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The Fearsome Fists creation included in Skyrim Anniversary Edition brings one important change to unarmed combat – fist weapons. Skyrim is notably lacking in fist weapons, in fact, the only set acquirable in the vanilla game are the Gloves of the Pugilist, which don't do much to improve Tamrielic martial artists on their own.
Fearsome Fists adds 15 new Gauntlets and Bracers to Skyrim that cover nearly every type of armor acquirable in the game. Each one has its own unique bonus to unarmed damage that typically scales with the armor level. For example, Hide Bracers grant players about half the unarmed damage bonus that Daedric Gauntlets do.
Updated May 3, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: The Fearsome Fists creation added something to Skyrim that the game was sorely missing: decent Unarmed weapon options. All of these Skyrim Brawlers Gauntlets and Bracers give the player special buffs to Unarmed damage as long as they are found, though they can also be crafted and Enchanted with the same buff without spending any Gold. Included in Skyrim Anniversary Edition Brawler Gauntlets and Bracers gave more depth to this overlooked aspect of combat. Because they count as armor pieces and not weapons, they can be improved just like other defensive gear of the same type. Brawlers Leather Bracers, for example, can be tempered with Leather to improve their armor rating.
How To Get Fearsome Fists Gauntlets
All 15 new Gauntlets and Bracers in the Fearsome Fists creation can be found three different ways: by crafting, at vendors, and in dungeon and monster loot. Vendors sell these items in their unenchanted and enchanted forms, and both forms can also be found in chests throughout Barrows, Caves, and Castles throughout Skyrim.
Vendor Fearsome Fists and Brawler Gloves with these Enchantments can cost a fair bit of gold to purchase, so it can sometimes be easier to craft your own and enchant them. They're technically easier to get, but you'll have to go out of the way to get the Fortify Unarmed Enchantment to imbue onto any crafted set of Skyrim Brawler's Gauntlets.
How To Craft Skyrim Brawlers Gauntlets And Bracers
It's possible to craft Fearsome Fists gauntlets and bracers almost right out of the gate in Riverwood. At the forge, there are enough materials to make a set or two of these gauntlets, which lets players start their Unarmed build much earlier than in the vanilla game.
Each type requires the material type's regular associated Ingots (or Leather for Hide, Fur, and Leather versions) and Leather Strips or normal Leather. To make the Brawler's Dwarven Gauntlets, for example, you'll need Dwarven Ingot, Steel Ingot, and Iron Ingot in addition to Leather Strips.
Crafted Fearsome Fists items don't come with Enchantments, though, so players must have certain perks to imbue them with these additional powers to increase Unarmed damage.
Light Gauntlets (and Bracers) in Skyrim Fearsome Fists
Enchantment | Tempering Material | |
Brawler's Dragonscale Gauntlets | +16 Unarmed damage | Dragon Scale, Dragon Smithing Perk |
Brawler's Elven Gauntlets | +12 Unarmed damage | Refined Moonstone, Elven Smithing Perk |
Brawler's Fur Bracers | +8 Unarmed damage | Leather |
Brawler's Glass Gauntlets | +14 Unarmed damage | Refined Malachite, Glass Smithing Perk |
Brawler's Hide Bracers | +10 Unarmed damage | Leather |
Brawler's Leather Bracers | +10 Unarmed damage | Leather |
Brawler's Scaled Bracers | +10 Unarmed damage | Corundum Ingot, Advanced Armors Perk |
There are seven types of Light Armors added with Fearsome Fists, comprising of Fur, Hide, Leather, Scaled, Elven, Glass, and Dragonscale varieties. The bonus to Unarmed damage granted by the Enchantment on these Bracers and Gauntlets broadly scales with the armor itself – for example, the Fur Bracers' bonus is about half of the Dragonscale Gauntlets' bonus.
Because these Gauntlets and Bracers are categorized as Light Armor in Skyrim, they benefit from a variety of skills in the Light Armor skill tree. They can also be worn as normal Armor pieces without the Enchantment (the lack of which reduces their Gold cost and Crafting requirements), giving players blades, spikes, and other adornments as new cosmetic options.
Heavy Gauntlets in Skyrim Fearsome Fists
Enchantment | Tempering Material | |
Brawler's Daedric Gauntlets | +18 Unarmed damage | Ebony Ingot, Daedric Smithing Perk |
Brawler's Dragonplate Gauntlets | +20 Unarmed damage | Dragon Bone, Dragon Smithing perk |
Brawler's Dwarven Gauntlets | +12 Unarmed damage | Dwarven Ingot, Dwarven Smithing Perk |
Brawler's Ebony Gauntlets | +16 Unarmed damage | Ebony Ingot, Ebony Smithing Perk |
Brawler's Iron Gauntlets | +10 Unarmed damage | Iron Ingot |
Brawler's Orcish Gauntlets | +14 Unarmed damage | Orichalcum Ingot, Orcish Smithing Perk |
Brawler's Steel Gauntlets | +12 Unarmed damage | Corundum Ingot, Advanced Armors Perk |
Brawler's Steel Plate Gauntlets | +14 Unarmed damage | Corundum Ingot, Advanced Armors Perk |
There are eight types of Heavy Armors added with Fearsome Fists, including Iron, Steel, Steel Plate, Dwarven, Orcish, Daedric, Ebony, and Dragonplate. Just like with the Light Armors, the bonus to Unarmed damage on the Enchanted versions of these Bracers and Gauntlets broadly scales with the Armor type – the Iron Gauntlets' bonus is about half of the Dragonplate Gauntlets' bonus.
As Heavy Armor pieces these Fearsome Fists gain extra benefits from the Heavy Armor skill tree, though these perks don't affect the Unarmed damage enchantment. They are adorned in a manner of blades, horns, and other sharp objects to give a player's punch a little bit more, well, punch.
Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S