Light and quick on one’s feet, light armor is the second type of armor in the world of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. While it’s usually overlooked by most players as not being good enough due to its significantly lower armor rating, light armor does have its perks. Light armor in Skyrim is particularly good for players who want to remain agile and prefer playing sneaky or quick characters from range. With the right perks unlocked from the skill tree, the best light armor sets in Skyrim can be a real game-changer and also grant some incredible bonuses.
While it’s true that light armor doesn’t boast the highest defenses, players can still use these armor sets to compliment a unique playthrough that doesn’t involve Daedric armor for what feels like the umpteenth time. It helps that the best Skyrim light armor sets look pretty cool and are effective to boot.
Updated on February 11, 2025, by Gerardo Molina: There are many elements that make Skyrim great. It has an excellent narrative, interesting NPCs for the Dragonborn to interact with, a broad range of weapons, and tons of Light, Medium, and Heavy armor for players to take advantage of. Some of the armor sets on this list can be easily obtained, while others will require players to do a ton of searching or complete certain quests. Although not every set provides an outstanding amount of protection, a lot of them can be the difference between dying and surviving. Not to mention that they boast very attractive designs that will be the envy of many of Skyrim’s inhabitants.
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Netch Leather Armor
A Light Armor With Decent Rating
- Full Set Armor Rating: 88 points
- How To Find: The Netch Leather Armor Creation mod must be installed along with the Dragonborn DLC
The Netch Leather Armor has a very particular look about it. Compared to heavier armor, it doesn’t offer the best protection rating out there. However, given its base stats, it’s a decent armor set. It can be created by using the Dragonborn DLC and the Netch Leather Armor Creation add-on.
All in all, while it’s not the best-looking armor in the game, the Netch Leather Armor does offer a lot of good things and isn’t particularly difficult to obtain, making it a great choice for those who want a balance between versatility and appearance.
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Dwarven Mail Armor
A Neat-Looking Variation Of An Already Great Armor
- Full Set Armor Rating: 60 points
- How To Find: Players must reach Smithing level 30, and have the Dwarven Smithing perk. It can be forged at a blacksmith’s forge.
The Dwarven Mail Armor looks quite similar to the regular Dwarven Armor, with the main difference that it has a few pieces of clothing that make it stand out. As part of the Alternative Armors – Dwarven Mail Creation Club content, this armor is great for those looking for a balance between decent armor protection and lightness.
It can be forged with a level 30 Smithing skill, and the Dwarven Armor Smithing Perk. This means that crafting it early on might unfortunately not be an option.
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Worn Shrouded Armor
Worn By The Dark Brotherhood
- Full Set Armor Rating: 35 points
- How To Find: In the Dawnstar Sanctuary after joining the Dark Brotherhood
The Dark Brotherhood is one of the coolest factions in The Elder Scrolls. It’s easy to see why so many people would love the idea of joining this faction and carrying out a bunch of assassinations on their behalf. Not only are these missions a great way to satiate the player’s virtual bloodlust, but becoming a member also grants access to one of the best Skyrim light armor sets in terms of pure looks.
The members of this group look the part, wearing black and red armor that lets the Dragonborn appear as mysterious as possible. It may not boast very high armor ratings, but players who know what they’re doing can cruise through the early game with the Worn Shrouded Armor and not face too many problems during their adventure.
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Stormcloak Armor
Worn By The Stormcloaks
- Full Set Armor Rating: 43 points
- How To Find: Looted from low-ranking Stormcloak soldiers
The Civil War is one of the most compelling questlines in Skyrim, with the Dragonborn playing an active role in deciding the fate of the North and who will govern it after the conflict comes to an end. Most people side with the Stormcloaks during their first playthrough, given a natural tendency to side with rebels who yearn for their freedom. Their faction sports one of the most iconic looks in the game, worn by guards who love to talk about their knee injuries.
It may not seem all that enticing to wear the armor of a lowly guard, but players don’t have a lot of options in the early going when it comes to light armor. If they give the Stormcloak Armor set a shot, they’ll find the look and protection to be decent enough for them to keep it on for a while. It’s far from the best Skyrim light armor set, but it is serviceable for a few hours before players move on to better sets.
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Fur Armor
Common Armor Available From The Very Beginning
- Full Set Armor Rating: 44 points
- How To Find: Stormcloak soldiers, bandits in Skyrim
Fur Armor, in terms of immersion, is probably the best-looking light armor in Skyrim. It has Skyrim written all over it, but sadly it’s among the weakest armors in the game. With upgrades, a set of fur armor can be improved to a degree.
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The good thing about fur armor is that it’s available easily and at the beginning of the game, though it can’t be crafted and it’s usually not sold by any merchants in Skyrim.
