Combat Skills: The Path of Might – Heavy Armor

Heavy Armor allows you to make more effective use of Iron, Steel, Dwarven, Orcish, Ebony, Dragonplate, Daedric, and related armors. It offers excellent protection, though its weight will slow you down and reduce the amount of gear you can carry. High-end sets of heavy armor are especially rare, so you may wish to consider Smithing so you can craft your own when the time comes.

Your Heavy Armor skill increases when you take damage while wearing heavy armor, based on the damage of the incoming blow. If you’re wearing more than one kind of armor, the incoming damage is divided up among the pieces before being used to calculate skill uses. So, the more heavy armor you’re wearing, the more damage will be assigned to it, and the faster this skill will increase.

The Heavy Armor constellation has two main themes: the left arc focuses on unusual perks or those useful in specific situations, while the right arc emphasizes statistically powerful perks for Heavy Armor purists.

• Constellation: Path of Might
• Available Perks: 12

Available Heavy Armor Perks

1–5. Juggernaut (5 ranks) ★

• Rank 1: Increases the armor rating of your heavy armor by 20%.
• Requires: None
• Rank 2: Increases the armor rating of your heavy armor by 40%.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 20, Juggernaut 1
• Rank 3: Increases the armor rating of your heavy armor by 60%.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 40, Juggernaut 2
• Rank 4: Increases the armor rating of your heavy armor by 80%.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 60, Juggernaut 3
• Rank 5: Increases the armor rating of your heavy armor by 100%.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 80, Juggernaut 4

6. Fists of Steel

• Unarmed attacks with heavy armor gauntlets do their armor base rating in extra damage.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 30, Juggernaut 1

Although unarmed combat doesn’t increase any of your skills, it can still be a viable option, especially for Khajiits (whose Claws racial ability also improves unarmed attacks). This perk makes brawls dramatically easier.

7. Well Fitted ★

• Get a 25% Armor bonus if wearing all heavy armor: head, chest, hands, feet.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 30, Juggernaut 1

This bonus stacks with Juggernaut and Matching Set—a must-have for anyone serious about using Heavy Armor.

8. Cushioned

• Half-damage from falling if wearing all heavy armor: head, chest, hands, feet.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 50, Fists of Steel

Worth considering if you enjoy climbing mountains and scampering up rocks and don’t want to worry about fall damage.

9. Tower of Strength

• Get 50% less stagger when wearing only heavy armor.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 50, Well Fitted

10. Conditioning

• Heavy armor weighs nothing and doesn’t slow you down.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 70, Cushioned

Conditioning reduces the weight of heavy armor you’re wearing (it doesn’t affect the weight of armor in your inventory) and eliminates the speed penalty for wearing it. If that appeals to you but you aren’t excited about having to take Fists of Steel and Cushioned to reach this perk, try out the Steed Stone ability (from one of the Standing Stones): it has almost the same effect and won’t cost you any perks.

11. Matching Set

• Additional 25% Armor bonus if wearing a matched set of heavy armor.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 70, Tower of Strength

This bonus stacks with Juggernaut and Well Fitted. It’s challenging to acquire a complete set of the high-end heavy armor (unless you’re specializing in Smithing), so make sure you have a matching set before taking this perk.

12. Reflect Blows

• Gain a 10% chance to reflect melee damage back to the enemy while wearing all heavy armor: head, chest, hands, feet.
• Requires: Heavy Armor 100, Matching Set

Racial Benefits

• +10 Heavy Armor
• Nord
• +5 Heavy Armor
• Imperial

Trainers

• Expert: Gharol, Dushnikh Yal, in The Reach.
• Master: Farkas, the Companions of Jorrvaskr, in Whiterun.
• Master: Isran, Fort Dawnguard, in The Rift.
• Master: Kuvar, Bujold’s Retreat, then Thirsk Mead Hall, in Solstheim.

Other Resources

• Use the guide search for a list of Heavy Armor Skill Books, and where to look for them.
• You can find a list of Heavy Armor items in the Inventory.
• The following quests can also increase this skill:
• Other Factions Quest: Rjorn’s Drum.
• Daedric Quest: Discerning the Transmundane.
• Favor: The Bandit Slayer*
• Solstheim Side Quest: Filial Bonds