Summary
After leaving their house in Whiterun, the Dragonborn loses both of his daughters under bizarre circumstances. While marriage inSkyrimexisted since launch, players frequently requested an adoption system, until the developers acquiesced and added the feature in Hearthfire. Despite being a beloved part ofSkyrim, adoption as a mechanic was abandoned in subsequent Bethesda games – and though the omission made sense inFallout 4due to the events of the main quest,Starfieldwould likely have benefited from adding the ability to adopt a child.
It’s safe to say thatSkyrimremains the most popular Bethesda title on Steam, as it currently hasmore concurrent players thanStarfieldby a significant margin. Though considered a simplified version of previous titles fromThe Elder Scrollsfranchise,Skyrim’s biggest strength lies in its accessibility and insane replay value. Bethesda handcrafted a dense open world experience, and arguably set a trend for future roleplaying games such asDragon Age: InquisitionandThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
However, not even twelve years have been enough to iron outSkyrim’s most notorious bugs. A player named ThoseAreNiceShoes shared an amusing incident of their character leaving Breezehome, only to find Lucia and Sofie ascending to the heavens. The reason behind this bug is thatSkyrimhas a fixed limit of NPCs with AI for every cell in the game. Adding Lucia and Sofie to the already packed Whiterun, especially if mods are involved, can cause the last loaded NPCs to float into the sky.
Thankfully, aSkyrimmodsolves this problem by manually increasing the limit. Though floating NPCs eventually fall to their deaths when reaching maximum height, children inSkyrimcannot be killed without the use of certain mods. While Lucia and Sofie should be safe, given their essential status, it’s certainly an annoying bug to deal with.
How to Adopt Children in Skyrim
Players who are interested in adoption must have an eligiblehouse or homestead inSkyrimbefore being allowed to engage with the feature. Namely, they must first furnish a room that has a child’s bed. The total number of children that the Dragonborn can adopt is two, and the game initially has eight children available for adoption.
Francois
Honorhall Orphanage
What makesSkyrim’s adoption systemso robust is that new children can become eligible in the event of their parents dying. Upon becoming orphans, children are sent to the Honorhall Orphanage in Riften, and the Dragonborn has to complete the quest “Innocence Lost” before being allowed to adopt from the institution.
