How to followers determine what armor they should equip?

[ContagiousCure]

Is it based on the statistic of the armor or the armor's gold value?

[Thath]

I'd say the armor value. But I might be wrong. Even if you have AWESOME enchants on a Ebony Sword, the follower will pick a Daedric Sword. I think it's because of the cool looks :3

[JimCass98]

Followers choose armor and weapons based on their damage and armor rating(except for the DB initiates, they go for quality rather than armor rating/weapon damage). However, you have to take account that followers specialize in either heavy armor or light armor(except most mages). So, if you give them, say elven armor, but they have steel plate equipped and they're proficient in Heavy Armor, they'll most likely use the steel plate armor although the elven may have a better armor rating. Now, if you improve the elven armor the the point where it's at least 1 point better than their heavy armor WITH their heavy armor skill taken into account, than they'll equip the elven armor. Same goes for light armor. As for mages, I'm pretty sure that they'll equip ANY armor you give them, unless they have a high skill in either heavy or light armor, which most mages don't seem to have above 15 in.

[RatcatcherOfKvatch]

After the latest patch it seems to be skill-modified armor rating. Higher grades of armor with lower ratings are no longer chosen over higher-rated lower-grade armor.

 

Smithed weapons are still kind of messed up; followers will choose higher-grade, lower-quality weapons over extremely well-built low-grade weapons.

 

Staffs, on the other hand, get completely fixed in the latest patch. Followers will equip whatever staff is best for the job: ice against ash spawn, fire against Rieklings, and so on. Staffs don't compare to smithed weapons, but at least followers use them intelligently.