Dragonplate Armor is heavy armor carved from the bones and scales of slain dragons. It has a rough, bony, bleached look, and it is one of the top heavy sets in the game. A full outfit gives 102 armor for 64 weight, only a little behind Daedric in protection but far lighter. It’s the armor that best says “I’ve killed a lot of dragons”.
How to get it
Crafting requires the Dragon Armor perk at Smithing level 100, the final perk in the Smithing tree. It can be reached through either the heavy branch (via Daedric Smithing) or the light branch (via Glass Smithing). The recipes use Dragon Bone, Dragon Scales and Leather Strips, which you collect from dragon skeletons after absorbing their souls.
Your first dragon, killed during Dragon Rising, already drops bones and scales, and every dragon you take down after that adds to the pile. If you have used Call Dragon or simply wander enough, you’ll have plenty of material long before you reach Smithing 100.
Dragonplate pieces also enter leveled loot from player level 40 (enchanted from level 41), but crafting is by far the most reliable route.
Is it worth wearing?
For most heavy armor builds, it’s the sweet spot of the late game. You give up 6 points of armor compared to Daedric but save 17 points of weight, and the materials are basically free if you fight dragons. It also outclasses Ebony without needing the Matching Set workaround.
Tempering is split by piece: the helmet, gauntlets and boots use Dragon Scales, while the cuirass and shield use Dragon Bone. The Dragon Armor perk doubles tempering, and Juggernaut, Well Fitted and Matching Set all apply as usual, which makes it easy to push to the armor cap.
Good to know
- Dragon Armor is the last perk in the Smithing tree and requires Smithing 100.
- The same perk also unlocks Dragonscale Armor, the light counterpart.
- Bones temper the cuirass and shield, scales temper the rest.
Set pieces
| Piece | Slot | Armor | Weight | Value | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonplate Helmet | Head | 22 | 8 | 1050 | 00013969 |
| Dragonplate Armor | Body | 46 | 40 | 2125 | 00013966 |
| Dragonplate Gauntlets | Hands | 17 | 8 | 425 | 00013967 |
| Dragonplate Boots | Feet | 17 | 8 | 425 | 00013965 |
| Dragonplate Shield | Shield | 34 | 15 | 1050 | 00013968 |
Full set totals
- Dragonplate Armor – helmet, cuirass, gauntlets and boots: 102 armor, 64 weight, 4025 gold; with the Dragonplate Shield: 136 armor, 79 weight.
Crafting and upgrades
Recipes at the forge – requires the Dragon Armor perk:
- Dragonplate Helmet: 1 Dragon Bone, 2 Dragon Scales, 2 Leather Strips
- Dragonplate Armor: 2 Dragon Bone, 3 Dragon Scales, 3 Leather Strips
- Dragonplate Gauntlets: 1 Dragon Bone, 2 Dragon Scales, 2 Leather Strips
- Dragonplate Boots: 1 Dragon Bone, 3 Dragon Scales, 2 Leather Strips
- Dragonplate Shield: 1 Dragon Bone, 3 Dragon Scales, 1 Leather Strips
Improve (temper) the pieces at a workbench with Dragon Bone or Dragon Scales.
Stats from the Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm and the official add-ons): base armor rating, weight and value before Smithing improvements and perks. The ID is the item’s form ID for the console.