The Best Armor in Skyrim: Light and Heavy Armor

Protection is one of the most important parameters of a character in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, and armor largely determines the appearance of a character. How to find a balance between protection and attractiveness? Is the protection rating important? How much does it reduce incoming damage?

This guide covers everything you need to know about armor in Skyrim. It will be useful to anyone looking for the best protection — both in terms of quantitative indicators and appearance. The guide is relevant for all versions of the game, including Skyrim: Special Edition.

In The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, there is such a thing as the maximum protection rating. It is 567, and this is the highest armor rating that can be obtained without using cheat codes and mods.

Of course, to achieve this rating, you need to wear a full set of armor. At the same time, there are hidden bonuses in Skyrim for wearing armor elements from one set: +25 for the body armor, helmet, gloves, and boots. There is no bonus for the shield. A total of +100, which is quite good.

How exactly does the protection rating affect damage received? In the game, there is a proportion between protection and actual damage reduction. If a character's protection is 567, then the physical damage received is reduced by 80%.

Thus, when wearing the best armor in the game, the character will receive only 20% of the damage, that is, only one-fifth of the physical damage dealt.

If the character does not yet have the necessary items to achieve maximum protection or is not supposed to wear a full set of armor by the player's design, they can use magic.

The most optimal option is the Dragonhide spell. It gives maximum protection for 30 seconds, that is, it increases the protection rating to 567 and thereby reduces the physical damage dealt to the character by 80%. This spell is very useful for mages who cannot afford heavy burdens.

Of course, Dragonhide is one of the two best spells of the Alteration school. To master it, you will have to develop the corresponding skill. Therefore, for some time, the character will be able to effectively use simplified versions of this spell:

Interestingly, the effect of these spells can be significantly enhanced if the Alteration skill is not high enough. For this, you need to use skill-boosting potions. They are quite rare and expensive, but with some skill, an experienced alchemist can provide themselves with a good supply of such vials.

In The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, there are several skills that allow you to create and improve items. This process in games is called crafting (from the English word Craft). Here are three crafting skills:

As mentioned above, alchemy can be used to increase knowledge of the Alteration school, which, in turn, enhances the effect of spells that increase armor.

Smithing allows you to forge almost any set of armor in Skyrim, but the best items require a high skill level. Ideally, you need to have a Smithing skill of 100, a Light or Heavy Armor skill of 100 (depending on what you need to forge), and complete the quest Unfathomable Depths to get the Ancient Knowledge talent.

The latter accelerates the development of Smithing and gives a 15% armor bonus when wearing a full set of Dwarven armor.

Enchanting is another useful skill that makes it easier to achieve maximum protection. It's very simple: every item worn by the character needs to be enchanted with the same effect Fortify Smithing. It's important to understand that enchantments are applied not only to armor elements but also to clothing and jewelry (rings, amulets).

If the character has reached the maximum protection level (567), further increasing this value makes no sense, as the percentage of physical damage reduction cannot exceed 80%. Alas, that's how the game is programmed.

Light armor is very convenient for characters who want to find a golden mean between mobility and protection. They don't take up much space in the inventory and don't hinder the use of stealth. Of course, in terms of effectiveness, light armor almost always loses to heavy armor, but that's the price for the aforementioned advantages.

To get more protection from Light Armor, you should improve the corresponding skill to 100 as early as possible. In principle, it grows on its own if you use light armor, but development can be accelerated by reading books and paying for lessons from teachers. The higher the skill, the more armor any set will provide.

Speaking of specific sets, in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, there are 2 most valuable sets: Nightingale Armor and Dragonscale Armor.

Nightingale Armor. A magical set of light armor that increases Stamina and improves damage dealt with one-handed weapons. Nightingale Armor can only be obtained as a reward for completing the final quest of the Thieves Guild — Trinity Restored.

At maximum improvement, the full Nightingale Armor increases Stamina by 40, improves frost resistance by 50%, and adds 25% additional damage to all one-handed weapon attacks.

But that's not all. Nightingale Armor is useful for any thief: it improves Sneaking efficiency, simplifies Lockpicking by 25%, and reduces the cost of Illusion school spells by 17%.

Dragonscale Armor. In terms of protection, this light armor is the best in its class. It makes it easiest to reach the maximum protection level. Plus, it looks very cool.

Dragonscale Armor can only be obtained through crafting. The following resources are required: dragon scales (only dropped from killed dragons), iron ingots, leather strips. You will also need to raise the Smithing skill to 100 and unlock the Dragon Armor perk.

Due to the protection cap in the game, there is no fundamental difference between light and heavy armor, as in the end, everything will be the same: 567 protection and 80% physical damage reduction. However, heavy armor allows you to reach the maximum faster and also leaves room for experimentation with incomplete sets.

As with light armor, in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, there are 2 sets of armor that can be considered the most effective: Daedric Armor and Ahzidal's Armor.

Daedric Armor. This set of equipment has a very high armor rating; in fact, it is the best armor in Skyrim if you don't consider the content of the official add-ons. It also looks very impressive.

Daedric Armor can be forged from ebony ingots, Daedra hearts, and leather strips. For this, you need to have a developed Smithing skill (at least 90) and the corresponding perk unlocked.

Ahzidal's Armor. Can be obtained by completing the Unearthed quest. The armor has several very useful enchantments. First of all, it gives a chance that enemies attacking the player's character will be paralyzed. Conjuration spells and rune spells cost 25% more but have an increased area of effect.

And if you equip the Dragonborn with 4 items from the set, they will receive a 10-point boost to the Enchanting skill.

Not all armor sets can be forged. For example, Nightingale Armor and Ahzidal's set can only be obtained by completing certain quests. An experienced blacksmith does not necessarily need to complete them, as they can achieve maximum protection right at the forge.

Daedric Armor (heavy armor):

Dragonplate Armor (heavy armor):

Dragonscale Armor (light armor):

Leather strips can be cut from leather at a special workbench or bought from merchants (average price — 3 gold each). Iron ingots can be bought for about 7 coins from the beginning of the game, and ebony ingots — only after reaching level 27 (cost about 150 gold).

The fastest way to get many Daedra hearts is to clear the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon in The Pale.

Dragon scales and bones can only be obtained in one way — by killing dragons. Fortunately, there are no problems with them in Skyrim.