Heavy Armor (Skyrim)

"Those trained to use Heavy Armor make more effective use of Iron, Steel, Dwarven, Orcish, Nordic, Ebony, Daedric, and Dragonplate armors."

Heavy Armor is a skill in. Heavy Armor skill is raised by the use of certain kinds of armor that the in-game character can equip. Heavy armor typically weighs more than light armor, injuring speed and carrying capacity at the offset of added protection. Penalties to speed and carrying capacity can be countered using The Steed Stone, consuming Potions of Carry Weight, or using the Conditioning perk.


 * Governing Guardian Stone: The Warrior

Books and quests
These books permanently raise the Heavy Armor skill:
 * 2920, MidYear, v6
 * Chimarvamidium
 * Hallgerd's Tale
 * Orsinium and the Orcs
 * The Knights of the Nine
 * Oghma Infinium - choosing the "Path of the Warrior" increases all combat-oriented skills by 5, including Heavy Armor.

These quests permanently raise the Heavy Armor skill:
 * Kill the bandit leader for Brunwulf Free-Winter in Windhelm.

Trainers

 * Gharol (Expert): Dushnikh Yal in The Reach.
 * Farkas of The Companions (Master): Jorrvaskr, or the training area behind it, in Whiterun. Requires membership of The Companions.
 * Isran of the Dawnguard (Master): Fort Dawnguard, in Dayspring Canyon. Requires the add-on and membership to the Dawnguard.
 * Kuvar (Master): Thirsk Mead Hall near Lake Fjalding

Armor types
The following are the confirmed heavy armors that benefit from this skill:

Craftable armor
The Armors listed here are Heavy Armors that are able to be crafted by the player given the appropriate perk.
 * Chitin  - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Iron - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Ancient Nord Armor - Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Imperial Armor - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Bracers, Boots
 * Steel Armor - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Steel Plate Armor - Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Dwarven - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Bonemold Armor - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Orcish - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Nordic Carved Armor - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Ebony - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Stalhrim Armor - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Daedric - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Dragonplate - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots

Non-craftable armor
The following Armors are Heavy Armors that are either given to the player as a quest reward, bought, or found randomly throughout the world. They may or may not be unique.
 * Ahzidal - Mask
 * Auriel's Shield - Shield
 * Blades Armor - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Dawnguard Heavy Armor - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Dukaan - Mask
 * Ebony Mail - Chest
 * Falmer Armor - Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Falmer Hardened Armor, Helm, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Falmer Heavy Armor, Helm, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * General Tullius' Armor - Chest
 * Hevnoraak - Mask
 * Konahrik - Mask
 * The Jagged Crown - Helmet
 * Clavicus Vile's Masque - Helmet
 * Miraak - Mask
 * Nahkriin - Mask
 * Otar - Mask
 * Rahgot - Mask
 * Spellbreaker - Shield
 * Targe of the Blooded - Shield
 * Vokun - Mask
 * Wolf Armor - Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
 * Zahkriisos - Mask

Perks
The following are the perks that become available to select as the skill is leveled up.

Leveling
There are two main ways to level heavy armor, besides using trainers.
 * 1) "Regular wear and tear" - Just wear heavy armor while exploring and adventuring. Hits taken while wearing Heavy Armor increases skill level.
 * 2) "Punching Bag" – Intentionally allow strikes to land successfully over and over again to level the skill.

Skill experience is calculated based on the attack strength of the foe. For example, taking multiple attacks from a skeever or Wolf levels Heavy Armor at a significantly slower rate than blows from Giants or mammoths would. Being the victim of power attacks also grants more experience than a standard attack. The experience gained is based on damage before armor, not damage calculating armor. Therefore increasing armor rating does not decrease experience.

The key to leveling Heavy Armor is to find foes that will not kill the trainer, but allows a large volume of attacks to be performed. An example of this would be: having level 65 Heavy Armor and taking strikes from a Giant's Club. Two or three attacks can be sustained at this level. Allow the attacks to land successfully, cast Restoration spells to regain health and repeat the process. This also helps level up Restoration. Regeneration potions allow such training without the hassle of constantly attending the game.

Remember that wearing multiple articles of Heavy Armor increases the speed at which experience is gained.