Surviving in light armour

[Daelon DuLac]

Yep, same here, even tho your using spells your still fighting head on. One of my favorite combinations with a destruction mage is paralyze in 1 hand and fireball in the other, just the guilty pleasure of knowing that your enemy is totally aware of whats happening but can't move an inch to do anything about it. lmao!!

Not nearly that level. I'm still at the flames, firebolt, sparks, lighting, frost stage. Hey, I'm only level 6, but I have killed at least a couple dozen people on my trip up to Riften (headed for Winterhold), including those stupid wedding guests.

You'll get there bro, be patient. I've found that the early stages of mage building is actually the most exciting, later on is when it gets rather boring cuz u start leveling so slowly. Do u have the impact perk yet?

Is that the double on destruction? If so, yes, I got it right away. It really blows the f*** out of my opponents!

 

[HappyFaceClown]

Not nearly that level. I'm still at the flames, firebolt, sparks, lighting, frost stage. Hey, I'm only level 6, but I have killed at least a couple dozen people on my trip up to Riften (headed for Winterhold), including those stupid wedding guests.

You'll get there bro, be patient. I've found that the early stages of mage building is actually the most exciting, later on is when it gets rather boring cuz u start leveling so slowly. Do u have the impact perk yet?

Is that the double on destruction? If so, yes, I got it right away. It really blows the f*** out of my opponents!

Its the duel wielding perk that staggers opponents with destruction spells, untill u get that its best to head strait to snapleg cave for the staff of paralysis.

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

I have two characters.

The first is a Paladin-like character. Level 13. Heavy armour (skill: 47), shield, Block (38), and a sword (52)

The other is a rogue-like character. Level 16. Light armour (57), archery (42), two daggers (39), and sneak (47). I use the Dark Brotherhood armour.

The trouble I'm having is surviving with the rogue. I try to open with my bow as much as possible, use poisons/potions with my weapons, etc. But as soon as anything gets into melee with me, I die in just a few hits. Mots things seem to hit my rogue for at least 25% of my health. And out in the wilderness when creatures sometimes surprise me (big cats and bears for example), they tend to make very quick work of me.

On the other hand my Paladin can fight the same enemies with ease (without losing much health at all).

What advantages does the light armour user have over the heavy? It seems, sneaking excepted, that my Paladin can do anything my rogue can do only much easier. I recently fought the dragon south of Winterhold on both characters. With 3 or 4 attempts on my rogue I could not kill the dragon. With my Paladin, the dragon was overly simple, and easily killed on my first attempt.

Note that I'm playing on the same difficulty level with both characters.

I like the rogue as a concept, but the survivability is SO bad its hard not to justify playing a heavy-armoured type.

This is why i don't use light armor, sure with enough dedication u can hone it to decent levels but fuk it takes sooooooooo LONG! Much better to just use a heavy set and be done with it, plus it doesn't actually slow u down, no kidding thats just a myth.

In my experience, it DOES indeed slow you down, unless it was recently patched. Either that, or you have the Steed Stone or appropriate perk.

This is why i don't use light armor, sure with enough dedication u can hone it to decent levels but fuk it takes sooooooooo LONG! Much better to just use a heavy set and be done with it, plus it doesn't actually slow u down, no kidding thats just a myth.

Again, depends on your playstyle. I've played Heavy, Light and non at all (mage). They all have their advantages: Heavy - well... it takes more to kill you and you an pretty much tank all you want; Light - you're more maneauverable, you look cleaner, you can carry more stuff and you use less stamina; None - well, there's just a lot of cool outfits in Skyrim. They all have disadvantages: Heavy - you can carry less (until you get the weightless perk of course), it's bulky and it makes it harder to sneak; Light - less protection, most of it is just too "pretty" (elven & glass) or you look like a total savage (of course, you could like that); None - well that's obvious, there's no armor protection! Of course you can run away a lot faster.

