Falmer, once known as Snow Elves, were thought to have been hunted to extinction by the Nords. They now live deep underground and have devolved into disfigured, violent remnants of their former selves, and their senses have adapted to a life in the dark. Their primitive weapons and armor are made from chaurus chitin, and they often live near chaurus, apparently keeping some of them as livestock. Despite their elvish heritage, the Falmer are considered to be creatures, not NPCs (and therefore they do not have black souls). They tend to prefer poisoning their weapons with toxins developed from both chaurus and Frostbite Spider venom. They often make their lairs in close proximity to Dwemer technology, apparently unwilling to wander far from where their ancestors took shelter from the Nords. In dungeons, Falmer often emerge from hive traps to ambush you. Falmer are blind and hunt by sound. Although their hearing is very sensitive, their lack of sight can be used against them if you can move silently or attack from a distance.
The Dawnguardadd-on adds further depth to the history of the Falmer. Knight-Paladin Gelebor, one of two known surviving Snow Elves, recounts how the Snow Elves sought protection from their Nord enemies long ago. The Dwemer agreed to shelter them, but at a high cost: the Snow Elves were forced to eat a toxic fungus, which rendered them completely blind. This was an extremely unsavory choice in the eyes of many of the Snow Elves, but those who sought alternatives to the deal were either killed (by the Dwemer or others), relented, or simply vanished. In time, the now-blinded Falmer became slaves to their Dwemer protectors. In light of their sad fate, Gelebor refers to the monstrous Falmer in contemporary Skyrim as "the Betrayed". He also claims that the toxin the Dwemer used to blind them is not responsible for the sorry state of contemporary Falmer, and hints that the rest of the transformation can be explained by thousands of years of evolution.
Falmer utilize a variety of fighting styles, including melee, ranged, and magic attacks. The specific variety you will meet is level-dependent, and you will continue to meet low-level versions even at high levels. Boss-level Falmer, however, will always be at the highest possible level. The Dawnguard add-on adds the Falmer Warmonger, which is one of the few creatures to have a grand soul.
All Falmer are blind (80 pts) and have a Fortify Sneak ability (30 pts). Most Falmer you will encounter are male; in fact, the Falmer listed in the tables below are all male in the base game. If Dawnguard is installed, however, the Falmer shaman will all be female and wear a special female Falmer outfit (their gender is still marked as male in the game data, however; only the Falmer Warmonger shaman is actually marked as being female).
Any Falmer that uses martial attacks (all types except shaman) also has a leveled "Falmer Poison" perk, which allows them to apply a leveled poison to their weapons. This poison is actually a spell that lasts for 3-4 seconds and causes a set amount of damage to health on hit (rather than damage per second over time).
May also drop Falmer ears (one at a 50% chance, one at a 25% chance)
Falmer of level 15 or higher have a 50% chance of having a healing potion (Falmer Shadowmasters and Warmongers are guaranteed to carry one)
If Dawnguard is installed, Falmer Skulkers, Gloomlurkers, Nightprowlers, and Shadowmasters may spawn either with the default gear listed above, or with the same heavy armor outfit as the Falmer Warmongers. These "heavy armor" alternatives are identified by the "xx" at the beginning of the IDs listed in the table below. Falmer Warmongers are equipped with the following armor:
Falmer melee bosses have the same equipment and loot as the melee Falmer listed above, but appear at higher levels. At low levels, Falmer bosses can be much more difficult than normal Falmer; at higher levels, the bosses are actually lower level than regular melee Falmer, but have slightly higher stats.
Some Falmer prefer to stay at a distance and assault you with missile attacks. These archers wield a Falmer Bow and carry 12 Falmer Arrows, and have a chance to carry a small number of other arrows (of any quality from iron to Daedric). Level 1 archers also carry a Falmer Sword, and any archer of level 22 or higher is equipped with a Falmer Helmet.
In addition to the gear listed above, Falmer archer loot includes the following items:
50% chance to carry leveled amount of gold
75% chance to carry gems, ore, Dwemer metal objects, ingredients (common, uncommon, or rare), a shovel or pickaxe, or damage health poisons
May also drop Falmer Ears (one at a 50% chance, one at a 25% chance)
If Dawnguard is installed, Falmer Warmonger archers will appear starting at level 48. These heavily-armored Falmer have the following equipment in addition to the gear listed above:
Boots: 25% chance to have either Falmer Hardened Boots or Falmer Heavy Boots
Cuirass: 75% chance to have either Falmer Hardened Armor or Falmer Heavy Armor
Gauntlets: 25% chance to have either Falmer Hardened Gauntlets or Falmer Heavy Gauntlets
Helmet: either a Falmer Hardened Helm or a Falmer Heavy Helm
A Shadowmaster shaman using a staff of Lightning Bolts
Falmer shaman are skilled spellcasters, relying primarily on the use of offensive spells in combat. Although they do not know the Bound Sword spell, all shaman carry a bound sword with the following enchantments: Banish Summoned (an effect that functions like the Oblivion Binding perk), Soul Trap (5 seconds), and Turn Raised Undead (essentially a Turn Undead effect). Falmer shaman do not wear armor.
