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Faendal is a Bosmer archer found in Riverwood. He works for Gerdur and Hod and can often be found doing work around the mill in Riverwood.

Interactions[]

Training[]

"I don't like to brag, but I once took down a bear at three hundred yards. In a blizzard."
―Faendal[src]

Faendal is an Adept-level Archery trainer, able to train the Dragonborn until level 50. He will offer this service even if the Dragonborn favors Sven instead of him in the quest A Lovely Letter.

A Lovely Letter[]

He is a potential follower after this quest's completion if the Dragonborn sides with him by either showing Camilla Faendal's fake letter or by exposing Sven's letter to her. Either gains the gratitude of Camilla as well as Faendal. After completing this quest, Faendal can be asked to follow the Dragonborn, and he will readily oblige.

Rebuilding the Blades[]

Faendal is one of the followers that can become a member of the Blades.

Steward[]

With the addition of Hearthfire, Faendal is one of the followers that can become a steward for one of the Dragonborn's homes.

Faendal's House[]

Faendal's House is located in Riverwood. Sometimes Faendal will not leave his house, leaving the door in an unlocked state. To fix this, re-enter and try again. It is possible to pickpocket Faendal's key, or if he is a follower, it may be taken from his inventory.

Exploits[]

Faendal

Faendal at Whiterun Stables

Archery[]

After taking Faendal on as a Follower, it is possible to receive free Archery training. Purchase the next training level up from Faendal, then speak with him to open the trade option. Take back the gold paid for training. This can be repeated up to five times per level, up to level 50 in Archery.

Pickpocket[]

As with any trainer, money given to him can be pickpocketed back. The total value of gold affects the success rate, as does the Cutpurse perk. This is another way to train both Archery and Pickpocket, but can only be used when he is not a follower, as the Pickpocket option is not available for followers.

Another way to steal from him safely is to reverse-pickpocket a paralyze poison into his inventory (which requires the Pickpocket perk, Poisoned). Wait in Sneak mode while he is paralyzed, then once the effect runs out and he starts standing up, pickpocket him, and he will not notice anything being taken from him.

Lockpicking[]

Faendal's house has an Apprentice level lock. To raise lockpicking, the key to his house will need to be returned, if it was taken. With Faendal following, pick the lock to his house, then go back outside. He will lock it again, resetting it so it may be picked again.

Follower[]

Faendal's Stats
Level 6–30
Health 92–292
Magicka 50
Stamina 83–243
Light Armor 28–66
Heavy Armor
Sneak 50
One-Handed
Two-Handed
Archery 35–87
Block
Alteration
Conjuration
Destruction
Restoration
Illusion
Enchanting
Speech
Lockpicking
Alchemy
Smithing
Pickpocket

Faendal seems to have a lawful disposition; when trespassing in residences, he will occasionally say, "You're not supposed to be in here" and he will refuse to enter dialogue and take orders until leaving the area. If ordered to attack a civilian or hold guard, he will say, "No. Not for you. Not for anyone." Also, if the Dragonborn enters combat with Hold Guards or Imperial Soldiers, he will join them in attacking the Dragonborn. This does not occur if he is hit by the Imperial Soldiers, as this will turn him hostile towards them.

Faendal will not search through a dead body, even if the body is from a bandit, dragon or other creatures. He will reply with "Can't do that. Sorry."

Faendal is competent with bows but often prefers to use daggers and swords if he has them. He will use the most damaging bow in his inventory at long range, the most damaging blade available at close range, and while at a mid-range (provided no obstacles) he tends to use any weapon with the highest damage.

Quotes[]

General quotes[]

  • "Greetings brother/sister Elf. Good to see a familiar face so far from home." – If the player is an Elf
  • "He's a bard, so he says. Occasionally he finds time to do his job here at the mill. Thinks his ballads and sonnets are going to convince Camilla Valerius to marry him. As if she would say 'yes.' An intelligent, beautiful woman like her wouldn't fall for that nonsense... I hope." – When asked what is his problem with Sven
  • "I appreciate your help. Please, take this. Some gold I've saved up from working at the mill." – If his side is taken in A Lovely Letter
  • "Riverwood's agreeable enough, I suppose. For a Nord village."
  • "There's beauty here unmatched in all of Skyrim, to be sure." – About Riverwood, referencing Camilla
  • "I don't need your jokes right now. But...maybe you have a point. Maybe Camilla needs some help to see Sven for what he really is." – When told "You're right. When have words ever inspired feelings of love?"

Follower quotes[]

  • "You go on ahead." – When told to wait
  • "There's a cave here. Think we should check it out?" – By a cave
  • "Look at those ruins. Think there's gold inside?" – Near a Nord tomb
  • "Was that some sort of... healing spell?"Healing spell is cast on him
  • "What do you want me to carry?" – When asked to trade
  • "I feel like I can beat anyone!"Courage

If the Dragonborn reads a Black Book when he is a follower:

  • "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
  • "Not again."
  • "I wish you would stop doing that."

Combat quotes[]

  • "I'll see you in pieces!"
  • "Show me what you've got!"
  • "Give up while you still can!"
  • "This is the part where you fall down and bleed to death!"

