- For other uses, see Heavy Armor.
Heavy Armor is a skill in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. 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
Leveling
- "Those trained to use Heavy Armor make more effective use of Iron, Steel, Dwarven, Orcish, Nordic, Ebony, Daedric, and Dragonplate armors."
- ―Loading Screen[src]
Leveling up armor skills is relatively simple: take physical damage in combat while wearing armor pieces of that type. To level up the Heavy Armor skill most efficiently, wear a full set of Heavy Armor (head, hands, feet, chest). The rate of skill gain is based on the total amount of damage incoming before armor is applied. Thus, 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 likewise grants more experience than a standard attack. Conversely increasing armor rating does not decrease the rate at which the skill advances.
One can rapidly level up the skill simply by finding an enemy (or group of enemies) which uses physical attacks and allowing them to attack without attacking back. Mudcrabs are useful in this regard, as they have low health yet can do enough damage, especially the larger varieties. Restoration magic and healing potions can be used to restore any damage taken (thus one can also level up the Restoration skill simultaneously). If you have a shield of the appropriate armor type, one can also upgrade the block skill as well during this process. Taking on larger groups and/or more powerful enemies will level the skill(s) faster, but one has to balance their ability to restore their own health against the amount of damage they will be taking.
To level up the skill in complete safety, especially at low levels, one can find a brawl opponent willing to brawl repeatedly without charging a wager - usually during a quest such as the "Hired Muscle" quest often dispensed near the beginning of the Companions questline or the "Taking Care of Business" quest for the Thieves Guild.
Books
The following books provide a permanent one-time increase to the Dragonborn's Heavy Armor skill. See each book's page for a list of possible locations.
- 2920, MidYear, v6
- Chimarvamidium
- Hallgerd's Tale
- Orsinium and the Orcs
- The Knights of the Nine
- Oghma Infinium – choosing the Path of Might increases all Warrior skills, including Heavy Armor, by five.
Quests
The following quests increase or help to increase the Heavy Armor Skill:
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 Dawnguard add-on and membership to the Dawnguard.
- Kuvar (Master): Thirsk Mead Hall near Lake Fjalding. Requires the Dragonborn add-on.
Advantages/Disadvantages
- Main article: Armor (Skyrim)
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Damage reduction
Armor increases the Dragonborn's armor rating, which decreases how much physical damage is dealt to them. The maximum damage reduction is capped at 80%, which is achieved:
- When wearing 4 pieces of armor plus a shield: 542 armor rating.
- 4 pieces of armor or less without a shield: 567 armor rating.
Perks
The following are the perks that become available to select as the skill is leveled up.
| Perk (Ranks) | Requirements | Description | Notes |  Perk tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juggernaut (5) | Heavy Armor 00/ 20/ 40/ 60/ 80 | Increases armor rating for Heavy Armor by 20%/ 40%/ 60%/ 80%/ 100%. | (+20% per additional rank) | |
| Fists of Steel | Heavy Armor 30, Juggernaut | Unarmed attacks with Heavy Armor gauntlets do their armor rating in extra damage. | An extra damage only affects their base armor. Other effects and enchantments that affect unarmed damage stack with this perk. | |
| Well Fitted | Heavy Armor 30, Juggernaut | 25% Armor bonus if wearing all Heavy Armor: head, chest, hands, feet. | ||
| Cushioned | Heavy Armor 50, Fists of Steel | Half damage from falling if wearing all Heavy Armor: head, chest, hands, feet. | Also reduces damage from environmental physics such as flying debris launched into the air by force shouts or other enemy attacks, and some traps. | |
| Tower of Strength | Heavy Armor 50, Well Fitted | 50% less stagger when wearing only Heavy Armor. | ||
| Conditioning | Heavy Armor 70, Cushioned | Heavy Armor weighs nothing and doesn't slow you down when worn. | Wearing Heavy armor no longer affects how much stamina is used when sprinting. | |
| Matching Set | Heavy Armor 70, Tower of Strength | Additional 25% Armor bonus if wearing a matched set of Heavy Armor. | ||
| Reflect Blows | Heavy Armor 100, Matching Set | 10% chance to reflect melee damage back to the enemy while wearing all Heavy Armor: head, chest, hands, feet. |
Training
Leveling up armor skills is relatively simple: take physical damage in combat while wearing armor pieces of that type. To level up the Heavy Armor skill most efficiently, wear a full set of Heavy Armor (head, hands, feet, chest). The rate of skill gain is based on the total amount of damage incoming before armor is applied. Thus, 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 likewise grants more experience than a standard attack. Conversely increasing armor rating does not decrease the rate at which the skill advances.
