Carry Weight Management

Table of contents

Table of contents

• Carry Weight Management
  • How Weight Works
    • Weight Affects Combat
    • Three Armor Weight Categories
  • Inventory Management Strategies
    • The 50-Pound Rule
    • Carrying Potions Efficiently
  • Storage Solutions
    • Safe Storage Locations
    • Barrels and Chests Comparison
      • Why are Campfire chests linked storage - Isn’t this an exploit?
  • Campfire Skills
  • Faction Safe Storage
    • Other Portable Storage
  • Weight-Reducing Strategies
    • 1. Breakdown Items
    • 2. Food-Based Carry Weight Boosts
    • 3. Alchemy Potions
    • 4. Clothing Over Armor
    • 5. Horse & Storage Chest Combo
  • The Encumbrance Penalty
  • Practical Carry Loadouts
    • Melee Warrior
    • Archer/Ranger
    • Mage
    • Archer/Mage Hybrid
  • Advanced Weight Management
    • Enchantments for Weight
    • Spell-Based Solutions
  • Bag of Holding
  • Next Steps

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Carry Weight Management

Carry Weight is intentionally at a premium within Wildlander. In addition to reduced base carry weight:

• Money weighs you down - Each coin weighs 0.001 units. This weight is shown in the coin purse Misc object (this item is just a representation of your gold - you need to deposit the gold itself in a chest, not the coin purse item).
• Arrows/Bolts have weight - Shown in your quiver and vary by material. More “rustic” wooden-shafted arrows (iron, forsworn, steel) weigh less than rarer projectiles (Orcish, Ebony, Daedric).

Weight matters. Everything you carry—armor, weapons, potions, food, supplies—slows you down. Exceed your carry limit and you can’t run, sprint, or move effectively. Manage your weight or die tired.

While you will gradually gain carry weight with Derived Attributes, the canny adventurer still needs places to store gear. In Wildlander, carry weight is a critical resource management tool—you can’t carry everything, so managing your inventory carefully is essential to successful exploration.

The fundamental rule: Keep your total weight as light as possible. Overencumbered characters die in combat.

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How Weight Works

Weight Affects Combat

Your equipped gear (armor, weapons, clothing) counts toward your total mass and directly impacts:

• Movement speed - More weight = slower movement
• Stamina costs - More weight = higher stamina drain for attacks and sprinting
• Magicka costs - Heavy armor and weight increase spell costs
• Sneaking - Heavy Armor can enter stealth but is ineffective; you will likely be detected. Evasion and Clothing allow effective sneaking

Three Armor Weight Categories

Heavy Armor

• High weight, high armor rating
• Slower movement, higher stamina costs
• Better stagger/knockback resistance
• Stealth ineffective - Can enter stealth but will likely be detected; not viable for sneaking

Evasion (Light Armor)

• Medium weight, medium armor rating
• Faster movement, lower stamina costs
• Less stagger/knockback resistance

Clothing

• Minimal weight, no armor rating
• Fastest movement, lowest spell costs, quietest
• Zero protection but maximum mobility

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Inventory Management Strategies

The 50-Pound Rule

Keep your carried weight at 50 pounds or below whenever possible. This means:

1. Only carry essential combat gear:
   • Primary weapon (tempered)
   • Backup weapon
   • Healing potions (5-10)
   • Stamina/Magicka potions if needed
2. Drop, breakdown or store non-essentials:
   • Excess weapons and armor
   • Heavy books and skill books
   • Alchemy ingredients (store these—they’re heavy)
   • Non-valuable loot
3. Invest in mobile storage:
   • Use a horse for long expeditions
   • Keep a storage chest at a safe location (home or camp)
   • Return periodically to offload excess loot

Carrying Potions Efficiently

Potions are heavy and essential. Manage them strategically:

• Carry only active potions - 5-10 healing potions maximum
• Store extras at safe locations - Homes, containers
• Alchemy for efficiency - Craft stronger potions to carry fewer
• Quick Restore hotkey (V) - Uses potions to top you up use without opening inventory, and only uses the potions you need.

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Storage Solutions

Safe Storage Locations

Owned Properties (Mid-Game+)

• Breezehome (Whiterun) - Expensive, not early-game viable
• Proudspire Manor (Solitude) - Mid-game luxury home
• Lakeview Manor (builders mod) - Craftable homestead
• ⚠️ Note: Homes are expensive in Wildlander and out of reach early game. Focus on other storage options while you level.

Craftable Storage Containers

• See Barrels and Chests Comparison below for details on the two types of craftable containers (Campfire vs. Hearthfire furniture)

Guild Halls (Faction-Based)

• Companions Hall (Whiterun)
• Thieves Guild (Riften)
• Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
• College of Winterhold (mage guild)

Barrels and Chests Comparison

Wooden Chests/Barrels (Campfire)

• Crafted from player crafting (Survivalist Toolkit)
• Cannot be placed in cities, towns, or settled areas
• Have linked storage (multiple chests share the same inventory)
• Can be picked up easily by interacting with the chest
• Don’t have to be emptied to be moved
• Only requires wood to craft

Hearthfire Furniture Chests

• Placed with Hearthfire furniture crafting (requires furniture workstation)
• Can be placed anywhere
• Have separate storage (not linked)
• Require Jaxon’s positioner to move
• MUST be emptied before moving or you will lose contents

Why are Campfire chests linked storage - Isn’t this an exploit?

For technical reasons with the way the ‘campfire placement’ mod works, all of its chests and barrels are activators rather than chest items in their own right. The activators “open” a shared chest inside the campfire cell, rather than placing a real chest in the open world. This is simply what is required to make the mod function. As a penalty to counteract this requirement, placement is prevented within “Settled Areas”.

