Can Serana Turn You into a Vampire in Skyrim?
Yes, the vampire follower Serana offers to turn you into a powerful Vampire Lord during the early Dawnguard DLC questline. She presents this as an option to meet the requirement of being "dead" in order to enter the Soul Cairn realm. This guide will cover everything you need to know about receiving Serana‘s dark gift.
Overview of Vampire Lords
Vampire Lords are an advanced form of vampirism in Skyrim that have a unique skillset and playstyle. According to UESP, some key points:
- Gain access to the Vampire Lord transformation power
- Open up vampire and hemomancy focused skill trees
- Resistances to frost, disease, paralysis etc.
- Special vampiric drain, illusion, and reanimation spells
- Weakness to fire damage
- NPCs will comment on vampiric appearance
When transformed into a Vampire Lord, you take on a monstrous winged form with razor sharp claws for powerful melee combat. It offers a very distinct playstyle and set of abilities.
Should You Let Serana Turn You?
Whether to let Serana turn you into a vampire lord is an important roleplaying decision that also impacts gameplay. Here are some key considerations:
Gameplay Impacts
- Powerful form but costs magicka to maintain – The Vampire Lord grants major buffs and new abilities, but drains magicka, requiring occasional recasting of the transformation.
- New skill trees and progression – Access to unique Vampire Lord and Hemomancy skill trees for new progression. Learn drain life, illusion, and reanimation abilities.
- Challenging drawbacks – Weakness to fire damage, NPC aversion to vampirism, and stage 4 blood starvation effects provide an added challenge.
- Rewards vampiric gameplay – Companion quests, side activities, loot and general gameplay cater more to a vampiric character.
Roleplaying Considerations
- Unique storyline content – Opportunity for new dialog, interactions, and content focused around vampirism.
- Evil/corrupted path – A chance to walk a darker path more aligned with many vampire story tropes.
- Cure still possible – You can still opt to ultimately cure your vampirism later on if desired.
Should You Do It As a Dawnguard?
If you‘re playing as a Dawnguard vampire hunter, becoming a Vampire Lord may seem counterintuitive but still offers some unique benefits:
- Gain perspective on both sides of the conflict
- Opportunity to infiltrate and spy on the Volkihar vampires
- With effort, can ultimately cure yourself and return to the Dawnguard
- Chance to walk a redemption arc from corrupted Dawnguard to savior
Abilities Gained as a Vampire Lord
The Vampire Lord transformation grants the following abilities according to Steam community guides:
| Ability | Effect |
|---|---|
| Vampiric Drain | Absorb health, magicka and stamina from enemies |
| Summon Gargoyle | Summons allied gargoyle to fight for you |
| Vampiric Grip | Telekinetically grips, damages and moves enemies |
| Bats | Transform into swarm of bats to move faster |
| Detect All Creatures | Detect all creatures even through walls |
| Corpse Curse | Curses victims to rise as allies after death |
| Mist Form | Transform into invulnerable mist to escape |
These abilities support a very mobile and drain-focused combat style. You have the tools to siphon enemies health, enhance mobility and detection, crowd control groups, and even swell your ranks with reanimated dead.
Final Verdict
While becoming a Vampire Lord impacts the challenge and roleplaying of the game, the pros outweigh the cons in terms of unique abilities and gameplay opportunities gained.
The effects can also be reversed later if desired. So for players seeking a more exotic path I recommend accepting Serana‘s dark gift! Just be warned the road of the vampire is not an easy one.
Let me know if you have any other questions about having Serana turn you into a powerful Vampire Lord!
