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 Skyrim boasts many unique sets of light armor that look pretty cool and are effective to boot.

Updated on January 15, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Skyrim is a video game that needs no introduction. Bethesda's magnum opus had continued to remain relevant in modern times courtesy of its many re-releases and enduring mod support that has helped modernize the game in more ways than one. Players who are currently going through their hundredth playthrough of Skyrim and want to try out a light armor playthrough should be aware of all the sets available in the game. This information can prove to be helpful for players who want to regenerate stamina quickly without sacrificing too much defense in the process.

26 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.

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.

25 Vampire Royal Armor

The Creatures Of The Night Wear This Ornate-Looking 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. 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.

24 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 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.

23 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.

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.

22 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.

21 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 assassin attire, which can be looted from an assassin in Solstheim or found in Ashfallow Citadel.

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.

20 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.

19 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.

18 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!

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.

17 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.

16 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.

15 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.

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.

14 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 can be incredibly useful in certain situations.

13 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 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.

12 Linwe's Armor

Named After The Person Who Owns And Wears This Armor Set

• Full Set Armor Rating: 69 points
• How To Find: Loot or pickpocket Linwe

There are various sets of light armor that players can obtain in the Thieves Guild. However, it's this unique set that is pretty useful and is surprisingly geared toward combat as opposed to pure stealth.

Killing Linwe from the Thieves Guild to loot her or pickpocketing her is the only way to get her unique set of armor in the game. Wearing this entire set increases the Dragonborn's stamina, improves sneaking, and increases damage with both one-handed swords & bows.

11 Blackguard's Armor

Obtainable After Completing The Quest Paid In Full

• Full Set Armor Rating: 72 points
• How To Find: In the basement of Glover Mallory's house

Another set of unique armor that can be acquired after joining the Thieves Guild is the Blackguard's Armor. This is present in a display case in Glover Mallory's basement and boasts a ton of buffs that make it a great piece of armor to use.

It increases carrying capacity, improves the success rate of both pickpocketing & lockpicking, and also improves the prices at which goods can be sold & bought. Players need to complete the quest Paid in Full before getting a chance to obtain this piece of armor.

10 Ancient Shrouded Armor

A Powerful Set Of Armor Found At The End Of The Dark Brotherhood Questline

• Full Set Armor Rating: 72 points
• How To Find: Obtained at the end of the quest Locate the Assassin of Old

Unique light armor is all the rage in Skyrim, and the Ancient Shrouded Armor set is no exception to this rule. This armor is found at the end of a Dark Brotherhood quest on an assassin's corpse inside a secret room behind the throne in Hag's End.

The entire set prevents the Dragonborn from being poisoned, muffles the wearer's footsteps, increases bow damage, and doubles sneak attack damage with one-handed weapons. Stealthing around and beating enemies into a pulp becomes a blast with the Ancient Shrouded armor set.

9 Guild Master's Armor

Restore The Thieves Guild To Its Former Glory

• Full Set Armor Rating: 76 points
• How To Find: Solstheim in Ashfallow Citadel

With the Nightingale armor out of the way, the slightly less cool-looking but still immensely good Guild Master's armor set is worth the grind and is much better than the Nightingale set when it comes to armor rating only. It's also easier to upgrade with just leather.

To get their hands on this, players will not only need to finish the main quest for the Thieves Guild but also restore the guild to its former glory by running a few jobs for Delvin and Vex. Tonilia will then gift them with this armor set, which is easily among the best light armor sets in Skyrim with a rating of 76.

8 Deathbrand Armor

Worn By Haknir Death-Brand

• Full Set Armor Rating: 78.5 points
• How To Find: The entire set is split between many ancient chests found during the quest Deathbrand

This unique set of light armor was worn by Haknir Death-Brand. The pieces are split between four chests, turning this quest into a treasure hunt of sorts with a pretty nice reward at the end.

Not only does the Deathbrand Armor have great stats, but it also has unique benefits that the Dragonborn can enjoy. It increases stamina, carrying capacity, and damage from one-handed attacks with each piece of the Deathbrand Armor worn by the player. To top it all off, the Deathbrand Helm has the waterbreathing enchantment.

7 Gilded Elven Armor

Iconic Armor With An Instantly Recognizable Design

• Full Set Armor Rating: 85 points (with shield)
• How To Find: Worn by Thalmor soldiers, available as random loot at higher levels

Elven Armor is easily one of the coolest-looking armor sets in the game, and it's hard to believe that this is a light armor set. The armor is worn by soldiers in Thalmor, boasting high levels of defense that make it one of the best light armor sets players can get their hands on in the game.

It's easy to see why players have to encounter enemies who wear this armor at higher levels. The Gilded Elven Armor chest piece is especially effective, with players looking quite imposing and dealing with most tough threats easily if they have this armor set equipped.