In this guide, we’re going to talk you through the 15 best wives in Skyrim. It’s hard to judge which wife is best, which is why for this list, we’ve taken into account everything each wife offers. Whether its protection or a lucrative business, you’ll find some bonus to each of the wives on this list. Here are the 15 best wives in Skyrim:
1. Aela the Huntress
- Location: Jorrvaskr, Whiterun
- Requirements: Complete the Companions questline
- Potential follower
Aela is easily the most popular wife among Skyrim players. You can get Aela very early on in the game, and she scales up to level 50 alongside your character too. Her skills are very generous, including archery, one-handed weapons, and sneaking.
If you’re one to make quite questionable choices, Aela is a solid wife. She’ll tolerate quite a lot before she starts to question you, and even then, she’ll still stick by your side.
The Companions questline, which you need to complete before you can marry Aela, is one of the first in the game. You’ll pick it up in Whiterun, and from there, it’s a straight shot to murdering all of the Silver Hand. After that, you can ask Aela to marry you and be on your way to blissful combat together.
2. Lydia
- Location: Whiterun
- Requirements: Become Thane of Whiterun
- Potential follower
Lydia is one of the most recognizable women in Skyrim. You’ll meet her as you follow the main quest in the game. When you head out to fight your first Dragon, Lydia will be there to witness you absorb its soul. Once you return, the Jarl will name you Thane of Whiterun, awarding you a house in the town.
When you enter your home, Lydia will be your Housecarl. She’ll protect your home and keep it tidy, but she can do so much more. Straight away, you can ask her to join you as a follower, which is like being a Companion in Fallout 4, but you can also ask for her hand in marriage.
As a follower, Lydia is reliable and powerful. She’s not shy and will get into battle fast, making short work of pretty much anything you come up against. She is a strong wife in many ways.
3. Mjoll the Lioness
- Location: The Bee and Barb Inn, Riften
- Requirements: Get her to like you and complete her quest
- Potential follower
I’d say that Mjoll the Lioness is probably the strongest of the best wives in Skyrim. You meet her in a bar, the Bee and Barb Inn, where she’s almost certainly been beating every single patron up.
To get her to marry you, you first need to get her to like you. All this requires is that you agree with her that the Thieves Guild are bad. You’ll also need to be at least level 14.
With that out of the way, you’ll have to complete a quest for Mjoll. Go and grab her sword from where she lost it, and return it to her. It’s not all that difficult.
With the quest complete, you’re free to marry Mjoll, but there’s a catch. If you don’t equip her as a follower, which you definitely should, she’ll head back to your house. So too will the annoying Aerin, a man who seems to follow her everywhere.
Trust me, it’s better to have her watching your back than it is to wake up and find Aerin watching you sleep.
4. Jenassa
- Location: The Drunken Huntsman, Whiterun
- Requirements: Hire her once at least
- Potential follower
Jenassa is an absolute steal as a follower. You can hire her for 500 Gold, and she’ll walk with you until you tell her to go away. Don’t worry; I understand that isn’t what marriage looks like.
As long as you hire her at least once, you’ll be able to marry Jenassa. She’s a great wife, able to stand up for herself, and you, and she’s impressive in combat.
Since Jenassa has spent her life killing things for a living, she’s perfect for taking into combat. She’s great in various forms of combat up to level 40, and the best part is that you can pick her up early in the game.
Whiterun is one of the first locations you’ll head to as part of Skyrim’s main quest. If you go and hire her at this point, you’ll have one of the best followers and the makings of a sturdy wife.
5. Borgakh the Steel Heart
- Location: Mor Khazgur
- Requirements: Take her as your follower
- Potential follower
Borgakh is the first Orc in our best wives in Skyrim list. She’s a very easy wife to get too. While Mor Khazgur probably isn’t somewhere you’ll stumble upon very early in the game; it is somewhere you’ll have to go eventually. I only found her after 80 hours.
All you need to do is accept Borgakh as a follower, and she’ll follow you. If you wear the Amulet of Mara, which you need for all marriages, then she’ll bring up the topic of getting hitched.
You know just from looking at her that Borgakh is a formidable fighter. She will beat the snot out of anything that moves if you want her to. The best thing about her has to be that by marrying her, you get to move into Larak’s Longhouse. This is a fortress in Skyrim, a colossal Orc structure that’s surrounded by walls, merchants, and those whops will fight foes before they get anywhere near you.
