'The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim' Playable Races Screenshot Round-Up

Game Rant

By GR Staff

Published Aug 14, 2011

Numerous 'Skyrim' screenshots have leaked onto the internet recently. We've gathered them all up and showcase the variety of playable races the game will offer.

Bethesda’s upcoming game, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, has been one of the most anticipated games of 2011 for quite a while now. The Elder Scrolls series has enjoyed a long and storied history and is responsible for pushing the expectation of what is possible in open-world role-playing games.

Both Morrowind and Oblivion were very well received, but Skyrim has garnered more attention than any game in the series thus far. In anticipation of Skyrim’s release, we have scoured the Internet and collected all of the available screenshots of the game’s playable races.

We recently gave a first look at how the Dunmer (Dark Elves) will appear in Skyrim, but for diehard Elder Scrolls fans every tidbit of information makes the wait a little easier. Enjoy the screenshots, but don’t let them force you into premature labor.

A major change in Skyrim is the removal of character classes. Players will not be asked to pick a specific class, but instead will level up skills on the fly. This potentially puts more importance on which race players pick. Because of this, it’s good to get an overview of each race to help make the decision.

There are ten playable races in Skyrim - four types of Humans, three Elves, Argonians (reptiles), Khajiit (felines), and Orsimer (orcs).

Below there is at least one screenshot per race except for the Altmer (High Elves), Breton (Humans), and Imperial (Humans).

[Update: Bethesda released a massive gallery of preset faces for all playable races in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.]

The four Human races include Breton, Imperial, Nord, and Redguard. Each has specific distinctions and characteristics as do the different Elven races - Altmer (High Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves), and Dunmer (Dark Elves). It is nice to see a wide variety of appearances between the races as well as within each race.

The screenshots above look gorgeous and it's hard to find anything substantial to complain about. Personally, I really like the looks of the Argonian and Khajiit races the best. It would be cool if Bethesda added another animal-type race (maybe in place of one of the four Human races?).

Overall, based on these screenshots, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is living up to the hype and we can't wait to get our hands on the game once it releases. For those still hungry for more Skyrim information, be sure and check out our article on everything we know about Skyrim.

What race are you looking forward to playing the most?

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be available on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on November 11, 2011.

Special thanks to: IGN, Game Informer and Eurogamer for some of the images.

Source: SystemLink Multi