Trivia[]

  • Faendal is the only male Bosmer follower in Skyrim.
  • If the Dragonborn owns Breezehome and has purchased the alchemy lab, Faendal can occasionally be found using it, even if he is not a follower.
  • Should the Dragonborn give Camilla the fake letter and then kill her anytime afterwards, they will receive a letter and some gold from a courier, in addition to a letter from Faendal saying, "I know you killed her. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. In fact, I wanted to thank you. She will not be missed."
  • Faendal will occasionally visit Camilla Valerius no matter where she is. This means that even if the Dragonborn is married to her and they live in a home other than her own, Faendal may be found leaving the home as soon as the Dragonborn arrives, or traversing Skyrim on the way to or from it.
    • In the Dawnguard official add-on, if the Dragonborn has sided with the Dawnguard, they may get a quest from Florentius to rescue their spouse from a random location. If the Dragonborn has married Camilla, Faendal may be found dead upon arrival of the rescue location, having attempted to visit her.
    • If the Dragonborn helps Sven in the A Lovely Letter, then marries Camilla and moves to Proudspire Manor, Faendal may appear in Solitude and attack the Dragonborn and any guards on sight.
  • If Faendal is killed as a follower, the Dragonborn may receive a Letter of Inheritance from the courier.
  • If the Dragonborn helped Sven with the Miscellaneous Quest to give Camilla Valerius the fake letter, Faendal will send Hired Thugs, who will appear the next time the Dragonborn leaves a city hold and will attack on sight. The same is true if the Dragonborn helped Faendal, Sven will send hired thugs.
  • If the Dragonborn sides with Sven during the love-letter side quest, they may not be taught improved Archery skill by him afterward, and he will tell the Dragonborn, "you should be dead."
  • Faendal may be found wandering Skyrim randomly or slain by one of the many creatures he might encounter.
  • Faendal is voiced by Jon Curry, who is the voice actor of the "MaleEvenToned" voicetype such as Drevis Neloren and Malborn.
  • In Sven's Fake Letter from Faendal, it is stated that Faendal is part of the Aldmeri Dominion. However, this is just part of Sven's insult, as Faendal never mentions the Aldmeri Dominion, and openly courts a human female, Camilla Valerius.
  • If the player kills Faendal, they will receive a letter of thanks from Sven.

Bugs[]

This section contains bugs related to Faendal. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

  1. Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening.
  2. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
  3. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.
Click to show
  •  PC   360   PS3   Along with Delphine, Alvor, Sigrid and Gerdur, Faendal can attack the Dragonborn for no apparent reason. Yielding to a guard or fast traveling to a different hold can generally fix this.
  • Faendal may also become hostile for no apparent reason, but remain passive in follower mode until the Dragonborn attempts to speak to them. As above, this can be fixed by fast traveling to a different hold, but player will have to use terrain or a horse to put enough distance between them and Faendal to be able to fast travel.
  • If the Dragonborn has committed a witnessed crime in Riverwood, payed the fine, and returns to the Riverwood area, Faendal may permanently follow the player with his weapon drawn. He shouts things he would say while in battle, but he does not attack. This only happens if Faendal is not the Dragonborn's follower at the time.
  • When the Dragonborn enters Riverwood for the first time, Faendal may suddenly attack them.
  •  PC   360   PS3   Also when visiting for the first time, Faendal may very rarely be found dead in the center of town.
  • Faendal may occasionally use his Hunting Bow Bow instead of better weapons he has. This occurs with many followers who have their own hunting bow. To get him to re-equip the more powerful item, the Dragonborn must take it from him and then give it back, at which point he will equip it instead of his hunting bow. Unfortunately, this is not a permanent fix, as he will still randomly re-equip his hunting bow. Giving him a Forsworn Bow seems to fix the problem.
  •  360   Faendal may still come out of the Dragonborn's house as they arrive even if Camilla has been killed.
  • If he is given Forsworn Armor, it may become a part of his starting gear.
  • After being killed in battle, he may be found alive and well after many game days back in Riverwood.
  • Sometimes Faendal's face may become permanently stuck in a glitched position where his eyes are covered by his cheeks and his teeth will no longer be attached to his face
  •  360   Faendal may randomly stop following the Dragonborn, and sometimes even walks in the opposite direction, though he is still considered to be following. Fast-traveling seems to fix this.
  • He can appear behind the cage in "Rescue Mission."
  • If the Dragonborn enters a brawl, he will start chanting. If the brawl is not finished, he might continue to chant and back away when the Dragonborn approaches, even after the Dragonborn has walked away.
  •  360   Faendal may become afflicted with a carry weight glitch, where whenever he is dismissed the amount he is capable of carrying drops significantly. The only way to fix this on console versions (without commands) is to exploit the Wabbajack glitch.
  • If Faendal is in the middle of chopping wood and the Dragonborn asks him to follow, he may start walking around with the wood in his hands. Taking it out of his inventory will leave him stuck holding the wood. Telling him to part ways, then letting him finish whatever he was doing, and asking him to follow again should fix this.
  • Taking the keys to his house might cause him to disappear and never return, and the game will consider him dead.
  • Sometimes, when travelling to Riverwood with no bounty, he along with Gerdur, Alvor, and the guards posted there will begin to attack the Dragonborn. They can be killed with no bounty.
  • Sometimes when a cave is left after clearing it out with Faendal as the Dragonborn's follower, he will observe "Hey, there's a cave here, think we should check it out?"
  •  360   If Faendal is recruited to join the Blades, he may refuse to follow the player and if he is talked to will only offer idle comments such as, "Greetings, brother/sister elf." or, "I've sworn to rid Tamriel of dragons."
  • Sometimes, upon first meeting Faendal, he may have an increased disposition towards the Dragonborn and can be asked to follow him or her without starting A Lovely Letter.
  • Sometimes Faendal may walk around like he is carrying wood but have nothing in his hands.

Appearances[]

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