Long story short: the game is registering that I have a companion. I don't. I'm on the Xbox One for Skyrim.

Long version: I tried to get Vilkas to follow my Redguard along for a couple missions and not only did it glitch out my Purity quest for him and Farkas completely (i.e. made them completed and they aren't) but now, I have a phantom follower that I can't ditch so I can actually have a follower. Every time I walk up to someone I've befriended and ask them to follow me, I get told I have someone already when I don't.

I've gone through a myriad of solutions and I can't find the specific quests that make people replace your followers nor do I have immediate access to the Dark Brotherhood to try that fix.

Any ideas or help or do I need to scrap my Redguard and remake him? I'm not too far in, I'm just not looking forward to the tedious af beginning of Skyrim.

You may be able to fix the problem with Aela's help, but it will require you to keep getting tasks from her until you get a specific quest which she will accompany you on.

From here.

However, if you have purified yourself and are no longer a werewolf, you can no longer get the Totems of Hircine quests from her. Also, you won't be able to use this fix if you have already retrieved all the totems.

I hadn't even thought of those quests, omg. I'll have to try those.

Well it's a good start if you haven't already done them. Good luck! Hope that fixes it for you. c:

Can I hug you? This hadn't even occurred to me yet, I was looking for other NPCs that replace but I hadn't even thought of Aela. It fixed my glitch instantly.

Haha sure? xD Glad to hear it worked out for you!

If you run into any other bugs, the UESP can be great help. Might not always have a fix, but it's a good place to check if something seems like it's not working right.

clinghugs XD

I'll keep that in mind, yes. It's a big game, things happen. I'm just so new yet to this technically despite having had the game for the better part of five years.

Oh, I've played Skryim since the original release on Xbox 360. Still run into new things sometimes! xD

I bet the Switch version will bring some new bugs with it too. Especially since they've added motion control (that's actually tempted me into buying the game for the third time though xD).

Glad you got it working. Not a bad idea to use Aela to fix that glitch. c:

I remember during my first play through, I fell in love with Serana(vampire. Not sure if you've encountered her since shes from the Dawnguard dlc) and took her with me legit everywhere. When I was in a dungeon I told her to stay in one area while I took care of something. When I went back I lost the ability to have her rejoin me lol. Glitch made me panic. I had to load an old save and redo the whole dungeon(after leaving her somewhere else).

I have Skyrim for my Xbox One so I have all the DLC stuff. Serana is seriously my favorite companion. I lost her several times and once in that one bit towards the end whenever you're going around with that initiate's pitcher. I was heartbroken. I found her again and I just got her on my Redguard's playthrough.

Yup that definitely sounds about right. Sucks when you get such crappy glitches but sadly that's always been the case with Skyrim. I cant really blame them though because the game itself is huge.

Also sucks you cant actually marry Serana in the game. I have a mod that might work but I need to wait till I get far enough into the Dawnguard storyline to even test it lol. Somehow I doubt I will get that lucky.

All my favorite charries cannot be married. Such a bummer.

Easily, the best one I've gotten so far right now is that I made my Redguard a vampire, right? He has heterochromia and the lighter eye is constantly glitching out between orange, his normal color (gold for that side) and the full vampire eye. It's lent itself to neat screencaps.

UHG, I wanna marry Serana. She would be my first choice, Bryn would be the second.

Lol did the vampirism actually take? I was trying a race mod through bethesda and the vamp blood didn't work. I didn't get the red eyes or the need to drink. Got all the perks tho. Broke the vampire quests. I was a vampire Lord but not recognized as one

I do know there is a mod for Bryn(he's my other choice too. Him, Vilkas and Farkas) but I haven't tested that one either. Something I set wanna try tho lol

It always takes for me and I get this fascinating glitch of I don't cure either and somehow, I wind up being both but the last infection gives me that ability tree. So if I'm a werewolf and I turn vamp, I get the vamp tree, and vice versa. I get comments for both. XD It's fun.

My Wood Elf is married to Farkas, big precious goof. <3

xD That sounds wonderful. I favor vampirism personally but I think the only reason reason I do is because there is an off switch. I need to see if there is a mod to have an off switch for the wolf..cuz then I'd love it lol.

He really is but thats why we love him lol.

Fyi wood elves are def the easiest to make look decent of the elven races in this game lol(not including mods). I still cant make a decent looking dunmer..

Sorry to pop in but I just love Skyrim and I loved reading your bug stories. XD I experienced some funny bugs, too one of them being Farkas with a broken engine following the Dragonborn around while lying on his back. He wasn't dead and still talked but still he just lay there like a baguette and hovered through life like badass.

I also only married in Skyrim one single time, because of a bug. Did one of those rescue npc quests and had to rescue Vilkas. When I reached and freed him he cheesily smiled at me and said "Thank you for rescuing me, my darling!". Took this as a sign and married him. It was annoying.

Funny by the way how many bugs seems to hang around the Companions, lol

@ Hisan I nearly always play Dunmer and my highest level chara ever way back on XBOX360 was one, too. Of course he looked pretty crinkled and moody but for an unmodded Skyrim chara I found him quite cute and pretty.

What I hated though was playing male Nords on XBOX360, unless I attached a bushy beard to them they always looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger's close relatives. x__x;

Not to mention, the combat is so much easier as a vampire than as a werewolf.

I haven't had much interaction with Vilkas but if he's anything like his twin...

I want a decent Altmer but those pigtails for the hair option slay me every time I see it. I have another Bosmer on TESO who has actual decent hair.

Lol its actually turned into one of my most favorite games. I love the character customization and such. Also imagining Farkas floating around like a baguette is utterly hilarious. I had Aela glitch for a bit last night when I was playing. She kept running even when I stopped(it looked hilarious when it appeared she was running into a wall over and over)

Haha omg that sounds so weird to hear it was Vilkas of all characters xD. Farkas I can see it happening but Vilkas is so uptight lol.

Kudos to you for being able to make a decent looking Dunmer despite his wrinkles xD. It took a lot of getting used to with the elves in Skyrim since I had come from Dragon Age so it was a hugeeeee shock in terms of how "ugly" most are.

Thats the truth. Still dont get why there isnt an "off" switch for the werewolf after you at least finished the Companions quest line.. At the very least I can get a little timer bar so I know how long I have but its not the same thing lol.

Vilkas is literally the opposite to Farkas.

xD I know right? Tis a shame there isnt much good hairstyles to choose from with the game unless you heavily mod it but it is what it is. Im fine with it.

I literally wait an hour and it switches "off." XD

I know, I was saying that in jest. I know how my best friend's twin boys are so...

I got a bunch of really good mod hairstyles and then... they broke my game a bit. So many different forms of bald.

..Wow I never even thought of that LOL. For some reason I thought you couldn't wait when in that form xD. Good to know and definitely makes things 100x easier.

xD Totally makes sense. I really do like Farkas tho out of the two at least more recently lol. That goofball

Lol sounds like a vampire mod I used that would turn all the defaults into vamps when you started the game. Drove me crazy so I had to disable and delete it. Wish the modder would fix that..

That same mod actually led to everyone at the Bannered Mare getting murdered..it adds some companions and for some reason when I went into the inn they all attacked. I legit turned around and walked out lol