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Skyrim offers players hundreds of unique armor options throughout the game, from Daedric artifacts to blessed helmets and everything in between. The recently released Skyrim Anniversary Edition adds dozens more – many of these new armors were available in the Creation Club, while others are completely new to the game.
Skyrim Anniversary Edition includes more than 70 official addons. All of these unique armors are named, have a special enchantment not seen anywhere else in the game, or are tied to a historical event in the Elder Scrolls series. Many of them are a combination of all three, such as The Gray Cowl or Wraithguard.
Updated February 24, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: Skyrim Anniversary Edition new armor styles are incredibly varied, and there is even a surprising abundance of unique armors to find too. Despite the best efforts of many a player, it's difficult to find some of these sets, some of which don't really have any incentive tied to their acquisition. The Vigil Enforcer set, for example, asks players to travel to an obscure location in an obscure part of the province to complete a quest before being craftable, and the armor is easily outranked by others throughout the game. Nevertheless, it's a good example of new armor Skyrim Anniversary Edition brings to the table that not many players have discovered.
Individual Unique Armors
Skyrim Anniversary Editionincludes a variety of large addons that each introduce new armors, weapons, questlines, and more to the game. Some of the new unique armors, though, are included in individual addons that aren't part of these larger Creations.
The Lord's Mail, the Fists of Randagulf, Wraithguard, and The Gray Cowl are available in four separate small-scale Creations, and are the only unique armors acquirable in each.
Lord's Mail
- Armor Type: Heavy Armor
- Armor Rating: 45
- Improved With: Ebony Ingot
- Enchantments: Absorb 5 Health from melee opponents each second, Poison resistance increased by 75 points and Magic resistance is increased by 17 points
The Lord's Mail is part of its eponymous Creation, which sends the player to receive a blessing from Kynareth on a cursed piece of armor. The Cursed version of the Lord's Mail reduces all three primary resources by 50 points, but completion of the Gift of Kynareth quest restores the Lord's Mail to its proper state.
The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal
- Armor Type: Light Helmet
- Armor Rating: 13
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantments: Fortify Sneak by 25 points and Carry Weight by 50 points, casts Detect Life constantly
The Gray Cowl is the Daedric Artifact of Nocturnal featured in the Thieves Guild questline of Oblivion. The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal quest has the player complete a series of tasks from a stranger, who turns out to be the Gray Fox. The Gray Cowl is bequeathed upon the Dragonborn upon completing his final request.
Wraithguard
- Armor Type: Heavy Gauntlet
- Armor Rating: 19
- Improved With: Dwarven Metal ingot
- Enchantments: Fire, Frost, and Magic Resistance increased by 10%, grants Keening and Sunder special properties
Wraithguard is one of the three legendary Tools of Kagrenac used by the Dwemer Tonal Architect to tap into the Heart of Lorkhan, which later granted the Tribunal of the Dark Elves their powers as Living Gods. Needless to say, it's a powerful piece of equipment and is earned alongside Sunder in the quest Legends Lost. Keening is obtained through Arniel at the College of Winterhold.
Fists of Randagulf
- Armor Type: Heavy Gauntlets
- Armor Rating: 15
- Improved With: Steel Ingot
- Enchantments: Fortify Block by 20 points, Two-Handed and One-Handed by 20 points, and Unarmed by 20 points
The Fists of Randagulf previously appeared in Morrowind and are included in Skyrim with the creation The Contest. These heavy gauntlets were first worn by a legendary warrior named Randagulf, and the enchantment is tailor-made for Warrior archetypes. These are earned during the quest Caught in a Web.
Vigil Enforcer Sets
- Armor Type: Heavy (Four Aesthetic Varieties)
- Armor Rating: 59
- Improved With: Steel Ingot
- Enchantments: None
The Vigil Enforcer armor sets are four new versions of the same armor set, meaning that they each have the same weight, Armor Rating, value, and other stats. They all appear different from one another, though, with small aesthetic changes between each type of gear to allow greater character customization. These sets can be crafted at any forge after completing the quest "Unholy Vigil" included with Anniversary Edition. Head to the Hall of the Vigilant, just south of Dawnstar, to start this quest and be on the way to crafting one of these unique armors.
