Many different Playable Races live on the continent of Tamriel, and all of them are part of a long history of killing that has shaped the realm for years.
Even though the most common race in each region varies quite a bit, you can find all of Tamriel’s races in every part of the continent.
Variety has always been a big part of this game, and all of the races are proud to call Skyrim their home.
Some races have different skills than others, so it can be hard to figure out which one to play as (not to mention the, erm, race-y undertones).
But in reality, each character in this game has a different set of skills. Some are better at magic than others, while others are better built for being warriors.
Choosing the best character in Skyrim depends on what you want to do. I’ve ranked the best races in the game to help you figure out which ones might be best for you.
Let’s dive in!
10. Orcs
Orcs live in the Dragontail and Wrothgarian mountains and are thought to be one of the strongest races in the game because of how strong they are physically.
They have everything they need to be successful in battle, and their wild nature makes them dangerous bandits and warmakers.
Orcs are definitely one of the scariest races in the game, not just because of how they act, but also because of how they look.
Tamriel historians say that it’s possible that Orcs are related to Elves in some way.
So, you could think of Orcs as a sub-race of the elves, though their physical traits are much more obvious than those of their magical counterparts.
Players who choose to be Orcs can quickly scare off enemies in battle, and they are also very good at making things.
Some imperials are good enough at smithing to match an orc’s skills… But in general, Orcs are known as some of the best people in Tamriel to make weapons and armour.
Legendary Orc smiths have been around for a long time, and you can find the armour they made in many dungeons as you play.
9. Bretons
Bretons are from High Rock, and some of the best spellcasters in the world are from there.
Since most other magic-friendly races are (mostly) elves, they are the best race to choose if you want to be a wizard but don’t want to look like one.
Bretons are also good with swords and shields, so there are a lot of battlemages among them. If you want a mix of magic and strength, this is a really interesting way to build.
They can do more than just cast spells well.
Bretons can use their magic to make it harder for enemy spells to hurt them. This makes them some of the hardest wizards to beat. Even though Bretons look like humans, it is thought that they have Elven blood.
This might be the main reason they are so good at casting spells.
Bretons, on the other hand, are not at all common in Skyrim.
Most of the people in these lands are Nords, so being a Breton in Skyrim gives you a unique flavour that no other race can match.
You’ll love going to the College of Winterhold because as soon as you walk through the main gates of the University, it will feel like home.
8. Argonians
Argonians are lizards that live in the Black Marsh, which is one of the harshest places in Tamriel.
They can move quickly and are very good at getting around in water.
They can even breathe underwater, making them the best aquatic race in the game. Argonians have many skills, and even though they aren’t the best warriors, they are very dangerous assassins and thieves.
In fact, one of the best things about Argonians is that they can move around without being seen.
Argonians are also pretty good at staying healthy because they were born in the Black Marsh.
They rarely get sick, so you can go to some of Skyrim’s most dangerous places without worrying about your character’s health.
Argonians are pretty much the healthiest people in the world.
They have a natural ability to heal quickly, which makes up for the fact that they don’t have much resistance. This also makes the people of Argos strong warriors.
Even though they have to work on their strength to get to higher levels, they can still be hard to beat in battle.
7. High Elves
Here are the Altmer, who are the people of the Summerset Isles.
Most people think of High Elves as sorcerers, and they rarely fight with swords. In any case, there are a few High Elves who are battlemages, but you probably won’t find an elf learning how to use weapons.
Out of all the races in Skyrim, High Elves are the best for playing as a mage. They have the most natural talent, which helps them use their magicka regeneration to cast spells better than anyone else.
Most High Elves are quite tall, and they are very proud of their traditional Aldmer lineage.
Also, most High Elves have pale skin, but some have skin that looks like that of northern humanoid races like Bretons and Nords.
There are many famous High Elves all over Tamriel, and many of them have important jobs in the courts.
People often think of them as important, and when you see how they act, you’ll understand why.
6. Wood Elves
Wood Elves are elves with darker skin who are more connected to nature than other elves. They are also called Bosmer.
These guys are the best archers in the world because they are naturally good at it. Because of this, most Wood Elves spend most of their time getting better at using a bow and arrow.
Wood Elves are not as good as their High Elf counterparts, and they are more often linked to the darker arts.
