Skyrim represents a landmark in gaming, and as the fourteenth highest selling game of all time, it knows it. Despite being over ten years old, Skyrim is still hanging on through numerous re-releases, special editions, and ports, and fans seem to want it to stay around just as much. Aside from (or perhaps because of) the numerous memes centered around the game's longevity, its popularity is still quite high. The world The Elder Scrolls, Tamriel, is home to numerous races, of which the player must pick one during character creation. There are some interesting histories, lore, and special abilities behind each one that players ought to familiarize themselves with.
Skyrim released in November of 2011 to critical acclaim. The Elder Scrolls series was already well known after its fourth entry, Oblivion, proved to be successful, but Skyrim took things to a whole new level. Even still, many gamers are playing Skyrim, attempting to explore every nook and cranny of the majestic, nordic landscapes and complete every sidequest the game has to offer. Along this pursuit, it is likely that players will end up with numerous characters, meaning a solid understanding of the options available in terms of race can prove to be quite beneficial.
Skyrim: Nord
While playing Skyrim, most players have likely heard the battle cry "Skyrim belongs to the Nords!" This is because Skyrim, one of the many provinces of Tamriel, is the homeland of the Nords, and they defend it with vigor. As a whole, Nords are a very proud and warrior-like people, preferring glory and battle over a more quiet lifestyle. They are quite heavily inspired by the Viking people, with clear lines being drawn between the Nordic Sovngarde and the Viking Valhalla. In Skyrim, most Nords vehemently oppose the rule of the Thalmor and the cowardice of the empire, often worshipping their outlawed patron deity, Talos, in defiance.
Statistically, Nords are a rather solid choice for creating a melee oriented character. Nords begin the game with higher values for the Two-handed, One-handed, Block, Light Armor, Smithing, and Speech skills, and have access to two useful racial abilities. The first ability is a passive resistance to frost, granting 50% damage reduction against any type of cold damage. This proves especially useful against frost dragons, which are laughably easy to kill for a Nord. The second ability, though more situational, represents the Nords well. Nords can issue out a fierce battle cry which causes nearby enemies to turn tail and flee.
Skyrim: Imperial
On the other end of Skyrim's civil war is the Imperials, who hail from the province of Cyrodiil, which long time fans of The Elder Scrolls may recognize Cyrodiil as the location from Oblivion. As the name implies, Imperials are militaristic people, whose talent for organizing and training armies have seen them lead the entirety of Tamriel for quite some time. At the onset of Skyrim, however, the Imperials are embroiled in a civil war with Skyrim, as they had just lost a war against the Thalmor and were forced to sign the White-Gold Concordat, which outlaws the worship of Talos.
In game, Imperials are an extremely well rounded race and tend to be suitable for nearly every type of playstyle, though their improved starting skills of Heavy Armor, One-handed, Block, Restoration, Destruction, and Enchanting seem to lend towards a battle mage type character. The Imperial's racial traits also tend to be quite useful, as the Voice of the Emperor allows them to calm nearby assailants and their Imperial Luck trait allows them to find much more money than other races.
Skyrim: Redguard
The Redguards are a dark-skinned, human race hailing from the deserts of Hammerfell, and are loosely based on Arabic cultures of the real world. Like most desert-dwelling people, the harsh conditions have made them both extremely independent and capable. Redguards excel in the use of weaponry. The Redguards also suffered defeats during the Thalmor invasion, and according to treaties signed by the Imperials, had to give much of their province over to the elves following their defeat. Obviously, the Redguards were not satisfied with this outcome, and took back their province by force, ultimately separating from the empire and becoming an independent province.
Redguards have a set of starting skills which exemplify their rugged, warrior-like origins, seeing initial boosts in the One-handed, Archery, Block, Smithing, Destruction, and Alteration skills. While they are not usually fond of magic, they make exceptions for the school of Destruction and occasionally Alteration. Redguards also have two racial traits, a 50% resistance to poison damage (similar to the Nord's cold resistance but much more situational), and an adrenaline rush which greatly speeds up stamina regeneration, allowing the Redguard to stay in the fight longer than other races. As such, Redguards make for great sword and board combatants, as they will rarely run out of steam.
Skyrim: Breton
Bretons are a race of people that reside in High Rock and are notable for their mixed ancestry. Bretons bridge the gap between the human and elven races, and share some of the defining traits of both, such as their proficiency with magic which comes from their elven heritage. This half-elf like race is also incredibly resilient to magic, a trait which is unique to them and that makes them especially difficult to take down. Bretons traditionally are sharp-tongued merchants or learned scholars.
Statistically, Bretons are an incredibly unique race due to their innate resistance to all forms of magic. Their proficiency in Conjuration, Restoration, Illusion, Alteration, Alchemy, and Speech also lend towards a heavily magic-based build that is capable of branching out to nearly any school of magic. Furthermore, Bretons are one of the few races that begin with an extra spell, the Conjure Familiar spell. The Breton's passive racial trait, Magic Resistance, provides a 25% resistance to all hostile magic, while their active racial trait, Dragonskin, allows them to absorb Magicka from incoming hostile spells for a short time, making them even more deadly against other mages.
