How important are race passives to you when creating characters?

UGotBenched91

How important are race passives for you when creating a new character? For me it’s not that important but I can’t help feeling that I’m hindering myself when not picking the meta race. I understand for the large majority of gameplay it doesn’t matter but it’s always in the back of my mind. Personally, I wish there were no racial passives and diversity was shown through different (yet similar) racial skills. I think we’d see a lot more diversity in races.

Also, why does it seem some races get obvious superior racial passives compared to others? I’m looking at you Bretons.

Iccotak

Not important

I only pick races from the ebonheart pact (save for Orc) so not that important

GrimTheReaper45

Important

Its a bit important but I have a few characters that arnt the meta race

relentless_turnip

Important

Clearly I'm a racist... 😂

Vevvev

Neutral

They add flavor and define some strengths of a given race, but you won't see me perfectly following them. Like I used to play a stamblade Breton for instance. Cloaking was cheaper as a result so I had some synergy with it.

Starlock

Neutral

Character concept always comes first. Then, I aim to make something workable for the types of content I like doing while staying true to that character concept.

Faiza

Not important

I make my characters based on their personal story arcs etc. I don't think racial passives are important because I'm just not interested in min maxing.

Glurin

Neutral

Really more borderline not important than neutral. They add a touch of spice to a character, but that's all. They do not and should not dictate everything about that character. Min/Maxing is the one and only place where passives play a crucial role, and frankly I find that kind of playstyle rather dull and shallow.

It's an RPG. The first thing on your mind should be the character, not which combination of stats will provide the maximum possible DPS output.

Anotherone773

Important

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being vital about a 7.

ESO_Nightingale

Important

it's extremely necessary for giving yourself the edge in pvp.

Suna_Ye_Sunnabe

Neutral

If a race works well with what I want naturally, then great. If not, it's easy enough to compensate in other ways to make a viable build. I've never struggled with racial passives whatsoever, even on 'wrong" choices for builds. A character being whom I envisioned them to be is first and foremost though.

Viewsfrom6ix

Important

Very important for pvp and end game pve.

markulrich1966

Other ( for you special other choosers ;) )

I run 36 characters.

Have set up some schoolbook-like, like High elf sorcerers for max damage.

But lately deleted some or used race change tokens to build "non-optimal" build like wood elf magplars.
Simple because I love to play the cute and funny small woodelves, and like to play destruction staff, too.

It turned out there is not much difference in gameplay - doing daily delves and worldbosses.

I stopped playing too difficult content anyway (soloing worldbosses, DLC dungeons), as it simply is no longer fun to play since several nerfs. Nerfs introduced balancing (haha), while meanwhile new addons brought us imbalance that are more than 10 times stronger than what the nerfs "corrected".

Summary: for the remaining content it does not matter if I run an optimal build or not, so I play what I like most.

Jeremy

Important

UGotBenched91 wrote: »

How important are race passives for you when creating a new character? For me it’s not that important but I can’t help feeling that I’m hindering myself when not picking the meta race. I understand for the large majority of gameplay it doesn’t matter but it’s always in the back of my mind. Personally, I wish there were no racial passives and diversity was shown through different (yet similar) racial skills. I think we’d see a lot more diversity in races.

Also, why does it seem some races get obvious superior racial passives compared to others? I’m looking at you Bretons.

I would say they are important. They won't make or break your character. But I would definitely consider them when creating your character.

I disagree that it's a negative, though. Personally I like how each race has something unique about them. I never really care for it when races on video games are reduced to merely cosmetic differences.

ZaroktheImmortal

Neutral

To some extent they are I don't always pick the top recommended one but will go with one that has passives that fit the role I want. Luckily dark elves can do just about everything so they're a good race for almost any role. Most of my toons are dark elves with a couple of high elves and a couple of nords.

Kiralyn2000

Not important

Never bothered with 'meta'. I pick race/etc for appearance or theme. But, then, I don't play "endgame", so it doesn't matter.

colossalvoids

Important

They are important for sure but if I want imperial dd it's not stopping me for sure, most outcome comes from experience and not race/sets. Played ok my dunmer main as a stamina way before passives rework, almost zero difference when you understand what you are doing.

Dracane

Neutral

Mild I would say. Because there are several races fit for either magicka or stamina builds. Choosing either of those befitting ones, makes tiny to no difference, for they all have different benefits.

Only when you choose a race not at all fit for the path you take, it becomes important.

Araneae6537

Other ( for you special other choosers ;) )

It will influence what characters I play as what class, although I won’t let it stop me from playing against type if i spired to do so and I don’t wish the passives were different in that case (so long as they fit the lore, but that’s another matter) but instead see how I can utilize unconventional strengths and compensate for weaknesses.

I play Elves and Khajiit almost exclusively because that’s what I enjoy. I also will never play a vampire, no matter how good the passives or abilities were to be.

Minyassa

Other ( for you special other choosers ;) )

Sometimes they are, if I am making a meta toon. But I mostly build toons for appearance or try to replicate D&D characters with them. That's why I ended up with a gimpy Breton stamsorc. I eventually had to turn him magicka, just too frustrating, but it ruined my vision of him with swords.

Wolf81

Important

Very..though I am a big fan of Breton master race sustain.

Zodiarkslayer

Not important

I will choose a race based on my preferance from previous games and my image of them.
The racial passives, that they have in ESO, play no role while creating the character.

bmnoble

Neutral

Most of the time I just pick the race I want for the character very rarely I might be influenced by the racial passives if I am trying to create a specific type of character.

menedhyn

Not important

Passives don't really matter to me because a) I tend not to play end game or anything remotely competitive anymore, and b) I get far more enjoyment out of the game by playing characters, not builds.

I only have two characters and somewhat limited time to play them

RaddlemanNumber7

Not important

The character's story is most important.

spartaxoxo

Other ( for you special other choosers ;) )

I do pick by racial passives when making a new character, but I also go by the character's look in my head. E.G. My sorceror is a high elf/altmer, and my templar is a Breton. Both were specifically chosen because they had passives that went well for magicka classes, but they aren't both the same class because also important to me is that the characters looks and feels right.

So I would say it's somewhat important

Sarannah

Neutral

You missed the option for "barely important", so I picked neutral. For me it does matter, but not so much that it would change my mind of which race to pick.

oddbasket

Important

They are important as long as there is reason to. Some of my fun hybrid builds requires the passives for synergy to make them more viable.

That said, I have just as many characters across 2 accounts that doesn't have meta/optimal race choices because the characters are thematic.

TwinLamps

Important

Important, but also its important it is not a woodelf

Lumenn

Other ( for you special other choosers ;) )

My two favorite races are argonian and wood elf. Wood elves aren't in as bad a spot unless you play a sneaky gank type which isn't my play style (I just like the idea of the smallest character tanking the biggest mob, and high regeneration is a moot point while tanking. Besides I've always thought wood elves should have both stam/magicka regeneration )The extra damage perk that dark, high elves and orcs get is useful in rounding out your characters.

I won't even get into argonian perks but they are aesthetically my favorite race(a bit of nostalgia from my iksar main in EQ) While other races are better dd or healers if you min/max i suppose it's not THAT important but I do wish sometimes I could do more than swim better. Class perks should start out great but eventually even out across the races.

L_Nici

Important

I do look into the race passives, since I play PvP where those passives are pretty important. That said I don't necessarily take the best in slot race for everything, for example my main is a Bosmer Stamsorc since 2015, even though Orc or Nord could be better options.
I personally play a lot with dodge rolling, which gives me the additional pen thanks to being a Bosmer, and additional Stamreg so I play Bosmer on most of my Stamina classes with a few exeptions.