Civil War Champions Unique Armor
Civil War Champions is one of the many wide-reaching Creations included with Skyrim Anniversary Edition. It adds a questline focused on a duel between a group of Imperials and a group of Stormcloaks who want to prove which side is mightier.
It also adds a variety of new weapons, lorebooks, locations, and of course unique armor sets. The Imperial Dragon set and Storm-Bear set are both sets of Champion Armor given to the player when choosing a side in the duel.
The Imperial Dragon Set
- Armor Type: Heavy (Armor, Boots, Gauntlets, Helmet, Shield)
- Total Set Armor Rating: 144
- Improved With: Steel Ingot (All Pieces)
- Enchantments by Piece
- Armor: Fire, Shock, and Frost Resistance increased by 30%
- Boots: Health recovers 10% faster, Fire Resistance increased by 20%
- Gauntlets: Melee Damage increased by 10%
- Helmet: Chance to increase defense when Health drops
- Shield: Bashing damage doubled, Blocking is 20% more effective, Fire Resistance increased by 10%
The Imperial Dragon set is the Champion Set given to the Dragonborn if they choose the Imperial side during the Civil War Champions duel. The set increases Fire resistance massively, increases Health and Melee Damage a little bit, and makes defending a little bit easier.
The Storm-Bear Set
- Armor Type: Heavy (Armor, Boots, Gauntlets, Helmet, Shield)
- Total Set Armor Rating: 144
- Improved With: Steel Ingot (All Pieces)
- Enchantments by Piece
- Armor: Health increased by 75 points, Frost Resistance increased by 20%, Shout recovery reduced by 20%
- Boots: Stamina recovery increased by 10%, Frost Resistance increased by 20%
- Gauntlets: Stamina cost for Power Attacks reduced by 20%
- Helmet: Increases Armor Rating when worn with a full Storm-Bear set
- Shield: Bashing damage doubled, Blocking is 20% more effective, Frost Resistance increased by 10%
The Storm-Bear set is the Champion set given to players if they choose the Stormcloak side during the Civil War Champions duel. This set increases Frost Resistance, makes using Stamina more efficient, reduces Shout recovery time and has a higher Armor Rating than the Imperial Dragon set if all pieces are worn.
Forgotten Seasons Unique Armor
Forgotten Seasons is a surprisingly deep Creation that adds dozens of new items, several questlines, a variety of new creatures to fight, a Dwarven Ruin to explore, and a ton of other content to discover. Among this are several Visages and Crowns, unique armor items that take their names from three seasons, as well as a new piece of body armor.
These pieces of armor are earned throughout different themed areas of the Forgotten Seasons questline, which can be started by visiting Runoff Caverns in the Reach just southwest of Cradle Stone Tower.
The Three Dwarven Visages
- Armor Type: Heavy Armor
- Armor Rating: 8 Each
- Dwarven Spring Visage: Health increased by 25 points, Light and Heavy Armor increased by 5 points each
- Dwarven Autumn Visage: Magicka increased by 25 points, Restoration and Illusion spells cost 10% less Magicka
- Dwarven Winter Visage: Increases Stamina by 25 points, One-Handed and Two-Handed Damage increased by 10%
The Three Dwarven Visages of the Seasons are the first major pieces of armor the player will come across in Forgotten Seasons, each appearing as Dwarven-style masks. Each one serves as a precursor version of their associated Crown, providing the same (though reduced) benefits of their upgraded forms.
