Best race in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
The best races for melee, magic, and stealth builds in Oblivion Remastered
Wondering what the best race is in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered? As one might expect from a game originally from 2006, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion features some old school character creation bioessentialism, with the different races on display offering up different strengths and weaknesses. While these factors will lessen as you level up your character, they're very noticeable at the start of the game, making your choice of race a vital decision in determining your early build.
If you've explored Tamriel in any other Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion's starting races will feel familiar, from the bog-standard Orcs to your Khajiit catfolk. Their starting stats will require some tinkering to fully understand, however. This guide will present what we think is the best race for new Oblivion players, and we'll also break down each of the races in terms of difficulty and what they can offer for a particular character build.
Best race in Oblivion Remastered
If you're wondering which race is best in Oblivion, here are our picks. We've also included our recommended origin; learn more about origins by scrolling down or clicking here.
- Best race for melee: Nord (Western), Orc (Orsinium), or Redguard (Dragontail Mountains)
- Best race for magic: Breton (Systres) or High Elf (Summerset Isle)
- Best race for stealth: Khajiit (Anequina) or Wood Elf (Reaper’s March)
We've gone with the traditional RPG character tropes of fighter, mage, and thief with these choices, as they will appeal to a wide variety of newbie players immediately.
For greater detail, see the table below, comparing the skill bonuses and special abilities of each race. Races in Oblivion Remastered start with a +5 to their skills, and we've outlined instances that deviate from this norm. Below the table, we've explained the strengths and weaknesses of each race in greater detail.
Keep in mind that this information is tailored to Oblivion Remastered. While the broad strokes still apply to the original game, there are subtle differences throughout, especially to skill bonuses.
| Race | Skill Bonuses | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Argonian | Alchemy +10, Athletics +15, Blade +10, Hand-to-Hand +10, Illusion +10, Mysticism +10, Security +15 | Resist Disease (magnitude 75, constant), Resist Poison (magnitude 100, constant), Water Breathing (constant) |
| Breton | Alchemy +10, Alteration +10, Conjuration +15, Illusion +10, Mysticism +15, Restoration +15 | Fortified Maximum Magicka (magnitude 50, constant), Resist Magicka (magnitude 50, constant), Shield (magnitude 50, duration 60, once a day) |
| Dark Elf | Athletics +10, Blade +15, Blunt +10, Destruction +15, Light Armor +10, Marksman +10, Mysticism +10 | Summon Ghost (duration 60, once a day), Resist Fire (magnitude 75, constant) |
| High Elf | Alchemy +10, Alteration +15, Conjuration +10, Destruction +15, Illusion +10, Mysticism +15 | Fortified Maximum Magicka (magnitude 100, constant), Weakness to Fire, Frost, and Shock (magnitude 25, constant), Resist Disease (magnitude 75, constant) |
| Imperial | Blade +10, Blunt +10, Hand-to-Hand +10, Heavy Armor +15, Mercantile +15, Speechcraft +15 | Absorb Fatigue (magnitude 100, once a day), Charm (magnitude 30, once a day) |
| Khajiit | Acrobatics +15, Athletics +10, Blade +10, Hand-to-Hand +15, Light Armor +10, Security +10, Sneak +10 | Demoralize (magnitude 100, once a day), Night-Eye (duration 30, unlimited) |
| Nord | Armorer +10, Blade +15, Block +10, Blunt +15, Heavy Armor +15, Restoration +10 | Frost Damage (touch, magnitude 50, once a day), Shield (magnitude 30, duration 60, once a day), Resist Frost (magnitude 50, constant) |
| Orc | Armorer +15, Block +15, Blunt +15, Hand-to-Hand +10, Heavy Armor +15 | Berserk (Fortify Health 20, Fortify Fatigue 200, Fortify Strength 50, Drain Agility 100, duration 60, once a day), Resist Magicka (magnitude 25) |
| Redguard | Athletics +15, Blade +15, Blunt +15, Light Armor +10, Heavy Armor +10, Mercantile +10 | Adrenaline Rush (Fortify Agility 50, Fortify Speed 50, Fortify Strength 50, Fortify Endurance 50, Fortify Health 25, duration 60), Resist Poison (magnitude 75), Resist Disease (magnitude 75) |
| Wood Elf | Acrobatics +10, Alchemy +15, Alteration +10, Light Armor +10, Marksman +15, Sneak +15 | Command Creature (magnitude 20, duration 60, once a day), Resist Disease (magnitude 75) |
Argonian
The Argonians are the lizardfolk of the Elder Scrolls franchise. They have decent bonuses for magic-using and stealth, though when compared to the various elven races and Khajiit, they fall short. Their special abilities are also very specific - Resist Disease and Poison are useful, but only against certain enemy types, while Water Breathing is great for exploration purposes, but also a bit niche. Due to these factors, Argonians are best suited for highly specific builds that perhaps lean into the joy of "hey, I'm playing a lizardman" roleplaying.
