Ancient Shrouded Armor is the older, finer predecessor of the standard Shrouded Armor, made for the Dark Brotherhood of an earlier age. It looks the same as the regular set, but it’s light armor that performs at mid-game level – the cuirass has 33 armor, beating Elven and Scaled – and it weighs almost nothing: the whole set is 7.5 units. Unlike most themed sets, it stays competitive for a stealth character well into the game.
How to get it
There is only one set, and it’s hidden on the body of a long-dead assassin. Getting to it takes a small chain of steps:
- Complete Breaching Security, the contract to kill Gaius Maro. Afterwards Gabriella gives you Olava’s Token.
- Take the token to Olava the Feeble in Whiterun. Her reading points you towards Deepwood Redoubt and the shrine of Hag’s End beyond it (the quest Locate the Assassin of Old).
- Fight through to the hagraven‘s throne in Hag’s End. A handle appears behind the throne once the quest is active; pull it and a hidden room opens with the assassin – still wearing the armor.
Deepwood Redoubt is a Forsworn stronghold in the Reach, so bring decent gear for the trip.
Is it worth wearing?
For an assassin, it’s one of the best themed light sets in the base game. Every enchantment is equal or better than the regular Shrouded set: the cowl boosts bow damage by 35%, the cuirass gives 100% poison resistance (so poison simply stops hurting you), the gloves double one-handed sneak attack damage and the boots keep you silent. Total armor is 72 for just 7.5 weight, and the boots weigh only half a unit.
Raw protection still trails Glass or Dragonscale, but those sets don’t come with four useful enchantments pre-installed. With Light Armor perks like Agile Defender, Custom Fit and Matching Set, it holds up nicely.
Good to know
- Tempering uses Leather and requires the Arcane Blacksmith perk.
- The switch behind the throne does not exist until the quest is started.
- Only one set exists in the game.
Set pieces
| Piece | Slot | Armor | Weight | Value | Enchantment | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Shrouded Cowl | Head | 15 | 1 | 150 | Bows do 35% more damage. | 000E1F17 |
| Ancient Shrouded Armor | Body | 33 | 5 | 300 | Increases Poison Resistance by 100%. | 000E1F15 |
| Ancient Shrouded Gloves | Hands | 12 | 1 | 170 | Double sneak attack damage with one-handed weapons. | 000E1F16 |
| Ancient Shrouded Boots | Feet | 12 | 0.5 | 250 | Wearer is muffled and moves silently. | 000E1F14 |
Full set totals
- Ancient Shrouded Armor – helmet, cuirass, gauntlets and boots: 72 armor, 7.5 weight, 870 gold.
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 Leather.
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.