Skyrim: Complete Guide To Races (2024)

The first thing you are asked to decide on in Skyrim is who you are. This is a complicated question in the real world but a much simpler one in the game. As far as the Imperial scribe asking is concerned, your identity is your race, sex, and name.

Related: Skyrim: The Playable Races Ranked According to Height

The first one is the most important. Your race determines your appearance, how you are treated in the province, and what your natural talents are. This may not be as important later in the game, when you are more powerful, but it will shape your first steps into the frozen province.

Choosing A Race In Skyrim

You will be forced to decide in the game's opening minutes, during the quest Unbound. An Imperial Legionnaire, Hadvar, will have to note down your answers for record-keeping.

There are ten options, split between men, mer (the elves), and beasts. Appearance aside, the races each have a distinctive blend of the following three effects.

If this is your first time being the Dragonborn, it's quite normal to be overwhelmed. The rest of the guide will break down the bonuses enjoyed by the races and some applications for them.

Nords

Skyrim Nord Default Look In Character Creation

The Nords of Skyrim are, unsurprisingly, the most common race in the province. They are descended from the first humansto have settled in Tamriel and are well-accustomed to the province's cold climate.

They take pride in their martial culture, seeking honor in battle and valuing skill at arms above all else. Nords comprise a large portion of the Imperial Legion and have historically supported the Empire.

Nords have a reputation for being barbarians, with more brawn than brains thanks to their affinity for battle. This reputation is most evident in their racial bonuses that favor melee-centric playstyles.

Imperials

The Imperials of Cyrodiil live in the warmer and more civilized heart of the Empire. Their nation has flourished under their affinity for both diplomacy and war. Their cunning has earned them a reputation for being excellent traders and thinkers.

Imperials are exposed to a rich and varied culture, evident in their affinity for martial skills like the Nords to the north, and their potential for magic, like the elves to the south.

They can rise to any occasion, and can become skilled warriors, mages, or anything in between.

Redguards

The Redguards of Hammerfell come from a warm province that encompasses inhospitable deserts and dense jungles. Hammerfell has recently split from the Empire after refusing to accept the White-Gold Concordat and driving out the invading Aldmeri Dominion forces, a feat that no other nation can match.

Their success is just another part of their long and proud martial history. They are said to be faster and more agile than other humans while having an innate talent for battle.

Redguards are well-suited for being spellswords; their innate skill for one-handed weapons leaves a hand free for casting magic.

Bretons

The Bretons of High Rock are unique in their ancestry; they are descended from both humans and elves. Their ancestry gives them an innate affinity for magic that no other human race has.

High Rock shares a border with Skyrim at the Reach, where the druidic Forsworn echoes some Bretonic magic in their rituals. Modern Bretons have a feudal society with knightly orders spread through rival kingdoms.

Bretons are fantastic conjurers that excel at defeating mages thanks to their natural resistance to magic.

High Elves

The haughty High Elves, or Altmer in their language, come from the distant Summerset Isle. The Aldmeri Dominion, responsible for Tamriel's currently dismal state, was established by High Elf supremacists around two centuries ago.

They are as snobbish as they are intelligent. Their natural gifts and longevity have created an enduring culture that forms the bedrock of Tamriel's language and culture.

High Elves are incredible mages, with no race as suited to mastering the arcane arts as them.

Dark Elves

The Dark Elves, or Dunmer, hail from the destroyed land of Morrowind. Their homeland has been ruined by the prophesied eruption of the Red Mountain, with many Dark Elves fleeing to other provinces as refugees.

They have a large presence in Windhelm, living in the slum-like Gray Quarter and discriminated against by the local Nords.

Dark Elves excel at using magic stealthily with a particular affinity for destruction magic.

Wood Elves

The Wood Elves, or Bosmer, of Valenwood are Tamriel's most talented archers. They live in a lush forest, full of life and walking trees. Wood Elves follow the Green Pact, a faith that forces their carnivorous diet by preventing them from harvesting plants.

Many of the Wood Elves in Skyrim are not strict adherents, with no such restrictions affecting players.

Their lifestyle allows them to be talented hunters that combine archery and stealth to bring down animals. They excel at being the archetypical rogue thanks to their innate talents.

Orcs

Also known as the Orsimer, the Orcs are an elven race that differs considerably from the other elves. They are green-skinned, well-muscled, and more skilled in physical combat than magic.

Orcs are some of Tamriel's best smiths and warriors, with a particular affinity for being heavily-armored shock troops.

Their innate skills allow them to be fantastic warriors that can shrug off wounds that would stop other races.

Khajiit

The cat-like Khajiit of Elsweyr are one of Tamriel's beast races, a term derived from their animalistic appearance. Khajiit can vary considerably in their appearance. Some resemble lions or tigers in both size and stature while others are akin to magically-gifted house cats.

The Khajiit present in Skyrim are of a more pedestrian variety and resemble furry, cat-faced people. They travel the province in trading caravans, moving from one city to another. These caravans are often shunned and subjected to racial discrimination.

Khajiit are peerless thieves that excel at sneaking and theft.

Argonians

Argonians are reptilian beastfolk from Black Marsh. Their swamp-like homeland has molded them into a hardy race that can recover more quickly than others while being amphibious.

Windhelm has a sizable population of Argonians who are forced to live at the docks, outside the city.

Argonians make good thieves with their penchantfor lockpicking and affinity for stealth.

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