In fact, most Wood Elves who want to use magic choose conjuration, even though most of them are thieves or assassins in the two biggest underground guilds.
5. Khajit
Khajits are probably the most enthusiastic merchants in the country.
They are naturally good at finding good deals, and they are the best hagglers in Skyrim.
If you want to be a merchant, you might want to start your next game with Khajits. These cats are very friendly, and they often talk about themselves in the third person.
Most of them come from Elsweyr, a dry land with a huge desert that looks like Arabia.
Because of their claws, they are great hand-to-hand fighters. This makes them my favourite to beat in most fights without weapons.
Even so, they have gotten a bad name from the women, who think of them as wild people, just like the Argonians.
4. Dark Elves
The creatures that live in the dark part of Morrowind are called Dark Elves.
As their name suggests, they are very good at moving quietly, which makes them great thieves and assassins (much like Wood Elves).
They look darker, both in terms of the colour of their skin and the colour of their eyes and the way they look in general.
There are a lot of Dark Elves in Skyrim because when the Red Mountain erupted in Morrowind, thousands of elves ran away to the north of Tamriel.
Most people in Skyrim don’t know that Dark Elves are skilled killers. Even so, you might find one or two of them in the Brotherhood or Thieves’ Guild.
In this game, they are mostly known for being good spellcasters. Because of this, many of the mages in Skyrim are from Morrowind, including some of the most powerful people at the College of Winterhold.
They are very good at Destruction magic, which makes them very dangerous opponents if you get on the wrong side of one of these magical geniuses.
3. Nords
Most of the people who live in Skyrim are Nords.
Because they were born in Tamriel’s coldest province, they have a skill that no other race in the game has: they can handle cold better than anyone else.
This makes them very resistant to blizzards and lets them handle the most powerful freezing spells.
You might find one or two Nords who are very good at magic, but most of these people are strongmen who are always looking for a fight.
I think Nords are a lot like the Vikings in Elder Scrolls. They even have a spell called “battlecry” that lets them strike fear into the hearts of their opponents and send everyone else running for their lives.
They usually fight with axes or two-handed weapons, which work well because these warriors are so strong.
Even though they are female, Nord warriors are some of the strongest in the game. Gender has no limits here!
The Orcs are the best blacksmiths in Tamriel, but the Nords are second best.
Most of the people who live in Skyrim are of Nord descent, so playing as a Nord is a good choice if you want to blend in with them.
2. Redguards
Most Redguards have left their home in Hammerfell and moved to Skyrim.
People often think that Redguards are the most powerful warriors in Tamriel because they are so good with swords and can learn to use them quickly.
Now, their race has been shaped by years and years of bloody battles, making them both resistant to damage and able to do a lot of it.
Redguards are strong, but that’s not all they are about.
They are also very good at using shields and other defensive tools.
I’d say that they tend to learn them very quickly, so players who want to play as an aggressive warrior might want to try a Redguard character.
And, as their name suggests, they usually have red colours in their designs, which makes them the second darkest race after the Dark Elves.
They are very good fighters, and you can find a lot of them in warrior guilds like The Companions.
Most Redguards are also good at archery, which makes them flexible fighters who can be used in almost any part of the game.
1. Imperials
They live and grow up in Cyrodiil.
Almost everywhere you go, you’ll see an Imperial. This is because they’re not good at anything in particular, so they’re about as versatile as a race can get.
They’re pretty good at most things in the game and let you play all the roles at once, depending on what quests you’re on.
I think that, as a whole, Imperials are the best race to choose if you don’t know where you want your adventures to go.
Imperials are the most common race in Tamriel because they are the oldest and best-trained people who live in the Empire.
According to the story in Elder Scrolls, they have been in charge of the area for a little over 2000 years.
Most of the Imperial Army of Tamriel is made up of Imperials, and you can see them fighting the Nord revolution all over Skyrim.
In any case, Imperials are also seen as traders, and many of them work as innkeepers and in other jobs related to trade.
They are also pretty good at negotiating, which makes them almost as good at trading as the Khajit, who aren’t as well-liked. Plus, Imperials are good at Destruction magic and fighting with one hand, so they can really do everything.
Start with an Imperial character if you want a well-rounded game that can go in any direction.
