It is futile to try not to wear armor – especially if you’re going to be playing as a warrior or anything that requires you to go head to head against your foes. Now I’ve compiled a list that includes all of the heavy armor sets that you can find in Skyrim, ranking them from the worst (weakest) to the best. Bear in mind that you’re very likely going to need to use the worst sets in the beginning of the game anyway, but they’re still the best options you’ll have. I’m just pointing this out in case you haven’t played Morrowind before. I’m also including a couple of half-sets, which means that some parts of these sets are not available to be found. They’re still pretty good, though; and I’m not leaving them out of the list because of it. Let’s jump in and get protected!
10. Iron Armor
Iron armor is probably the most traditional type of armor in RPGs. As is tradition, iron armor tends to be the weakest and most common one as well. That’s the case with iron armor in Morrowind, too. Use these sets in the beginning of the game to keep yourself protected from basic damage, but don’t expect them to do any magic.
9. Steel Armor
Steel armor is a far more reliable piece of equipment than iron armor, even though it only protects a couple of additional points more than its predecessor. Get your hands on some steel armor to fend off annoying foes during the first 15 levels of the game.
8. Imperial Steel Armor
Imperial steel armor is a variant of steel armor that protects basically the same amount of points as its regular steel counterpart. The only difference is that this one has a more elegant design, which suits the imperial army better than others. And it offers a single point of additional defending. It’s basically the imperial variant of traditional steel armor, defending 16 points per piece.
7. Nordic Iron Armor
The Nordic iron armor might be a weak armor type, but it offers great defending for the first 20 levels of the game. It also protects the wearer for 16 points, which puts it on par with imperial steel. Is it a good armor set? Well, not exactly. But hey, it’s a bit stronger than at least three other heavy armor sets in the game. That’s got to mean something if you can get your hands on this.
6. Trollbone Armor
The fantastic Nordic Trollbone Armor is an armor made using, literally, the bones of trolls. It doesn’t have a complete set, as boots and gloves are not available to be worn. I’d say that’s understandable, though, as wearing troll bones as footwear is easily one of the most uncomfortable things in the world (or at least I think it’s safe to assume so). With a base protection of 18, it’s a solid piece of heavy armor that can be combined with light armor, both in terms of how practical it is as well as how it looks.
5. Imperial Silver Armor
More than an armor, this is actually just a cuirass. There isn’t a silver armor set, but this cuirass is worn by various characters in the game and actually provides you with decent protection if you wear it. Look, I’m not going to promise you that this armor is going to keep you safe from all sorts of trouble. But we’re approaching some armors that do the job fantastically well. Consider this a great temporary option as you work your way through Morrowind.
4. Imperial Templar Knight Armor
According to the wiki for Morrowind, we don’t really know which is the real material of this armor. In fact, we can only assume that it’s gold because it’s one of the best sets in the game. But it might as well be made of any other metal. Brass comes to mind… but hey, we’ll never really know. Great, now this is really troubling me. Ugh. Well in any case, the Templar Knight Armor gives you 18 points of defense per piece. It’s a very useful piece of armor, and it looks cool to boot. That’s all you need to know to decide to snag this set during your next playthrough.
3. Dwarven Armor
The Dwarven (or Dwemer) set of armor is one of the most traditional sets in the entire Elder Scrolls series. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that this set is the most emblematic out of them all, as it has kept its essence throughout the years even when the graphics have been steadily improving over time. The Morrowind Dwemer set gives you 20 points of defense per piece, but it also looks more like one of those Dwemer machines from Oblivion and Skyrim than an actual set of armor. That’s what makes me like it so much, to be fair!
2. Ebony Armor
The beautiful ebony armor is crafted with black materials and decorated with gold. Each piece of this armor is very expensive, albeit a tad cheaper than Daedric, as is tradition in Elder Scroll games. The best thing about these sets is that they can be found in various parts across the game, such as the Vivec City vaults. Be sure to get as much money as possible if you intend to buy them– the entire set goes for well over 100,000 septims. And if you can’t get this elsewhere I’d still say it’s 100% worth it at that price point.
1. Daedric Armor
Every single time that I discuss armor I think it’s inevitable that the Daedric always ranks pretty high. I mean, you could take away the fact that it gives you a staggering 80 points of defending per piece. And even then it’ll still take the first spot simply because of how damn badass Daedric sets look. I say “sets” because they’ve been looking fantastically well through the years – not only on Morrowind, but also with Oblivion and Skyrim too. So if you’re truly looking for the best armor set in looks, defense, and style, boot up Morrowind and find yourself a copy of the Daedric armor. You’ll be glad you did.
