Dawnguard Armor (Dawnguard) is the uniform of the Dawnguard, the vampire-hunting order that Isran revives in the DLC. It comes in two flavors: a heavy plate version and a light version, both in the order’s dark steel look and in several color schemes. Protection-wise it’s mid-game gear – the heavy set totals 78 armor, the same as Dwarven, while the light set gives 61, between Elven and Scaled.
How to get it
None of the pieces can be forged, so the armor comes from the faction itself. Join the Dawnguard through Dawnguard and A New Order, recruiting the smith Gunmar along the way. Once he has set up shop in Fort Dawnguard, he sells a wide range of weapons and armor, Dawnguard equipment included – drawing on what he calls Isran’s surprising stockpile. He’s also a master Smithing trainer and rents out armored trolls, so you’ll be visiting anyway.
After recruitment, Gunmar, Durak, Sorine Jurard and the other members wear the gear too. If you side with the Volkihar Clan instead, the Dawnguard become enemies and you’ll have to loot the set from them. Every piece tempers with Steel Ingots.
Is it worth wearing?
The stats alone are average, but the set bonus is what you’re here for: a full set (helmet, cuirass, gauntlets and boots) cuts incoming damage from vampires by 25 percent and weakens their hostile spells by 25 percent too – rare protection, since armor normally does nothing against magic. Mixing light and heavy pieces doesn’t count, and the bonus is hidden from the Active Effects menu.
The light version weighs only 10.5 for four pieces, a great pick for archers on the vampire hunt. The heavy version (68 for four pieces) gives Dwarven protection for less weight, but Steel Plate beats it outside vampire fights.
Good to know
- The light cuirass comes in three styles and the heavy cuirass in two, with identical stats.
- Only the heavy set has a shield (26 armor), which adds bash damage against vampires.
- In the unpatched game, the Matching Set perk doesn’t work with the heavy set.
Set pieces
| Piece | Slot | Armor | Weight | Value | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawnguard Full Helmet (heavy) | Head | 18 | 10 | 220 | 020050D0 |
| Dawnguard Heavy Armor | Body | 34 | 42 | 425 | 0200F3F7 |
| Dawnguard Heavy Gauntlets | Hands | 13 | 7 | 85 | 02014758 |
| Dawnguard Heavy Boots | Feet | 13 | 9 | 85 | 02014757 |
| Dawnguard Shield (heavy) | Shield | 26 | 10 | 240 | 020150B8 |
| Dawnguard Helmet (light) | Head | 16 | 1.5 | 100 | 0201989E |
| Dawnguard Armor (light) | Body | 29 | 6 | 220 | 0200F3FB |
| Dawnguard Gauntlets (light) | Hands | 8 | 1.5 | 40 | 0200F3FE |
| Dawnguard Boots (light) | Feet | 8 | 1.5 | 25 | 0200F400 |
Full set totals
- Dawnguard Heavy Armor – helmet, cuirass, gauntlets and boots: 78 armor, 68 weight, 815 gold; with the Dawnguard Shield: 104 armor, 78 weight.
- Dawnguard Armor (light) – helmet, cuirass, gauntlets and boots: 61 armor, 10.5 weight, 385 gold.
Variants
These versions share the set’s look or slot but are separate items in the game files:
| Piece | Slot | Armor | Weight | Value | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawnguard Heavy Armor | Body | 34 | 42 | 425 | 0200F3FA |
| Dawnguard Armor (light) | Body | 29 | 6 | 220 | 0200F402 |
| Dawnguard Armor (light) | Body | 29 | 6 | 220 | 0200F404 |
Crafting and upgrades
This set can’t be forged by the player – you have to find, buy or earn the pieces.
Improve (temper) the pieces at a workbench with Steel Ingot.
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.