Erik the Slayer has spent all his life pushing hoes and sowing seeds. But thanks to the Dragonborn’s help (and inspiration), he’ll set out on a grand adventure.
If there’s something I know about the hero’s journey, it’s that an adventurer changes every step of the way.
You’ll be able to help Erik transform from a dirty farmhand to an epic companion with any of the following mods.
Despite being a fledgling adventurer struggling to get his father’s approval to leave the family farm, Erik looks older than this dynamic suggests.
Younger Erik helps this storyline make a lot more sense by giving Mr. Slayer some botox injections and cleaning up his looks to make him appear more youthful.
He still has the rugged look of a Nord farmhand, but years of toiling the soil haven’t sucked out all the life from him just yet.
The bandanna is a nice touch that complements the idea of a wandering adventurer.
Here’s another Legendary Edition-compatible Erik overhaul worth trying out.
This Erik the Slayer edit transforms the rough farmhand into a dashing adventurer: the kind that follows you around to share in your tales of glory so he can brag about it to the gals at the Inn.
Besides a much more delicate, youthful face, Erik also gets a trendy new hairstyle that’ll make him the biggest adventurer heartthrob in any sleepy Skyrim hamlet he visits.
It’s a slightly dark and mysterious aesthetic that makes the character a lot more fun.
Maybe you did his quest two in-game years ago. In that time, he either died or became a mighty warrior able to hold his own against whatever his adventures throw at him.
This mod imagines what Erik would look like after spending a few years as a mercenary. He seems confident and experienced, and his skill in battle reflects his growth as a warrior.
Not only does he look like a true Nord strongman, but he has the brawn to back it up. The Draugr won’t know what hit ’em.
One of the best moments in the first season of HBO’s House of the Dragon (2022) is when the very young and relatively small Willem Blackwood guts a House Bracken knight twice his size.
If you found that victory of David over Goliath inspiring, consider replacing Erik the Slayer with the even younger Erik Steel-Heart.
This mod turns Erik into a short – if slightly muscular – warrior much more fitting for a storyline about a young farm boy who wants to leave his cocoon and travel the world with steel in hand.
The first time I played Skyrim, I made my character a stern but beautiful lady knight with a fierce gaze and a mature outlook.
When I arrived at Rorikstead, the young and inexperienced Erik seemed like the perfect partner for my seasoned swordswoman with a Dragon’s soul.
This mod lets players make their dreams of romancing Erik a reality by making him marriageable. The mod also improves his combat skills and refines his appearance.
You’ll also find optional files to change his combat style from “Slayer” to “Defender,” which might work better for certain Dragonborn builds.
One of the main challenges of improving a character’s look is ensuring they still fit in with their surroundings.
The best way to do this is simply by getting a massive visual overhaul for all NPCs. That way, your favorite character’s new style will look organic among the surgically-enhanced masses.
Jampion NPCs are among my favorite large-scale character transformations due to their true-to-vanilla style.
Characters look cleaner and more attractive in general, but they retain the slightly worn look of people who live in the extreme conditions so often found in Skyrim – including Erik the Slayer.
Some people just want to make their characters as beautiful as possible.
If you want Erik the Slayer to look like a hot, sharp-jawed version of Ed Sheeran (or Rupert Grint), Pandorable’s NPCs is the mod for you.
Once installed, you’ll notice Erik has a new hairstyle, charming blue eyes, and a youthful radiance perfect for a fledgling adventurer who dreams of glory.
If you want a single mod that’ll make Erik the dreamy adventurer husband you always wanted, AW Erik the Slayer Improved is the way to go.
Not only does it make Erik essential and marriageable, but it tweaks his skills and stats so they actually make sense. That way, he’ll be able to protect you in combat, and you won’t have to see your beloved die horribly because he insists on wielding the wrong weapons.
In addition, this mod gives Erik some plastic surgery and a coupon to visit the hairstylist.
A modern, manly hairstyle and well-kept peach fuzz make Erik the most sought-after bachelor in his entire mercenary company.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