Well, i never touch the sneak skill when i play cuz impo its just way too op'ed and takes half the challenge out the game, u can literally be right in someones face at high levels with it and them still not see u, thats just silly. And heavy armor may weigh more but i use a nice fortify carry weight enchantment with a grand soul gem that helps a lot with that issue untill i get the weightless perk which doesn't take that long to achieve, u can even grind to get that perk in just a few hours. Also i think heavy armor looks way cooler than light, just my opinion but if i was inclined to go with light i'd just go robes cuz they look awesome, but there a nightmare to survive in. lol

You still need an extremely high sneak bonus to get right in someone's face and remain hidden. That theory is actually a myth.

Heavy armour is the easy route to take. Any old fool can wade into the thick of combat with an armoured, tank-like skin and not take too much damage obviously. Light Armour however, demands a different approach. Forget the stealth benefit for a moment and think in terms of where you're struggling, combat. Now with light armour you have a distinct advantage, speed and stamina. However, these advantages are rendered useless if you do not know how to utilise them. Your rogue character is primarily an offensive character as you've elected to dual wield. So you inflict mass damage but it comes at a cost, defence. Since you don't even have the ability to block you've made things harder for yourself than you need to. No shield, no blocking with your weapon and no thick armour to absorb damage. This is simply the build you've chosen. If you tweaked it just a little by using one weapon instead of two then you would gain the ability to block. The best perk in the tree is quick reflexes, which will enable you to avoid a power attack altogether. Perhaps adopt this tactic only if discovered and your initial duel wielding barrage fails to drop your foe. Rest assured as you progress through the light armour tree you'll be able to shrug off blows by even the strongest enemies and by this time no doubt your duel savagery will be lethal, you won't need to dodge/block. Good luck!

There's always one line in skyrim that sometimes make me wanna change from assassin.

It's a line in the companions.

"Face problems head on, leave the sneaking and whispers to the gutter rats who can't fight for themselves."
- Kodlak Whitemane

It's hard to deny that because we can't fight, we have to slit their throat from behind.

Yep, thats another reason i don't use sneak, same with archers it just seems cowardly.

Is it really cowardly to slowly sneak up on an opponent, which you know can overpower with ease if you are discovered? If you are superior to them and it doesn't matter, I see nothing cowardly about giving them a swift and painless death.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I have two characters.

The first is a Paladin-like character. Level 13. Heavy armour (skill: 47), shield, Block (38), and a sword (52)

The other is a rogue-like character. Level 16. Light armour (57), archery (42), two daggers (39), and sneak (47). I use the Dark Brotherhood armour.

The trouble I'm having is surviving with the rogue. I try to open with my bow as much as possible, use poisons/potions with my weapons, etc. But as soon as anything gets into melee with me, I die in just a few hits. Mots things seem to hit my rogue for at least 25% of my health. And out in the wilderness when creatures sometimes surprise me (big cats and bears for example), they tend to make very quick work of me.

On the other hand my Paladin can fight the same enemies with ease (without losing much health at all).

What advantages does the light armour user have over the heavy? It seems, sneaking excepted, that my Paladin can do anything my rogue can do only much easier. I recently fought the dragon south of Winterhold on both characters. With 3 or 4 attempts on my rogue I could not kill the dragon. With my Paladin, the dragon was overly simple, and easily killed on my first attempt.

Note that I'm playing on the same difficulty level with both characters.

I like the rogue as a concept, but the survivability is SO bad its hard not to justify playing a heavy-armoured type.

This is why i don't use light armor, sure with enough dedication u can hone it to decent levels but fuk it takes sooooooooo LONG! Much better to just use a heavy set and be done with it, plus it doesn't actually slow u down, no kidding thats just a myth.

In my experience, it DOES indeed slow you down, unless it was recently patched. Either that, or you have the Steed Stone or appropriate perk.

