Swords and warhammers aren't for everybody. Magic can be just as deadly on the battlefield as a blade. Every playable race in The Elder Scrolls series has the capacity to use magic. Certain races, however, possess a more natural affinity towards the arcane arts than others.
Choosing a race in The Elder Scrolls Online is an important decision, especially if a player intends to commit to a pure mage build. Pure mages, in a strict sense, only utilize the magic they can conjure from their fingertips and often without any armor. Thus, it's doubly important to choose a race wisely in order to be prepared when facing the many dangers of Tamriel.
6 Khajiit - Robustness, Lunar Blessings
The Khajiit are a very versatile race, which makes them a valid option for any number of archetypes. The pure mage build, although a bit tricky to master at first, can definitely be accomplished with the Khajiit. The key is knowing how to play to their strengths.
Two of their racial abilities, Robustness and Lunar Blessings, increases the recovery speed and the maximum cap for all three attributes, respectively. This allows the magicka to keep on flowing even in the midst of battle. Khajiit also benefit from their natural stealthiness, allowing them to potentially avoid difficult fights altogether or to get the drop on their opponents early.
5 Argonian - Resistance, Resourceful
Initially, it may seem like Argonians make a poor choice for a pure mage. Their strength stems from their natural healing skills, which also makes them quite useful as defensive tanks as well. If playing with friends, a pure mage Argonian can keep the entire party alive if utilized properly.
Their Argonian Resistance Skill makes them more durable, especially if wearing only robes. The Resourceful Skill increases maximum Magicka. Additionally, when drinking a potion, a tremendous amount of Health, Stamina and Magicka gets restored. It really comes in handy to help keep the Restoration spells coming.
4 Imperial - Imperial Mettle, Tough, Red Diamond
The Imperial can be employed a bit more offensively than the Argonian. Nevertheless, it's still not a bad idea to play more conservatively if using an Imperial in a pure mage capacity. Striking with quick blasts of magic before invoking a tactical retreat with heightened Stamina is a useful strategy.
Imperial Mettle increases maximum Stamina, which allows for some creative maneuverability across the battlefield. The Tough Skill helps keep the Imperial alive by increasing maximum health (which he'll undoubtedly need). The Red Diamond Skill helps refill all three attributes whenever direct damage is dealt, while also reducing the cost of other abilities. If the pure mage Imperial can be summed up in a single phrase it would be: float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.
3 Dark Elf - Resist Flame, Ruination, Dynamic
The arcane arts come naturally to Dark Elves. They tend to strike a good balance between offense and defense in a way that allows them to excel at mage builds. Dark Elves can most certainly act as heavy hitters when the situation calls for it.
The Resist Flame Skill obviously makes them highly resilient when pitted against fire-wielders. Ruination amplifies the damage dealt by Destruction spells with each successive rank. When paired with the Dynamic Skill, which increases maximum Stamina and Magicka, it makes the Dark Elf a highly dangerous force to behold.
2 Breton - Gift Of Magnus, Spell Attunement, Magicka Mastery
Bretons are known throughout Tamriel to be highly adept at magic. It's no surprise that their passive abilities in The Elder Scrolls Online reflect this affinity with the arcane. New players cannot possibly go wrong when choosing a Breton for their pure mage playthrough.
The Gift of Magnus Skill increases maximum Magicka by a great deal. Spell Attunement grants them a highly useful resistance to all hostile magic that comes their way. Enemy mages don't stand a chance against skillful players. Lastly, Magicka Mastery reduces the cost of casting spells, which allows for rapid spell-firing in a heated contest.
1 High Elf - Spell Recharge, Syrabane's Boon, Elemental Talent
High Elves are often considered the ultimate mages and for good reason. The average Altmer can live for centuries, so it's only natural they possess the necessary time to study all the intricacies of magic in the universe. As pure mages, they excel in almost every way.
Their arsenal of Racial Skills is tailor-made for spellcasting at a machine-gun rate. Spell Recharge helps restore the Magicka pool whenever a class ability is activated. Syrabane's Boon increases maximum Magicka even further. Elemental Talent amplifies spell damage, turning enemies into dust. The High Elf's general battle strategy typically involves annihilating the enemy with overwhelming magical force in as little time as possible.