ESO Armor Types Guide

You may be wondering about what the differences are between the three types of armor that are available in the game, and why you should pick one over the other. I mean, if more armor = less damage, then why wouldn't everyone just wear heavy armor? After all, there's no movement or carrying capacity penalties associted with your armor selection.

This quick guide will show you why.

Armor Abilities

Each armor type comes with active and passive abilities that you can spend skills points on, and these abilities are why you choose one type of armor over another. 

Light Armor

Light armor abilities are about magika regeneration and reducing damage taken from spells, so if you are playing a caster then light armor is for you.

Light Armor Active Ability

Anullment: Absorb damage from incoming spells up to a maximum amount per hit.

Light Armor Passive Abilities

Evocation: Reduces the Magicka cost of spells per piece for light armor equipped.
Recovery: Increases Magicka regeneration per piece of light armor equipped.
Spell Warding: Increases spell resistance per piece of light armor equipped.
Concentration: Spells ignore some enemy spell resistance per piece of light armor.
Prodigy: Wearing 5 or more pieces of light armor increases critical damage.

Medium Armor

The abilities for medium armor are about regenerating stamina, as well as getting critical hits, sneaking, and sprinting. This makes medium armor a good choice for players who use a lot of weapon skills and abilities which rely on stamina, and who like to sneak around (I'm looking at you, Night Blade).

Medium Armor Active Ability

Evasion: Using unnaturally quick reflexes, avoid incoming melee attacks which will have a moderate chance to miss for a medium duration.

Medium Armore Passive Abilities

Improved Sneak: Decreases the area within which you can be detected and decreases the time to become fully hidden per piece of medium armor equipped.
Wind Walker: Increases Stamina regeneration per piece of medium armor equipped.
Athletics: Increases sprint speed and reduces the cost of dodging per piece of medium armor equipped.
Dexterity: Increases critical strike chance per piece of medium armor equipped.
Agility: Wearing 5 or more pieces of medium armor increases attack speed with weapon attacks.

Heavy Armor

Damage mitigation, bonuses to healing received, health regeneration, and hard hits are what you get with the abilities of heavy armor, which makes it ideal for melee'ers who like to take the hits as well as give them. These in addition to the extra armor associated with heavy armor makes it a good choice for tanks too.

Heavy Armor Active Ability

Immovable: Reduces damage taken and become immune to knockbacks and disabling effects for a moderate duration.

Heavy Armor Passive Abilities

Resolve: Reduces damage taken per piece of heavy armor equipped. Armor and spell resist are increased by 1/2/3%. (3 ranks)
Constitution: Increases health regeneration by 2/4% for per piece of heavy armor equipped. (2 ranks)
Juggernaut: Increases power with melee attacks per piece of heavy armor equipped. (3 ranks)
Bracing: While wearing five or more pieces of heavy armor, reduce the cost of blocking by 10/20%. (2 ranks) 
Rapid Mending: Increases healing received per piece of heavy armor equipped by 0.5/1%. (2 ranks)