So I've finally decided to go ahead and earn the nightingale armour and from what I've seen it SUCKS if you want to just be a generic thief and that the thieves guild armour is so much better. My character is a generic thief who uses bows, daggers, all that good stuff so here are my reasons for why nightingale armour doesn't really make all that much sense.

1. Hood

Nightingale- Illusion spells cost 15% less to cast.

Thieves guild- Prices are 10% better

This one is pretty obvious. As a thief I don't use magic

2. Gloves

Nightingale- Lockpicking is 20% easier. One-handed attacks do 20% more damage.

Thieves guild- Lockpicking is 15% easier.

The only piece of the nightingale that is actually useful and an upgrade

3. Boots

Nightingale- Wearer is muffled and moves silently.

Thieves guild- Pickpocket success is 15% better.

From what I've seen enemies have yet to show a different reaction to sneaking around in the nightingale boots, which makes them do pretty much bugger all especially if you have the Silence perk.

4. Armour

Nightingale- Increases your stamina by 30 points. Increases Frost Resistance by 30%

Thieves guild- Carrying capacity increased by 20 points

As a thief I don't expect myself to be needing any of those upgrades due to the fact that I'l be sneaking around using arrows and backstabbing to take people out. And the extra 20 points in carrying capacity is always worth it, especially if your like me and pick up every piece of crap you see

Remember this is strictly for traditional thieves and doesn't apply to people who like to mix and mach classes.

So what are your takes on the nightingale armour and sorry I'm EXTREMELY late on the subject. Haven't had much time to play the game ;)

As someone who wanted to roleplay a thief, the nightingale armor was probably the single most disappointing thing about the game for me.

But that's not what the Nightingale armor is for. It's given to you when you become an Agent of Nocturnal, therefore it would seem obvious that the gear would be more tuned towards offensive stealth abilities rather than just trying to remain hidden at all times. As for the Illusion magic boost, looking at the Illusion spells list, they also fit into the role of a Twilight Sepulcher protector.

I think you forgot the set bonus Nightingale gives you (more armor rating). But as mentioned already: Nightingales is not ment for your typical thief class, that's what both the thieves guild and the master thieves armor set is for, which takes a lot of time to acquire. As for the Nightingale armor, I think it's really good, especially if you've specialized in illusion too for invisibilis.

Most of the really cool looking armor is nothing special. That's a huge flaw in skyrim in my opinion.

Nightingale still looks way better...

And if you're on the PC you can put whatever enchantment you want on it.

With the construction set out I'm sure there's going to be a mod that lets you strip out unique armor abilities without destroying them so you can put the ebony armor effect on nightingale.

I found the Nightingale armor to be absolutely beautiful. It looks so ancient and sinister, yet elegant at the same time. It's very sleek and it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. The armor is sort of a mix between a ninja, a wizard and a thief.

I found myself mixing the Dark Brotherhood gear and the nightingale armor. Worked out pretty well and looks pretty good.

It's not necessarily supposed to be better, just different.