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Vampire Royal Armor
Creatures Of The Night Wear This Ornate Armor In The Dawnguard DLC
- Full Set Armor Rating: 45 points
- How To Find: Common drops from vampires
The Dawnguard expansion for Skyrim is one of the best DLCs for the game, introducing Vampires to the game along with a wealth of new locations and enemies for the player to explore and battle. As one would expect, there’s a wealth of new equipment that players can get their hands on too, with the Vampire Armor set being a decent pick for light armor fanatics to check out.
The Royal variant of this armor is easily the best one of the lot, boasting 45 points of armor when the full set is worn. It may not be the most valuable light armor set around, but the cool look for this armor is perfect for players who don’t really care about defenses all that much and just want the Dragonborn to look as aesthetic as possible.
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Skaal Armor
Found In The Region Of Skall, Available In The Dragonborn DLC
- Full Set Armor Rating: 46 points
- How To Find: Worn by some hunters and the residents of Skaal
A location that is added in the Dragonborn expansion is Skaal, a village where players deal with the cold by wearing fur armor that looks pretty special. Unfortunately, to get this armor, most players have to fight and kill a friendly NPC to loot the armor from their corpses.
The Skaal Armor certainly looks unique and is worth acquiring if players like the look, even if the defense it provides isn’t anything to write home about. If players don’t want to kill innocents to get this armor, then they can explore Fahlbtharz or Highpoint Tower instead.
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Armor Of The Old Gods
An Enchanted Set Of Forsworn Armor
- Full Set Armor Rating: 50 points
- How To Find: At the final stage of the quest No One Escapes Cidhna Mine
Sometimes, the armor rating isn’t the only thing that players should track in the game. Instead, it’s the overall utility that any armor brings to the table, and Armor of the Old Gods makes for a pretty useful piece of armor that players can use early on in their run.
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The entire armor reduces the cost of destruction spells, improves sneaking, increases bow damage, and adds to the Dragonborn’s magicka pool by 30 points. Suffice it to say, stealth archery and spell-casting become far more enjoyable and effective with this armor set.
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Forsworn Armor
Worn By One Of The More Common Enemy Groups In The Game
- Full Set Armor Rating: 52 points
- How To Find: Forsworn members
For something truly unique, but still well within the theme of Skyrim’s wilds, there’s Forsworn Armor. It’s another armor set that’s fairly easy to find even early on in the game, although it’s generally not advised to challenge some of the Forsworn camps at lower levels due to Briarhearts.
A full Forsworn armor set can be looted off of most Forsworn members at any camp located in the Reach. Its poor armor rating puts it on the lower end of a light armor tier list.
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Stormcloak Officer Armor
Worn By Stormcloak Captains
- Full Set Armor Rating: 53 points
- How To Find: Obtained by completing the quests The Battle for Fort Snowhawk, Battle for Whiterun, and/or Battle for Windhelm
The Stormcloaks are whom most players side with during the Civil War, with most people assuming this side to be more on the side of good than the Imperials. This completely changes the nature of this questline, with players helping the rebels take over Skyrim and flushing out the presence of the Imperials for good.
Helping out the Stormcloaks is a great way to get their hands on their Officer Armor, but players who side with the Imperials don’t have to feel dejected by missing out on this piece of armor. Killing a Captain or going through certain quests in the Civil War storyline as a part of the Imperials will ensure that players won’t miss out on this amazing piece of armor.
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Morag Tong Armor
The Infamous Attire Worn By Assassins Of The Morag Tong
- Full Set Armor Rating: 53 points
- How To Find: Solstheim in Ashfallow Citadel
Players who have the Dragonborn DLC installed might recognize this as the Chitin armor. However, the darker coloring on the face reveals it to be Morag Tong Armor, which can be looted from an assassin in Solstheim or found in Ashfallow Citadel.
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It can’t be crafted, but being fairly easy to find, it’s one of the best light armor sets in Skyrim to add to any assassin character’s build. The full set will grant the player an armor rating of 53.
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Hide Armor
A Very Common Set Of Armor That Is Serviceable In The Early Game
- Full Set Armor Rating: 55 points
- How To Find: Smithing, merchants, common in loot
One of the most basic and earliest light armor sets in Skyrim available, Hide Armor in Skyrim is extremely easy to find both in loot and at shops. It’s also available for anyone to craft regardless of Smithing skill level, and requires leather, as well as leather strips.
When worn with a shield, the full set will give the player an armor rating of 55, just a bit better than the Morag Tong assassin’s armor, and is available in the base game.
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Shrouded Armor
One Of The More Common Dark Brotherhood Armor Sets
- Full Set Armor Rating: 58 points
- How To Find: Joining the Dark Brotherhood
This skin-tight armor set is granted to those who join the ranks of the Dark Brotherhood. It’s usually enchanted with powerful boosts to abilities used by assassins and thieves alike. After the faction is joined, this set will appear pretty often and other variations become available as well.
