Do you guys feel much difference between heavy and light armours?

[volnaiskra]

I play a sneaky mage character, so I feel that logically I should be wearing robes or light armour. Apparently light armour makes sneaking easier, and makes you generally faster. But I honestly can't tell any difference between heavy and light armours, apart from the damage reduction aspect. Sneaking seems about the same, and my walking/running speed does too. Honestly the extra inventory weight is the main 'penalty' I feel with heavy armour. I've ended up wearing mostly heavy armours up until now. I've decided to switch to light, just because it feels more 'correct', plus I want the extra inventory space. But it feels like a real downgrade so far.

 

What are your experiences with light/heavy armour, and the differences between them?

[mongoose41]

I can sprint almost forever in light armour even without the perks, while heavy armour seems to drain stamina faster while sprinting.

[Guss]

Yep heavy armor drains stam faster and you get better protection. going from light to heavy i seen that i could take a lot more and go higher difficulty. sneaking around with the two seems the same to me.

[XxTaLoNxX]

Heavy armor can have some crazy damage protection but sprinting consumes stamina at an almost alarming rate early in the game but if you put points in your stamina as you level then you will notice this less. I have two characters one a Heavy Paladin type Nord as well as an Assassin Glass-cannon type Khajit and I have noticed that heavy armor severely effects sneaking until you get Sneak to a high level.

[Socalista]

You can reach maximum damage reduction using either heavy or light armor.

 

Also, with perks, either choice can become weightless and not impact sprinting. The main difference is that Heavy Armor takes less feats to reach maximal damage reduction and Light Armor is less intrusive initially on encumbrance.

[Vangarrett99]

To resolve drain on stamina due to heavy armour and sneak problem early in the game:

 

1) Get the Steed Sign

2) Get a 'Muffled' enchanted boots

 

There you go, no more outrageous drain on stamina when sprinting, and you can sneak! lol