Again, depends on your playstyle. I've played Heavy, Light and non at all (mage). They all have their advantages: Heavy - well... it takes more to kill you and you an pretty much tank all you want; Light - you're more maneauverable, you look cleaner, you can carry more stuff and you use less stamina; None - well, there's just a lot of cool outfits in Skyrim. They all have disadvantages: Heavy - you can carry less (until you get the weightless perk of course), it's bulky and it makes it harder to sneak; Light - less protection, most of it is just too "pretty" (elven & glass) or you look like a total savage (of course, you could like that); None - well that's obvious, there's no armor protection! Of course you can run away a lot faster.

Well, i never touch the sneak skill when i play cuz impo its just way too op'ed and takes half the challenge out the game, u can literally be right in someones face at high levels with it and them still not see u, thats just silly. And heavy armor may weigh more but i use a nice fortify carry weight enchantment with a grand soul gem that helps a lot with that issue untill i get the weightless perk which doesn't take that long to achieve, u can even grind to get that perk in just a few hours. Also i think heavy armor looks way cooler than light, just my opinion but if i was inclined to go with light i'd just go robes cuz they look awesome, but there a nightmare to survive in. lol

You still need an extremely high sneak bonus to get right in someone's face and remain hidden. That theory is actually a myth.

There's always one line in skyrim that sometimes make me wanna change from assassin.

It's a line in the companions.

"Face problems head on, leave the sneaking and whispers to the gutter rats who can't fight for themselves."
- Kodlak Whitemane

It's hard to deny that because we can't fight, we have to slit their throat from behind.

Yep, thats another reason i don't use sneak, same with archers it just seems cowardly.

Is it really cowardly to slowly sneak up on an opponent, which you know can overpower with ease if you are discovered? If you are superior to them and it doesn't matter, I see nothing cowardly about giving them a swift and painless death.

1) Agree - heavy does slow you down and it's hard to sneak in, but hey, take it slow and you'll be all right.
2) Not so high to be able to do that on sneak. I only had about a 36 and they just ignored me and beat on Vilkas. They didn't even notice me until I shot them in the face with an arrow!
3) I don't see it as cowardly at all, just self preservative. I don't like to die.

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

This is why i don't use light armor, sure with enough dedication u can hone it to decent levels but fuk it takes sooooooooo LONG! Much better to just use a heavy set and be done with it, plus it doesn't actually slow u down, no kidding thats just a myth.

In my experience, it DOES indeed slow you down, unless it was recently patched. Either that, or you have the Steed Stone or appropriate perk.

Well, i never touch the sneak skill when i play cuz impo its just way too op'ed and takes half the challenge out the game, u can literally be right in someones face at high levels with it and them still not see u, thats just silly. And heavy armor may weigh more but i use a nice fortify carry weight enchantment with a grand soul gem that helps a lot with that issue untill i get the weightless perk which doesn't take that long to achieve, u can even grind to get that perk in just a few hours. Also i think heavy armor looks way cooler than light, just my opinion but if i was inclined to go with light i'd just go robes cuz they look awesome, but there a nightmare to survive in. lol

You still need an extremely high sneak bonus to get right in someone's face and remain hidden. That theory is actually a myth.

Yep, thats another reason i don't use sneak, same with archers it just seems cowardly.

Is it really cowardly to slowly sneak up on an opponent, which you know can overpower with ease if you are discovered? If you are superior to them and it doesn't matter, I see nothing cowardly about giving them a swift and painless death.

1) Agree - heavy does slow you down and it's hard to sneak in, but hey, take it slow and you'll be all right.
2) Not so high to be able to do that on sneak. I only had about a 36 and they just ignored me and beat on Vilkas. They didn't even notice me until I shot them in the face with an arrow!
3) I don't see it as cowardly at all, just self preservative. I don't like to die.

I have a sneak level much higher than that, as well as many perks invested in the skill, muffled, and 25% sneak bonus item. I still cannot walk directly in front of someone and shoot them in the face unless the lighting is very poor or they are distracted.

