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sticky runes

Well-Known Member
Where does glass armour come from? I know you create it in the game using malachite and refined moonstone and unlocking the glass smithing perk, but i mean lore-wise, where does it originate from? It appears to be crafted in a specific style.

Most armour in the game is typically Nord style or Imperial style. Orc armour for the orcs and elven armour for the thalmor. Dwarves are extinct or gone or whatever, but their artifacts still remain, so the dwarven armour is understandable. Daedric armour is worn by Dremoras, and Dragon armour looks like its been bodged together from dragon bones and scales by the Dragonborn himself.

I'm just wondering how glass armour comes into it. It looks similar to elven style, quite pretty and ornate, so did the elves create it, or some other race? Does it appear in other Elder Scrolls games?
 
As you correctly inferred, glass weapons and armour trace their roots to the Altmer. It's a cut above their standard moonstone-based elven equipment, and (speculation incoming!) probably reserved for folks of higher status/wealth. Skyrim reinforces this, as Thalmor soldiers will sometimes be found wearing glass armour and/or wielding glass weapons at higher levels. I don't think its manufacture is strictly limited to the high elves any more, though, as the glass armour that appears in TES IV: Oblivion took on a much more 'humany' kind of appearance, in my opinion (it was also absurdly frickin' hideous - see image below). It also appeared in TES III: Morrowind.

Malachite itself is most commonly found in volcanic Morrowind, but as Skyrim proves, it's not exclusive to that area.

OB-item-Glass_Armor.jpg
 

sticky runes

Well-Known Member
As you correctly inferred, glass weapons and armour trace their roots to the Altmer. It's a cut above their standard moonstone-based elven equipment, and (speculation incoming!) probably reserved for folks of higher status/wealth. Skyrim reinforces this, as Thalmor soldiers will sometimes be found wearing glass armour and/or wielding glass weapons at higher levels. I don't think its manufacture is strictly limited to the high elves any more, though, as the glass armour that appears in TES IV: Oblivion took on a much more 'humany' kind of appearance, in my opinion (it was also absurdly frickin' hideous - see image below). It also appeared in TES III: Morrowind.

Malachite itself is most commonly found in volcanic Morrowind, but as Skyrim proves, it's not exclusive to that area.

Thanks. That Oblivion outfit does look pretty ridiculous. Was it a rejected costume design for Joxer from Xena: Warrior Princess? :p

Glass weapons and armour do seem to come out of nowhere compared to all the other sets. Even though you "unlock" all the skills by leveling up and using perks, I like to imagine that my characters gain the skills to craft each style from studying weapons and armour that they find in dungeons or from defeated enemies.
 
Thanks. That Oblivion outfit does look pretty ridiculous. Was it a rejected costume design for Joxer from Xena: Warrior Princess? :p

Yeah it does! I remember the first time I got a set in Oblivion - I was playing a stealthy character who wore light armour, so when I saw the stats I thought "great!" - it was the best light armour in the game, if I remember rightly. Then, I put it on.

By the Nine, no. Even if it wasn't hideous... how could anybody possibly be stealthy in brilliant lime green, shiny armour?! I think Bethesda's art team were on acid when they designed that.

And LOL! I hadn't made the connection to Joxer until you said that, but now I can't not!

Glass weapons and armour do seem to come out of nowhere compared to all the other sets. Even though you "unlock" all the skills by leveling up and using perks, I like to imagine that my characters gain the skills to craft each style from studying weapons and armour that they find in dungeons or from defeated enemies.

I think from an RP perspective, when it comes to crafting, I'd try to think of it as a more advanced set of Elven Armour. Like... first you have to learn how to make the basic stuff, and then when you've perfected that you can start playing around with adding malachite to the mix, like the master Altmer artisans of old! I'm sure there's a book (maybe Light Armour Forging?) that talks about smithing glass armour, so perhaps you could wait until you find a copy of that before you make the attempt, and give it a good study?

Unfortunately, besides iron and to a lesser extent steel armours, most of them seem to just appear out of nowhere really. And in at least a couple of cases, the smithing tree breaks the lore completely in my opinion - like Dwarven armour, which supposedly only the most skilled blacksmiths have a chance of making (if at all), yet it's the first perk you unlock after steel in the heavy armour smithing tree? Steel plate armour apparently takes more skill to smith! And the less said about crafting Daedric armour, the better!

The solution to these problems is probably to just not forge any armour that doesn't sit well with you from an RP perspective, I suppose. Or just pretend that your character hasn't actually crafted them themselves, but commissioned a master smith to do so and you just happened to be standing nearby as they made it, if your imagination can stretch that far...
 

sticky runes

Well-Known Member
Thanks. That Oblivion outfit does look pretty ridiculous. Was it a rejected costume design for Joxer from Xena: Warrior Princess? :p

Yeah it does! I remember the first time I got a set in Oblivion - I was playing a stealthy character who wore light armour, so when I saw the stats I thought "great!" - it was the best light armour in the game, if I remember rightly. Then, I put it on.

By the Nine, no. Even if it wasn't hideous... how could anybody possibly be stealthy in brilliant lime green, shiny armour?! I think Bethesda's art team were on acid when they designed that.

