Skyrim Build Calculator

Skyrim Heavy Armor perks

Fighting effectively while wearing heavy armor. Heavy Armor is a warrior skill with 8 perks and 12 perk ranks.

Perks
8 perks, 12 perk points to complete
Skill type
Warrior (Combat)
Race bonus
Orc +10; Imperial +5
XP 15 → 100
528,804 skill XP
Training 15 → 90
120,450 gold (75 sessions)

Plan a build with these perks

Heavy Armor perk tree

PerkRankSkillRequiresEffect
Juggernaut 1/5 0 — +20% heavy armor rating
2/5 20 Juggernaut 1 +40% heavy armor rating
3/5 40 Juggernaut 2 +60% heavy armor rating
4/5 60 Juggernaut 3 +80% heavy armor rating
5/5 80 Juggernaut 4 Doubles heavy armor rating
Fists of Steel — 30 Juggernaut Unarmed attacks with heavy gauntlets add their armor rating to damage
Well Fitted — 30 Juggernaut +25% armor rating with head, chest, hands and feet all heavy
Cushioned — 50 Fists of Steel Half damage from falling in full heavy armor
Tower of Strength — 50 Well Fitted 50% less stagger when wearing only heavy armor
Conditioning — 70 Cushioned Heavy armor weighs nothing and does not slow you down
Matching Set — 70 Tower of Strength Extra 25% armor rating with a matched set of heavy armor
Reflect Blows — 100 Matching Set 10% chance to reflect melee damage back at the attacker

When a perk lists two prerequisites, you need only one of them.

Planning your Heavy Armor perks

Completing the whole Heavy Armor tree costs 12 of the roughly 80 perk points you get by level 81, so most builds take only the perks they will really use. Start with the perks at the bottom of the tree, then follow the branch that suits your play style up to its top perk.

The highest perks in the tree need a skill of 90 or 100: Reflect Blows (100).

How to level Heavy Armor

Every time Heavy Armor goes up, your character earns experience equal to the new skill level, so a high Heavy Armor skill also helps you level up quickly. Raising it from 15 to 100 takes about 528,804 skill experience in total. Trainers can take it to 90 for about 120,450 gold, five sessions per character level. Use the skill XP calculator for exact numbers between any two levels.

Heavy Armor FAQ

How many Heavy Armor perks are there in Skyrim?
The Heavy Armor tree has 8 perks with 12 ranks in total, so filling it completely takes 12 perk points and a Heavy Armor skill of 100.
Which races are best for Heavy Armor?
Orc starts with Heavy Armor at 25 (+10). Imperial start with it at 20 (+5). Every other race starts at 15. The bonus only matters early on: all races can reach 100.
How much XP does it take to level Heavy Armor to 100?
Raising Heavy Armor from 15 to 100 takes about 528,804 skill experience. Training it from 15 to 90 with trainers would cost about 120,450 gold over 75 sessions.
What skill level do you need for Reflect Blows?
Reflect Blows needs Heavy Armor 100 and Matching Set. 10% chance to reflect melee damage back at the attacker.