6. Uthgerd the Unbroken
- Location: The Bannered Mare, Whiterun
- Requirements: Beat her in a brawl
- Potential follower
Uthgerd is a very strange woman to take as a wife. I don’t mean that because there’s anything wrong with her. On the contrary, I think she’s an incredible woman. What I mean is that she’s the only spouse you’ll need to actively fight in order to win her affections.
Once again, this is a wife you can meet very early on in the game. She can be found looking for a fight in The Bannered Mare, a well-known pub in Whiterun. When you meet her, she’ll wager you 100 Gold that she can take you in a fight. You need to take that bet and beat her up with everything you have.
Fighting Uthgerd is super simple. Put away all of your weapons, and smash her in the face. Unless you’re incredibly weak, she’ll go down fairly easily. Once you’ve beaten her into submission, she’ll allow you to ask her to follow you. Better than that, though, you can marry her!
As far as followers go, Uthgerd is an absolute tank. Not only is she massively intimidating on the battlefield, but she also has a huge health pool. Any enemies that try to stand in her way will be bulldozed down be her strides alone.
7. Muiri
- Location: The Hag’s Cure, Markarth
- Requirements: Complete Mourning Never Comes after the initial contract for the Dark Brotherhood
Muiri is the first member of our top 15 best wives in Skyrim list that can’t follow you into battle. That’s okay, though, because she pulls her own weight in other ways.
In order to wed Muiri, you’ll need to complete the quest Mourning Never Comes. You’ll also need to complete one fo the initial three contracts for the Dark Brotherhood. After that shady business is out of the way, though, she’s all yours if you want her.
By marrying Muiri you’ll gain access to her bedroom in her alchemy shop. Herein lies her usefulness. As your wife, you share in the profits of that business, which can be quite high.
The only thing I would say is that Muiri is a low level 6 NPC. If you bring a fight to her, she’s going to die. Unfortunately, if she dies, that’s it, she won’t come back. You can kiss that marriage, and the shop, goodbye.
8. Camilla Valerius
- Location: Riverwood Trader, Riverwood
- Requirements: Complete the Golden Claw quest
Camilla is another one of the best-known women in Skyrim, and for a good reason. She has her own shop if you kill off the current owner, and she’s available in the very first village you visit in the game. As long as you follow the normal main quest path.
All that stands between you and Camilla is the Golden Claw quest. This quest can go a number of ways, one of which will see you betrayed. Once you’ve done it, though, you’ll be one step further along the main quest and a few words away from having a wife.
If you marry Camilla then you’ll get a room at the Riverwood Trader. As I mentioned, if you kill off the current owner, she’ll take over the shop too. This allows you to share in the profits, which is a win for everyone!
The only downside is that Faendal will continue to visit her, even if she’s married to you. This gets annoying fast. It’s made all the worse when you know that he’s actually in love with her.
My advice, if you want to marry Camilla, is to get Faendal to follow you somewhere quiet, then kill him. Everyone’s better off that way.
9. Brelyna Maryon
- Location: Hall of Attainment, College of Winterhold
- Requirements: Complete the quest, Brelyna’s Practise
- Potential follower
You’ll meet Brelyna if you follow the quest to become a powerful mage early on. The College of Winterhold is where you’ll pick up loads of spells and magical skills, as well as this new wife and follower.
In order to marry Brelyna, you need to complete her quest. This is actually quite a fun quest, which sees you transformed into a bunch of animals from across Skyrim. It’s more of a prelude to your relationship, a funny story to tell the kids.
Once the quest is done, you can simply ask Brelyna to marry you. When you’re married, you’ll share a small space in the College of Winterhold. It’s far from married bliss, especially with some of the creeps in that place.
However, as a follower, she is brilliant. Since you pick her up from the College of Winterhold, her natural skills lie in casting spells and dealing damage that way. Watch out, though; she’s a glass cannon. Just a few hits and she’s done for.
10. Njada Stonearm
- Location: Jorrvaskr, Whiterun
- Requirements: Complete the Companions questline
- Potential follower
I would argue that Njada is the best wife you can pick up from the Companions. She’s available very early on in the game, in the first real town, and she’s a beast in combat. What’s not to love?
All you need to do is complete the Companions questline, then ask her to marry you. If you’re hesitant about the quest, don’t be. It’s one of the most enjoyable in the game, and your experience is probably worse off for missing it.