In addition to the gear listed above, Falmer shaman loot includes the following items:
50% chance to carry leveled amount of gold
75% chance to carry a selection of ore, ingredients (common, uncommon, or rare), damage health poisons, or soul gems
May also drop Falmer Ears (one at a 50% chance, one at a 25% chance)
If Dawnguard is installed, Falmer Warmonger shaman will appear starting at level 48. They do not wear heavy armor like their martial counterparts, but they do have a chance to carry either a Bound Sword or a staff of Firebolts, Ice Spikes, or Lightning Bolts.
Falmer spellswords mix the martial attacks of their melee cousins and the magical attacks of the Falmer shaman. They wield either a Falmer Sword, a Honed Falmer Sword, a Falmer War Axe, or a Honed Falmer War Axe, and they do not carry a shield, preferring instead to keep a hand free for spells. Falmer of level 22 or higher (except Warmongers) will also be equipped with a Falmer Helmet.
In addition to the gear listed above, Falmer spellsword loot includes the following items:
50% chance to carry leveled amount of gold
75% chance to carry gems, ore, Dwemer metal objects, ingredients (common, uncommon, or rare), a shovel or pickaxe, or damage health poisons
May also drop Falmer Ears (one at a 50% chance, one at a 25% chance)
If Dawnguard is installed, Falmer Warmonger spellswords will appear starting at level 48. These heavily-armored Falmer have the following equipment in addition to the gear listed above:
Boots: 25% chance to have either Falmer Hardened Boots or Falmer Heavy Boots
Cuirass: 75% chance to have either Falmer Hardened Armor or Falmer Heavy Armor
Gauntlets: 25% chance to have either Falmer Hardened Gauntlets or Falmer Heavy Gauntlets
Helmet: either a Falmer Hardened Helm or a Falmer Heavy Helm
A Spellsword boss readies his war axe and lightning.
Falmer spellsword bosses have the same equipment and loot as the spellsword Falmer listed above, but appear at higher levels. At low levels, Falmer bosses can be much more difficult than normal Falmer; at higher levels, the bosses are actually lower level than regular spellsword Falmer, but have slightly higher stats.
A feral Falmer lurking in the darkness of Darkfall Grotto
Feral Falmer only appear in the Dawnguard add-on, and can be found in Darkfall Grotto, a small cave in the Forgotten Vale. They carry no weapons and have no armor, but do carry a selection of the following items:
50% chance to carry leveled amount of gold
75% chance to carry gems, ore, Dwemer metal objects, ingredients (common, uncommon, or rare), a shovel or pickaxe, or damage health poisons
May also drop Falmer Ears (one at a 50% chance, one at a 25% chance)
Frozen Falmer only appear in the Dawnguard add-on, and can be found in the Inner Sanctum of Auriel's Chapel in the Forgotten Vale. All frozen Falmer are, in fact, Feral Falmer who were encased in ice. They are weak to fire attacks and have 100% resistance to Frost. Frozen Falmer come in two varieties: Frozen Vampire Falmer and Frozen Falmer Shaman.
A Frozen Falmer Shaman unleashing a Lightning Bolt
Frozen Falmer Shaman use spells in combat. Although they do not know the Bound Sword spell, all shaman carry a bound sword with the following enchantments: Banish Summoned (an effect that functions like the Oblivion Binding perk), Soul Trap (5 seconds), and Turn Raised Undead (essentially a Turn Undead effect). Although the Frozen Falmer Shaman have a leveled amount of gold and a selection of other miscellaneous items, all frozen Falmer actually shatter into several pieces and melt on death, so no corpse is left behind to be looted.
Falmer are typically accompanied by a few monsters, which will vary depending upon your level. The monsters will be the same level as the minimum PC level listed in the table below (so at levels 6-11, the Frostbite Spider companion will be level 6, and so on).
The Hearthfireadd-on lets you build Falmer statues in the trophy room addition of any homestead. The Falmer trophy can be built on either a large or a small base, but the materials needed are the same for both:
Frozen Vampire Falmer do not actually use vampire abilities (invisibility, the Drain Life spell, etc.) but have a unique look: they have Vampire Lord lookalike wings on their backs, though they cannot use them. All Frozen Falmer (Vampire ones and others) shatter upon death, leaving behind no corpse to raise (such as with Dread Zombie), though they can be harvested for a soul with the appropriate spell or enchanted weapon.
All Feral Falmer (and their "Frozen" counterparts) do not spawn with weapons, but if there is one nearby, they will pick it up and use it. If a Frozen Falmer/Frozen Vampire Falmer picks up a weapon, it will be lost when they are killed, as there is no corpse left behind to loot. If you drop weapons in the Chantry to avoid being overencumbered (a very real possibility in the vast Forgotten Vale), make sure they aren't anything you ever want to use again.
The weaponry for Melee and Spellsword Falmer is leveled. Only Falmer of level 18 or higher can spawn with "Honed Falmer" weapons. Falmer of level 21 are just as likely to spawn with a "Honed Falmer" weapon as a regular one, and are twice as likely to spawn with one at level 28 or higher.
