Followers pathing through walls and getting stuck—mod or just Skyrim being Skyrim?

[WhiterunModder]

My follower (Serana on this playthrough) just walked straight through a solid rock wall in Bleak Falls Barrow and got stuck on the other side. I had to reload. This happens constantly and I'm wondering if it's a mod conflict or if this is just how the game's pathfinding works when you're not looking.

I'm running a pretty standard setup—USSEP, SkyUI, some quest fixes, a couple follower tweaks. Nothing crazy. But the amount of times I've had to babysit followers because they decide to phase through geometry or get lodged in doorways is ridiculous. Are there any mods that actually fix follower AI pathing, or is this just one of those Skyrim things you have to accept?

On my last playthrough I just stopped using followers entirely because of this. But I kinda want the company this time around so I'm hoping there's a solution that doesn't involve me watching them like a hawk.

 

[DragonbornVet]

This is 100% a Skyrim thing, not your mods. The pathfinding is genuinely terrible and USSEP doesn't touch it. Followers will phase through geometry, get stuck on invisible collision, wedge themselves in doorways - it's baked into how the engine handles NPC navigation, especially in tight spaces like dungeons.

Serana's particularly bad for it because she's essential and the game doesn't despawn her or teleport her back to you as aggressively as it does with regular followers. I've had her clip through walls in like half my playthroughs, usually in caves or Dwemer ruins where the geometry is dense.

There's no mod that really fixes it because it's a core engine limitation. Some follower mods (like the one that improves follower combat AI) might help them path a bit better, but honestly they're marginal improvements at best. What actually helps more is just... not letting them get too far ahead. Stay close in dungeons, don't let them wander into side passages alone, use the wait command if they're being dumb. It sucks but it's faster than reloading.

If you want the company without the babysitting headache, consider a summonable follower or a conjuration-based companion instead - they're bound by different rules and won't get lodged in geometry the same way.