Skyrim: Madness Ore & Armor (How to Find & Forge It)

One of the best crafting materials in Skyrim, the Madness Ore, can be used to create impressive armor if you have the Saints and Seducers Creation Club DLC. The ore can be smelted into an ore that can be used to craft various Madness Weapons and Armor. However, the ore isn’t easy to smelt as you are required to complete a few steps before. Once you have the Madness Ore, you will be able to create armor that is even stronger and heavier than its Daedric and Dragonbone counterparts.

Madness Ore is quite rare and sometimes spawns in the boss chest of a dungeon. However, there is an easier way to get the Madness Ore. You can trade for the resource with the traveling Khajiit merchants. The ability to purchase the Madness Ore becomes available once you complete the two main quests of Saints and Seducers, “Balance of Power” and “Restoring Order.”

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Skyrim Madness Ore Quests

Once you complete the Saints and Seducers questline, you will be approached by a courier who will give a message: “Note on New Wares.” The letter is from Ri’saad, and he will say that he now has exotic new goods for sale. Once you have read the letter, you will not be able to purchase Madness Ore from the two traveling Khajiit merchants. Ri’saad is a member of the Khajiit Caravan in Skyrim who can be found between Whiterun and Markarth. The other caravan merchant, Ahkari, can be found on paths between Dawnstar and Riften.

Unfortunately, even once you get Madness Ore in Skyrim, you can’t use it right away, as you will still require the proper knowledge to craft it into Madness armor. After defeating Thoron during Saints and Seducers‘ “Restoring Order” quest, you will find a note called “Note on Amber and Madness Ore.” This clue will lead you to a Miscellaneous Quest to Mistwatch, a bandit fort located north of the border of the Rift and Eastmarch. Check out that location in this video from Gwerfaur on YouTube below:

At Mistwatch, you will encounter Evethra, an arcane blacksmith who has the information needed to learn about using Skyrim’s Madness Ore. After slaying her and her skeleton minions; players can loot and read her journal to learn the secrets of Amber and Madness armor-smithing. Once this journal has been read, you can begin crafting Madness armor and weapons.

Skyrim’s Madness Armor & Weapon Crafting

To forge Skyrim’s Madness armor and weapons, you will also need to gather Leather Strips and Ebony Ingots. There are multiple locations in Skyrim in which players can find Ebony Ore, but the best place to farm Ebony is in Gloombound Mine, located inside the Orc stronghold of Narzulbur in Eastmarch. Leather is made from animal hides, which can be found pretty much anywhere in Skyrim and can be turned into leather strips at tanning stations.

By the time players reach the point where they know how to use Madness Ore to craft Madness armor, it’s likely they will have a stockpile of both leather strips and Ebony. To craft every piece of Madness armor in Skyrim, you will need a total of 17 Madness Ingots, 7 Ebony Ingots, and 10 strips of leather. Below is every Madness Weapon and every piece of Madness Armor Skyrim players can craft:

Melee builds should note that while Madness Gauntlets are stronger than regular Heavy Armor in Skyrim, they are not compatible with the “Fists of Steel” perk. Depending on the combination of armor players are wearing, it might be better overall to forego the Madness Gauntlets and use another form of Heavy Armor in order to retain the damage bonus.