Choosing race and gender - p.2 | Character development TES V: Skyrim Guide

Last update: 05 December 2019

This page of TES V: Skyrim World Atlas includes the second part of character creator tool. Our guide describes the second group of races available in the game: Khajiit, Dark Elves, Nords, Orcs and Redguards. The review of each race shows you their unique abilities and starting skill bonuses.

• Khajiits
• Dark elves
• Nords
• Orcs
• Redguards

Khajiits

Skill bonuses:

1. +10 points to Sneak (25 instead of 15 points)
2. +5 points to Alchemy (20 instead of 15 points)
3. +5 points to One-handed (20 instead of 15 points)
4. +5 points to Pickpocket (20 instead of 15 points)
5. +5 points to Archery (20 instead of 15 points)
6. +5 points to Lockpicking (20 instead of 15 points)

Unique abilities:

Night Eye (active unique ability) - This ability allows the main character to see better in darkness for 60 seconds. In my opinion it's not too useful, because you can achieve almost the same effect using torches or simple spells which cost only a few points of mana. Besides, only a small number of dungeons and caves in the game are so dark it's difficult to explore them without any sight improvements.

Dealing four times as much damage in unarmed combat (passive ability) - A rather useless ability, especially since there are no penalties for choosing one-handed weapons for the purpose of melee combat. There are a few brawls in the game, however it's very easy to win them even if you're playing a member of a different race.

Recommendation:

You should consider choosing a khajiit if you plan on playing as a thief and if aside from stealing from the civilians you also want to be a skilled assassin. The second part works best if instead of using bows to perform ranged attacks you want to get closer to your targets and eliminate them in melee combat.

Dark elves

Skill bonuses:

1. +10 points to Destruction (25 instead of 15 points)
2. +5 points to Alchemy (20 instead of 15 points)
3. +5 points to Illusion (20 instead of 15 points)
4. +5 points to Light Armor (20 instead of 15 points)
5. +5 points to Alteration (20 instead of 15 points)
6. +5 points to Sneak (20 instead of 15 points)

Unique abilities:

Ancestor's Wrath (active unique ability) - This is a rather useful ability which surrounds the main character with a magical barrier for 60 seconds. Any creature which tries to make a physical contact with the player receives fire damage. It's worth mentioning that you can unlock a similar spell later in the game, so the ability is useful mostly at the beginning of your journey.

50% more resistant to fire (passive ability) - It's an extremely useful passive ability, because a lot of enemies encountered during the game like to deal fire damage (including most of the dragons). You'll notice the difference especially if you're wearing a light armor which offers weak protection on its own.

Recommendation:

You should consider choosing a dark elf if you plan on playing as a mage and if you want to rely mostly on a highly offensive spells from the Destruction school of magic. This is of course not your only option, because thanks to bonuses to sneak and light armor you can also easily become a skilled thief.

Nords

Skill bonuses:

1. +10 points to Two-handed (25 instead of 15 points)
2. +5 points to Block (20 instead of 15 points)
3. +5 points to One-handed (20 instead of 15 points)
4. +5 points to Smithing (20 instead of 15 points)
5. +5 points to Light Armor (20 instead of 15 points)
6. +5 points to Speech (20 instead of 15 points)

Unique abilities:

Battle Cry (active unique ability) - This is a rather useful active ability which forces nearby enemies to start running away and it lasts 30 seconds. The main purpose for that action is to grant yourself a chance to restock and heal and to prepare for the next wave of attacks. It's fairly obvious that the ability should be used during bigger battles where you have to deal with large groups of enemy units.

50% more resistant to frost (passive ability) - This passive ability certainly makes the game easier, however frost damage is not such a common thing as fire damage and it's dealt mostly by draugrs. Nevertheless, you shouldn't ignore this bonus when making a list of pros and cons and trying to decide which race is the best for you.

Recommendation:

You should consider choosing a nord if you plan on playing as a warrior that uses mostly two-handed weapons, but is capable of switching to one-handed weapon - shield combo when the situations demands it. A proper nord should be wearing a good light armor, so that he can move a lot on the battlefield and perform swift attacks.

Orcs

Skill bonuses:

1. +10 points to Heavy Armor (25 instead of 15 points)
2. +5 points to Block (20 instead of 15 points)
3. +5 points to Two-handed (20 instead of 15 points)
4. +5 points to One-handed (20 instead of 15 points)
5. +5 points to Smithing (20 instead of 15 points)
6. +5 points to Enchanting (20 instead of 15 points)

Unique abilities:

Berserker Rage (active unique ability) - This is an extremely helpful active ability which allows the orc to go into a rage status that lasts 60 seconds. When the rage is active the main character deals twice as much damage and receives only half of the damage. There are many different situations where you can use this. For example, you can rely on rage to quickly deal with groups of weaker creatures or to have better chances at defeating strong single foes.

Recommendation:

You should consider choosing an orc if you plan on playing as a warrior that uses mostly a one-handed weapon and a shield. It's also good to support that choice by wearing a heavy armor and therefore focusing not on speed or agility, but on being able to deal as much damage as possible with each hit.

Redguards

Skill bonuses:

1. +10 points to One-handed (25 instead of 15 points)
2. +5 points to Archery (20 instead of 15 points)
3. +5 points to Block (20 instead of 15 points)
4. +5 points to Smithing (20 instead of 15 points)
5. +5 points to Destruction (20 instead of 15 points)
6. +5 points to Alteration (20 instead of 15 points)

Unique abilities:

Adrenaline Rush (active unique ability) - This is a valuable and useful active ability which improves stamina regeneration rate by 10 times and which lasts 60 seconds. Having more stamina is extremely helpful during fights, especially if you like dealing powerful blows that require a lot of energy to succeed.

50% less likely to get poisoned (passive ability) - It's very easy to get poisoned in Skyrim and it usually occurs when the main character triggers a trap or is bitten by a certain type of a monster, however this passive ability isn't too useful. The main reason is because you can get rid of all poisons without any problems (by visiting a shrine or drinking a cheap potion).

Recommendation:

You should consider choosing a redguard if you plan on playing as a combination of a warrior and a mage. As a warrior you'll have to make a choice whether you want to use two weapons (one in each hand) or one weapon and a shield. As for the mage, the best results can be achieved by combining offensive and regeneration/protection spells.