Skyrim: Altmer (High Elves)
The Altmer, or High Elves as they are referred to by the other races, are magically inclined elves that hail from the Summerset Isle. As a whole, the Altmer have joined together into the Aldmeri Dominion, and have led an offensive on the rest of Tamriel. This offensive has proved incredibly effective, as they backed the Imperials into a corner, forcing the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, and also seem to even have reach all the way north in Skyrim. Most Altmer are very proud of their ancient lineage, often looking down on the other races of Tamriel as lesser beings as a result.
In game, Altmer excel at magic more than any other race, starting with bonuses to the Illusion, Alteration, Restoration, Destruction, Conjuration, and Enchanting (every single magical skill) categories. They, like the Bretons, also begin with an additional spell, the Fury spell which enrages its target. Furthermore, the Altmer's Fortify Magicka passive trait grants them an additional 50 Magicka, while their active trait, Highborn, grants them drastically increased Magicka regeneration for a minute. All of this makes Altmer an excellent race for those that wish to focus on spell casting and don't like waiting for Magicka to regenerate.
Skyrim: Bosmer (Wood Elves)
Bosmer are Wood Elves from Valenwood, and are often played due to their aptitude for stealth, archery, and larceny. Although there are some Bosmer in the Aldmeri Dominion fighting alongside the Altmer, the latter believes the former to be inferior, and Bosmer much prefer simple lives in tune with nature over politics and war. Bosmer are adept in Archery, Light Armor, Sneak, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, and Alchemy, making them expert rogue type characters. Furthermore, their racial traits, Command Animal and Resist Disease and Poison, allow them to ally themselves with animals and halve the damage taken from disease and poison respectively.
Skyrim: Dunmer (Dark Elves)
The Dunmer, or Dark Elves, are a group of elves with dark, gray or black skin and piercing eyes. Their homeland, Morrowind, recently suffered from a deadly volcanic eruption, forcing many Dunmer to flee to Skyrim. Because of the current political tension between Skyrim and the Aldmeri Dominion (an organization made up exclusively of elves), the Dunmer face harsh discrimination from the Nords. Nevertheless, the Dunmer make good lives for themselves as talented mages or shrewd craftsman.
In game, the Dunmer is quite versatile, similar to the Imperial. At character creation, the Dunmer has an affinity for the Light Armor, Sneak, Destruction, Alteration, Illusion, and Alchemy skills, making them lean naturally towards mages or stealthy characters. Additionally, the Dunmer begins play with an additional spell, the Sparks spell, for added versatility. Dunmer also have a racial trait, Resist Fire, that grants a 50% reduction to fire damage, while their active racial trait, Ancestor's Wrath, causes fire damage to any unfortunate enough to get close.
Skyrim: Orismer (Orcs)
The Orismer, or Orcs as they are more commonly referred to as, bridge the gap between the mer-folk (elves) and the beast races of Tamriel in a similar way that the Bretons bridge between humans and elves. While technically elves, the Orismer share few of the traits that the other elven races have, and are not accepted by them for the most part. Orcs in Skyrim can be found in various strongholds, where they hole up in solidarity and shun most outsiders. They are also one of the few races that openly worship a Daedric Prince rather than the nine divines.
Orismer excel in melee combat, smithing, and even enchanting, but don't make great magic users. This is exemplified by their adeptness in the Heavy Armor, Two-handed, One-handed, Block, Smithing, and Enchanting skills, a set which makes them arguably the best warrior race. Their Berserker Rage ability is also incredibly potent, halving the damage received from incoming attacks while doubling the damage the orc outputs for a short time. Orcs make a great race for those that wish to be good at any type of melee combat and explore the enchantment system of Skyrim.
Skyrim: Argonian
Argonians are a race of lizard like people that hail from the black marsh. Like the Dunmer, those Argonians found in Skyrim are often treated with distrust or disdain, but the self-sufficient Argonians thrive nonetheless. Argonians begin play with proficiency in the Light Armor, Sneak, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, Alteration, and Restoration skills, making them good rogue type characters that can use magic to augment their abilities. The Argonians also have two passive abilities, Resist Disease, which grants them 50% resistance to diseases, and Waterbreathing, which as the name suggests, allows Argonians to breathe even when underwater. Their active ability, Histskin, allows them to regenerate health quicker and is quite useful.
Skyrim: Khajit
Khajiit are a race of felyne like people that inhabit the province of Elsweyr, and like other beastmen, suffer from discrimination from the other races. Stereotypes also run rampant in the other races' view of Khajiit, as due to their natural inclination for trickery, all are viewed in a negative light. The history of the Khajiit people is full of oppression, war, discrimination, and enslavement, so most Khajiit in Skyrim simply aim to find a way to make an honest living, but find that to be more difficult due to the harsh limitations placed on them by the natives.
Statistically speaking, Khajiit do in fact make expert rogues, featuring bonuses to Archery, One-handed, Sneak, Pickpocket, Lockpicking, and Alchemy. What's more, the Khajiit's active racial trait, Night Eye, allows them to see in the dark and can be used without limitation. Their passive trait, Claws, makes their unarmed attacks deal 15 points of damage, which is equal to the damage of an unupgraded dragonbone sword (not including any one-handed perks). This fact makes them deadly even without weapons, further adding to the distrust that the other races of Skyrim feel around them. Khajiit are also the only race in which attempting an unarmed build is viable, although it still is not ideal.
Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.