Conditioning Heavy Armor 70, Cushioned Heavy Armor weighs nothing and doesn't slow you down when worn


Ok, I get it, it's a perk... But uh... What then, is the point of light armor with this perk?

To be fair, this perk seems out of place and rather stupid... I can see it with light armor, but heavy armor?

Well, you'll have 70 in your heavy armour by then. Obviously you wouldn't be using light armour.

Note how it says "Cushioned heavy armor". Maybe that's one of the upgrades you can give your gear.

Yeah that makes no sense. Hopefully it will be easy to mod perks.

Right but what is the incentive for anyone to go the light armor path?

It's called stealth. To get your heavy armor bonus you have to be wearing heavy boots.

There's incentive. Let's leave it at that.

My issue is that both Light armor and Heavy armor essentially become the same thing. But who knows, I haven't played the game.

I think heavy armor makes more noise when sneaking and reduces the effect of spells.

I guess this could be worse, though. If all this perk does is make you run normal speed when wearing heavy armor, then light armor will still retain several benefits. With light armor you will still be less encumbered, do more spell damage, and be less detectable when sneaking.

Light armor is weaker then heavy but you get +50% stamina regeneration in light armor from perks (this means more mobility and power attacks), and you need to spend 2 less perks to max it

I don't think so. I'm gonna go heavy but I don't want to spend the extra perk points on some BS H2H perk or the cushion perk.

Light Armor gets 50% Stamina Regeneration and a 10% chance to completely avoid melee damage.

Heavy Armor receives 50% less stagger and a 10% to reflect damage.

Those are the major differences in perks.

You will learn to like H2H perk when you get disarmed in heavy armor

What's the incentive to use an Open Lock spell when you can use lockpicks?

Why use axes when you've got swords? Why use weapons at all when you've got fireballs?

Why be a Nord when you can be an Orc?

I plan to carry more than one weapon

I understand what the OP is trying to say. There were probably some different things that Beth coulda done rather than have one branch of the heavy armor negate all of its weight. I think they did this so that people would have a viable H2H ability since it is no longer a skill. Think about it. That branch allows your heavy gauntlets to act as weapons, makes you faster and lighter. Personally, if I do a warrior with heavy armor I will ignore that tree and go the other route for a damage soaking tank. I'll have so much stamina I won't really care about the less weight aspect, so then it just comes down to being a little faster, which I don't really think is what a mini-tank with a huge axe/hammer should be. Anyways, back on OP, would probably have made more since if the perks on the side that make you faster/lighter had instead increased your power attack damage with 2 hand weapons, or reduced damage from arrows, or perhaps granted you a bonus when you were standing still/walking slowly such as "imovable object"-grants additional damage resistance when you are not running. I don't know, but maybe there would have been better ideas than making heavy and light armor somewhat similar. I for one will use light armor with my dual axe wielding Orc for the stamina regen, so I agree that there will be those that find something useful in light armor.

Light armor and a shield go together really well.

Did you use heavy armor in oblivion? cause the master trait for heavy armor was almost the same as the new perk...

Heavy armor has three major inherent disadvantages that perks do nothing to alter in any way:
1) Much noisier, harder to sneak in
2) Much faster drain on stamina while sprinting
3) Major penalties to both magicka and stamina regen

I think that completely negating the speed/encumbrance penalty's a bit too much but even with it like that characters in light armor will be much more mobile than characters in heavy armor and have potentially greater damage output due to their faster stamina regen even without the perk that cuts their penalty in half. Plus they'll be better at sneaking. And at magic.

I don't think it has to do with having a viable H2H alternative since that perk only requires you to have the gauntlets on. I think it's just.... because it sounded like a nice perk. Personally I'm going with a light armored character for the first time because from what I've heard your entire armor effects your ability to sneak as opposed to Oblivion where it was just your boots. Also magic. Also dual wielding with that stamina bonus will be awesome.

If you mean the "same thing" as in equal armor values then clearly Light Armor would be better given its lower weight.

Not when a perk gives Heavy Armor zero weight XD

Slightly off topic, quick question for you guys: as someone playing a Redguard using two-handed swords, should I plan on wearing light or heavy armor? Stamina is obviously of paramount importance, but tanking is at least as important since I'd be without a shield.

Which makes more sense?

On topic: the perk trees make it pretty clear why one would choose light armor over heavy (or the other way around), and HasperoN nailed the reason why:


All about what suits your playstyle more. Stealthy player w/ rapid stamina regeneration and a significant chance to totally avoid incoming damage, or more of a tank focused on staying power? Conditioning certainly doesn't make light armor worthless compared to heavy.

Howl, I would (will) personally go with heavy, as I like the greater tanking ability, and I hated getting staggered by minotaurs and ogres in Oblivion. But once again, it's all on you. Whatever you prefer.

If light armor was made useless by a perk, there wouldn't have been much of a point to putting it in in the first place. I don't know about you guys, but I've played enough Bethesda games to know that the don't pull crap like that. And even if something like that slipped by, I'm pretty sure they would patch it.