 

[HappyFaceClown]

Hmm, difference of opinion, i prefer fighting head on, occasionally when i do sneak its only cuz i have no choice and then i just use it to blast frenzy so i can lower the numbers, after that i jump head first into the fray.

 

[Dagmar]

...plus it doesn't actually slow u down, no kidding thats just a myth.

It's not a myth. All armors come with a penalty to movement speed and the penalty is higher for heavy armor than it is for light armor. The penalties in general are low enough so that they aren't noticeable to some players. There was a thread here long ago where some players thought that the Slow effect from Frost magic wasn't working because they couldn't discern the 50% slowdown in movement with their eyes but it was in fact working. It was simply not slow enough for them to perceive. You can also sprint longer in light armor because it burns less stamina over time while sprinting. Light armor also has less movement noise than heavy armor which makes it better for sneaking.

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

Ever tried to sneak up on a bear? It's stupid hard. Even with invisibility. When I try, I get this:

 

[HappyFaceClown]

...plus it doesn't actually slow u down, no kidding thats just a myth.

It's not a myth. All armors come with a penalty to movement speed and the penalty is higher for heavy armor than it is for light armor. The penalties in general are low enough so that they aren't noticeable to most players. There was a thread here long ago where some players thought that the Slow effect from Frost magic wasn't working because they couldn't discern the 50% slowdown in movement with their eyes but it was in fact working. It was simply not slow enough for them to perceive. You can also sprint longer in light armor because it burns less stamina over time while sprinting. Light armor also has less movement noise than heavy armor which makes it better for sneaking.

Well, it is true that u burn stamina faster when sprinting in heavy armor, thats why i place a huge fortify stamina enchantment on the boots i equip. I have honestly never noticed any slowdown in movement with heavy armor and i've compared it with light and robes, thats why i figured it wasn't true.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

In my experience, it DOES indeed slow you down, unless it was recently patched. Either that, or you have the Steed Stone or appropriate perk.
You still need an extremely high sneak bonus to get right in someone's face and remain hidden. That theory is actually a myth.
Is it really cowardly to slowly sneak up on an opponent, which you know can overpower with ease if you are discovered? If you are superior to them and it doesn't matter, I see nothing cowardly about giving them a swift and painless death.

1) Agree - heavy does slow you down and it's hard to sneak in, but hey, take it slow and you'll be all right.
2) Not so high to be able to do that on sneak. I only had about a 36 and they just ignored me and beat on Vilkas. They didn't even notice me until I shot them in the face with an arrow!
3) I don't see it as cowardly at all, just self preservative. I don't like to die.

I have a sneak level much higher than that, as well as many perks invested in the skill, muffled, and 25% sneak bonus item. I still cannot walk directly in front of someone and shoot them in the face unless the lighting is very poor or they are distracted.

Don't know what to tell you. I do it all the time. Of course I don't walk in front of them, I let them come towards me. I too invest heavily in sneak. It actually gets kind of silly at high level when it happens. I wish you could jump up and down in front of them just to get their attention. I love to just wait until their right in front of me and then stand up. The "Huh?" is always precious.

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

1) Agree - heavy does slow you down and it's hard to sneak in, but hey, take it slow and you'll be all right.
2) Not so high to be able to do that on sneak. I only had about a 36 and they just ignored me and beat on Vilkas. They didn't even notice me until I shot them in the face with an arrow!
3) I don't see it as cowardly at all, just self preservative. I don't like to die.

I have a sneak level much higher than that, as well as many perks invested in the skill, muffled, and 25% sneak bonus item. I still cannot walk directly in front of someone and shoot them in the face unless the lighting is very poor or they are distracted.

Don't know what to tell you. I do it all the time. Of course I don't walk in front of them, I let them come towards me. I too invest heavily in sneak. It actually gets kind of silly at high level when it happens. I wish you could jump up and down in front of them just to get their attention. I love to just wait until their right in front of me and then stand up. The "Huh?" is always precious.

