The Bretons are the least human of the four primary races of Man in the Elder Scrolls series, as their origin is directly tied to interbreeding between Man and Mer. They are often called the Manmer for this reason, like the Altmer and Dunmer, and are the primary inhabitants of the western province of High Rock as well as The Reach (though some dispute their relation to the Reachmen).

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Bretons in Skyrim, though, don't have quite a lot going for them. For starters, their racial benefits pale in comparison to other magic users, especially compared to past Elder Scrolls titles. While playing a Breton in Skyrim can be underwhelming, these mods expand the race's playability significantly.

Younger Bretons

Skyrim Best Races Mods Breton Younger Bretons

Bretons are, for lack of a better way of putting it, a bit George Costanza-like in appearance. In Oblivion they tend to be shown with a receding hairline and shorter than other races, while in Skyrim they have more wrinkles on their foreheads than a dress shirt that hasn't been hung up. It's a sad affair compared to the lore descriptions of the Bretons.

The Younger Bretons mod rectifies this by going back over Breton models and smoothing them out slightly. The mod creator claims that this reduces their visible age by 20 years, which is great because Bretons in Skyrim look about 20 years older than they ought to. The mod is split into female and male versions, but it's best to install both.

Beyond Reach

Skyrim Best Races Mods Breton Beyond Reach

The "Beyond" project for Skyrim is incredibly vast and now includes several areas throughout Tamriel. The mod Beyond Reach lets players explore the rest of The Reach, an area southwest of Skyrim that serves as the primary point of operation for the witchy hedge-magic fueled Reachmen. It's rife with new quests, new dialogue, a huge new area to explore with a variety of dungeons, and new lore that works in-universe.

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Having come from the same region of Tamriel, Bretons and Reachmen have a shared history, and some wonder whether Reachmen are technically Bretons or the other way around. This DLC-sized mod greatly expands Breton lore in Skyrim and shows how the easternmost region of High Rock has changed in the Fourth Era. You won't be able to visit Daggerfall or Camlorn, but the feudalistic locations that are visitable are the perfect place to roleplay as a Manmer.

Skygerfall

Skyrim Skygerfall Mod Installation Guide King Lysandus

First, there was the Morrowblivion mod, which aimed to put Morrowind into Oblivion. Then, there was Skyblivion and Skywind, mods that open up Cyrodiil and Vvardenfell in the Skyrim engine, respectively. Now, there's Skygerfall, a comprehensive DLC-sized mod that adds the main quest from Daggerfall into a modern game engine complete with visual upgrades, modern mechanics, and plenty of places that will make a Breton feel at home.

Skygerfall gives Daggerfall a massive facelift without getting rid of the blocky, 90's 3D dungeon-crawler aesthetic that gave the second Elder Scrolls title its charm. It doesn't carry everything over from Daggerfall, as the game is larger than some real-life countries thanks to its random generation mechanics. However, playing the main quest with Skyrim's visuals and mechanics is a blast to the past that Elder Scrolls fans shouldn't miss.

Breton Paladin and Breton Knight Armors

Skyrim Best Races Mods Breton Knight Paladin Armor

Alternate armor packs are abundant for each of Skyrim's races, each with the aim to incorporate racially-themed armors to Skyrim that go beyond the basics. The Breton Paladin and Breton Knight armors are exactly this, giving Bretons the chance to wear Paladin Armor or the gold-trimmed Knight Armor worn by the iconic Elder Scrolls Online Nightblade character.

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The Breton Paladin armor looks like it comes straight out of High Rock and could easily have been worn by a Knight of the Flame or a similar heavy-armored Breton (one could compare it to the Divine Crusader's armor, even). The Knight Armor, on the other hand, is ornate and shadowed at the same time, more closely resembling the armor of a master Assassin than a virtuous Knight.

Imperious - Races of Skyrim

Skyrim Best Races Mods Breton Imperious

The mod Imperious - Races of Skyrim is one of the most popular mods for the game as it completely overhauls the Racial system in Skyrim. Each race receives new powers, new attribute bonuses, and more distinct skill benefits as well as a variety of passives. The intention it to make the races feel more different like in previous Elder Scrolls games, and Bretons get a pretty good deal out of it.

Bretons in the Imperious mod get a larger boost to Magicka and Stamina Regen as well as a slightly higher Magicka pool on start. They also get the Spell Mantle passive, which increases Magic resistance and Spell Absorption, as well as the Stones of Galen passive, which gives Standing Stones additional effects for Bretons. With Imperious installed, Bretons will feel more in touch with their Direnni and Druidic roots, which are seldon explored in Elder Scrolls games.

Skyrim Special Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S

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