One of the biggest draws for the Elder Scrolls series (aside from the vast fantasy landscapes and timeless RPG mechanics) would have to be the races that players can choose to roleplay as. With standard races like the elves and various human races to the new takes on old classics like the Orcs, Khajiit, and Argonians, there is something for everyone to be found in the series.
Each of these races is also assigned their own region of Tamriel, the main continent that the majority of the Elder Scrolls series takes place in. While some of these regions have borders that cross over, such as Solstheim with Skyrim and Morrowind, the majority of these regions are fairly well contained for the sake of storytelling and gameplay.
10 Altmer - Summerset Isles
Also known as the High Elves, the Altmer made their home in the Summerset Isles, a large collection of islands off the coast of Valenwood. With their home surrounded by water, the Altmer have few reasons to fear invading forces, as they can be seen coming from miles away. This is one of the reasons why the Altmer have remained a force to be reckoned with throughout the ages. Their home is just one aspect of why the Altmer have such an inflated sense of self, as they believe that it is their divine right to rule over the races of beast and man. This, as well as the end of the Third Era, is what sparked their secession from the Empire and the formation of the Aldmeri Dominion.
9 Argonian - Black Marsh
8 Bosmer - Valenwood
Although the Elder Scrolls series doesn’t focus on the Bosmer, or Wood Elves, all that much, they have one of the more unique cultures in Tamriel and are an interesting race, to say the least. A core aspect of their lives is the “Green Pact”, a pact made to Y’ffre the forest deity in return for their services, which prevents Bosmer from using plants or plantlife in their construction. It also prevents them from using plantlife recreationally, such as for smoking, or for a food source.
This pact has resulted in Valenwood being a dense forest region that isn’t friendly to outsiders, as many find the terrain difficult to traverse on the best of days. The majority of Bosmer settlements are found on the outskirts of Valenwood, in the more accessible coastal regions. But there are some settlements deeper into the forest.
7 Breton - High Rock
The hybrid race of men and elves, Bretons, also known as Manmeri, seemingly have the best of both races, having the superior magic skills of the elven species while lacking the superiority complex that has caused centuries of conflict. Their appearance wouldn’t suggest that they have elven lineage, as they appear more or less identical to Imperials or Nords. But their affinity for magic is such that they are some of the more powerful mortal mages in Tamriel. Even High Rock’s culture and religion is a mix of human and elven beliefs. Their pantheon, made of twelve gods, incorporates not only the Eight Divines of the Imperial Pantheon, but also several elven gods including Y’ffre, the forest god of Valenwood, and Magnus, the god of magic.
6 Dunmer - Morrowind
The Dunmer, or Dark Elves, began life on Tamriel as the Chimer, a race of elves who would eventually be cursed by the Daedric Prince Azura to possess dark skin and blood-red eyes as penance for their transgressions against the divine beings. Unlike most other races, the Dunmer worship the Daedric Princes more so than the divines, abandoning the beliefs of the Aldmer and their descendants and migrating to Morrowind early in the Merethic Era. Their new home of Morrowind, also known as Resdayn, is an alien landscape with bizarre creatures and plant life even by fantasy standards. It was also once one of the inhabited regions of the Dwemer. After splitting from the Aldmer, the Chimer and Dwemer waged war against one another for many years. The primary results of this bloody conflict include the disappearance of the Dwemer, and perhaps more importantly here, the transformation of the Chimer into the Dunmer following the Tribunal’s efforts to transform themselves into gods.
5 Imperial - Cyrodiil
Not only is Cyrodiil central to the majority of the stories of the Elder Scrolls series, being the Empire’s capital, but it is also the center of Tamriel geographically as well. Home to the Imperials, Cyrodiil is heavily based on real-world ancient Rome, both in its culture and landscape, and is somewhat stereotypical for a medieval fantasy setting. Imperial culture is one of the more prevalent in the Elder Scrolls series in terms of religion, with the Imperial Pantheon of the Eight Divines being recognized by many of the other races in Tamriel as the “one true religion.” However, there are many who worship variations of the Divines as well.
4 Khajiit - Elsweyr
Although the Khajiit, alongside the Argonians, were living on Tamriel long before men and elves migrated to the continent, the feline race has since been restricted to a small corner of the map known as Elsweyr. This region, bordered by Valenwood, Cyrodiil, and Black Marsh, is known for its harsh environment of dry plains, though there are also regions of lush forest in Elsweyr’s southern areas.
The Khajiit themselves are also quite unique compared to all other races in that their forms are decided by the phases of the moon rather than genetics, resulting in many variations on the humanoid forms that have appeared throughout the series. As well as the more cat-like forms, the Khajiit also appear as large, quadripedal beings similar to lions, while others are barely distinguishable from humans.
3 Nord - Skyrim
The frozen wilderness of Skyrim is no place for those of a weak constitution, which makes it the perfect home for the hearty Nords. Bordered by Morrowind, High Rock, and Hammerfell, Skyrim may be the most well-known region in the series, at least by modern standards, due to the immense popularity of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Before it was known as Skyrim, the land was called Mereth due to the large number of elves (most notably the Falmer) that lived there. This didn’t deter Ysgramor and his Five Hundred Companions from trying to take back their freedom and take Skyrim for themselves.
2 Orsimer - Orsinium
Unlike most other races, the Orsimer, also known as Orcs, don’t have their own region of Tamriel to call their home. Instead, the Orcs are a nomadic race that build strongholds in various regions of the continent. Their city-state, Orsinium, has been located in various regions across the breadth of the series. In the Third Era, it was located in High Rock, with the Orcs cohabitating the region with the Bretons. But as of the events of Skyrim, Orsinium has been relocated to the mountainous region between Skyrim and Hammerfell. Like the Dunmer, the Orsimer have a strong connection with a Daedric Prince, though in this case, it is with Malacath taking the role of their patron deity and the main focus of the race’s worship.
1 Redguard - Hammerfell
The Redguard are a somewhat mysterious race of humans, as they didn’t migrate to Tamriel with the Atmorans and Aldmer. Instead, they hail from a lost continent known as Yokuda, found off the west coast of Tamriel. The name Redguard comes from the Yokudan phrase Ra Gada, the name of a fleet of warriors who come from Yokuda. Similarly to the real world Spartans, the Redguard teach their men, women, and children the arts of war from a young age to prepare them for battle, resulting in their new homeland, Hammerfell, never being successfully defeated by invading forces. This has allowed them to remain neutral in the Great War between the Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire.
