Becoming a vampire in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim unlocks a unique and immersive gameplay experience, blending stealth, magic, and dark powers. This beginner-friendly guide covers everything you need to know: how to become a vampire, the pros and cons, how to feed, how to cure the condition, and how to ascend to the mighty Vampire Lord form introduced in the Dawnguard DLC.

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Why Become a Vampire?

Vampirism grants access to powerful abilities and is particularly suited to stealthy or magic-oriented builds. However, it also comes with limitations—especially in daylight or without the Dawnguard expansion.

Benefits

• Unique Powers
  • Vampire’s Drain – A health-draining spell that scales with your vampiric stage
  • Vampire’s Servant – Reanimates a corpse to fight for you (improves at higher stages)
  • Vampire’s Sight – Night vision for 60 seconds
  • Vampire’s Seduction (Stage 2) – Calms an NPC, allowing you to feed on them while awake
  • Embrace of Shadows (Stage 4) – Grants invisibility for 180 seconds once per day
• Passive Bonuses
  • 100% immunity to disease and poison
  • Improved Sneak and Illusion spell effectiveness
  • Increasing Frost Resistance as you progress through stages

Drawbacks

• Weakness to Fire – Increased fire damage vulnerability
• Sunlight Debuffs – Severely reduced health, magicka, and stamina regeneration during the day
• Social Consequences – NPCs may treat you with suspicion; at Stage 4 (without Dawnguard), they attack on sight

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How to Become a Vampire

Becoming a vampire is a simple process:

1. Find Vampires – One early-game location is Haemar’s Shame, near Helgen.
2. Contract Sanguinare Vampiris – Let vampires hit you with Vampiric Drain. You’ll see a message confirming the disease.
3. Wait 3 In-Game Days – Without curing it, you’ll fully transform into a vampire and unlock your abilities.

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Vampirism Stages Explained

Vampirism progresses through four stages, each more powerful—and more punishing—than the last.

• Stage Advancement – Every 24 in-game hours without feeding increases your stage
• Stage Reset – Feeding on a sleeping NPC (or using Vampire’s Seduction at Stage 2) resets you to Stage 1

With Dawnguard, NPCs will no longer attack you on sight at Stage 4 unless you’re in Vampire Lord form.

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Feeding as a Vampire

Feeding helps you maintain lower vampiric stages and avoid severe penalties.

• How to Feed: Sneak up to a sleeping NPC and choose the “Feed” option
• Feeding While Awake: Use Vampire’s Seduction to pacify an NPC, then feed without killing them

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How to Cure Vampirism

Changed your mind? Here’s how to return to normal:

If Caught Early (Within 3 Days):

• Use a Cure Disease potion
• Activate any shrine
• Consume Hawk Feathers

After Full Transformation:

1. Ask an innkeeper about rumors to trigger the Rising at Dawn quest
2. Visit Falion in Morthal with a filled Black Soul Gem to complete the cure

Alternatively, becoming a werewolf through the Companions questline instantly cures vampirism.

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Becoming a Vampire Lord (Dawnguard DLC)

The Dawnguard DLC introduces the Vampire Lord, a powerful evolution of vampirism with its own skill tree and devastating abilities.

How to Become a Vampire Lord

• Join the Volkihar Clan during the Bloodline quest by accepting Lord Harkon’s gift
• Alternatively, refuse at first and accept later during the Chasing Echoes quest via Serana

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Vampire Lord Powers & Perks

Abilities

• Vampiric Drain (Enhanced) – Now drains health, magicka, and stamina
• Bat Form – Briefly transform into bats to dodge damage
• Raise Dead – Summon powerful undead allies

Skill Tree (Unlocked via killing in Vampire Lord form)

• Supernatural Reflexes – Slows time during attacks
• Night Cloak – Surround yourself with a bat swarm that damages enemies
• Corpse Curse, Power of the Grave, and more unique perks

Passive Bonuses

• Enhanced movement and survivability
• Water walking
• Resistance boosts and extra stats

Drawbacks

• Sunlight Weakness – Reduced stats in daylight
• Hostile NPCs – You’ll be attacked on sight in Vampire Lord form

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Conclusion

Vampirism in Skyrim offers an exciting twist on traditional gameplay. Whether you embrace the shadows as a standard vampire or rise as a Vampire Lord, you’ll gain access to unique powers, spells, and a completely different playstyle.

And if the darkness becomes too much? You can always return to the light.

Choose your path carefully, and rule the night, Dragonborn.

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