When it comes to that married bliss, Njada brings a lot to the table. She’s got a lot of skills, both in close and long-range combat. She can also train your Blocking skill up, which is always going to be useful. Finally, she will open a shop later in the game. That means more profit sharing for you.
Don’t think that this Companion is all about beating enemies to a pulp, though. She’s got lockpicking skills, speech that would charm a Skeever, and the ability to sneak by almost anyone. She’s a fantastic early game wife.
11. Shahvee
- Location: Windhelm Docks, Windhelm
- Requirements: Complete Shahvee’s Amulet quest
Shahvee has had a hard life, but somehow she’s managed to put it all behind her and stick to a solid, reliable job for some time. When you meet her, you’ll be able to pick up a personal quest, and that’s the key to marrying her.
Shahvee’s Amulet sees you head out to murder a bunch of Bandits and retrieve Shahvee’s lost possession. When you return it, she’ll be up for getting together and living with you.
Unfortunately, you can’t take this ex-thief out into the world with you. However, she will share her profits with you and can train you in Light Armor and Lockpicking. These are two skills that you’ll always need to boost, so it’s worth marrying her for this if nothing else.
12. Ria
- Location: Jorvaskr, Whiterun
- Requirements: Complete the Companions questline
- Potential follower
Ria is the third Companion member that you’re able to wed on this list. She’s the newest member of the Companions, but that doesn’t make her that much less capable in battle. It does mean that she doesn’t actually have a house, though.
To marry Ria, just complete that Companions questline. This really is something I’d advise you do anyway, even if you don’t ever want to get married.
Ria will be grateful to move in with you, even if that’s to the streets because at least she has someone to be with. She’s great in a fight and will even award bonuses to you if you sleep next to her.
Be warned though, Ria is a fragile wife. She loves to get in a fight, but she can’t always hold her own. If she dies, she’s gone forever, so protect her with everything you have. Unless you don’t care that is.
13. Taarie
- Location: Radient Raiment, Solitude
- Requirements: Complete the Fit for a Jarl Quest
Taarie may just be the most upmarket entry in our best wives in Skyrim list. She’s only up for getting together once you’ve helped her with her quest, which sees you dress up in the clothes she’s made.
With the quest done, you’re able to marry her, but don’t expect a follower. Taarie is very much one to stay at home and avoid combat, which is fine by me because she looks extremely fragile.
If you do marry Taarie, watch out for her sister, Endarie. She’s going to follow you around Taarie’s shop all day and watch you pick up all the items that you now technically own. At least you’ll get a share in the profits though.
14. Rayya
- Location: Falkreath
- Requirements: Become Thane of Falkreath
- Potential follower
Rayya is one of the few Redguards you can marry in Skyrim. She’s also the only Redguard in our best wives in Skyrim list. All you need to do is become the Thane of Falkreath, which will see you awarded a house in the town. Rayya will then appear as your Housecarl, and you can get to work convincing her to be yours.
Becoming Thane in Falkreath is easy; you ask the Jarl for three quests, and he awards you the title. It’s worth doing to get Rayya as a follower alone. She’s a formidable warrior and won’t let you down in a fight.
The best part about Rayya being your spouse and follower is that she can’t die. No matter what foes hit her, she’ll go down and get right back up again. She’s probably one of the best wives who isn’t going to leave you widowed when they bite off more than they can chew.
15. Iona
- Location: Riften
- Requirements: Become Thane of Riften
- Potential follower
The final entry in our best wives in Skyrim list is a great one. Iona is another Housecarl who you’ll get to meet after becoming the Thane of Riften.
Becoming the Thane of Riften is another process of completing a few quests for the Jarl. These are slightly more difficult than others and carry an increased risk of Vampire and Dragon attacks. Get them done, though, and you’ve got a new potential wife and follower.
Iona will guard your house in Riften, but marry her, and she’ll do more. On top of being a solid follower, she can train you in Archery and One-Handed combat.
Unfortunately, Iona isn’t essential to the story. This means that she might die if she gets into a fight and takes too many hits. Still, at least you’ll have more skills in the short time you’re together.
Conclusion
Those are the 15 best wives in Skyrim. Each one is just as good as the other in their own ways, though not all of them will join you in a fight. I think that there’s enough here for you to find your perfect spouse. Just look at what each one provides and base your decision on that.
If you think that there are one or two women missing from our best wives in Skyrim list, let us know who they are in the comments.
