I tend to use both. I just get selective in what perks I want in either case. Basically I am levelling them hard to get perks like no weight when wearing the armours but other than that, I just love the looks of both types not to go for both.

I'm rolling around in full upgraded glass armor (light) with the biggest warhammer I was able to find. The mobility and sneaking I'm able to do in light armor is nice but in straight up fights, I kind've wish I just went with heavy armor from the beginning.

Heavy, the way a true Nord dresses.

That is, when she isn't wolfing out and tearing weak little sacks of flesh apart with her claws.

by char is a big stupid guy who hits things with a stick until it dies... so heavy armor and a two-handed weapon, who need magic and shields when you can crush em with 2 blows

I'm using mage robes, so I guess that's light armor? Doesn't really matter though since I haven't put a single point into that tree.

No armour.

Heavy. Currently wearing a full Ebony Legendary set because it's the baddest shit I've seen in the game so far while Lydia is decked out in Glass Armor cuz it's the 'pertiest' thing I've seen in the game so far.

Actually she's wearing that because it was my old set. I was going light armor at first, leveled it up to about 58 I think.

My reasoning for going with light was that I wanted to be a rogue-style character who dual wielded swords. I planned on keeping a shield with me figuring it would make up the difference in armor between that and, say, going heavy with a 2-hander. Also there were some considerable downsides of heavy armor. The fact that it weighs a ton and takes up a lot of inventory space, it makes it harder to sneak, you run slower, and it seems to cause you to burn stamina more quickly while fighting/sprinting. Most of that is negated with "Conditioning," the perk that makes equipped heavy armor weightless and makes it so it doesn't slow you down.

After finding sneaking pretty lackluster unless I dumped a ton of points on perks there, and getting my ass handed to my by things and people that seemed to hit like a truck and do far more damage than I was putting out with my one-hander(s), I figured I'd try out heavy...but I had to get it to 70 first for Conditioning.

So I used the console to move all my perks out of light armor and over to heavy, then began the long process of letting shit hit me while I healed to get my heavy armor up to 70 (with the added bonus of leveling up blocking and healing).

Initially I wasn't impressed. Without a lot of perks, heavy armor's damage mitigation isn't too much higher than light armor. At least not as much as you might think. Those extra armor percentages and smithing enhancements start adding up quick though. Also, even with the perk it seems like you burn stamina more quickly in heavy. Not sure if that's a bug or working as intended.

When/if I make another character maybe I'll dump a bunch of points into stealth, light armor, and one-handers as a more dedicated rogue type. But for now my sort of casting tank healer sword and board guy (Paladin?) is serving me nicely.

I used a bit of both, only for the looks. Leather armor that shows half of my orcish muscled chest, and some nordic steel gloves/greaves, with an iron helmet. I have access to way better armor, but I don't care, i'm manly.

I'm going light, because I'm a mage and also because I want to be able to sneak sometimes. I was thinking about going heavy though when I saw the heavy armor tree also has a perk that makes the armor weigh nothing and not slow you down...that would be cool.

Heavy. I want my character to be a walking, talking magic tank.

Just robes for me. I have light armor boots and bracers for the buffs on them, but would love to swap out for some non-armor boots/shoes and gloves. It seems like there aren't many of those with decent enchantments and I can't create decent ones myself yet.

The real question is 1hand or 2hand if your are melee. Because "Block" is the tree with most jaw dropping perks.

Heavy is awesome if you go all out on the warrior playstlye. For me it works pretty good with Block, Smithing and a bit of one-handed perks. I am running in in full legendary daedric armor. The chest piece has 52 armor standard. After legendary improvement and with perks (I am even missing the last "juggernaut" one) its over 230 and weighs nothing.

Heavy armor. More sets of armor to choose from and I think they look generally more badass.

Also that perk you get at 70 heavy armor so your armor weighs nothing and thus does not affect sneaking and stuff like that at all is hot.

I'm a stealth archer, so obviously light armour.

Heavy armor like a true badass.

I'm a heavy freight train bringing the pain.

1hand, heavy armor, block. Block has amazing perks. 50% resistance to elemental damage while blocking??? Please.