Breton
Bretons are basically half-elves, and make for excellent spellcasters thanks to their high resistance to magical energies. Their Magic Resistance and Dragon Skin abilities are excellent resources for keeping your character alive in the thick of combat, and if you want a pure mage build that prioritises defense, it's best to go with a Breton character. To make up for their relatively low Endurance, be sure to choose Endurance as one of your favoured character attributes.
Dark Elf
Dark Elves, also known as Dunmer, are Oblivion's most well-rounded race if you're making a jack-of-all-trades spellsword who can hold their own with both magic and melee. They also make decent archers thanks to their Marksman bonus. With Ancestor Guardian, they can bring a spectral helper to the fray who isn't especially strong until you level up, but nevertheless helps take the heat off you in combat. Dark Elf Fire Resistance is also very useful, especially since the titular gates throughout the game that lead to Oblivion are full of fire-based foes.
High Elf
The High Elves of Oblivion are high and mighty spellcasters who are a tad more aggressive than their Breton cousins. They're weak to Fire, Frost, and Shock, but with a magnitude of 100, their Enhanced Magicka ability will keep them in the fight longer than their counterparts. That nice +10 bonus to Destruction also hints at their true purpose, which is specialising in powerful damage magic. If you don't mind the squishiness, High Elves are the best choice for an offensive pure mage build, in other words.
Imperial
As the typical human residents of Cyrodiil, Imperials are all over the place. They're nothing special on the surface, but if you're actually interested in roleplaying as a regular citizen most affected by the world-shattering events of the plot, it might pay off to roll an Imperial character. Their Voice of the Emperor trait, which lets them Charm targets, is also very useful for talking your way our of scrapes, and their Speechcraft bonus supplements this. So if you want to talk your way out of problems, play an Imperial.
Khajiit
One of my personal favourite Elder Scrolls races, the Khajiit are catfolk who boast handy stats for rogue builds that focus on melee weapons. (For a ranged rogue, it's more effective to go with a Wood Elf.) Eye of Night is especially wonderful for its unlimited ability to cast Night-Eye on yourself, which lets you see in the dark, stealthily creep up on someone, and get that precious sneak attack damage. Eye of Fear's Demoralize also isn't bad to have, even if you can only use it once per day.
Nord
Nord are humans from Skyrim - both the sequel to Oblivion that everyone knows and loves, but also the northernmost region of Tamriel. As a result, they have hardy attributes for survival, like Woad, which lets them cast Shield on themselves, and Nordic Frost, which inflicts 50 points of Frost damage on hit. For a melee focused barbarian build that focuses on heavy armor and heavy weapons, the Nord are very good, but the stat boosts that Orcs get are better.
Orc
Orcs are pretty self-explanatory if you've played any fantasy game. In Oblivion, they're what you might expect, boasting extreme powerhouse durability in combat thanks to Berserk, a fantastic skill that lets them fortify Fatigue, Health, and Strength all in one go. Agility will go down, leaving you susceptible to a stagger, but you'll hopefully be defeating your enemies too fast to care. Orc magic resistance is also decent, and their skill bonuses are better than Nords.