One can rapidly level up the skill simply by finding an enemy (or group of enemies) which uses physical attacks and allowing them to attack without attacking back. Mudcrabs are useful in this regard, as they have low health yet can do enough damage, especially the larger varieties. Restoration magic and healing potions can be used to restore any damage taken (thus one can also level up the Restoration skill simultaneously). If you have a shield of the appropriate armor type, one can also upgrade the block skill as well during this process. Taking on larger groups and/or more powerful enemies will level the skill(s) faster, but one has to balance their ability to restore their own health against the amount of damage they will be taking.
To level up the skill in complete safety, especially at low levels, one can find a brawl opponent willing to brawl repeatedly without charging a wager - usually during a quest such as the "Hired Muscle" quest often dispensed near the beginning of the Companions questline or the "Taking Care of Business" quest for the Thieves Guild.
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 Dawnguard add-on and membership to the Dawnguard.
- Kuvar (Master): Thirsk Mead Hall near Lake Fjalding. Requires the Dragonborn add-on.
Armor types
The following is heavy armor sets that benefit from this skill:
Craftable armor
The Armors listed here are Heavy Armors that are able to be crafted by the Dragonborn given the appropriate perk.
- Chitin DR – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Iron – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Ancient Nord – Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Imperial – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Bracers, Boots
- Steel – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Steel Plate – Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Dwarven – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Bonemold DR – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Orcish – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Nordic Carved DR – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Ebony – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Stalhrim DR – 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 Dragonborn as a quest reward, bought, or found randomly throughout the world; they cannot be crafted. Some are unique items, others are non-craftable sets.
- Blades – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Dawnguard DG – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Daedric Artifacts – Shield, Helmet, Armor
- Spellbreaker – Shield
- Masque of Clavicus Vile – Helmet
- Ebony Mail – Armor
- Dragon Priest Masks
- Falmer – Shield, Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Falmer, Hardened DG – Helm, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Falmer, Heavy DG – Helm, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
- Unique Items
- Auriel's Shield DG – Shield
- General Tullius' Armor – Chest
- The Jagged Crown – Helmet
- Targe of the Blooded – Shield
- Wolf Armor – Helmet, Armor, Gauntlets, Boots
Armor sets
- Main article: Armor Sets (Skyrim)
An armor set is defined as a complete set of armor that includes one matching armor piece for the head, chest, hands and feet.
There are several different armor sets available in Skyrim, both in heavy and light variants. Certain armor sets can provide special bonuses if the full set is worn. See the main article for a full list.
Headgear
Cuirasses
Boots
Gauntlets
Shields
- Main article: Shields (Skyrim)
Trivia
- At higher levels it is possible to sneak in heavy armor just as effectively as while wearing light armor or clothing combining the following methods:
- Either acquiring the effect from the Steed Stone or the Conditioning, a Heavy Armor perk.
- Acquiring relatively high sneak with most perks from the Sneak tree, including Muffled Movement and Silence.
- Equipping the Shrouded Boots or any other footwear enchanted with Muffle, and/or acquiring the Ebony Mail.
See also
| Skills in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | |
|---|---|
| The Mage | Alteration • Conjuration • Destruction • Enchanting • Illusion • Restoration |
| The Thief | Alchemy • Light Armor • Lockpicking • Pickpocket • Sneak • Speech |
| The Warrior | Archery • Block • Heavy Armor • One-Handed • Smithing • Two-Handed |
