I don't understand the point of Light Armor : V - Skyrim

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:16 pm

I'd also like to point out that for any decent stealth char, your armor skill will level up very slowly, because honestly, the only time your armor skill is going up is if someone is hitting you, and that only happens if something has gone horribly wrong (ie. your stealth attacks have failed). Odds are then that unless you spend a small fortune training heavy armor, there's no way you'll get the perk in time to make any real difference.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:59 pm

It doesn't make sense. But if you are a sneaky character you will have a hard time leveling sneak in that armor for the early levels I would assume.

So you might actually level up Heavy Armor pretty quick because you sure won't be sneaking up on anyone and they will attack you.

It's not hard to level up sneak at the beginning with Hadvar. Poor guy gets the [censored] beaten out of him.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:40 am

Reaching level 70 with heavy armor represents a good 30 hours of gameplay. I don't think that's trivial at all. Basically, light armor is the way to go for stealth-based characters. Not to mention the aesthetic value. I think that the light armors just generally look better than the overly bulky heavy armors.

^ Exactly

If you're willing to spend the time in the heavy armor tree, go for it. Me, my assassin is level 31 and rarely gets hit and i have make an effort to get hit by some weak enemies just so i can level up the skill! At the moment my light armor is only up to 42 or something...

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:37 am

I don't need to powergame literally every detail and light armor does just as a fine job for protection as heavy, and with less overall weight.

I like having variety and choices, it's pretty awesome.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:45 am

It's not hard to level up sneak at the beginning with Hadvar. Poor guy gets the [censored] beaten out of him.

Maybe I'm just crazy, but I'd rather spend the time leveling that skill up while dungeon diving than spend so much time listening to that.

Are you playing the game, or are you just waiting to play it?

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:39 pm

They're more suitable for sneaking at low level. You get the "weighs nothing" perk for Light Armor faster than Heavy Armor. Besides, during the first 69 levels of Heavy Armor, you can't sneak as effectively

As for me, I just remove everything when I actually need to sneak, and once I get detected, instant transformer armor

Unless you pick up muffle then it really doesn't matter what you sneak with even at low levels.

Both armor types are obsolete if you're skilled in alteration.

You have that the wrong way around. Alteration is obsolete if you're skilled in either light armor or heavy armor. Having permanent 80% damage reduction > short duration buff with long cast time for 80% damage reduction.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 1:15 pm

I use light armor on my perfect characters. End-game light armor IS better. With the armor rating cap being at five-hundred something when you use crafting synergy to perfect gear you will go way past the cap anyway. So, I get 50% stamina regen.

I just wish light armor looked cooler.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 5:17 pm

I love light armor, till you reach the level where heavy would become weightless. Then I regret going light

So, I agree. That lvl 70 perk is weird. If at least it decreased the weight by half..

I agree. The perk is way overpowered. I though the same thing in Oblivion once you hit Master level.

It should cut it's weight it half instead, and have no effect on sneaking. ('noise' should still be calculated as though it were full weight)

Right?

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 1:57 pm

I understand the point of Light Armor.

I don't understand the point of the Heavy Armor "Conditioning" perk that makes heavy armor weigh nothing. That perk is the problem, not light armor.

In Oblivion the OOO mod changed the perk to make Heavy Armor weightless (to 20% encumbrance) to avoid this imbalance. It's too bad Bethseda didn't see how silly the weightless Heavy Armor perk is.

...Right?

Right!

(BTW, another armor imbalance with Skyrim is that armor does not degrade spell effectiveness)

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 8:00 pm

ehurm,Some light armors looks better then heavy armor ^^ Like the dragonscaale armor looks much better then dragonbone armor

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:00 am

The steed stone also obsoletes light armor, so it isn't just that perk.

Sadly, Bethesda seems to think that heavy armor should eventually feel as light as wearing sheer lingerie. That's absurd. Heavy armor should be -heavy- armor, it should slow your ass down and protect you very well. If they're going to remove the drawback of the skill, why not just merge the two and have an 'armor' skill?

