Ahzidal’s Armor is a unique heavy armor set from the Dragonborn DLC, made of a helm, cuirass, gauntlets and boots. It belonged to the dragon priest Ahzidal and, fitting for an enchanter, each piece comes with an unusual effect: the Helm of Vision makes Conjuration and rune spells cost 25% more but cast at longer range, the Gauntlets of Warding make wards 25% weaker but absorb 50% of the magicka from incoming spells, and the Boots of Waterwalking let you stroll on water. The Armor of Retribution rounds out the set.
How to get it
All four pieces are found in Kolbjorn Barrow on Solstheim (Dragonborn). The barrow is being excavated by Ralis Sedarys from Raven Rock, and you unlock it bit by bit by funding his dig in the quest Unearthed.
- Find Ralis at the dig site and agree to invest.
- Pay for each new stage and explore the newly opened sections; the armor pieces turn up as you go deeper.
- At the bottom waits Ahzidal himself, who also drops the Ahzidal mask.
On the way you can also grab Ahzidal’s Ring of Arcana from a pressure-plate puzzle room. It lets you cast Ignite and Freeze while worn.
Is it worth wearing?
As armor it is mid-tier: the full set has a base armor rating of 87 and weighs 59, and it tempers with a simple steel ingot, so it improves easily but never reaches Daedric or Ebony numbers. The real reason to wear it is the enchantments, and they are niche. The gauntlets are the standout for a ward user facing mages, since absorbing spell magicka can keep you casting all fight. The helm suits rune and summoner builds that like to fight from a distance, but the 25% cost penalty hurts. The boots are pure convenience.
Most players mix and match: keep the gauntlets for mage-heavy dungeons, swap the rest for better gear. Pure warriors will find the set underwhelming next to Steel Plate or better.
Good to know
- It is heavy armor, which is unusual for gear so focused on spellcasting.
- Everything in the set is tempered with steel ingots.
Pieces and versions
| Item | Slot | Type | Armor | Weight | Value | Enchantment | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahzidal’s Helm of Vision | Head | Heavy | 19 | 6 | 1250 | Your Conjuration and Rune spells cost <25>% more, but can be cast at greater range. | 0401DB98 |
| Ahzidal’s Armor of Retribution | Body | Heavy | 40 | 38 | 2750 | Blank Effect | 0401DB97 |
| Ahzidal’s Gauntlets of Warding | Hands | Heavy | 14 | 6 | 1750 | Your Wards are <25>% less effective, but absorb <50>% of the magicka from incoming spells. | 0401DB99 |
| Ahzidal’s Boots of Waterwalking | Feet | Heavy | 14 | 9 | 1125 | Waterwalking; Blank Effect | 0401C655 |
Full set: 87 armor, 59 weight, 6875 gold.
Improve it at a workbench with 
Steel Ingot.
Stats from the Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm and the official add-ons): base values before Smithing and perks. Where several versions exist (leveled copies), all are listed.
