Armor such as the blades armor should fall under the specials category. Yea I know some of you don't use smithing and want to keep it pure. Fine, go play it that way. I put polnts into those perks because I wanted to utilize them. Unfortunately it doesn't cover the Blades armor meaning it never gets the boost from the Smithing perks. I don't understand decisions like this. There's nothing overly special about the gear that would make it overpowered compared to other armors by giving it the perk boost. There's a category for special armors where it would fit perfectly. I am really frustrated by this because it's one of the better looking armors in the game.

The Blades armor is spare and (like the Thieves Guild stuff) completely appropriate and very good looking.... the shield is my favorite, look-wise, in the game. I don't really mind though.

I hear ya, it's my favorite heavy armor and the one I have planned for my battlemage. Usually I give it to my companion, because most of my char's have been light armor. Plate steel runs a close 2nd. ( I really miss chainmail and Mithril )

Some would claim that it is a design decision. No, not even close. It's one of a million other things that were overlooked.

/thread

Sorry, OP

Blades Armor = Akaviri design

Considering its rareness, one possible explanation is that the knowledge of creating a Blades armor is lost.

This, lots of items miss the armor material tag for upgrading.
Legendary smiting mod fixes it.

Exactly !
But actually I agree with the OP , but your explanation kinda explains it.

Since Oblivion, all Blades members were hunted down and the faction was completely annihalated. Everything about them has been forgotten for almost 200 years. This would mean that there are no blacksmiths left who have the knowlege, skills or materials to craft it.

And the multiple justifications that make perfect sense within the lore of the Elder Scrolls are just... what? Apologists?

Personal
If I had to compile a list of all of Skyrim deficiencies, shortcomings and glitches, the lack of a perk dedicated to the Blades armor would not even be on the (long) list.

A special perk?
If you mean something like adding a special perk just for it, then Hell [censored] no!
It would be stupid.
However, making Steel Smithing apply to it would actually be great solution to this problem.

Then why am I able to do the basic upgrades on it with Steel Ingots? If what you say were true I shouldn't be able to do anything to it. I can do the basic upgrade so why doesn't it fall under the 50% more improvement perk of Advanced Armors. I don't necessarily want to be able to create the armor but not allowing the 50% improvement means this armor falls behind the others making it less useful. But honestly, being Dragonborn, I could also reason that as an expert blacksmith I could study the armor that I found and learn to make it. It only takes steel ingots to improve it. How complicated could it possibly be?

Blades equipment was like this in Oblivion as well. Excellent for low level players, obsolete by mid level. My favorite sword in that game was the Akaviri Katana but it just wasn't powerful enough beyond a certain point.

Is the upgrade potential an oversight or intentional? I don't know. Since it is upgraded with steel ingots it makes sense that it would fit in that category, rather than Special, though.

I don't really like the way the blades armor looks, but I agree that it should fall under special armors.

Care to elaborate?

Because the Blades are gone..? Okaaay..?
Because it's Akaviri..? Okaaay..?

Does that mean the ancient art of innovation has disappeared, too? Speaking of sense, it makes perfect sense to improve the armor. There are only shaky, at best, lore justifications otherwise. I didn't need a Daedra to show me how to make Daedric armor. And how the hell do you forge a sword out of malachite glass..? Nobody took the time to explain those arts to me either. (EDIT) [censored], let alone Dwemer weapons and armor. I thought their crafting techniques had all but disappeared from Tamriel..?

If we're applying the "lack of sense" policy, I would say once again; not a design choice because it makes absolutely no sense. It was overlooked along side a million other things, just like I stated above.

While we're at it, why is there no perk for iron and leather armors?

It's actually a good thing the armour can't be improved. It's much easier for hired khajiit assassins to kill a target with a lower armour rating.

I think it's just something to add to the list of stuff they forgot to do in the rush for 11.11.11. It's like the silver swords, you can get the sword, you can get silver ingots, but you cannot upgrade the silver sword so the only use for the silver ingots is to make silver jewelry. Or how about the headmans axe? Another weapon that you can get but you have no option to upgrade.There are several of these instances in-game and I chalk it up to being rushed and forgotten about.

Well if the blades were completely wiped out how does one explain delphine?

And then sky haven temple? It had tons of blade related items... sure a book or something about the armor?

I'm sure somewhere in Skyrim there is something on the blades, but just not important enough for the game to include it I guess.

you've got to remember how undercooked the game is in some areas.

yeah plus what about silver armor? silver bows/shields? arrows? NADA.

Because there's no possible way they only intended to design one type of silver weapon for one specific group of people (with "silver" in their club name) to use it, right? They must have overlooked every other potential silver item because of the release date, not because of a design choice.