Becoming a Vampire in Skyrim

Vampirism has made its way back in the latest Elder Scrolls release with a couple changes and here’s what you need to know about it.

Vampirism, known as the disease called Sanguinare Vampiris, takes three days to come in to effect, if you don’t wish to become a vampire it’s best you take a Cure Disease potion or find an altar quickly. Once you become a vampire you’ll notice a few changes like your character’s physical features and the new spells: Vampire’s Sight, Vampiric Drain, Vampire’s Servant, Vampire’s Seduction and Embrace of Shadows. There are of course advantages and disadvantages to becoming a vampire and it seems that sneak based characters will fair best with the disease of vampirism.

Becoming a Vampire

In order to become a vampire you need to find someone who has the vampirism disease. Vampires can be found in many caves and catacombs like Shriekwind Bastion and Broken Fang Cave. Once you find a vampire let them attack you, of course don’t let them kill you. While fighting a vampire look for the effect Sanguine Vampiris, if you have it let it incubate for 3 days. After 3 days you will officially become a vampire.

Advantages of Vampirism

Upon transformation you’ll become completely immune to disease and poison
Champion of the Night: Illusion spells are now 25% more powerful
Nightstalker’s Footsteps: You become 25% harder to detect while sneaking
Resistance to Frost

Disadvantages of Vampirism

People begin to hate you and in stage 4 of your vampirism they will begin to attack on sight of you.
The sunlight becomes your enemy, your stats in Magicka, Health and Stamina reduce and no longer automatically regenerate when in the sunlight.
Fire becomes a weakness

The Stages of Vampirism

If you do not keep up with your feeding you will a eventually advance through the 4 stages of vampirism. As you move through each stage your powers increase but so do your weaknesses.

Stage 1

Vampire’s Sight: You can Night Vision for 60 seconds
Vampiric Drain: Absorb 2 health per second from your enemies
Vampire’s Servant: Reanimate a create level 6 or less for 60 seconds
Magicka, Health and Stamina reduced by 15 points
25% weakness to fire
Resist Frost 25%

Stage 2:

Vampire’s Seduction: Creatures or Humans won’t fight or flee for 30 seconds
Vampiric Drain: Increases to 3 health per second
Vampire’s Servant: Increased level cap to 13 or less
Magicka, Health and Stamina reduced by 30 points
50% weakness to fire
Resist Frost 50%

Stage 3:

Vampiric Drain: Increases to 4 health per second
Vampire’s Servant: Increases level cap to 21 or less
Magicka, Health and Stamina reduced by 45 points
75% weakness to fire
Resist Frost 75%

Stage 4:

Vampiric Drain: Increases to 5 health per second
Vampire’s Servant: Increases level cap to 30 or less
Embrace of Shadows: Gain Vampire’s Sight and Invisibility for 3 minutes once per day.
Magicka, Health and Stamina reduced by 60 points
100% weakness to fire
Resist Frost 100%

Feeding as a Vampire

In order to maintain your vampirism you must feed on human blood. The easiest way to do this is to sneak up to sleeping citizens and drink from them. Once you get your fill you’ll revert back to stage 1 and the process begins all over again. Feeding also makes your character appear more “healthy” so that you can fit in to society a little better.

Curing Vampirism

There are two ways to cure vampirism. The first requires you to become a werewolf, once you do this your vampirism disappears. The other way requires a quest called Rising at Dawn, you can start this quest by speaking to a mage named Falion in Morthal. Vampirism can be contracted more than once even after you find the cure.