The Deathbrand armor is one of the most unique armor sets in the game. It’s a light-class armor having a decent overall armor rating similar to, if not slightly below, the Dragonscale armor set.
But don’t be fooled, as the enchantment bonus of this armor makes it one of the strongest in the game, both in terms of armor rating and usefulness.
The enchantment increases the base armor rating, which even surpasses the Daedric armor set. The other bonuses that this armor includes are increased stamina points, total carry weight, and one-handed weapon damage.
However, there is a catch to this. You cannot forge this armor at the blacksmith.
You can only get the Deathbrand Armor set by playing through the Deathbrand questline. Here, you must collect the piece of armor set from different corners of Solstheim. We’ll get into the detail below.
Start the Deathbrand Quest
Starting the Deathbrand quest is a bit tricky as there are a few prerequisites that you need to complete in order to start the questline.
First, you need to install the Dragonborn DLC expansion then you need to level up your character up to 36+.
After getting the level requirement, you need to read the Deathbrand book. Reading the book while you’re under-leveled will not initiate the questline.
The book can be found only in Solstheim in two distinct locations.
The first location is Tel Milthryn, and the other location is at the Raven Rock Temple.
After reading the book, the quest will start and place the location marker on Haknir’s Shoal.
Collect Different Pieces of Armor Sets
Now let’s move on to collecting the different piece of armor sets from within the map,
Deathbrand Helmet
The first piece of equipment you’ll get from Deathbrand Quest is the helmet. It is locked inside an expert-level Ancient treasure chest on the east-north side of Solstheim. More specifically, it is located at Haknir’s Shoal.
You can get to this location by fast traveling to the Wind Stone and then heading on straight till you encounter a camp.
Here you’ll find a pirate captain along with a couple of pirates. Getting too close to them will make them hostile toward you.
The pirate captain also has a treasure map that marks the location of all the pieces of the Deathbrand armor set. You can either pickpocket the map off from him or loot it from his corpse.
Right next to the pirate camp, you’ll find the Ancient treasure chest between the three rocks. The chest has an expert-level lock on it. So, ensure to pack a bunch of lockpicks prior to starting the quest.
The Deathbrand helmet has a couple of unique enchantments applied to it. Equipping the helm grants you the ability to breathe underwater.
Moreover, if you equip the full set of Deathbrand armor (including the helmet), you’ll gain an additional +100 armor rating.
Deathbrand Armor
The Deathbrand Armor is locked inside an Ancient treasure chest which is located in the western region of Solstheim, towards the north of the Earth Stone. To get to this location, follow the step below.
- First, fast-travel to the Earth Stone.
- Turn right and continue to head straight along the coastline.
- Eventually, you’ll come across a couple of Reavers beside the treasure chest.
- Defeat them and unlock the chest to acquire the Deathbrand armor.
The Deathbrand cuirass has an enchantment that increases your stamina points by 15 for every piece of Deathbrand armor you equip. Wearing a full set of Deathbrand armor will increase your stamina points by 60.
Deathbrand Gauntlet
The chest for the Deathbrand Gauntlet is located on the northern side of Solstheim, south of the Bristleback Bave. You can reach the location via the steps below.
- Fast travel to the Bristleback Cave.
- Take a hard right turn and then go straight.
- Eventually, you’ll come across the treasure chest at a small swamp along with some Mudcrabs.
The enchantment on the Deathbrand Gauntlet increases your one-handed attacks by 10% for every piece you equip from the Deathbrand set.
A full set of armor will increase your one-handed attacks by a whopping 40%. This easily makes it one of the best damage-boosting gear in the game.
Deathbrand Boots
The final Deathbrand armor piece, the boots, is locked behind an expert–level chest in the southeastern part of Solstheim. It’s just below Tel Mytherin, guarded by a few Ash spawns. Follow the steps below to find the treasure chest.
- Fast travel to Tel Mithryn.
- Turn to your right and then head on straight.
- Jump down the rock, and you’ll find the treasure chest.
The boots have a special enchantment that increases your carry weight by +10. While the number might not seem very impressive, when you equip a full set of Deathbrand armor, the number increases to +40.
There you go. Now you have the full set of the Deathbrand Armour.
Here’s a video guide demonstrating the steps mentioned above.
