Skyrim: Best Assassin Gear, Armor & Weapons In The Game

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Stealth, treason, murder.

Playing as an assassin is super fun. And it certainly suits the world of Skyrim perfectly. It doesn’t matter if you intend to play as a Khajit, an Argonian, or a regular Imperial assassin: either way I’ve organized all the best gear, items, weapons, armor, and pieces of equipment that every stealthy assassin should have.

Some of this gear will also serve you well when you put them to the test in real combat.

You can rely on most of these items to help you survive in a real fight, if you happen to accidentally screw up your stealth.

Be warned, though – I’m focusing on items that will simplify your playthrough as long as you remain hidden.

If you’re one of those trigger-happy “guns blazing” types, well, let’s just say I’m not sure anyone will hire you to assassinate anytime soon.

 

15. Shrouded Glove Wraps

Shrouded Glove Wraps Skyrim

How To Get: You can only find one enchanted set of Shrouded Glove Wraps in the game. They’re located in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary when you first speak to Astrid.

With this set of gloves, one-handed sneak attacks do double damage.

With that kind of boost I’m assuming you know why I’m putting them on my list!

They provide stealthy assassins with the ability to kill most of their enemies with one hit, making them extremely powerful. Even for players at a very low level.

They’re also fingerless gloves, so they look cool to boot.

 

14. Linwe’s Set

Linwe’s Set in Skyrim

How To Get: Pickpocket Linwe at the Uttering Hills Cave.

With Linwe’s armor set you’ll not only look like a hobo, but you’ll also be able to hit like one.

Well, you’ll actually be able to hit like one if you decide to enchant this set… it actually comes unenchanted.

Still, it’s one of the best light armor sets that an assassin can wear. So I stand by my decision and suggest seeking it out!

 

13. Azura’s Star

Azura’s Star in Skyrim

How To Get: Complete The Black Star quest.

I know this item is not technically meant to be wielded by an assassin.

But the fact that it allows you to trap the souls of all of your victims makes it good enough to deserve a spot on my list.

Besides, we all love Azura’s Star because of its significance in the Elder Scrolls lore. Remember, you can use the souls within the Star and it won’t even disappear after use. Nifty!

 

12. A Gazillion Lockpicks

Lockpick in Skyrim

How To Get: You can find lockpicks almost literally everywhere.

I don’t care whether you’re a thief or an assassin, you’re going to need a ton of lockpicks if you want to find success as a stealth player.

Especially during the first few levels if you want to access the locations of targets you intend to kill.

Lockpicks are super easy to find, but you’ll need to keep your eyes open if you intend to collect a lot of them.

And remember that you’ll lose a bunch when starting the game, as your lockpicking skills will be too low. Keep at it though.

 

11. Daedric Dagger

Daedric Dagger in Skyrim

How To Get: Daedric daggers start spawning after you reach level 46, with enchanted versions appearing after level 47.

Out of all the basic weapons in the game, the Daedric Dagger is the one that suits an assassin playthrough the most.

The edge of the blade is serrated, which makes it far more lethal and more suitable for a role-player.

This weapon would certainly spill a lot of blood, so it’s pretty apt for assassins trying to do what they do best.

Enchant the dagger and watch it become even more powerful. Then it with the shrouded gloves and you’ll become a one-hand killing machine.

 

10. Dragonbone Bow

Dragonbone Bow in Skyrim

How To Get: You need to kill one of the Keepers in the Soul Cairn to get your hands on this bow.

As one of the strongest and most badass-looking bows in the game, the Dragonbone Bow is an almost guaranteed one-shot kill weapon that’ll serve you well.

It’s as difficult to get as it is powerful, though.

But if you can enchant one of these bad boys, you’ll have a killer in your hands. Use it wisely.

And for the love of Akatosh, don’t shoot yourself – it’s going to hurt like a mother.

 

9. Dark Brotherhood Set

Dark Brotherhood Set in Skyrim

How To Get: You will get a set of Shrouded Armor upon joining the Dark Brotherhood, since it’s the official outfit of those who roam the night and spill blood in the name of the Night Mother herself.

The Dark Brotherhood Set, otherwise known as the regular Shrouded Armor set, is one of the coolest-looking sets of armor in the game.

