How to Bring Lydia Back to Life on "Skyrim" for Xbox
By Melissa King
Updated September 22, 2017
In "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim," Lydia becomes your housecarl after purchasing the Breezehome house in Whiterun. Lydia will gladly follow you into battle, but Skyrim is a wild and dangerous place rife with monsters, dragons and deadly traps. When seriously injured, Lydia will drop to one knee until she recovers. Enemies can't kill her during this time, but she will die if struck by your weapon or spell. In the Xbox 360 version of the game, you can only revive Lydia by casting a master-level conjuration spell called Dead Thrall.
Place a custom marker on your map to mark the location of Lydia's body.
Raise your Conjuration skill to level 90. To quickly raise your level, cast cheap Conjuration spells, such as Bound Sword or Raise Zombie. You can also gain levels by reading skill books, including The Warrior's Charge, Liminal Bridges and The Doors of Oblivion. Another method is to repeatedly cast Soul Trap on your horse or a corpse.
Go to the College of Winterhold and talk to Phinis Gestor. Ask him about furthering your Conjuration magic studies to get the "Conjuration Ritual" quest.
Enter the Hall of Attainment and go to the roof. Cast the "Summon Unbound Dremora" spell.
Tell the Dremora that you control it now. When it resists, kill it and then re-summon it. Once again, demand that the Dremora serve you. Kill it a second time. Re-summon it once more and the Dremora will agree to submit to you.
Summon the Dremora again and take the Sigil Stone from it. Take the item to Phinis to receive the Summon Flame Thrall spell tome and unlock the Dead Thrall spell for purchase.
Talk to Phinis again and buy the Dead Thrall spell from him. Read the book he gives you to learn the spell.
Return to Lydia's body. If you want her to carry any items, such as a shield or weapon, place them on her corpse before reviving her. Lyida will only wear the armor in which she died even if you give her new armor.
Cast Dead Thrall on Lydia. Dead Thrall allows Lydia to fight with you until she's killed. If she dies, cast the spell on her again to revive her.
Tips
Purchase the Necromage perk in the Restoration tree to raise undead Lydia's level cap by 25 percent. This enables her to grow stronger as she fights with you.
If you can't find Lydia's body, she may only be lost, not dead. Lost followers often return when you fast-travel to another location or sleep for a few in-game hours.
If you saved the game before Lydia's death, you can reload it to bring her back to life. You'll lose all your current progress if you load an old save, though.
References
Writer Bio
Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.