Being a vampire is fun, until it isn’t anymore, but the cure is surprisingly simple. If you miss your blood-drinking days, you can go back to being a vampire at any point, though there’s obviously a social price to pay for that.
How to become a vampire in Skyrim
If a vampire uses a draining spell on you, you’ll automatically be afflicted with Sanguinaire Vampiris, Skyrim’s vampire disease. You can pray at a shrine to the Nine Divines to have this removed like any other disease. Shrines are easiest to find inside of temples in major cities, and as long as you’re fast enough, any of them will do the trick. But after three full days of leaving it untreated however, you’ll turn into a full vampire. That means access to special spells, but also a need to drink blood and, obviously, an aversion to sunlight. Being caught feeding on sleeping humans incurs a bounty of 40 coins on you, and the people you encounter are none too pleased by having a vampire in their midst. Expect plenty of shouting and running away. As well as the original way, the Dawnguard expansion introduced a guaranteed story method of becoming a vampire. So seek out that questline at Fort Dawnguard in the Special and Anniversary editions for an easy shot at earning your fangs and wings.
How to cure vampirism in Skyrim
If your Sanguinaire Vampiris turns into full vampirism before you cure it, only a special ritual will turn you back to normal. Head to the nearest inn, assuming you still can. Your condition worsens each in-game day, and if you go three days without consuming blood, you’ll be vampiric enough where everyone flees you, and you can’t enter an inn. If that happens, speak with the Dawnguard instead. They can be found at Fort Dawnguard in the extreme southeast of the map to the east of Riften. Whatever your method, the Dawnguard or the Innkeep will send you to Falion in the Rising Dawn quest. Falion asks you to bring him a full Black Soul Gem - popular with Necromancers - though you can just buy one from him if you haven’t found one on your adventures. You’ll be free of vampirism after a brief cutscene, which also means you’re free to turn back into a vampire if you want. There’s no limit on how many times Falion will perform the ritual, and the only penalty comes from drinking blood. Unlike werewolves in Skyrim, vampires can still even get a lovers’ EXP boost from staying at home with their partner. We recommend buying Black Soul Gems, though. They’re hard to find, and unless you get the Black Star, it’s the only way to capture humanoid souls. The frozen north of Tamriel can be an overwhelming place, so check out our full Skyrim guide.