In fact, some alternate versions estimate their base armor rating to be around 72, but the basic version is still 58. For assassins, this is the best light armor set in Skyrim.
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Stalhrim Fur Armor
Added With The Alternative Armors – Stalhrim Fur Creation Club Content
- Full Set Armor Rating: 59 points
- How To Find: Complete the Ancient Ice quest
The Creation Club may be defunct, but fans are glad to see that the bulk of its paid content has been added in to Skyrim for free. This includes the Stalhrim Fur Armor set, which serves as one of the best Skyrim light armor getups in the eyes of many simply because of its superb Armor Rating.
Players need to complete a unique quest before getting their hands on this tantalizing armor set that makes them look quite intimidating. Given the stigma of light armor looking rather plain and boring compared to its contemporaries, it’s easy to see why fans would relish the moment they get their hands on the fashionable Stalhrim Fur Armor.
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Thieves Guild Armor
Armor Worn By Members Of The Legendary Thieves Guild
- Full Set Armor Rating: 60 points
- How To Find: Present in the Ragged Flagon – Cistern
The Thieves Guild is one of the many organizations that players can join if they want to explore one of the many unique questlines in the game with memorable characters. Not only does joining the guild give players access to a fence, but they can also get a pretty sweet light armor set too!
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Players can also go to Riften and get an entire set from the fence there after starting the quest Loud and Clear. It’s one of the easier armor sets to obtain in the game that boasts fairly decent defenses and is perfect for players who want to regenerate their stamina quickly in combat.
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Ancient Falmer Armor
Added In The Dawnguard DLC
- Full Set Armor Rating: 60 points
- How To Find: Looted off Arch-Curate Vyrthur
This is among the most unique light armor sets in Skyrim. It can’t be crafted, but it can eventually be upgraded with some moonstone ore. The Ancient Falmer Armor has a cool appearance that almost seems to combine an Ebony armor set and an Elven armor set.
To get this light armor set, the Dawnguard DLC must be installed and Arch-Curate Vyrthur has to be defeated during the quest Touching the Sky. Loot his corpse to find this lovely unique set, which totals a 60 armor rating.
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Dawnguard Armor
Worn By The Eponymous Faction
- Full Set Armor Rating: 61 points
- How To Find: Join the Dawnguard faction
The Dawnguard DLC introduces players to a new faction that fights the rise of the Volkihar vampires. Recruits can choose between a heavy or a light armor set, the light one being a slightly modified version of the heavy one. It’s easily available and simple to find, and can even be repurchased, although it can’t be crafted.
The full set of light armor will provide the player with an armor rating of 61, which makes it an average-tier light armor set in Skyrim. It’s far from useless, but there are much better options out there for those who know where to look.
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Scaled Armor
Mid-Game Light Armor That Starts Spawning After Players Become Powerful Enough
- Full Set Armor Rating: 64 points
- How To Find: Bandits, or through Smithing
Another base game light armor, Scaled Armor is easy to find in loot or even on the corpses of most bandits. However, if finding it proves difficult, the player can also craft one provided their Smithing is at level 50 and they have the Advanced Armors perk unlocked.
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The recipe calls for Corundum ingot, leather, leather strips, and steel ingot. Scaled armor, when wearing a full set, will grant the player an armor rating of roughly 64, making it a mid-tier light armor set when all’s said and done.
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Imperial Light Armor
The Imperial Legion’s Distinctive Set Of Armor
- Full Set Armor Rating: 68 points
- How To Find: Join the Imperial Legion
There are some mild perks to joining the Imperial Legion, one of which is getting one’s hands on the Imperial Light Armor set. This armor can be acquired pretty much instantly in the game as the Dragonborn escapes Helgen. It can also be crafted if the Steel Smithing perk is unlocked.
The full set of Imperial Light Armor along with a shield will give its wearer an armor rating of 68. It’s far from the best light armor set in Skyrim, but it can be incredibly useful in certain situations.
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Nightingale Armor
A Cool-Looking Armor Set Obtained By Following The Thieves Guild’s Questline
- Full Set Armor Rating: 69 points
- How To Find: Join the Thieves Guild and complete the questline
The Thieves Guild is one of the best factions to join if players are looking to grab two sets of unique light armor for the price of one quest line. Not only will they eventually have the Guild Master’s armor, but they’ll also get one of the coolest-looking light armor sets in the entire game: the Nightingale Armor set.
After joining the Nightingales and doing Daedric Prince Nocturnal’s bidding, they’ll be gifted with this set late into the Thieves Guild’s main quest. The armor can be upgraded with Void Salts, and when the full set is worn it totals to an armor rating of 69, making the Nightingale light armor set one of the best light armor sets in Skyrim.