Ancient Helmet of the Unburned

The Ancient Helmet of the Unburned is a unique heavy helmet in the style of the old Nord barrow gear, horns and all. Its enchantment is refreshingly simple: it increases your fire resistance by 40%. That makes it a natural pick against fire-breathing dragons, fire mages and anything else that wants to turn you into a roast.

How to get it

The helmet waits deep inside Labyrinthian, the huge ruined city that you visit during the College quest The Staff of Magnus.

1. Enter Labyrinthian and make your way into the area known as the Tribune.
2. Look for a locked gate (Adept lock) on the side of the passage.
3. Pick the lock. Behind it you find the helmet together with an ebony shield and an enchanted Ancient Nord greatsword.

Since the gate is right along your route, you can grab it on the same trip where you face the dragon priest Morokei. Bring lockpicks, and maybe a cure for nerves, because the place is crawling with draugr.

Is it worth wearing?

As a situational helmet, absolutely. 40% fire resistance on a single piece is a big chunk, and combined with racial resistance or a potion it takes a lot of the sting out of dragon breath. As an everyday helmet it falls behind: its base armor rating of 15 matches the regular Ancient Nord helmet, which is nowhere near dragonplate or daedric levels.

Many players carry it in the backpack and swap it on when a dragon shows up. It is also worth a look for disenchanting if you still need to learn Resist Fire.

Good to know

• It sits in the same room as some of the best loot in Labyrinthian, so do not skip that gate.
• Weighing 4, it is light for a heavy helmet.
• It pairs nicely with the rest of the Ancient Nord set for a full barrow-lord look.

Stats

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.