You are exceedingly lucky then. If I get within an enemy's Line of Sight, unless it is in poor lighting or something else is distracting them, they will detect me 9 times out of 10.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I have a sneak level much higher than that, as well as many perks invested in the skill, muffled, and 25% sneak bonus item. I still cannot walk directly in front of someone and shoot them in the face unless the lighting is very poor or they are distracted.

Don't know what to tell you. I do it all the time. Of course I don't walk in front of them, I let them come towards me. I too invest heavily in sneak. It actually gets kind of silly at high level when it happens. I wish you could jump up and down in front of them just to get their attention. I love to just wait until their right in front of me and then stand up. The "Huh?" is always precious.

You are exceedingly lucky then. If I get within an enemy's Line of Sight, unless it is in poor lighting or something else is distracting them, they will detect me 9 times out of 10.

As long as I just stay and wait for 'em I'm usually okay. Alternatively I hit them from far away. Don't get me wrong - in heavy armor, it is nearly impossible to stay invisible to them for long (especially if you move). Don't get me wrong - if I take any action, they inevitably start looking for me and will see me if I don't slip in to shadows. I also probably play at a far easier difficulty than you do. As I said. I hate to die!

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

Don't know what to tell you. I do it all the time. Of course I don't walk in front of them, I let them come towards me. I too invest heavily in sneak. It actually gets kind of silly at high level when it happens. I wish you could jump up and down in front of them just to get their attention. I love to just wait until their right in front of me and then stand up. The "Huh?" is always precious.

You are exceedingly lucky then. If I get within an enemy's Line of Sight, unless it is in poor lighting or something else is distracting them, they will detect me 9 times out of 10.

As long as I just stay and wait for 'em I'm usually okay. Alternatively I hit them from far away. Don't get me wrong - in heavy armor, it is nearly impossible to stay invisible to them for long (especially if you move). Don't get me wrong - if I take any action, they inevitably start looking for me and will see me if I don't slip in to shadows. I also probably play at a far easier difficulty than you do. As I said. I hate to die!

I hop around the difficulties a lot depending on my mood, but that would explain it.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

You are exceedingly lucky then. If I get within an enemy's Line of Sight, unless it is in poor lighting or something else is distracting them, they will detect me 9 times out of 10.

As long as I just stay and wait for 'em I'm usually okay. Alternatively I hit them from far away. Don't get me wrong - in heavy armor, it is nearly impossible to stay invisible to them for long (especially if you move). Don't get me wrong - if I take any action, they inevitably start looking for me and will see me if I don't slip in to shadows. I also probably play at a far easier difficulty than you do. As I said. I hate to die!

I hop around the difficulties a lot depending on my mood, but that would explain it.

I'm a weenie. I only just started playing in March so I either play on Novice or Adept for the first 40 levels and then up to higher after that if I want to. I just have a bad habit of rerolling now so I rarely make it above 40 any more. Hoping my newest werewolf warrior(ess) and vampire mage work for me. I wanna get to level 200 (without exploits or grinding mind you).

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

As long as I just stay and wait for 'em I'm usually okay. Alternatively I hit them from far away. Don't get me wrong - in heavy armor, it is nearly impossible to stay invisible to them for long (especially if you move). Don't get me wrong - if I take any action, they inevitably start looking for me and will see me if I don't slip in to shadows. I also probably play at a far easier difficulty than you do. As I said. I hate to die!

I hop around the difficulties a lot depending on my mood, but that would explain it.

I'm a weenie. I only just started playing in March so I either play on Novice or Adept for the first 40 levels and then up to higher after that if I want to. I just have a bad habit of rerolling now so I rarely make it above 40 any more. Hoping my newest werewolf warrior(ess) and vampire mage work for me. I wanna get to level 200 (without exploits or grinding mind you).

I normally do the same thing unless it's a challenge run. I don't see the need to put myself through Master and Legendary on a regular basis.

