Does Serana wear armor you give her?

As a passionate Skyrim player with over 800 hours of playtime, I‘ve extensively tested the intricacies of equipping custom armor on followers. Serana, added in the Dawnguard DLC, quickly became my follower of choice – her sassy personality and dual-wielding spell-sword combat style fits perfectly with my usual stealthy conjuror build.

Over countless adventures together, I‘ve discovered exactly what armors Serana will and won‘t equip when given gear. Let‘s dig into the details fellow Dovahkiin!

Serana‘s Default Equipment and Skills

Part of what makes outfitting Serana tricky is her unique default equipment. Rather than generic robes or basic light armor, she begins the game decked out in her custom "Vampire Royal Armor" set.

Here are her starting gears‘ ratings:

In addition, Serana‘s primary combat skills are:

• Destruction: 89
• Conjuration: 100
• Light Armor: 69
• Sneak: 65

With skill levels that high, breaking her attachment to her beloved starting gear is no easy feat!

Serana‘s Equipment Requirements

Based on extensive community testing of Serana‘s outfit behavior, two main factors dictate what armors she will equip:

• Armor Rating – Any gear you give Serana must surpass her default‘s armor values
• Enchantment Strength – Muffle, Fortify Sneak and other enchants must also exceed her defaults

Because Serana prefers light armor, the easiest approach is improving various Glass, Elven or Leather sets until they pass her equip checks.

For context, her armor cap is 580 given her level 50 limit. So tempering gear past that point, while fun, provides no actual benefit.

Ideal Armor for Serana‘s Stealthy Style

Given Serana‘s fondness for launching fireballs while remaining unseen, I prefer outfitting her with gear focused on aiding stealthy play. Some perfect options are:

• Guild Master‘s Armor Set – Already heavily fortified for sneaking and picking pockets
• Blackguard‘s Armor – Nightingale armor with even better enchantments
• Custom Improved Elven Armor with "Muffle" & "Fortify Sneak" dual enchants

I also like ensuring Serana‘s total armor rating stays comparable to mine – keeping us both hardy against whatever fights we get into!

Example of Ideal Sneaky Light Armor for Serana [Credit: Claye]

Matching Serana‘s Vampire Royal Aesthetic

While optimizing Serana‘s sneakiness and damage output is great, I also want to maintain her signature vampire royalty look.

Some armor options that work well include:

• Stalhrim armor pieces – The frosty blue material matches nicely
• Special Edition Content Creation armors – Several dark leather and robe sets fit Serana
• Mod added witch or vampire armor sets – User created content expands options

I love the way crafting her custom gear from various sources blends optimization with aesthetics!

What About Serana’s Hood?

In contrast to the other armor slots, Serana will never unequip her unobtainable Vampire Royal circlet, regardless of whatever headgear you provide her.

Trust me, I’ve wasted hours trying different helmets and circlets attempting to break her devotion to that signature piece! While her AI is advanced enough to equip most other gear, she really clings to that special hooded look.

Oh well, at least we‘ll always have consistency with that vampire princess aesthetic!

Parting Tips on Outfitting Serana

With hundreds of hours of playing alongside Serana under my belt, I hope this guide gives you the exact details needed to optimize her equipment! To recap key points:

• Improve light armor until it surpasses her default set‘s ratings
• Prioritize “Muffle” and “Fortify Sneak” enchantments
• Look for armor visuals that match Serana’s vampire royalty aesthetic
• She will never unequip her special hooded circlet

The time invested in finding that perfect look pays off with an equally lethal and stylish Serana at your side! Whether clashing against dragons or infiltrating ancient Nordic ruins, we make for an unstoppable dynamic duo.

Now get out there and start looting armor pieces Dovahkiin!