The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Armor Guide: Cuirasses

We have built our Skyrim character, we have chosen his race and we have developed his skills to customize him as much as we wanted. We have developed our magic skills and took a good look at the different Dragonshouts, the power that only the Dragonborn can wield. All’s well and good but we still need a certain something to be able to go adventuring in Tamriel: weapons. And just as you may expect, there are a lot of different weapons to be found in Skyrim, allowing adventurers to chose what really suits them and the character they have created.

There are a lot of different weapons in Skyrim, ranging from swords and maces to aces, bows and dagger. Even if there are so many weapons, they are grouped together in only three different type: one handed, two handed and bows. If you have checked out our perks and skills guides you already know that you can improve your skills with these weapon types by using the weapons themselves in battle.

The weapons’ level depends on the material: the weakest weapons are the one made from iron while the strongest are the unique Daedric Weapons. If you have downloaded the Dawnguard DLC pack you’ll also be able to obtain the Dragonbone weapons which are even stronger than Daedric Weapons.

Weapons can be obtained in a variety of ways: they can be bought, looted, stolen, forged, or received as a reward. Weapons can also be upgraded at a grindstone with the right material.

Grindstones are found all over the world of Skyrim: using them will also improve your smithing skills. Since weapons don’t have durability in Skyim, the only weapon stat you’ll be able to improve is damage. You can also apply enhancements on the weapons to enhance their battle performance. While most weapons require ingots of their material to improve, some others will require some unique materials which are harder to find. Weapons upgrades are ranked as fine, superior, exquisite, flawless, epic, and legendary: each quality level requires a certain Smithing level which can be decreased with a few perks.

Everything that’s been said about weapons is the same for armors and apparel items. Included in the category are armor, mage robes, rings, amulets and other garments and jewelry. Armor gives the wearer protection by increasing his armor rating: the higher the rating, the less the damage. Using a shield will also increase the Armor Rating.

Armors can be found all over Tamriel. To get some special pieces of armors you will have to smithe them yourself, just like for weapons. Rare armor pieces require a high level in smithing before being able to be created.

• Cuirasses

Cuirasses are the main piece in each armor set, giving the highest possible rating for each piece of the set. Just like shields and helmets, they come in the light and heavy variants, as well as with some special perks. Depending on the situation and your character, some of these may be more useful than others.

• Light

Ancient Falmer Cuirass

Ancient Shrouded Armor

Armor of the Old Gods

Dawnguard Armor

Dragonscale Armor

Elven Armor

Elven Gilded Armor

Elven Light Armor

Falkreath Guard’s Armor

Forsworn Armor

Fur Armor

Glass Armor

Guild Master’s Armor

Hide Armor

Hjaalmarch Guard’s Armor

Imperial Light Armor

Linwe’s Armor

Leather Armor

Markarth Guard’s Armor

Nightingale Armor

Void Salts

Pale Guard’s Armor

Penitus Oculatus Armor

Riften Guard’s Armor

Savior’s Hide

Scaled Armor

Shrouded Armor

Solitude Guard’s Armor

Stormcloak Officer Armor

Studded Armor

Studded Imperial Armor

Thieves Guild Armor

Vampire Armor

Vampire Royal Armor

Whiterun Guard’s Armor

Winterhold Guard’s Armor

Worn Shrouded Armor

• Heavy

Ancient Nord Armor

Blades Armor

Daedric Armor

Dawnguard Heavy Armor

Dragonplate Armor

Dwarven Armor

Ebony Armor

Ebony Mail

Falmer Hardened Armor

Falmer Heavy Armor

Falmer Armor

General Tullius’ Armor

Imperial Armor

Iron Armor

Orcish Armor

Steel Armor

Steel Plate Armor

Wolf Armor