Since it released in November 2011, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has been a staple in the gaming community, accruing a vast playerbase that continues to grow. With the release of the Skyrim Anniversary Edition last November, numerous new armor sets and weapons have been added to help players as they complete quests generated across the world and attempt to survive the harsh environments of Skyrim.
Steel armor and weapons are among the better early-game options for players due to their availability and low cost when crafting; these weapons and armor sets can be crafted at a forge after unlocking the first perk in the Smithing skill tree. As a result, a lot of players usually pick out items from this tree to forge rather than simply find them in the world through quests and battles.
Like most Smithing classes, steel weapons and armor are not equally balanced, meaning certain weapons and armor combinations give players higher defensive and offensive stats right off the bat. Still, the low cost and solid designs have allowed steel items to become a popular choice among many players, especially those focusing on Heavily Armored Warriors builds.
5 S-Tier
- Steel Soldier Armor Set: First introduced in the game’s Creation Club, the Steel Soldier Armor Set has become a staple in the main game following the release of the Skyrim Anniversary Edition. This set features higher defensive stats, and value while maintaining the same weight and material cost of its base variant.
- Enhanced Crossbow: In terms of ranged weapons, the enhanced crossbow provides players with a good alternative to regular bows found in the game. The enhanced crossbow negates 50 percent of a target's armor, making it one of the most effective long-range weapons. On top of this, the numerous bolt types, including explosive bolts, can deal area-of-effect damage that is perfect when battling multiple enemies.
- Steel Battleaxe: Among the two-handed weapons in the game, the Battleaxe deals the most damage-per-second thanks to its high base damage, critical damage, and low swing time. With base damage of 18 and a speed of 0.7 hits-per-second, it can deal more damage quicker than the Warhammer.
4 A-Tier
- Steel Warhammer: The hardest-hitting weapon type in the game, the Warhammer dishes out high base damage, with the steel variant’s stat having a base of 20 points. The only thing preventing this weapon from being in the S-tier is a higher weight stat and slower swing speed when compared to the Battleaxe.
- Steel Shield: The Steel Shield is one of the more reliable pieces of armor in the early game. It has a relatively low crafting cost and is one of the easiest pieces of armor to loot off bandits. For one-handed builds, this is a necessity, as the stagger ability when bashing can help when fighting higher-level opponents. There are better shields that are acquired through quests though, which is why this does not quite reach an S-tier rating.
- Steel War Axe: With a decent swing speed (0.9 swings/second) and good base damage (nine points) for the early game, the Steel War Axe is a well-rounded weapon. It works just as well coupled with a shield as it does when dual-wielded, making it one of the most versatile weapons. It can also be found in most bandit hideouts around Whiterun at the start of the game.
- Steel Plate Armor Set: Unlocked at Smithing level 50 after gaining the Advanced Armor perk, the Steel Plate Armor Set boasts an impressive armor rating of 87, making it the highest-rated Steel armor set in the game. However, the perk used to unlock this is in the Light Smithing section, making it trickier to unlock than the Soldier Set.
- Steel Mace: A good alternative to the War Axe, the mace has slightly better damage output but a slower swing speed. When coupled with a shield, it is by far the better option of the two, but the higher weight stat and slower speed means it is not an ideal choice for dual-wielding, especially without the Dual Flurry Perk.
3 B-Tier
- Steel Armor Set: The Steel Armor set is one of the most recognizable in the game. Most Bandit Chiefs can be seen wearing this for good reason, as it has a good balance of weight-to-armor rating in the heavy armor class. The only thing holding it back is the fact that is has the same weight as the Soldier Set with lower defensive stats.
- Hunting Bow: While the Hunting Bow cannot be crafted or improved using steel ingots, it benefits from the Steel Smithing perk. It is also one of the fastest bows in the game without enchantments and deals a decent seven points of base damage. It is especially important in the Anniversary Edition when playing survival mode, as speed helps a lot while hunting wild animals such as foxes.
- Steel Greatsword: The quickest of the three two-handed weapons, the Greatsword can deal 17 points of base damage every hit. It is a decent starting weapon and has variants that can easily be acquired through early-game quests. However, it has the same speed as the Battleaxe and requires more materials to craft, which prevents it from gaining a higher rating.
- Steel Sword: This weapon is arguably the best dual-wielding steel weapon in the game. Its fast speed allows players to dish out more damage over a short period of time, however it does not have a good damage output, and is not as common to find on enemies as the War Axe.
2 C-Tier
- Steel Dagger: The cheapest steel weapon in the game, in terms of crafting and gold, is the Steel Dagger; which is also the quickest with a speed of 1.3 swings per second. For assassin and thief builds it is a good starting dagger, but will require the perks in the sneak skill tree to make it really worthwhile. However, there are a lot of better daggers that can be found through quests like Mehrunes’ Razor, which is more reliable for stealth-based players.
- Steel Arrow: While Steel Arrows do deal slightly more damage than the iron arrows, they are far less common to find in the world without taking advantage of certain bugs and glitches - many of which have since been patched in the Anniversary Edition. Steel Arrows are not worth the crafting cost, especially after gaining the enhanced crossbow.
1 D-Tier
- Brawler’s Steel Gauntlets: Gauntlets are great for players trying an unarmed build, but only if they are found in the world. When crafted, they do not have the additional damage provided by Pugilist enchantments. They are merely a cosmetic improvement compared to the gauntlets in the base and soldier set.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.