And LOL! I hadn't made the connection to Joxer until you said that, but now I can't not!

Glass weapons and armour do seem to come out of nowhere compared to all the other sets. Even though you "unlock" all the skills by leveling up and using perks, I like to imagine that my characters gain the skills to craft each style from studying weapons and armour that they find in dungeons or from defeated enemies.

I think from an RP perspective, when it comes to crafting, I'd try to think of it as a more advanced set of Elven Armour. Like... first you have to learn how to make the basic stuff, and then when you've perfected that you can start playing around with adding malachite to the mix, like the master Altmer artisans of old! I'm sure there's a book (maybe Light Armour Forging?) that talks about smithing glass armour, so perhaps you could wait until you find a copy of that before you make the attempt, and give it a good study?

Unfortunately, besides iron and to a lesser extent steel armours, most of them seem to just appear out of nowhere really. And in at least a couple of cases, the smithing tree breaks the lore completely in my opinion - like Dwarven armour, which supposedly only the most skilled blacksmiths have a chance of making (if at all), yet it's the first perk you unlock after steel in the heavy armour smithing tree? Steel plate armour apparently takes more skill to smith! And the less said about crafting Daedric armour, the better!

The solution to these problems is probably to just not forge any armour that doesn't sit well with you from an RP perspective, I suppose. Or just pretend that your character hasn't actually crafted them themselves, but commissioned a master smith to do so and you just happened to be standing nearby as they made it, if your imagination can stretch that far...

Another thing that seems off is that when you visit the orc strongholds, hardly any of them actually wear orc armour. Most of them are wearing hide, fur, iron or steel. Or just plain clothing. I think the only orc chief you see wearing a full set of orc armour is Yamarz, and he's supposed to be the most incompetent chief.
Perhaps the orcs just don't feel the need to wear armour during their downtime? Like, maybe all the chiefs have a suit of armour they put on when they do engage in combat, but wearing it when its not required is seen as showing off, and Yamarz wore his at all times just to remind everyone of his position? Something like that...

I think the only times you actually acquire the ability to forge a set of armour through story events in the Companions after burying Kodlak, and on Solsteheim when you find out about forging Stahlrim.

Come to think of it I don't think we meet an elfen smiths in the game, you'd think the Thalmor would have their own blacksmiths in Northwatch and the Embassy.
 
Another thing that seems off is that when you visit the orc strongholds, hardly any of them actually wear orc armour. Most of them are wearing hide, fur, iron or steel. Or just plain clothing. I think the only orc chief you see wearing a full set of orc armour is Yamarz, and he's supposed to be the most incompetent chief.
Perhaps the orcs just don't feel the need to wear armour during their downtime? Like, maybe all the chiefs have a suit of armour they put on when they do engage in combat, but wearing it when its not required is seen as showing off, and Yamarz wore his at all times just to remind everyone of his position? Something like that...

I know! I thought the same thing! Which sucks, as it's one of my favourite armour sets in the game, aesthetics-wise! Doesn't look too comfortable though! I suppose that when you're living in a stronghold and hunting deer and such, heavy armour isn't required and fur armour is better. But certainly the ones in the stronghold near Markarth should be using it, as I constantly see them getting their arses handed to them by the Forsworn...

I think the only times you actually acquire the ability to forge a set of armour through story events in the Companions after burying Kodlak, and on Solsteheim when you find out about forging Stahlrim.

I think you're right, actually. Unless you can craft Dawnguard armour after joining them? I can't remember if that's a thing or not.

Come to think of it I don't think we meet an elfen smiths in the game, you'd think the Thalmor would have their own blacksmiths in Northwatch and the Embassy.

I tend to assume that they bring that sort of stuff with them. Even if they didn't, they'd probably need to ship the moonstone and such over anyway, as it's not particularly commonplace in Skyrim, so may as well just have the armour made in the Summerset Isles (no, Thalmor, I refuse to call it by the new name!) and shipped over anyway. Though I suppose if they brought any smiths with them they'd be in the ranks of the Thalmor soldiers, so we might not be able to tell them apart?
 

jonathan90

well known member
Where does glass armour come from? I know you create it in the game using malachite and refined moonstone and unlocking the glass smithing perk, but i mean lore-wise, where does it originate from? It appears to be crafted in a specific style.

Most armour in the game is typically Nord style or Imperial style. Orc armour for the orcs and elven armour for the thalmor. Dwarves are extinct or gone or whatever, but their artifacts still remain, so the dwarven armour is understandable. Daedric armour is worn by Dremoras, and Dragon armour looks like its been bodged together from dragon bones and scales by the Dragonborn himself.

I'm just wondering how glass armour comes into it. It looks similar to elven style, quite pretty and ornate, so did the elves create it, or some other race? Does it appear in other Elder Scrolls games?


Glass armor is your lesser then advanced armor.
it's common armor .
But it's proven very Effective armor.
The more advanced heavy armor is what I am using with both "nordic armor" and "glass armor".
I just think glass armor is too common.

Using both heavy and light armor is a must.
But it's up to you I guess.
 

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