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 11:51 am

I actually don't see the point of heavy armour. The light armour perk "Windwalker" (+50% stamina regeneration) is fantastic and translates directly to higher damage output, and since the armour value cap is fairly low in Skyrim, you can easily enough reach it with various light armour types and sensibly used smithing (doesn't even have to be light dragonscale armour). I'd have chosen light armour for my character anyway, for RP and aesthetic reasons, but even from a performance perspective I believe it's the best choice.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:24 pm

I actually don't see the point of heavy armour. The light armour perk "Windwalker" (+50% stamina regeneration) is fantastic and translates directly to higher damage output, and since the armour value cap is fairly low in Skyrim, you can easily enough reach it with various light armour types and sensibly used smithing (doesn't even have to be light dragonscale armour). I'd have chosen light armour for my character anyway, for RP and aesthetic reasons, but even from a performance perspective I believe it's the best choice.

Yup.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 9:07 pm

I actually don't see the point of heavy armour. The light armour perk "Windwalker" (+50% stamina regeneration) is fantastic and translates directly to higher damage output, and since the armour value cap is fairly low in Skyrim, you can easily enough reach it with various light armour types and sensibly used smithing (doesn't even have to be light dragonscale armour). I'd have chosen light armour for my character anyway, for RP and aesthetic reasons, but even from a performance perspective I believe it's the best choice.

Your think that stamina regen in combat is worthwhile.

It's not. All you need is 1 stamina (yes one) to either power attack or bash. Having higher stamina regen is only beneficial for sprinting around the map.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:42 pm

light armor perks > heavy

also, the ignorance involved in this thread is hilarious and given by bros playing at apprentice. Stamina, and stamina regen, is important. But some derper who probably eats every power attack and breath/spell he can find wouldn't know, and doesn't care about any difference. While its true you can bash with one stamina, that kind of play some preclude bashing then power attacking, or bashing multiple enemies all trying to attack you. But hey, try a melee build on master with no stamina investment and let us know how it goes.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:29 pm

Your think that stamina regen in combat is worthwhile.

It's not. All you need is 1 stamina (yes one) to either power attack or bash. Having higher stamina regen is only beneficial for sprinting around the map.

Or for doing multiple power attacks or bashes...

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 8:57 pm

Is it even confirmed that "weightless" implies "silent"?

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 8:29 pm

Your think that stamina regen in combat is worthwhile.

It's not. All you need is 1 stamina (yes one) to either power attack or bash. Having higher stamina regen is only beneficial for sprinting around the map.

Still gotta wait around a second for it to begin to recharge.

It helps with archery zooming. TRUST ME.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 9:45 pm

I believe, in general, that the "weightless armor" perks aren't really supposed to represent the armor actually being weightless, but the fact that very well fitted & adjusted armor on a very trained user isn't encumbering.... kind of like modern backpacks - with all the straps adjusted properly and with the correct posture/etc, the pack doesn't really feel all that heavy and doesn't interfere with movement.

The "weightless perk" is just a somewhat poor interpretation of that. :shrug:

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:12 pm

I use light because I'm playing a thief character. It would look stupid to be sneaking in a plate armor. I don't RP but I don't see this game being only about stats and perks, I wear something that makes sense to my character.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:17 pm

Light Armor is well, lighter. Last time I checked, Heavy ARmor only loses its slowness, not its weight.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:17 pm

I love light armor, till you reach the level where heavy would become weightless. Then I regret going light

So, I agree. That lvl 70 perk is weird. If at least it decreased the weight by half..

It sounds weird; Does the weight of heavy armor affect anything but carry weight? (It doesn't matter how accustomed you get to it it (should) still weigh the same in terms of hauling it).

** Might be a good mod idea... to have armor (by style) affect movement speed, and the level 70 perk allow the PC to move like they were wearing light armor; And not affect the item weight.

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:47 pm

IMO the 50% stamina regeneration is useless to me since I bring vegetables soup

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:12 pm

Is it even confirmed that "weightless" implies "silent"?

Sneaking noise is related directly to the weight of currently worn armor. If the weight drops to zero...

Well, let's say it's as effective as unequipping the whole set. I actually tried to unequip the whole set, and I did sneak better

» Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:12 am

The first and most obvious reason is common sense. Who in their right mind would make a stealth character, and then make them wear full heavy armour just because a perk exists that makes it (eventually) weightless? That's a good 20-25 levels of being the worst thief and assassin in Tamrielic history, or at least one with the most obvious calling-card.

Servant: My lord, do you hear that?

Lord: ...It sounds like someone is molesting a sabre-cat in an old bathtub.

You: You fools! It is I, the clanking pot of Sithis!

Not to mention many people simply prefer the appearance of lighter armour over the ludicrously overdone late-game fare that the heavy armour side of things provides with ebony and daedric.

I just spit out my milk, thanks!