

• Spouse Not Contracting the Disease: If your spouse isn’t contracting Sanguinare Vampiris, try increasing their exposure to vampire attacks. Try different dungeons, make sure your spouse is close to the vampires, and that the vampires are actively attacking both of you. It is easier to get your spouse infected with a Vampire Lord attack or other high level vampires, as they inflict the disease easier than common vampires. You can also try waiting a day and then trying again to reset the encounters.
• Spouse Dies During the Process: If your spouse dies while trying to become a vampire, load a previous save. You must remember to keep your spouse’s health in check at all times, and keep them safe from all the different attacks. If you do not, your spouse will die.
• Spouse Goes Hostile: In very rare cases, your spouse might go hostile after turning into a vampire. This is usually a bug, and you will need to load a previous save and repeat the process. There are some mods to fix this bug as well.
• Spouse Can’t Follow You Through Doors: Sometimes, followers can have issues following the player through doors. Try fast traveling to the nearest location, which might solve the issue. If not, reload a previous save. This is an issue with the game and not vampirism.

Modifications and Enhancements

While the vanilla experience is fulfilling, you might want to consider using mods to enhance your vampire spouse experience. Some recommended mods include:

• Better Vampires: A mod that overhauls the vampire system, making it more immersive and balanced. This mod affects you as well as your spouse.
• Relationship Dialogue Overhaul: Adds new dialogue options and interactions with your spouse, which can be helpful when you have to deal with their vampirism.
• Follower Overhaul Mods: These mods enhance your follower experience and allow you to more easily manage your spouse.

Conclusion: An Eternal Bond

Turning your spouse into a vampire in Skyrim is a challenging but rewarding endeavor. It requires careful planning, patience, and a willingness to embrace the darker side of Tamriel. While your new spouse will be subjected to the same downsides of vampirism, they will also become a more powerful and resilient partner. In the end, it’s a testament to the lengths a Dragonborn will go to in their pursuit of eternal love and companionship, even if that means a bit of undeath. So go forth, Dragonborn, and may your love endure through the ages, in both life and undeath.