Glass Armor is the striking green, semi-translucent light armor that marks the move into late-game gear. Despite the name it isn’t really window glass: it’s made from refined malachite set with moonstone, and it’s tough. Among standard light sets it’s second only to Dragonscale Armor, and it comfortably outclasses Elven and Scaled Armor.
How to get it
You’ll need the Glass Smithing perk, available at Smithing 70 on the light armor branch of the tree, right after Advanced Armors. The recipes use refined malachite as the main ingredient with some refined moonstone and leather, and malachite also handles tempering. Malachite ore isn’t the most common in Skyrim, so hoarding every chunk you find early pays off later.
If you aren’t a smith, Glass pieces appear as leveled loot once your character is high enough level, both in dungeon chests and on tougher enemies. City blacksmiths are worth checking regularly too, since their stock improves as you level up.
Is it worth wearing?
For most light armor characters, Glass is the sweet spot. The helmet, cuirass, gauntlets and boots total 76 armor rating for 13 weight, only a few points behind Dragonscale while being lighter and not needing dragon scales. With Matching Set, Custom Fit and some smart tempering you can reach the armor cap without ever touching heavy armor.
If you have Dragon Armor and a stack of scales, Dragonscale is still the better final set. But Glass is far easier to farm, and many players stick with it all the way to the end simply because they like the look. There’s also a Glass Shield (27 AR) for shield users.
Good to know
- Glass Smithing is required to forge the set; it also covers glass weapons.
- All pieces, including the shield, are tempered with refined malachite.
- Glass Armor is among the most valuable light gear, so loose pieces sell well.
Set pieces
| Piece | Slot | Armor | Weight | Value | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass Helmet | Head | 16 | 2 | 450 | 0001393B |
| Glass Armor | Body | 38 | 7 | 900 | 00013939 |
| Glass Gauntlets | Hands | 11 | 2 | 190 | 0001393A |
| Glass Boots | Feet | 11 | 2 | 190 | 00013938 |
| Glass Shield | Shield | 27 | 6 | 450 | 0001393C |
Full set totals
- Glass Armor – helmet, cuirass, gauntlets and boots: 76 armor, 13 weight, 1730 gold; with the Glass Shield: 103 armor, 19 weight.
Crafting and upgrades
Recipes at the forge – requires the Glass Smithing perk:
- Glass Helmet: 1 Leather, 1 Leather Strips, 2 Refined Malachite, 1 Refined Moonstone
- Glass Armor: 1 Leather, 3 Leather Strips, 4 Refined Malachite, 2 Refined Moonstone
- Glass Gauntlets: 1 Leather, 2 Leather Strips, 1 Refined Malachite, 1 Refined Moonstone
- Glass Boots: 1 Leather, 2 Leather Strips, 2 Refined Malachite, 1 Refined Moonstone
- Glass Shield: 2 Leather Strips, 4 Refined Malachite, 1 Refined Moonstone
Improve (temper) the pieces at a workbench with Refined Malachite.
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.