Completely understandable with a roster of 10 different races to choose from, each with their own stat bonuses and racial abilities. To help you with your decision, I’ve compiled a list of the playable races in Skyrim with their corresponding racial abilities, starting stats and starting spells. Keep in mind that although I’ve suggested what each race is best suited for, Skyrim was meant to be customizable. You can have a Breton warrior or a Nord mage; it is completely dependent on your play style.
Each race starts off with different stats. Unimproved skills begin at 15. A net of 35 points is added from the base skills of 15 for each race. Also, every character starts with these two spells:
Flames: A gout of fire that does 8 points per second. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Healing: Heals the caster 10 points per second.
All screenshots are of the female of each race, there are also males available and each character (male or female) have customizable looks.
Altmer (High Elf)
Best suited for – Mage
Start with 25 in Illusion, 20 in Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Enchanting, and Restoration.
Racial Abilities:
Highborn : Regenerate magicka faster for 60 seconds.
Highborn : High Elves are born with 50 extra magicka.
Fury: Creatures and people up to level 6 will attack anything nearby for 30 seconds.
Argonian
Best Suited for – Thief
Start with 25 in Lockpicking, 20 in Alteration, Light Armor, Pickpocket, Restoration, and Sneak.
Racial Abilities:
Histskin : Invoke the power of the Hist to recover health ten times faster for 60 seconds.
Resist Disease : Your Argonian blood is 50% resistant to disease.
Water Breathing : Your Argonian Lungs can breath underwater.
(It is also rumored that Argonians can swim faster than the other races)
Bosmer (Wood Elf)
Best Suited for – Thief
Start with 25 in Archery, 20 in Alchemy, Light Armor, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, and Sneak.
Racial Abilities:
Command Animal : Make an animal an ally for 60 seconds.
Resist Disease and Poison : Your Bosmer blood gives you 50% resistance to poison and disease.
Breton
Best Suited for – Mage
Start with 25 in Conjuration, 20 in Alchemy, Alteration, Illusion, Restoration, and Speech.
Racial Abilities:
Dragonskin : Absorb 50% of magicka from hostile spells for 60 seconds.
Magic Resistance : Breton blood grants a 25% resistance to magic.
Conjure Familiar: Summons a Familiar for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing (this can be learned by other races).
Dunmer (Dark Elf)
Best Suited for – Mage, Thief
Start with 25 in Destruction, 20 in Alchemy, Alteration, Illusion, Light Armor, and Sneak.
Racial Abilities:
Ancestor’s Wrath : For 60 seconds, opponents that get too close take 8 points per second of fire damage.
Resist Fire : Your Dunmer blood gives you 50% resistance to fire.
Sparks: Lightning that does 8 points of shock damage to health and magicka per second (this can be learned by other races).
Imperial
Best Suited for – Warrior
Start with 25 in Restoration, 20 in Block, Destruction, Enchanting, Heavy Armor, and One-handed.
Racial Abilities:
Voice of the Emperor : Calms nearby people for 60 seconds.
Imperial Luck : Anywhere gold coins might be found, Imperials always seem to find a few more.
Khajiit
Best Suited for – Thief
Start with 25 in Sneak, 20 in Alchemy, Archery, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, and One-handed.
Racial Abilites:
Night Eye :Improved night vision for 60 seconds.
Claws : Khajiit claws do 15 points of damage.
Nord
Best Suited for – Warrior
Start with 25 in Two-handed, 20 in Block, Light Armor, One-handed, Smithing, and Speech.
Racial Abilities:
Battle Cry : Target flees for 30 seconds.
Resist Frost : Your Nord blood gives you 50% resistance to frost.
Orsimer (Orc)
Best Suited for – Warrior
Start with 25 in Heavy Armor, 20 in Block, Enchanting, One-handed, Smithing, and Two-handed.
Racial Ability:
Berserker Rage : You take half damage and do double damage for 60 seconds.
Redguard
Best Suited for – Warrior
Start with 25 in One-handed, 20 in Alteration, Archery, Block, Destruction, and Smithing.
Racial Abilities:
Adrenaline Rush : Stamina regenerates 10x faster for 60 seconds.
Resist Poison : Your Redguard blood gives you 50% resistance to poison.
That isn't counting all of the custom races that have come up either. Some of them are pretty neat, many of them are silly, and because it's the internet quite a few are.... disturbing. :-D
ReplyDeleteDisturbing? Do tell!
DeleteWhat race do you play Aaron?
I'd recommend taking a peak at skyrim(dot)nexusmods(dot)com when you have a free moent it's where I get all my mods. Just looking at the races section you have everything from playing a kid, a predator, yet one more type of elf, a dremora or 100s of different options in between. As for disturbing... mostly it's the fact that like all modding communities, the first mod out was the naked mod, which, when you have such a variety of options, can get a bit... well to each their own. :-D
DeleteMy main character that I went through everything with was a Breton. I've always been a sucker for magic in the Elder Scrolls series. Conjuration is pretty awesome.
Oh yes, that's where I've downloaded some of my mods from. I've never taken a look at the races though, I'll have to check it out!
DeleteI've never played a Breton before. I'm a fan of Archery and sniping things down from far away.
I love skyrim I couldn't imagine playing it as any other race rather than my nord... that being said I like dark elves too... I feel bad about there homeland there all refugees now. and I was thinking about this the other day about the high elves... beleaving themselves to be a master or superior race, invading and conquering other countries, ties to something similar to the occult, religious oparation, snappy military uniforms... I'm afraid to say it but the High Elves have become Nazis ( don't get me wrong I know it a game) but the similarities are striking.
ReplyDeleteInteresting theory, you might have something there!
Delete