How to cure vampirism in Skyrim

Have you had enough of being a vampire in Skyrim and wish to reverse the effects of the disease? Here’s how to cure your vampirism in Skyrim.

Vampirism, that thing which occurs when you become a creature of the night, can be a frustrating or engaging part of your Elder Scrolls adventures. In Skyrim, you can contract vampirism – also known as Sanguinare Vampiris – either from being attacked by a vampire or by willingly becoming one.

Becoming a vampire opens a host of new, unique abilities which dramatically change your experience with the game. However, the nocturnal lifestyle and continuous threat of being hunted might not be your cup of tea. So if you’d like to be rid of it, here’s our guide on how to cure vampirism.

Contracting vampirism

First of all, it’s important to know which stage of vampirism you have before you try to cure it. If you have been attacked by a vampire, there is a small chance they will infect you with the disease.

For the first three days following this encounter, you will receive ominous messages such as “You feel strangely weakened by the sunrise”. While in this phase, vampirism can be easily cured by using a potion of Cure Disease, a Vigilant of Stendarr, or by interacting with a shrine.

However, if you’re too slow to cure it, the disease will progress to full vampirism and you’ll need to seek out a different cure.

How to cure vampirism in Skyrim

Once you have full-blown vampirism, curing it requires a little legwork. You must first find the wizard Falion in Morthal. This is the town that lies west of Whiterun. Falion is a wizard who has studied vampires, and will be able to help you.

Once you’ve found Falion, talk to him and choose the option “I heard you’re an expert in vampirism” to start the quest ‘Rising at Dawn.’ This is the quest that will cure your affliction for you.

He will say he needs a filled Black Soul Gem in order to perform the ritual that can cure you of your vampirism. Black Soul Gems can be found in various dungeons and caves across Skyrim, but they can also be purchased from Falion or Enthir at the College of Winterhold.

Once you have a Black Soul Gem, you’ll need to fill it. You can do this by casting the Soul Trap spell on a humanoid enemy. Any kind of bandit or soldier will do. After that, you must kill them and their soul will be transferred into the gem. Be careful about attacking innocent people in cities and towns, as you may gain a bounty on your head.

Finally, return to Falion with the filled Black Soul Gem, and he will perform a ritual at the summoning circle outside Morthal. This will cure you of your vampirism and you can be back to your sun-loving self.

The benefits of Vampirism

Remember that becoming a vampire in Skyrim is a trade-off, and there are certainly some benefits to remaining a bloodthirsty creature of the night. You may not even want to cure vampirism at all.

Vampires gain a range of powerful abilities like the Vampire’s Seduction, which can calm enemies; and Embrace of Shadows, making you invisible. Additionally, the longer you go without feeding, the stronger these abilities become. 

Finally, vampires are resistant to disease and poison. However, the trade-off is that they become weaker in sunlight and are always hunted by the Vigilants of Stendarr.

Do I lose my perks if I cure vampirism?

Curing vampirism in Skyrim does have one major consequence – you lose all the vampiric powers and resistances that you gained. Luckily, reversing the condition isn’t permanent, and should you ever miss the night-dwelling lifestyle you can always choose to become a vampire again.

And that’s effectively how to cure your vampirism in Skyrim. Be sure to check out some of our other Elder Scrolls content too.