How to Get Good Armor on Skyrim

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

One of the great features of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is not just that there are a lot of equipment you can use in the game, but that you can also make one. And the quality of each item you create depends on your game character. One piece of equipment you can create are armors. When you create an armor, its effectiveness and quality will vary depending on your skills. In order for you to get a good armor for Dragonborn, you must know the different factors affecting its quality, level, and types.

Steps

1
Gather necessary materials first. In Skyrim, you can’t make an item out of nothing (unless you use cheats, of course). There are several types and classes of armors you can choose from, each having its own required materials. In example, to create the Daedric Armor, one of the highest level armors in the game, you need 3 Leather Strips, an Ebony Ingot, and a Daedric Heart.
- Common materials can be bought from town shops (like Leather Strips and some Ingots).
- Rare materials can be obtained through quests or by killing high-level monsters (such as the Daedra, which drops a Daedric Heart when killed).
- The top-three most powerful armor you can get in Skyrim are as follows:
  - Dragon Armor—These armors can be forged using 3 Dragon Scales (from dragon remains), 2 Dragon Bones (from dragon remains), and 3 Leather Strips (can be bought from Smithing shops anywhere in the game). You also need to have a Smithing level of 100 to make this.
  - Daedric Armor—These armors can be forged using 3 Leather Strips (buy from Smithing shops), 5 Ebony Ingot (get from Gloombound Mine), and 1 Daedra Heart (obtained by killing a Daedra in the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon). You also need a Smithing level of at least 90 to be able to forge this.
  - Ebony Armor—You’ll need 5 Ebony Ingots and 3 Leather strips to make this. You also need a Smithing level of at least 80 to be able to forge this.
2
Go to a Blacksmith shop and use the Forge. When you have all the required materials, go to a Blacksmith shop and use the Forge there. Forges are commonly located inside towns but can also be found on some abandoned places or inside ruins.
- One Forge you can easily find early in the game is located in Whiterun. Once you’ve entered the town, head to the right and you’ll see a house and a Forge beside a creek. Approach the Forge and press the Interact button to use it.
Advertisement
3
Raise your Smithing skill. One of the several character attributes or skills is Smithing. This skill determines what kind of equipment you can forge. At the start of the game, you can only produce Steel-type armors, as these are the basic items. Smithing is increased every time you create an item like shields, weapons, and armors.
- Leveling your Smithing skill is important because even if you have the materials required for a certain item, you won’t be able to forge one if your Smithing skill is not high enough. In example, even if you have the materials for the Daedric Armor, you won’t be able to create one if your skill hasn’t reached the Daedric Smithing level yet (Smithing level 90).
4
Improve your armor’s quality by using the Workbench. After you create your armor using the Forge, you can take the item to a Workbench where it can be upgrade to different levels of qualities like Fine, Superior, Exquisite, Flawless, Epic, and Legendary.
- To upgrade your armor, all you need are ingots or leathers, depending on the type of armor you’re improving.
- Workbenches can be also be found inside towns and can be used the same way as a Forge.
5
Enchant the items. After you’ve improved the quality of your armor, you can have it enchanted. Enchanted armors have special bonuses depending on the type of spell they have, such as having more resistance against electric, fire, or ice attacks.
- To enchant an item you need Filled Soul Gems (which can be bought from shops or found inside dungeons), an Arcane Enchanter (found in all major cities and inside dungeons), and a certain level of the Enchantment skill.
- Just like Smithing, the quality of enchanted armors you produce depends on the level of your Enchantment skill, which can be improved by constantly creating enchanted items.