Does the Steed Stone grant the same benefits of Conditioning perk?

Question

The Steed Stone perk gives:

Armor weighs nothing and doesn't slow you down when worn, +100 Carry Weight.

So if I choose Steed Stone can I skip Conditioning perk or is there any difference between them ?

Answer 1

The Steed Stone's benefits apply to any armour you're wearing (not just heavy), and you get a bonus for your carrying capacity on top of that. It is entirely superior to the Conditioning perk, if you are looking at only the effects.

However, you can only have one Standing Stone's effect at a time, so you have to consider what Stone effects you would be giving up for the Steed Stone's blessing. If you are relying on the effects of the Steed Stone, then you have to forgo any other Stone's effects; but if you take Conditioning as a perk, you can choose a different Stone. Of course, then you have to consider which other perk you're not choosing.

You also have to consider that Conditioning has prerequisite perks that may or may not be valuable to you; if they're not, then Conditioning effectively costs more perk points.

So it's a trade-off that depends on what your priorities are. If none of the other Stones appeal then the clear best choice is to use the Steed Stone. For tanking players who want to use other Stones (for example, the Atronach might be appealing for its anti-mage tactical uses), they'll have to decide whether the other Stone is worth spending the perk points on Conditioning.

Answer 2

Sounds to me like the Steed Stone gives you +100 Carry Weight on top of the "armor weighs nothing" bonus. Having the Heavy Armor Perk means you don't need the Steed Stone so you can get any other stone you desire.