One of the first big decisions you have to make The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is the type of character you will be playing. After your ride to Helgen as a prisoner, you are sent to create a character where you choose your race and customize your appearance. In general, it can be said that the races in Skyrim they are quite balanced. You're not heavily penalized for choosing what you like for cosmetic reasons, so if you wanted to make a magical Nord or a tanky Bosmer who wears heavy armor and fights melee two-handed style with swords and such, you can, and it's not a big deal.
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That said, the whole point of this list is nitpicking, and we're going to dig a little deeper into what some of the most overpowered races in the game actually have to offer. Because yes, there are some races that have traits that could be considered a bit OP. We'll discuss these features in detail and rank the five most OP races to choose from, as well as talk about some of the alternatives and why they failed this time around. Let's jump into it.
Nord
Massive frost resistance covers a lot of enemies
There is a case to be made for Nords that might surprise some players. Canonically, it's a choice that makes sense, and it's probably what it says on the box Skyrim. However, Nords also come with some pretty interesting specialties, abilities, and passives. For one thing, they have 50% resistance to Frost, and that's the type of damage you'll see a lot in Skyrim. You can pretty much assume you have a constant passive 50% damage resistance, depending on enemy type of course. This is especially useful against Frost Dragons.
You also get a pretty cool racial ability once per day that can stun enemies for about 30 seconds. If you're overpowered and swarming in a dungeon, this can be a nice ability to have in your back pocket, though far from the best. Skillwise, you'll lean more toward melee weapons, with the highest starting value in two-handed. The only downside and oddity is that Nords specialize in light armor instead of heavy, so keep that in mind when building your ideal Nord.
Bosmer
Quick pick for Stealth Archers
The stealth archer build is the strongest build in Skyrim, no doubt about it, and if you want to jump into archery and have a strong start, the Bosmer is your choice. But what about the Khajiit? Skyrim's cat race is also a really good choice, but I'd say the higher starting skill rating for Light Armor is better in the long run than what the Khajiit can offer (which would mostly be 60 second night vision once per day as their racial ability). So it's a Bosmer.
All of your starting skills land in good places, with the highest Archery skill in the game being 25 at the start and 20 in Light Armor, Sneak, Locking, Alchemy, and Pickpocketing. Compared to all other races, this gives you a great boost to start building your stealth archer. You also have a natural 50% resistance to poison and disease, which isn't the best trait, but it's better than nothing. A unique racial ability is Command Animal: once per day you can turn a wild animal into your ally for 60 seconds. It's a pretty specialized skill and admittedly worse than the Khajiit one, but like I said the Light Armor bonus is just too good to ignore in my opinion.
Altmer
An incredibly powerful choice for mage builds
If you instead lean more towards magic and would like to become a mage, one of the most powerful races to choose from is the Altmer. An alternative option would be the Dunmer, especially if you really want to go all out on Destruction magic, as it starts at 25 versus the 20 that the Altmer starts with, and also gains Light Armor points. This can come in handy if you're not used to playing a glass cannon character yet. However, Altmer consistently has 20 in all schools of magic except 25 in Illusion, so it's a much more balanced blank slate to start with if you haven't decided what kind of specialty to take.
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As an Altmer, you get a nice +50 boost to your Magicka, giving you a huge starting advantage for your magic pool. The racial ability is where things get really exciting, even though you can only use it once per day. You restore 25% of your max magic every second for a full minute, which basically makes it the perfect emergency ability to use if you're in the middle of a tough fight and really need to replenish your Magicka without using any potions. All in all, it's a clear choice for anyone looking to have a powerful mage character right off the bat, but expect to get squashed when you get hit at close range. You might need a summon or a clumsy companion to protect you.
Breton
Surprisingly high magic resistance once per day
Bretons are very similar in skill and utility to Altmer, but are far easier to use in higher difficulty games, or better yet, if you prefer a tank mage and don't want to settle for a dunmer. Bretons start with a bonus in Conjuration, which is very useful for mages, as you generally want to pull aggro with minions or summons so you can deal free damage to enemies without getting hit yourself. The destruction here may be low, but that's all right considering the racial abilities and passives the Bretons get.
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Many players may not know this, but Bretons actually get 75% magic resistance once per day for a full minute. This is due to their passive 25% magic resistance that they have all the time, and when stacked with their once-per-day racial ability that absorbs 50% of magic from all spells that target you, it really turns you into a tank against other spellcasters and magic-wielding enemies. Some of the toughest enemies in the game use magic quite a bit, so it's no surprise that many lean towards Breton to get the most bang for their buck.
Orsimer
Double the damage, double the fun
It was pretty universally agreed that the Orsimer were the strongest race in the Skyrim. If you dream of creating the toughest, toughest, and bloodiest melee build known to the world of Skyrim, choosing an orc is simply a must. Nords are even better at what they do, and while there's something to be said for Redguard stamina, Orcs remain the kings of the bonk-melee game. Their passive allows you to freely enter any orc stronghold, which is nothing groundbreaking, but the racial ability is where it gets really interesting.
Take 50% less damage and deal double damage once per day for 60 seconds. This is totally messed up. Combine that with some really good armor and a powerful weapon and you have the most monstrous Last Dragonborn ever created on your hands. Orcs are by far the best choice for any melee-focused selection, with a solid 20 points for all things Two-handed, One-handed, and Block. Their highest score is in Heavy Armor at 25, so the real question really is, would you want a shield, or would you rather just slash with a massive ax or sword?
- Released
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November 11, 2011
- ESRB
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M For Adults 17+ due to blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, use of alcohol
- Developers
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Bethesda Game Studios
- Publishers
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Bethesda Softworks
