setessential <base ID> <1/0> | Set a character as immortal (1) or mortal (0). | This command can be used to make any NPC unkillable. When a character set as essential takes nearly fatal damage, they collapse onto their hands and knees (Also known as Bleedout) and stumble around for a period of time, instead of dying.
Note that the base ID and not the ref ID must be used. The ref ID is what appears when clicking on an object with the console open. To find an NPC's base ID, however, you can either a) browse to their respective page (see: People and/or NPCs) or b) use the help function in-game to search for them by name, recording whatever value matches their name under the "NPC_" category of result. Once you have the base ID, enter the command using either 1 to set him/her immortal or 0 to set him/her mortal. For example, setessential a2c8e 1 would set Lydia as immortal.- Be careful when making an Essential NPC mortal, if they die you will likely be unable to access the associated quest or story. However, a simple save reload will fix if you haven't save over all the files where the character is still alive(and either non-essential or essential)
- Related functions: To check whether an NPC is essential to begin with, select him/her in the console (so that the ref ID appears), and enter IsEssential - if the console returns "1.00", the NPC is essential.
- It is also possible to set the player them self as essential with the base ID of 00000007, However upon entering the 'bleedout' stage, the player will sometimes not get back up (usually upon the first time in a new area or after having recently set yourself as essential), however, simply entering your inventory and drinking a health potion will fix this immediately (any health potion used during bleedout will return you to full health). Usually, your character will drop down to their hands and knees, and then immediately get back up with full health.
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