The Three Dwarven Crowns
- Armor Type: Heavy Helmet
- Armor Rating: 22 each
- Dwarven Crown of Spring: Health increased by 50 points and regenerates 10% faster, Light and Heavy Armor increased by 10 points each
- Dwarven Crown of Autumn: Magicka increased by 50 points and regenerates 10% faster, Restoration and Illusion spells cost 15% less Magicka
- Dwarven Crown of Winter: Increases Stamina by 40 points and regenerates 10% faster, One-Handed and Two-Handed Damage increased by 15%
The Dwarven Crowns of the Seasons are essentially upgraded versions of their associated Visage, with visual differences concurrent with their bonuses. Each of these crowns looks like the default Dwarven Crown with a Visage embedded on the front, obscuring the face completely and giving players the look of a Dwarven Centurion.
Ward of the Seasons
- Armor Type: Heavy Armor
- Armor Rating: 34
- Improved With: Dwarven Metal Ingot
- Enchantments: Fire, Frost, Shock, and Poison Resistance increased by 10%
The Ward of the Seasons is a Heavy Armor piece that is earned at the end of the Forgotten Seasons questlines. It's a powerful piece of armor with broad increases to the Dragonborn's Resistances, though other pieces of armor in the game offer higher increases to Resistances that are more targeted.
Ghosts of the Tribunal Unique Armor
The Ghosts of the Tribunal addon is new to Skyrim with the release of Anniversary Edition, and serves to continue the story of the Dark Elf Tribunal of Living Gods who, as it turns out, aren't completely gone from Nirn. It's a creation that adds tons of Morrowind-themed content on Solstheim, including several new weapons, quests, items, and of course unique armors.
The main focus of Ghosts of the Tribunal is the recovery of several Masks that symbolize the former Tribunal of Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, as well as the Sixth House's Dagoth Ur. These unique armors don't provide any special enchantments, but there are several other armors throughout the creation that do.
The Her Hand Set
- Armor Type: Heavy
- Total Armor Rating: 96
- Improved With: Chitin Plate
- Enchantments: Fortify Heavy Armor by 25 points, Stamina by 70 points, One-Handed by 40 points, and Block by 40 points
The Her Hand set is earned throughout the completion of the Ghosts of the Tribunal quest – and it's modeled after Nerevar himself. The set is a fantastic set for melee bruisers thanks to Heavy Armor and Block improvements as well as Stamina and One-Handed to make the player swing stronger for longer.
Kenro's Helmet
- Armor Type: Heavy Helmet
- Armor Rating: 19
- Improved With: Chitin Plate
- Enchantments: One-Handed Damage increased by 30%
Kenro's Helmet is a piece of equipment found on the body of a member of House Hlallu during the Ghosts of the Tribunal questline. The matching robes and helmet can be used to infiltrate the Tribunal Cult's headquarters near Raven Rock. This Helmet can be kept even after joining the Cult, and serves as a decent choice for its huge improvement to One-Handed Damage.
Saints and Seducers Unique Armor
Saints and Seducers is another wide-reaching mod that adds a huge variety of content to the mainland of Skyrim. Based on the Shivering Isles DLC for Oblivion, Saints and Seducers has players look into a swathe of bandit camps that claim to herald from the Saints and Seducers of Sheogorath's realm.
The creation adds a handful of unique-looking armor sets that feature no additional enchantments, though they can be found in a variety of locations. Unique Armors, though, include an Apron that increases Smithing ability and a Helmet that hugely increases Stamina.
Arcane Blacksmith's Apron
- Armor Type: Clothes
- Armor Rating: N/A
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantment: Fortify Smithing by 20 points
The Arcane Blacksmith's Apron is a piece of equipment that ought to be a prize for Skyrim smiths. It's not a piece of Light or Heavy armor, so it's not something to wear into battle, but it's great to keep stored near a player's personal Anvil or Forge for ease of access.
Staada's Helmet
- Armor Type: Heavy Helmet
- Armor Rating: 20
- Improved With: N/A
- Enchantment: Stamina is increased by 70 points
The Staada's Helmet is a Heavy Helm earned through the side quest Staada's Quest, which has the player investigate a note found on a body at the end of the Restoring Order main questline. It offers a huge increase to Max Stamina, though its relatively low Armor Rating makes it a bad choice for defensive players.
