Wearing a huge set of hulking heavy armor is a sure-fire way of assuring your dominance in combat, enemy hits will deal significantly less damage. Of course, this comes at the drawback of a lower movement speed and huge inventory weights but that’s justified for how much armor you get. As you advance through the game, you’ll upgrade your armor sets over time, relevant to your level. Keeping an eye on your armor level is important, enemies get stronger regardless of whether or not you keep your armor set topped up.
Make sure you progress your items as fast as your level, this list will tell you all you need to know about the best heavy armor in Skyrim!
List does not include shields
10. Dwarven Armor
Wow, this armor looks incredible. It’s a shame too, you will be able to make use of Dwarven heavy armor but the low level its available at makes the time spent using it quite low. A total weight of 75 will certainly be an issue, particularly in early levels when you don’t have the perks to reduce heavy armor weight.
Set Armor: 78
How to obtain: Found in shops and as loot after reaching level 12. Or reach a Smithing level of 30 and have the relevant Smithing perk.
9. Dawnguard Heavy Armor
I was tempted to put this entry much higher, specifically for the helmet. Of course, this list is all about what the armor offers in terms of gameplay so I resisted the urge. As you can likely tell, Dawnguard armor has the same armor rating as the previous entry, only it has a slightly smaller weight at 68 for the set, excluding the shield.
Armor: 78
How to obtain: Gunmar will give you a set without the helmet upon first speaking to him. You can buy the helmet from Gunmar or find pieces around Fort Dawnguard. Can also be looted from dead Dawnguard members.
8. Steel Plate Armor
Sporting the armor rating of heavy armor with a weight rating similar to that of light armor is the Steel Plate armor set. Taking up just 59 of your inventory space, this armor set is well worth obtaining and using once you meet its level requirements for finding it.
Armor: 87
How to obtain: Found in shops and as loot after reaching level 18. Or reach a Smithing level of 50 and have the relevant Smithing perk.
7. Blades Armor
The Blades return in Skyrim after playing a huge role in the previous game Oblivion. While their role has decayed somewhat in the latest installment, Blades armor is still a fantastic set to use, especially due to how fast you can obtain it.
Please be aware that the Blades breastplate only is the 4th highest armor breastplate in the game. The boots, gauntlets & helmet are considerably lower compared to other sets.
Armor: 88
How to obtain: Located in a chest in the Sky Haven Temple.
6. Orcish Armor
With a weight of of just 57, you’d think Orcish armor would take up a lot more of your inventory capacity. Fortunately, Skyrim offers this mid-game armor set as an easily obtainable, yet highly usable piece of kit to help you survive on your travels.
Armor: 90
How to obtain: Found in shops and as loot after reaching level 20. Or reach a Smithing level of 50 and have the relevant Smithing perk.
5. Ebony Armor
You can’t fault this armor set’s creators for the aesthetics, Ebony armor looks intimidating and badass. Not only does it have a cool appearance, it backs up such awesomeness with great stats across the board. High armor ratings are matched by a fairly low weight of 62!
Armor: 96
How to obtain: Found in shops and as loot after reaching level 32. Or reach a Smithing level of 80 and have the relevant Smithing perk. Very rarely, you can find a piece from as low as level 12.
4. Falmer Heavy Armor
I genuinely wouldn’t blame you for using Ebony armor over this entry, purely out of cosmetic preferences. Falmer heavy armor looks pretty bizarre, with the same amount of armor as Ebony. On one hand, it does have a slightly lower weight rating of 55 but it also comes with no heavy Falmer shield as it doesn’t exist in the game. It’s completely up to you which you choose!
Armor: 96
How to obtain: Loot from Falmer Warmongers and occasionally Falmer Shadowmasters.
3. Ebony Mail
Kinda cheating a bit here, Ebony Mail is a unique breastplate in Skyrim that doesn’t have a full “set”. It’s worth an inclusion on the list though, you should absolutely acquire this breastplate if you can. Not only does it have a higher armor rating than its normal Ebony variant, it also has a much lower weight. Ebony Mail also comes with a nice enchantment, muffling your movement and dealing a small amount of poison damage per second to nearby enemies!
Armor: 45
How to obtain: Found as loot after defeating the Champion of Boethiah, introduced during the Boethiah’s Calling quest.
2. Dragonplate Armor
Don’t bother trying to find a set of Dragonplate armor as loot, merchants will rarely sell them either and if they do, it’ll be for a way too hefty price. Instead, save up those dragon bones until you can spec into Smithing. Even though dragon bones are among the most heavy items in the game, Dragonplate armor set only only weighs in at 64!
Armor: 102
How to obtain: Found in shops and as loot after reaching level 40, albeit extremely rarely. Or reach a Smithing level of 100 and have the relevant Smithing perk.
1. Daedric Armor
Oddly enough, Dragonbone themed weapons are always better than Daedric but on the armor front, Daedric armor just skips ahead to the number 1 spot. As well as appearing like the most godly being in the Skyrim universe, you’ll also be near unkillable thanks to Daedric armor’s obscenely high armor rating. A huge 81 inventory space required is a slight downside but by the time you’ve achieved this armor set, it won’t be a problem!
Armor: 108
How to obtain: Found in shops and as loot after reaching level 48. Or reach a Smithing level of 90 and have the relevant Smithing perk.
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