All of you who prefer sneaky gameplay say that Light Armor is better for this style of play, but... the game doesn't really SAY anything about it! It just says that Heavy Armor slows you down, but gives more protection.

So, my question: how do you know (except for the fact that it would make sense) that Light Armor is better for sneaking?

I'm rolling pure mage so I'm light armor head to toes, sticking to robes and light gauntlets/boots that have magicka/spell bonuses.

Heavy. Once you get the perks, work up to Dwarven or above, and get your smithing up to be able to improve things to peerless, you get ridiculous levels of armor. Add in the Steed Stone which makes it weightless and it defeats half the problem with heavy armor.

I keep my Thieves Guild stuff around for stealing and sneaking when needed, but most of the times it's heavy all the way for battling and roaming.

Light, mostly because the game requires or you can benefit more from sneaking around on far more missions.

@Razputin: Heavy armor is louder than light. If you want to sneak you need quieter armor so you can do Sneak Attacks. However you can get a perk in the sneak tree that gives a 50% silence buff to your armor. But in general if you wanna get close without the guys knowing you need Light armor.

I'm rolling light armor with a 1-handed and shield mostly. I dunno, just kinda like it. But my issue is bosses. Whenever I run into a boss like mob in a dungeon or crypt, I usually have to lower the difficulty because I get taken out in like two or three hits, and my stamina can't keep my shield up enough. Anyone got any pointers for light armor characters against the bosses?

@JasonR86 said:

Heavy because my character is a tank.

This. 328 armor rating with steel armor set, feels good.

My Khajiit wears heavy armor, because he's a man.

Nothing beats Daedric. It looks so badass in this game

Heavy because it feels right, and familiar.

Dual Wielding war axes with light armour myself...  I'm a whirlwind of death that nothing can touch :D

I'm dual-wielding, so I'm using heavy armor to offset the lack of defense.

Heavy Armor. I just walk right through arrows and stuff. No big deal if it's sticking out of my eye. Mages are a problem though.

Heavy.

Dwemer armor > everything.

If it slows me down at all, it's fodder for the selling.

Light always.

Heavy armor. Once you get the perk where it makes it basically weight 0, it's badass.

It's a mix for me. There's one mission where you can loot a bunch of Elven Light Armour, it weighs like 4 for each part. Using it for theives guild.

I usually end up with heavy armor adopting a warrior playstyle with archery to back it up on my first playthrough, it just feels more epic, feels more... right (what's the right word?).

Although once I've seen what the main quest and a good portion of the side-stuff I end up making a focused stealth and a focused magic class, so I get my light armor on there.

Heavy armor. Something about a dude in full-plate armor walking up and then blasting your asses with magic just seems so much better than anything else I could do. I blame Doctor Doom.

Just got this awesome light armour set and I have almost filled up heavy armour perks with just the 100skill and the 80skill juggernaut missing....

So when is that respec mod coming out? ;)

Im a stealthy archer so obviousely im running with heavy armour.

I'm a heavy armor guy on my first playthrough, then I play a sneaky little bastard on my second. Although, the new skill system allows me to do both on one character, although the transition is a bit awkward.

light armor, going sneaky sneak style with a dagger, got my conjured sword for back up should the tables turn and a little familiar to bite asses

I am a wizard. So I am confined to 50% magicka regen hood and robes. And that's fucked up.

Plate on da chest, light on da rest.

Elven Light Armour...

Works in favour of my Stealthy Archery ways :P

@byterunner: I was all heavy and shield but I decided to swap perks out via the console and run with light armor being all sneaky...light armor just can't hang with bosses or some of the tougher dragons at the level I am though. Sure you can sneak around and take out everyone else, but when you have to go toe to toe with tougher enemies you find yourself pulling out all the stops and still just barely making it.

Gonna work on skilling up more in sneak and light armor, throwing some more perks in those when i can. Probably gonna go back to heavy eventually though.

Might try out 2 handers with heavy armor, although not being able to cast or use a shield in my off hand seems like a bad idea.

@niamahai: If you get your enchanting up, you could always put those perks on other armor. I fully intend to put some destruction-oriented perks on my heavy armor a bit later in the game.

You can carry more loot if you wear light armor. That's my philosophy.

Was light in Oblivion but changed to a heavy destruction mage for skyrim.