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When I...

  1. kill someone in a city, enter a house and leave a house OR
  2. kill someone in a dungeon, leave the dungeon and enter the dungeon

... will the bodies of the dead people disappear or can I still come back to loot them?

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3
  • 1
    The currently accepted answer is incorrect.
    – Niro
    Commented Apr 18, 2012 at 21:51
  • 1
    I would think the example given in that other answer of corpses disappearing would be proof enough.
    – Niro
    Commented Apr 19, 2012 at 0:15
  • @Fluttershy: Changed accept as per popular vote.
    – Tamara Wijsman
    Commented Apr 19, 2012 at 13:08

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20

Bodies do not persist forever. Eventually they will be removed.

I was just beginning to think that the dragon skeleton at the College would be around forever, but when I visited it now it was gone.

Similarly, when I killed Belethor, I was surprised to see that his body had been cleaned up rather quickly.

Corpses tend to stay around longer than you would ever have need for them (I presume to give you adequate chance to loot), but they do disappear eventually, no matter their source.

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4
  • StrixVaria is correct. There is a maximum of dead bodies per "cell" in the game world. You can leave an area and come back later to loot the bodies, yes. However the bodies in each area will "recycle" eventually to make place for new ones.
    – Bleep Bloop
    Commented Dec 23, 2011 at 6:08
  • 1
    "Eventually" can be pretty fast. I once killed a dragon in Morthal on my first visit there. I did not loot it because I didn't have enough carry capacity. I fast traveled away, made room, and immediately returned, only to find the dragon corpse gone.
    – Hackworth
    Commented Jan 31, 2012 at 10:15
  • If you fast travel time goes by quickly so the bodies seem to go away quickly. If you walk away, the bodies go away more slowly because time is going by more slowly. Bottom line: the bodies go away after the same amount of in-game time whether you fast travel or not.
    – System Folder
    Commented Apr 19, 2012 at 8:31
  • @TomWijsman The dragon was not indoors, it was outdoors. I know for a fact that some hunters, Thalmor, Khajiit Caravaners, and others that I killed in the game outdoors had their bodies disappear after a while.
    – Invader Skoodge
    Commented Apr 19, 2012 at 11:00

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