Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5691575-20130428005808/@comment-104.189.87.14-20161119213615

It depends on what you want as a follower

If you want a full on destruction mage, J'zargo is the best: He has a very high level cap and wields a ton of destruction spells

If you want more of a sneak follower, Cicero is your guy: He may get annoying after a while, but he is essential and has 100 sneak.

If you want more of a well rounded mage, Serana is good: She is essential and has a wide variety of destruction, conjuration, and illusion spells. She does require Dawnguard DLC though

If you want a tank/warrior, I'd say Farkas or Vilkas: They are both master trainers and can deal some major damage. Both essential too.

If you want a spellsword type of follower, there is no better than Teldryn Sero: He is a Dark Elf spellsword that has a high level cap and can use almost any gear you give him. He uses destruction, conjuration, and restoration. Requires Dragonborn DLC though

My preference: Teldryn Sero, he will be a good follower no matter what class you are and although he is not essential, he is very hard to kill because of a high health pool and healing spells. He can summonn a flame atronach and cast fire spells. If you have the DLC, you can find him in the inn in Raven Rock.