12 Best Heavy Armor Mods For Skyrim

Skyrim is a great game with a world that is very rich and detailed and has a ton of weapons and armor sets.

Even though the game has a lot of different kinds of equipment built in, sometimes you just want more.

You might just want to look freaking cool with some heavy armor, but you can’t find what you need in vanilla…

I know how you feel, friends!

So, I’ve put together this list of what I think are the best heavy armor mods made by users that you can download for Skyrim.

All of the listed mods are compatible with Skyrim Special Edition and can be used with any base character model.

Many of these mods also have different versions for the original version of Skyrim.

12. Girl’s Heavy Armors SE

This mod replaces some vanilla heavy armors for female characters, including the Blades, Iron, Ebony, Steel, Wolf, Orcish, and Dwarven Armor sets.

The circlets can be crafted at the blacksmith forge, and the Wolf Armor set can only be crafted at the Skyforge.

The textures are linked with the vanilla version, but most of the pictures on the mod page use the aMidianBorn retexture by CaBaL.

11. Lustmord Vampire Armor – SSE CBBE BodySlide (with Physics)

This mod adds a CBBE SSE BodySlide version of the popular Lustmord Vampire Armor in Skyrim, with permission from the original author AmethystDeceiver.

The mod author also provides proof of permission in the images section. The mod is standalone and includes colors and physics.

10. ESO Nord Heavy Armor Variant

I’m sure we’ve all left Whiterun at some point and thought, “I kind of wish I was even more of a Viking, but a little more country.”

The Heavy Nord Armor from The Elder Scrolls Online is pretty much what this mod is. And it’s wonderful.

This set comes with a flowing red cape that moves with the wind, as well as armor that is thickly plated and intricately carved, with leather sheets wrapped around it.

Under the bottom of the fur-lined cuirass, steel scale mail peeks out, ready for battle.

From a story point of view, this design looks like what ancient Nords would have worn when fighting their shield brothers and sisters in the 2nd era.

9. Resplendent Armor & Great Sword SE

If you’ve played the Dark Souls games, you’ll recognize the design of this darkly elegant armor right away. It’s based on the Faraam Knight!

Colorful cloth flows smoothly around engraved, smooth steel plates, rippling in the wind to make some very eerie scenes.

Even better, it comes with a cool big sword to hit things with.

Give it a try and your Skyrim adventures will have a little bit of a “Dark Souls” feel to them.

And, honestly, who doesn’t like capes?

8. Stormlord Armor

This armor is good enough for the strongest warriors in Sovngarde.

It has a long, sky-blue cloak that goes down to your knees and is made of carved, old Nordic steel.

When you wear this armor, you look like an ancient Nordic warlord who is ready for battle. Ulfric Stormcloak himself can be seen wearing it after installation.

7. Gifts of Akatosh

Lore-friendly mods can be a whole lot of fun. They fit snugly into the universe’s overall mythos, while typically adding interesting bits of information to the world.

The Gifts of Akatosh is more than just a visual mod you download and install;

You actually have to find a new type of crafting material and create the armor to obtain it, which is a quest in itself.

It’s not too much work, I promise, and it’s absolutely worth it.

Thickly engraved Nordic-steel covers the wearer from head to toe, bearing ancient inscriptions written in dragon-tongue.

Wear this armor to look – and feel – like a true Dovahkiin.

6. Morrowind Armor Compilation

Any veteran player of Morrowind will remember the intricately carved, albeit alien appearance of the various sets of armor found throughout the series.

Well this mod brings all that glory into Skyrim.

Featuring armor composed of new, exotic materials such as Trollbone, Gilded Ebony, and even Vvardenfell Glass, this lore-friendly mod further expands your experience while adding in some truly brilliant heavy armor sets.

It even throws in a few new weapons to boot!

5. Dark Brotherhood Heavy Armor

“What is the music of Life?”

“Silence, my brother”

At least it was, until you put on this badass suit of Dark Brotherhood heavy armor and began stomping all over Tamriel!

Ever start the Dark Brotherhood storyline, only to be shocked by the exclusion of heavy armor from your new faction’s armory, despite seemingly having several warriors amongst its ranks? Madness.

Composed of a sleek black metal with the sign of the Black Hand emblazoned on the breast plate, you can strike fear in the hearts of your enemies by letting them know who sent you.

4. Medusa and Drakul Armors

Based on beings from Grecian mythology, the Medusa and Drakul armor sets are some of the coolest and most detailed pieces I’ve ever seen.

Mask yourself with the smooth black steel, emerald socketed monstrous form of Medusa. Or don the intricately carved (and equally imposing) golden, crimson armor of the Drakul.

No matter what set you choose, you’ll look like something that haunts (or causes) nightmares.

3. Dragonbone Ebonsteel Armor

Dragonbone Ebonsteel is the lovechild of Dragonbone and Ebony armor, and it’s freaking awesome.

This takes the best aspects of both designs and combining them into one brutal looking set of dragon-slaying armor.

It even comes with the option to toggle the added black fur and/or included visual accessories on and off!

After using this set of armor, I can’t ever look at the standard set of Dragonbone armor the same way.

2. Resplendent Lich King Armor

Some may recognize the tragically evil Lich King from the World of Warcraft universe.

Adorned in intricate, heavy black metal skull carvings and wreathed in freezing cold mist, this terrifying figure is the icy lord of the dead, attempting to destroy the lands with highly virulent cthonic plagues.

Well this armor mod captures that same energy.

And it also comes with the Lich King’s legendary blade Frostmourne, a two-handed sword.

1. Immersive Armors

Another lore-friendly mod you can install and enjoy without fear of breaking immersion.

Immersive Armors adds inspired sets of armor from all over Nirn and Oblivion – from the thick, obsidian and crimson suit of the Daedric Lord, to the polished winged plates of the Imperial Knight.

Tis mod has something for everybody!

I can’t overstate how many awesome sets of armor this mod adds. Do yourself a favor and download it now.