 

[Dagmar]

Well, it is true that u burn stamina faster when sprinting in heavy armor, thats why i place a huge fortify stamina enchantment on the boots i equip. I have honestly never noticed any slowdown in movement with heavy armor and i've compared it with light and robes, thats why i figured it wasn't true.

How did you compare it? It's not as if you can do a side by side comparison in a single player game. You also have to compare it before you take the Unhindered or Conditioning perk. The only objective and accurate way to compare is to do timed runs over a significant distance and there is an undeniable difference in the time it takes to run from Dragonsbridge to Solitude.

Naked 1:59
Guild Master's Armor 2:04
Daedric Armor 2:12
Lycan 1:42

The distance of that run isn't even that long and the difference is already measurable with the light armor slowing movement by approximately 4% and the heavy armor slowing movement by approximately 11%. Note that this is just running not sprinting. If you sprint to exhaustion and run the rest of the time the disparity in time is even greater.

 

[Dagmar]

Of course I don't walk in front of them, I let them come towards me.

Your movement, or lack thereof, is a significant factor in the detection formula. If you even took two steps towards them in the light you would see that eye begin to open up. The only way you can move in well lit areas and avoid detection by NPC's when you are in their direct line of sight is by being invisible.

 

[HappyFaceClown]

Well, it is true that u burn stamina faster when sprinting in heavy armor, thats why i place a huge fortify stamina enchantment on the boots i equip. I have honestly never noticed any slowdown in movement with heavy armor and i've compared it with light and robes, thats why i figured it wasn't true.

How did you compare it? It's not as if you can do a side by side comparison in a single player game. You also have to compare it before you take the Unhindered or Conditioning perk. The only objective and accurate way to compare is to do timed runs over a significant distance and there is an undeniable difference in the time it takes to run from Dragonsbridge to Solitude.

Naked 1:59
Guild Master's Armor 2:04
Daedric Armor 2:12
Lycan 1:42

The distance of that run isn't even that long and the difference is already measurable with the light armor slowing movement by approximately 4% and the heavy armor slowing movement by approximately 11%. Note that this is just running not sprinting. If you sprint to exhaustion and run the rest of the time the disparity in time is even greater.

I equiped all 3 and moved around with each one, didn't notice any change in speed but then again i didn't research it as deeply as u did. Its as u said, apparently it isn't noticable by just watching the character.

 

[The Wanderer]

Well When I play Light armor characters I rely on my speed and agility in battle. I know I can't take too many big hits so I dodge constantly, and when people miss I make them pay with quick slices. When I use a bow I use a strategy called kiteing when I shoot one or to arrows them I sprint back shoot again until I find a good vantage point or until the enemy or enemies are dead. Also dipping in to alchemy and Illusion wouldn't hurt, as well as alteration for the Flesh spells.

 

[High King of Skyrim]

My barbarian build uses light armour. The extra stamina I possess, even early game, keeps my power attacks coming thick and fast, which is the key to this build. Block is important too and for a two hander the be all and end all of block perks is 'Quick Reflexes', which I acquire as soon as possible. This allows me to avoid an opponents power attack all together, to compensate for my armour's lack of protection(when compared to that of heavy). I adopt this tactic of weaving and ducking then countering with power attacks, two to three normally gets the job done. If the fight is slipping from my grasp I can always retreat and regroup because of my mobility. The higher end perks in light armour are insane and make life even easier for a barbarian type character due to the added stamina you'll have. Thus meaning more power attacks in quick succession and virtually assuring you of victory, so long as you're not too careless. Honestly, I've been preaching the benefits of light armour for a long time now and I love the way using light armour forces me to play. Fighting just isn't continuous wild swinging until they go down, I have to move and dodge and counter or I'm toast! Light armour demands this approach as opposed to heavy. I also enjoy the extra carry weight for all those goodies you find out in the vast land of Skyrim. I hope I've talked at least one person into trying it for themselves and in time they find it just as rewarding as I do.