Redguard
I've been partial to Redguards ever since the often forgotten 1998 game The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard. In Oblivion, they aren't as powerful as Nords or Orcs, but they're still a great dexterity-oriented melee option. Their main skill is Adrenaline Rush, which boosts their Agility, Endurance, Speed, Strength, and Health in one go. It won't make a Redguard character hit as hard as the Orc's Berserk, but it sure will make them zip around the battlefield.
Wood Elf
Wood Elves, also called Bosmer, are extremely agile - the perfect choice for a stealthy thief build with ranged capabilities. They start with the highest Marksman bonus of all races, and their Agility and Speed stats can soar to extreme heights if you double down on maxing them out while prioritising light armor. If you want to build an alchemy-focused character, Wood Elf is also a good choice, as they start with a +10 Alchemy bonus, and poisons can amplify their arrow shots.
All race origins in Oblivion Remastered
In the original version of Oblivion, male and females of each race had slightly different Attributes. For instance, male Khajiits had higher Strength but lower Speed than females. This has been replaced in Oblivion Remastered with origins, which represent where a race hailed from and provide similar differences. If you want to see the specific Attributes that origins change, refer to the following table:
| Race + Origin | Attribute Bonuses |
|---|---|
| Argonian Arnesia | Agility 50, Endurance 30, Personality 30, Speed 50, Willpower 30 |
| Argonian Thornmarsh | Endurance 30, Intelligence 50, Personality 30 |
| Breton High Rock | Agility 30, Endurance 30, Intelligence 50, Magicka Bonus 50, Strength 30, Willpower 50 |
| Breton Systres | Agility 30, Endurance 30, Intelligence 50, Magicka Bonus 50, Speed 30, Willpower 50 |
| Dark Elf Mainland | Endurance 30, Speed 50, Willpower 30 |
| Dark Elf Vvardenfell | Personality 30, Speed 50, Willpower 30 |
| High Elf Auridon | Intelligence 50, Magicka Bonus 100, Speed 30, Strength 30 |
| High Elf Summerset Isle | Endurance 30, Intelligence 50, Magicka Bonus 100, Strength 30 |
| Imperial Colovia | Agility 30, Personality 50, Speed 30 |
| Imperial Nibenay | Agility 30, Personality 50, Willpower 30 |
| Khajiit Anequina | Agility 50, Endurance 30, Willpower 30 |
| Khajiit Pellitine | Agility 50, Strength 30, Willpower 30 |
| Nord Eastern | Intelligence 30, Personality 30, Strength 50 |
| Nord Western | Endurance 50, Intelligence 30, Personality 30, Strength 50, Willpower 30 |
| Orc Orsinium | Agility 35, Endurance 50, Personality 25, Speed 30, Strength 45, Willpower 45 |
| Orc Stronghold | Agility 35, Endurance 50, Intelligence 30, Personality 30, Speed 30, Strength 45, Willpower 50 |
| Redguard Alik’r Desert | Endurance 50, Intelligence 30, Willpower 30 |
| Redguard Dragontail Mountains | Endurance 50, Strength 50, Intelligence 30, Personality 30, Willpower 30 |
| Wood Elf Grahtwood | Agility 50, Personality 30, Speed 50, Strength 30, Willpower 30 |
| Wood Elf Reaper’s March | Agility 50, Endurance 30, Speed 50, Strength 30, Willpower 30 |
And that's a wrap on which race is best for your Oblivion character. For more on customising your avatar, check out our guides on the best birthsign and the best pre-determined classes in Oblivion. If you'd like your character to take a darker turn, see our guide on how to become a vampire, and if you're simply hoping to shut down all of those pesky portals, see our guide on how to shut Oblivion gates. Good luck out there in the wilds of Cyrodiil!