The first thing you need to do is find a vampire. One spot where you can find them is in the Bloodlet Throne, which is up in the mountains from Falkreath. During combat with a vampire, you have a chance to contract the disease every single time you get hit (unblocked) by the vampire. If you get the disease, then you can cure it with any common disease-curing or using the Shrine to Talos outside Whiterun or Dragonsreach. If you go three days without using one of the two cures above, then the disease will become permanent. Being a full blown vampire has both benefits and weaknesses. There are 4 stages of vampirism, which depends on how long you go without drinking blood. You can only drink the blood of NPCs who are sleeping; you approach them while they're sleeping and have the option to pickpocket them, but pressing the action button will give you an extra option of either drinking their blood or pickpocketing them. Here are the details for each stage of vampirism and the benefits/weaknesses you get from each stage. STAGE 1 ======= - 25% increase to illusion spells, 25% harder for NPCs to detect, 100% disease/poison resistance, 25% ice resistance - 25% weak to fire, 15 point decrease in Health/Magic/Stamina in sunlight, those 3 stats do not regenerate - Can reanimate dead as servants, improve night vision, drain health of enemies (spell) STAGE 2 ======= - 50% ice resistance, vampiric servant and drain powers more powerful - 50% weak to fire, Health/Stamina/Magic in sunlight reduced by 30 - New power, Vampiric Seduction, which can calm animals or people for 30 seconds (makes them not attack) STAGE 3 ======= - 75% ice resistance, reanimation and drain powers more powerful - 75% weak to fire, Health/Stamina/Magic in sunlight reduced by 45 STAGE 4 ======= - 100% ice resistance, servant and drain powers more powerful - 100% weak to fire, Health/Stamina/Magic in sunlight reduced by 60 - All NPCs are hostile - New power, Embrace of Shadows, which turns your character invisible for 3 minutes