Deathbrand Armor is a unique light armor set from the Dragonborn DLC: helm, cuirass, gauntlets and boots, all built on Stalhrim stats and tempered with stalhrim. It once belonged to the pirate king Haknir Death-Brand, who buried it across Solstheim rather than hand it to a crew he did not trust. The helm lets you breathe underwater, the cuirass boosts stamina, the gauntlets boost one-handed damage and the boots raise carry weight.
How to get it
The hunt runs through the Dragonborn quest Deathbrand, which starts once you have the Deathbrand Treasure Map.
- Get the map from a pirate captain. Known spots are Haknir’s Shoal and the Headwaters of Harstrad on Solstheim.
- Read the map to start the quest. It marks four buried chests, one for each piece.
- Visit each spot and dig up the chest. The cuirass, for example, sits in a chest that reavers have been digging up north-northwest of the Earth Stone near Raven Rock.
- Collect all four pieces to finish the set.
The chests cannot be opened before you have the map, so do not bother grabbing a shovel early.
Is it worth wearing?
Yes, especially as a full set, because that is where it shines. Three of the pieces have scaling enchantments: the cuirass gives +15 stamina per Deathbrand piece worn (up to +60), the gauntlets give 10% one-handed damage per piece (up to 40%), and the boots add 10 carry weight per piece (up to 40). The helm’s water breathing is a fixed perk. A full set totals 78.5 base armor rating for just 13 weight, which is excellent for light armor.
That makes it a natural fit for a one-handed light armor warrior. Compared with plain 
Stalhrim you trade flexible enchanting for a fixed, fairly strong package; compared with Ebony you save a lot of weight. Mages and archers get less out of it, since the stamina and one-handed bonuses do little for them.
Good to know
- The bonuses only reach their peak when all four pieces are worn together.
- Light armor, tempered with stalhrim, so the Ebony Smithing perk applies.
- The pieces were hidden by Haknir’s quartermaster on the captain’s orders.
Pieces and versions
| Item | Slot | Type | Armor | Weight | Value | Enchantment | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deathbrand Helm | Head | Light | 16.5 | 2 | 750 | Can swim underwater without drowning. | 0402401D |
| Deathbrand Armor | Body | Light | 39 | 7 | 1000 | Increases your stamina by 15 points.; Increases your stamina by 30 points.; Increases your stamina by 45 points.; Increases your stamina by 60 points. | 0402401B |
| Deathbrand Gauntlets | Hands | Light | 11.5 | 2 | 500 | One-handed attacks do 10% more damage.; One-handed attacks do 20% more damage.; One-handed attacks do 30% more damage.; One-handed attacks do 40% more damage. | 0402401C |
| Deathbrand Boots | Feet | Light | 11.5 | 2 | 500 | Carrying capacity increased by 10 points.; Carrying capacity increased by 20 points.; Carrying capacity increased by 30 points.; Carrying capacity increased by 40 points. | 0402401A |
Full set: 78.5 armor, 13 weight, 2750 gold.
Improve it at a workbench with Stalhrim.
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.