And one of the finest you can wear for an assassin playthrough.

The set is super light, but it offers great defending stats. This makes it a good set to wear if you intend to occasionally engage in combat with your enemies.

 

8. Dragon Priest Mask – Krosis

Dragon Priest Mask - Krosis in Skyrim

How To Get: Visit the dragon lair Shearpoint and kill the Dragon Priest Krosis.

The Krosis Dragon Priest Mask is one of the finest pieces of armor that you can wear as an assassin or thief.

It increases your lockpicking skills by 20%.

It also increases your archery skill by 20%, which allows you to kill foes with much more efficiency if you have a powerful bow in your hands.

The increase also helps you fight off foes that have already spotted you, so be sure to hang onto this mask in case things go south!

 

7. Nightweaver’s Band

Nightweaver’s Band in Skyrim

How To Get: This ring is a quest reward for completing the Recipe for Disaster.

The Nightweaver’s Band is a basic ring that increases your sneak skill by 10%, allowing you to move around your targets with much more elegance.

And ultimately a lower chance of being detected.

You need to be a member of the Dark Brotherhood if you wish to receive this infamous ring, though.

 

6. Mace of Molag Bal

Mace of Molag Bal in Skyrim

How To Get: Complete “The House of Horrors” to get your hands on this weapon.

The Mace of Molag Bal seems to have been around for ages.

In fact, it literally has, as the mace itself is a Daedric artifact that has made cameos in the TES series since Daggerfall.

It deals damage to your enemy’s magicka and stamina, and it also allows you to fill a soul gem if your enemy dies after the first hit.

It’s a powerful weapon, albeit not as easy to conceal as a knife or dagger.

 

5. Dragonscale Armor

Dragonscale Armor in Skyrim

How To Get: You can obtain this set from level 24 and up, but the easiest way is by leveling up your smithing skill to level 100 and crafting it yourself.

The Dragonscale set of armor might make you look a bit too heavy for an assassin.

But it’s actually one of the game’s best sets of light armor.

Enchant it with relevant abilities and you might get an assassin-focused set with some of the best defending stats in the game.

 

4. Amulet of Talos

Amulet of Talos in Skyrim

How To Get: It can be found in various locations across Skyrim, but it can be easily found by purchasing it from Radiant Raiment.

This amulet reduces the duration of the shout cooldown by 20%, which might not be as helpful on its own… but it does wonders for an assassin playthrough if you can collect the right set of shouts.

 

3. Blade of Woe

Blade of Woe in Skyrim

How To Get: Complete the quest “Death Incarnate”, killing Astrid, or pickpocketing her.

The Blade of Woe is a unique weapon, and the best dagger that an assassin can wield.

This is partly because of its fantastic enchantment which drains 10% health from your enemy.

But also because it looks exactly like the knife that a serial killer would use. That’s a cool feature, right?

It only deals 12 points of basic damage, but it’s a very strong weapon that will thoroughly serve its purpose of murdering whatever (or whoever) gets in your way.

 

2. Nightingale Armor

Nightingale Armor in Skyrim

How To Get: Karliah will give you the set after the initiation ritual that gets you into the ranks of the Nightingales.

Nocturnal’s followers certainly wear one of the coolest sets of armor in the game.

If you want to look like an absolute killer, then you’ll want to get your hands on one of these sets.

It’s a light set of armor, fully enchantable, that comes with 69 points of basic defense.

 

1. Ancient Shrouded Armor

Ancient Shrouded Armor in Skyrim

How To Get: Complete the Locate the Assassin of Old quest and receive this armor as a reward.

The Ancient Shrouded armor is the best assassin & thief armor in the game.

Wearing the full set allows you to move as sneaky as a snake, muffling your sound, while also providing you with 100% resistance to poison damage.

It also gives you 35% additional damage to every bow shot you take, and doubling your sneak attack with one-handed weapons.

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Marco Ibarra

Born in the first half of the 90s, video games have been a part of my life ever since I was introduced to Age of Empires I by my dad. I'm a Mass Communications graduate with a specialization in Marketing, as well as a hardcore gamer. My aim is to bring you quality content so you can get the best out of your games and take your experience to the next level!