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Elder Scrolls

For other uses, see Iron Armor.

Iron Armor is a set of heavy armor that appears in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The most basic form of heavy armor, both in cost and protection. Iron armor is very common and can be found throughout Skyrim from the beginning of the game. The armor is worn by the Dragonborn in the Skyrim official trailer, but instead of the chest piece, he wears the studded armor.

Appearance[]

"That's good armor you've got there, friend. Iron; solid and true."
Hold Guards when wearing Iron Armor[src]

Iron armor is a rough, hand-forged set of heavy armor, in sharp contrast to the sleek, clean appearance of other armor sets. The standard set features a breastplate over a brown vest, plated gauntlets over fur gloves and thick greaves over heavy boots. The waist and legs are protected by more plating and a thick hide waistcloth. The iron helmet features two short horns, which are curled on female characters. The shield is a wooden round shield reinforced with iron.

The banded iron armor adds large pauldrons to the breastplate, along with a band of leather over its front. The shield becomes larger, and is now made entirely out of iron.

Locations[]

Enchanted and unenchanted variants begin to appear throughout Skyrim at level 1. These locations include:

Fixed locations[]

  • An entire set can be found in Riverwood. The shield, gauntlets, boots, and chest piece are located inside Alvor and Sigrid's House.
  • Parts such as the shield and helmet can be found in Helgen Keep. The shield is in the torture chamber, while the helmet is in the caves just before the encounter with the bear, next to a wagon.
  • A piece can be found in Karthwasten Miner's Barracks.
  • An entire set plus shield can be found in Shroud Hearth Barrow, behind a sarcophagus opened by a lever to its left.

Variants[]

Banded Iron[]

"You wear the armor of a mercenary, now that's a life."
―Hold Guards[src]

Banded Iron is a variant that is slightly stronger than standard iron armor and has a different style. There are only two pieces of this armor: Banded Iron Armor and the Banded Iron Shield. Both can be improved using corundum ingots rather than iron ingots.

Ancient Nord Armor[]

"Ugh, that armor stinks of death. Have you been grave robbing?"
―Hold Guards[src]

Ancient Nord Armor is a variant of the iron armor set and has identical base attributes, however it benefits from the Daedric Smithing perk, which vastly increases its armor rating when improved, making it comparable with some of the higher tier armors. It does not include a shield as part of the set.

Smithing[]

Iron armor requires no prerequisite Smithing level or perks to forge. Pieces can be crafted at a blacksmith's forge with the following components:

Regular pieces can be improved at a workbench with an iron ingot and banded pieces with a corundum ingot, however neither benefit from any Smithing perks.

This means armor cannot be improved past flawless quality without boosting the Smithing skill over 100. This can be achieved by using enchanted items and/or blacksmithing potions to Fortify Smithing.

Attributes by piece[]

Regular[]

Piece ArmorIcon WeightIcon Gold Leather Strips Iron Ingot ID
Iron Armor 25 30 125 3 5 00012E49
Iron Boots 10 6 25 2 3 00012E4B
Iron Gauntlets 10 5 25 2 2 00012E46
Iron Helmet 15 5 60 2 3 00012E4D
Iron Shield 20 12 60 1 4 00012EB6
Total (with shield) 80 58 295 10 17 -
Total (without shield) 60 46 235 9 13 -

Banded[]

Piece ArmorIcon WeightIcon Gold Leather Strips Iron Ingot Corundum Ingot ID
Banded Iron Armor 28 35 200 3 5 1 00013948
Banded Iron Shield 22 12 100 1 4 1 0001394B
Iron Boots 10 6 25 2 3 - 00012E4B
Iron Gauntlets 10 5 25 2 2 - 00012E46
Iron Helmet 15 5 60 2 3 - 00012E4D
Total (with shield) 85 63 410 10 17 2 -
Total (without shield) 63 51 310 9 13 1 -

Trivia[]

  • Imperial Armor has the same armor rating as basic Iron Armor, while donning the Closed Helmet will offer that of the Banded set, although Imperial Armor weighs more. Due to being able to find a set of Imperial Armor at the start of the game in Helgen, with the superior Officer Helmet, Iron Armor may be outclassed before it can be accessed.

See also[]

Appearances[]

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