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Campfire Skills

There is a skill available at a player constructed campfire which increases your carry weight permanently. To use it:

1. Press < to open the Campfire menu
2. Build a campfire and increase its size/upgrades with materials
3. Once upgraded sufficiently, interact with the campfire and a skills menu will appear
4. Select the Carry Weight skill to increase your capacity

This skill requires a Skill Point (earned from taking care of yourself) and has two levels total.

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Faction Safe Storage

Containers in the factions (Companions / Dark Brotherhood / Thieves Guild / Mage’s College) which are marked with a * are safe storage. You can safely stash your loot here. All other containers should be considered unsafe and you will lose the contents if you reload a save, or the cell resets after 30 days of you not visiting.

Other Portable Storage

Backpacks

• Craftable using a Survival Toolkit through player crafting
• Worn on your back, increase carry capacity
• Different backpack types: leather, hide, fur
• Cannot be enchanted

Horses

• Mobile storage - Each horse has 600 carry weight and can easily carry most supplies you need
• Access horse inventory with U hotkey
• Horses follow you and hold items
• You can even store your craftable chest on the horse for effectively infinite storage
• Dead horses lose all items unless you can find their body and loot it before butchering it. If you have lost your horse, you have lost its inventory.
• ⚠️ WARNING: Never store loose potions on horses. NPCs (including horses) will consume potions from their inventory if they’re low on health or stamina.

For more information about horses in Wildlander, see the Horses page

Followers

• Followers have their own inventory
• Only give them gear and weapons you want them to equip
• ⚠️ WARNING: Followers will use healing potions, buff potions, and poisons if they have them—only give them potions you’re willing to lose

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Weight-Reducing Strategies

1. Breakdown Items

• Break down heavy items into components - Reduces total weight by converting items into crafting materials
• Heavy armor and weapons can be broken down for ore, leather, wood, etc.
• Materials take up less weight than full items
• Use breakdown materials for crafting at workbenches

2. Food-Based Carry Weight Boosts

• Eat foods that temporarily increase carry weight - Useful before long loot runs
• Beggar’s Broth - Increases carry weight by 35 points for 2 hours (best option)
• Beef Stew - Increases carry weight by 25 points for 30 minutes
• Braided Bread - Increases carry weight by 10 points for 20 minutes
• See Food & Drink page for recipes and preparation

3. Alchemy Potions

• Fortify Carry Weight potion (temporary boost)
• Craft with ingredients that share Fortify Carry Weight effect: Imp Stool, Troll Eye, Creep Cluster, Giant’s Toe, Bull Horn, Mammoth Eye, or others
• Use before looting heavy items

4. Clothing Over Armor

• Clothing weighs significantly less than armor
• Trade protection for mobility in safe zones
• Switch loadouts as needed

5. Horse & Storage Chest Combo

• Buy or craft a storage chest - Keep at your home base or camp
• Use your horse’s 600 carry weight inventory to transport items between locations
• Wear a backpack for additional personal capacity
• You can even store your craftable chest on the horse for effectively infinite mobile storage
• Make regular supply runs - Don’t try to carry everything at once
• Perfect for long expeditions where you return to camp periodically

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The Encumbrance Penalty

If you exceed your carry limit:

• Cannot run - Stuck at walking speed
• Cannot sprint - Impossible to escape danger
• Combat vulnerability - Enemies outrun you easily
• Death sentence - Overencumbered characters die fast

Solution: Always drop items before exceeding your limit. Never knowingly overencumber yourself.

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Practical Carry Loadouts

Melee Warrior

• Primary weapon (sword/axe)
• Backup weapon (dagger or shield)
• 5-10 healing potions
• 1-2 stamina potions
• Target weight: 40-50 pounds

Archer/Ranger

• Primary bow (tempered)
• 50-100 arrows
• Melee backup (dagger)
• 5-10 healing potions
• Target weight: 35-45 pounds

Mage

• Primary spell focus (staff or hands)
• Backup weapon (dagger)
• 5-10 healing potions
• 5-10 magicka potions
• 2-3 utility items
• Target weight: 25-35 pounds

Archer/Mage Hybrid

• Primary bow
• 50 arrows
• Staff or spell focus
• 5-8 healing potions
• 3-5 magicka potions
• Target weight: 40-50 pounds

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Advanced Weight Management

Enchantments for Weight

Certain enchantments reduce carried weight:

• Fortify Carrying Capacity - Direct carry weight increase
• Feather enchantments - Reduce item weight
• Bound Armor spells - Summon equipment (doesn’t add weight)

Spell-Based Solutions

• Telekinesis - Move items without carrying them
• Bound weapons - Summon weapons (no weight, automatic scaling)
• Levitation - Some mods allow levitation to reduce fall damage from jumping down with heavy loads

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Bag of Holding

These Misc items guarantee a massive magical increase in carry weight so long as they are in your inventory. The effects of these items stack. There are only 7 in the entire game.

Click for spoilers

Bag of Holding locations: 1. Mehrunes Shrine 2. Thoroughfare of the Labyrinthian - On a bookshelf 3. Ysgramor's Tomb 4. Twilight Sepulchre - Statue of Nocturnal loot room right before you return the skeleton key and unlock nightingale powers 5. Soul Carin's Boneyard - Near where you find Valerica 6. Nahkriin - Drops when you defeat him guarding Alduin's portal to Sovngarde 7. Black Book: The Sallow Reagent - In a side room towards the end of the book

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Next Steps

You now understand weight management and inventory strategy. Continue your learning:

1. Read Camping & Campfire Perks - Set up efficient camps for storage and resource management
2. Read Armor Resistances, Penetration & Weapon Types - Learn how to carry varied weapons for different situations
3. Read Magic Analysis - Understand how spell weight and carry capacity interact with casting

Remember: Light is fast. Fast is alive. Carry only what you need.

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