- For other uses, see Light Armor.
- "Lightly armored means light on your feet. Smart."
- ―Hold Guard[src]
Light Armor is a skill in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and is one of the six skills that falls under The Thief play-style.
Raising this skill improves the effectiveness of the light armors worn, and effects of the armor, such as carry weight and stamina regeneration. The Light Armor skill is raised by reading skill books, incurring damage while light armor or clothing is equipped, or paying a trainer to train the player.
Initially Light armor provides less protection than Heavy Armor, however, due to the maximum in game armor cap, it will eventually provide just as much protection as Heavy armor. It also weighs less, slows the wearer less, and allows for much quieter sneaking. It comes in several varieties, providing different aesthetics, armor ratings and weights.
Books
The following books provide a permanent one level up to Light Armor upon the first time reading.
- Ice and Chitin
- Jornibret's Last Dance
- Rislav the Righteous
- The Rear Guard
- Oghma Infinium – choosing the "Path of the Thief" increases all thief-oriented skills by 5, including Light Armor.
- The Refugees
Quests
The following miscellaneous quests increase the Light Armor skill:
- Defeat bandit leader for Annekke in Darkwater Crossing.
- Retrieve Amulet for Shahvee in Windhelm Argonian Assemblage. (Note: also increases thieving skills)
- Retrieve Finn's Lute for Inge Six Fingers at the Bards College in Solitude. Completing this objective also increases the Alchemy, Sneak, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, and Speech skills.
Armor types
The following are the confirmed light armors that will benefit from this skill:
Craftable armor
These armors can be crafted and improved using the requisite perk from the smithing tree along with the required materials at a blacksmith forge and workbench, respectively.
- Chitin Armor DB – shield, helmet, gauntlets, boots, and cuirass.
Chitin Armor
- Hide Armor – shield, helmet, gauntlets, boots, and cuirass.
- Leather Armor – helmet, gauntlets, boots, and cuirass.
- Studded Armor – cuirass.
- Elven Armor – shield, helmet, gauntlets, boots, and cuirass.
- Scaled Armor – helmet, gauntlets, boots, and cuirass.
- Glass Armor – shield, helmet, gauntlets, boots, and cuirass.
- Stalhrim Armor DB – shield, helmet, gauntlets, boots, and cuirass.
- Dragonscale Armor – shield, helmet, gauntlets, boots, and cuirass.
- Imperial Light Armor – shield, helmet, bracers, boots, and cuirass.
Non-craftable armors
These armors are acquired as part of a quest line or looted throughout the world. They may or may not be unique.
- Ancient Falmer Armor DG – Boots, Gauntlets, Chestpiece.
- Ancient Shrouded Armor – Head, Chestpiece, Boots, Gloves.
- Blackguard's Armor DB – Head, Chestpiece, Boots, Gauntlets.
- Dawnguard Armor DG – Head, Boots, Gauntlets and Chestpiece.
- Deathbrand Armor DB – Head, Gauntlets, Chestpiece, Boots.
- Diadem of the Savant – Head.
- Forsworn Armor – Head, Gauntlets, Boots, Chestpiece.
- Fur Armor – Head, Gauntlets, Boots, Chestpiece. (Various Styles)
- Gloves of the Pugilist – Gloves.
- Guild Master's Armor Set – Head, Chestpiece, Boots, Gloves.
- Hold Guard Armor – Head, Chestpiece, Shield.
- Imperial Studded Armor – Chestpiece.
- Krosis – Mask.
- Linwe's Armor – Head, Gauntlets, Boots, Chestpiece.
- Miraak – Mask.
- Morag Tong Armor DB – Head, Chestpiece, Boots, Gauntlets.
- Morokei – Mask.
- Nightingale Armor – Head, Gauntlets, Boots, Chestpiece.
- Penitus Oculatus Armor – Head, Gauntlets, Boots, Chestpiece.
- Savior's Hide – Chestpiece.
- Scaled Horn Armor – Chestpiece.
- Shrouded Armor – Head, Chestpiece, Gauntlets, Boots.
- Skaal Armor DB – Head, Coat, Boots, Gloves.
- Stormcloak Armor – Head, Chestpiece.
- Stormcloak Officer Armor – Head, Chestpiece, Gauntlets, and Boots.
- Thieves Guild Armor – Head, Gauntlets, Boots, Chestpiece.
- Tumblerbane Gloves – Gauntlets.
- Vampire Armor DG – Boots, Gauntlets and Chestpiece.
- Volsung – Mask.
- Wooden Mask – Mask.
- Worn Shrouded Armor – Head, Chestpiece, Gauntlets, Boots.
Perks
Light Armor perks tree
The following are the perks that become available to select as the skill is leveled up.
| Perk (Ranks) | Requirements | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Agile Defender (5) | Light Armor 0/20/40/60/80 | Increase armor rating for Light Armor by 20% (+20% per additional rank) |
| Custom Fit | Light Armor 30, Agile Defender | 25% armor bonus if wearing all Light Armor: head, chest, hands, feet |
| Unhindered | Light Armor 50, Custom Fit | Light Armor weighs nothing and doesn't slow you down when worn |
| Wind Walker | Light Armor 60, Unhindered | Stamina regenerates 50% faster in all Light Armor: head, chest, hands, feet |
| Matching Set | Light Armor 70, Custom Fit | Additional 25% Armor bonus if wearing a matched set of Light Armor. |
| Deft Movement | Light Armor 100, Wind Walker, Matching Set | 10% chance of avoiding all damage from a melee attack while wearing all Light Armor: head, chest, hands, feet |
Trainers
- Scouts-Many-Marshes (Adept): Windhelm.
- Grelka (Expert): The market in Riften.
- Nazir (Master): Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary or Dawnstar Sanctuary.
Training techniques
Leveling up armor skills is relatively simple: take physical damage in combat while wearing armor pieces of that type. To level up the Light Armor skill most efficiently, don a full set of Light Armor (head, hands, feet, chest). For those who are Guildmaster of the Thieves' Guild, wearing the Amulet of Articulation when taking hits will increase the Light Armor skill, as the amulet counts as Light Armor.
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. 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. This method may be long and exhausting to do, but it will steadily and reliably level the skill. Taking on larger groups and/or more powerful enemies will level the skill(s) faster, but the player has to balance their ability to restore their own health against the amount of damage they will be taking.
See also
| Skills in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | |
|---|---|
| The Mage | |
| The Thief |
|
| The Warrior | |