Divine Crusader Unique Armor
The Divine Crusader Creation adds a questline surrounding Pelanial Whitestrake, a mythical figure known as the Divine Crusader whose true history is as enigmatic as the Elder Scrolls themselves. It first appeared in the Knights of the Nine DLC for Oblivion, and his armor appears in Skyrim as part of the Relics of the Crusader questline.
It is unique in that "evil" characters cannot wear the armor, and doing an evil action forces players to visit each of the Shrines to the Gods in Skyrim to restore its power. In Oblivion it straight-up couldn't be worn by bad players, but in Skyrim it can be seen being worn by Bandits.
Heavy Armor of the Crusader...
- Armor Type: Heavy (Cuirass, Helm, Boots, Gauntlets, Shield)
- Total Set Armor Rating: 118
- Improved With: Corundum Ingot (all pieces)
- Enchantments by Piece
- Cuirass: Restoration increased by 8 points, health increased by 10 points, Armor Rating bonus and reduced damage from Undead with full set
- Helm: Fortify Restoration and Barter by 8 points, Illusion by 10 points
- Boots: Fortify Restoration by 8 points
- Gauntlets: Fortify Restoration by 8 points, Disease Resistance increased by 50%
- Shield: Casts a spell-deflecting Ward when blocking for up to 40 points of damage
The Heavy Armor of the Crusader set improves Restoration by a massive amount, when the full set is worn, and also increases the player's defensive capabilities as well as their ability to Barter.
...And Light Armor of the Crusader
- Armor Type: Heavy (Cuirass, Helm, Boots, Gauntlets, Shield)
- Total Set Armor Rating: 108
- Improved With: Corundum Ingot (all pieces)
- Enchantments by Piece
- Cuirass: Restoration increased by 8 points, health increased by 10 points, Armor Rating bonus and reduced damage from Undead with full set
- Helm: Fortify Restoration and Barter by 8 points, Illusion by 10 points
- Boots: Fortify Restoration by 8 points
- Gauntlets: Fortify Restoration by 8 points, Disease Resistance increased by 50%
- Shield: Is worn as a Shoulder piece, giving a huge armor boost for Two-Handed and Dual Wield players
The Light Armor of the Crusader is, for the most part, the same as the Heavy Armor of the Crusader except for two key differences: the total Armor Rating and the Shield enchantment. The Light Armor set of course has an Armor Rating 10 points lower than the Heavy set. The Shield, though, is worn as an accessory rather than a traditional Shield while still providing Armor.
Gallows Hall Unique Armor
The Gallows Hall player home is unique for its inclusion of several artifacts tied to Mannimarco, an ancient villain also known as the King of Worms. Mannimarco is featured prominently in the main quest for The Elder Scrolls Online, and players can finally access some of his legendary gear for themselves by completing the Dreams of the Dead quest in Gallows Hall.
The two unique armors that are found in Gallows Hall (which is just north of Mara's Eye Pond in Eastmarch) are the Bloodworm Helm and the Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw – one, a Light Helmet for battlemages, the other, a Heavy Helmet that gives huge Stamina buffs.
Bloodworm Helm
- Armor Type: Light Helmet
- Armor Rating: 15
- Improved With: Bone Meal
- Enchantment: Reduces Conjuration spell cost by 25%, wearer deals more damage to Undead
The Bloodworm helm is, by all appearances, a Skull that the player wears over their own head. It fortifies the Conjuration skill, reducing spell cost, and increases the Dragonborn's melee damage against Undead enemies. It has a decent armor rating for a piece of Light equipment, and the Conjuration bonus alone makes it the perfect summoner helmet.
Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw
- Armor Type: Heavy Helmet
- Armor Rating: 22
- Improved With: Bone Meal
- Enchantment: Stamina is increased by 70 points and regenerates 20% faster
The Helm of Oreyn Bearclaw is an intricately detailed sabertoothed Skull that also appeared in both Morrowind and Oblivion. It outranks many Heavy Helmets in Skyrim for its huge benefits to Stamina and recovery, even if its Armor Rating leaves a melee bruiser wanting.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S