New Races

Gray_howling_parrot

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no loremaster for the Elder Scrolls series. If a race were to be added, which ones would be doable based on the lore?

Ratzkifal

If ESO was set about 30 years prior then the Kothringi (silver-skinned humans) and Lilmothiit (fox beast folk) would be an option but both of these went extinct to the Knahaten Flu. There is still some hope for the Lilmothiit at the center of the Blackmarsh region but the city of Lilmoth is supposed to be the center of their culture and that has been completely taken over by Argonians with no traces of them left. So it's not looking good.
All that is really feasible are different types of Argonians or Khajiit, which we know exist but can't play yet.
Maormer would also be an option. The Sea Elves are plentiful in number but they'd have to be banned from being playable in the Dominion because the High Elves and Sea Elves have a mutual kill-on-sight policy going on and there has been a lot of bad blood between the Khajiit and Maormer and Bosmer and Maormer as well. Using the right cosmetics you can turn a white-haired Altmer into a Maormer though.

There were "lefthanded elves" on Yokuda, which sank, so we might meet some remnants but making them playable is pretty much off the table. They were called lefthanded because sword fighting against someone lefthanded is a bit tricky mainly because righthanded people mosty fight against other righthanded people and are used to that but lefthanded people mainly fight against righthanded people so they have an advantage.

The Daedra races are off the table too even though there are enough of them around because the average Daedra is inherently much more powerful than the average mortal and considering they are feared or hated all across the world, they just wouldn't make a whole lot of sense.

The races of Akavir are technically possible but the Akaviri have been shrouded in mystery to the point that we don't even know what any of the Akaviri races look like. All we know is that the Tsaesci are humanoid and we have met some Imperials with Tsaesci ancestory. It's highly unlikely ESO would reveal these mysteries.

Snow Elves are off the table too because there just aren't enough of them left.

The Dwemer are "possible", but having even a single one return, other than Yagrum Bagarn, would turn the world completely on its head. This is mainly due to ESO being in the past from the perspective of the other games, but also because the mystery surrounding their disappearance is a big appeal of the franchise. So the Dwemer are also not an option.

Now if ESO was set in the Merethic Era we'd be looking at playable Dwemer, Chimer, Ayleids, Snow Elves, Kothringi, Lilmothiit, Nedes, maybe even Cyrodiilic Bird people. We'd also lose Bretons, Redguards and Dunmer. Also magic wouldn't be as widespread as it is now because before the mages guild was established magic was a very exclusive thing and finding a teacher would be extremely hard. You'd have to be self-taught or have parents that are already mages who can teach you. While that wouldn't limit the player characters use of magic, most NPCs would be restricted to martial weapons. Sadly that's all you'd have to give up to have these other races be playable in any Elder Scrolls game.

Maormer, Khajiiti furstock and Argonian tribes aside, ESO really doesn't have the option to add more playable races. Polymorphs and cosmetics are all we can get, because those don't need to fit the lore.

Gray_howling_parrot

Ratzkifal wrote: »

If ESO was set about 30 years prior then the Kothringi (silver-skinned humans) and Lilmothiit (fox beast folk) would be an option but both of these went extinct to the Knahaten Flu. There is still some hope for the Lilmothiit at the center of the Blackmarsh region but the city of Lilmoth is supposed to be the center of their culture and that has been completely taken over by Argonians with no traces of them left. So it's not looking good.
All that is really feasible are different types of Argonians or Khajiit, which we know exist but can't play yet.
Maormer would also be an option. The Sea Elves are plentiful in number but they'd have to be banned from being playable in the Dominion because the High Elves and Sea Elves have a mutual kill-on-sight policy going on and there has been a lot of bad blood between the Khajiit and Maormer and Bosmer and Maormer as well. Using the right cosmetics you can turn a white-haired Altmer into a Maormer though.

There were "lefthanded elves" on Yokuda, which sank, so we might meet some remnants but making them playable is pretty much off the table. They were called lefthanded because sword fighting against someone lefthanded is a bit tricky mainly because righthanded people mosty fight against other righthanded people and are used to that but lefthanded people mainly fight against righthanded people so they have an advantage.

The Daedra races are off the table too even though there are enough of them around because the average Daedra is inherently much more powerful than the average mortal and considering they are feared or hated all across the world, they just wouldn't make a whole lot of sense.

The races of Akavir are technically possible but the Akaviri have been shrouded in mystery to the point that we don't even know what any of the Akaviri races look like. All we know is that the Tsaesci are humanoid and we have met some Imperials with Tsaesci ancestory. It's highly unlikely ESO would reveal these mysteries.

Snow Elves are off the table too because there just aren't enough of them left.

The Dwemer are "possible", but having even a single one return, other than Yagrum Bagarn, would turn the world completely on its head. This is mainly due to ESO being in the past from the perspective of the other games, but also because the mystery surrounding their disappearance is a big appeal of the franchise. So the Dwemer are also not an option.

Now if ESO was set in the Merethic Era we'd be looking at playable Dwemer, Chimer, Ayleids, Snow Elves, Kothringi, Lilmothiit, Nedes, maybe even Cyrodiilic Bird people. We'd also lose Bretons, Redguards and Dunmer. Also magic wouldn't be as widespread as it is now because before the mages guild was established magic was a very exclusive thing and finding a teacher would be extremely hard. You'd have to be self-taught or have parents that are already mages who can teach you. While that wouldn't limit the player characters use of magic, most NPCs would be restricted to martial weapons. Sadly that's all you'd have to give up to have these other races be playable in any Elder Scrolls game.

Maormer, Khajiiti furstock and Argonian tribes aside, ESO really doesn't have the option to add more playable races. Polymorphs and cosmetics are all we can get, because those don't need to fit the lore.

Hey there! I really appreciate you taking the time to write all of this out. This was very informative for me. Really love it and appreciate it! Cheers!

Mesite

I saw the title and thought it was about the Jesters festival. I was going to suggest the egg and spoon race.

I thought the comments about the race of left handed elves was especially interesting as I'm mainly left handed so its been mildly annoying when games automatically put swords in the characters right hand, but then you click the left button to attack. A sword in the left hand, and then click with the left mouse button to attack would make much more sense.

Sjestenka

Dremora became sort of mundane of late. Can totally see them as playable race. They don't even need in lore explanation why they resurrect, unlike mortals and undead.
Imperial Library tweeted some curious thing the other day, about 'left handed elves' possibly not being elves at all? Referred to some book from High Isle PTS

moleculardrugs

Ratzkifal wrote: »

If ESO was set about 30 years prior then the Kothringi (silver-skinned humans) and Lilmothiit (fox beast folk) would be an option but both of these went extinct to the Knahaten Flu. There is still some hope for the Lilmothiit at the center of the Blackmarsh region but the city of Lilmoth is supposed to be the center of their culture and that has been completely taken over by Argonians with no traces of them left. So it's not looking good.
All that is really feasible are different types of Argonians or Khajiit, which we know exist but can't play yet.
Maormer would also be an option. The Sea Elves are plentiful in number but they'd have to be banned from being playable in the Dominion because the High Elves and Sea Elves have a mutual kill-on-sight policy going on and there has been a lot of bad blood between the Khajiit and Maormer and Bosmer and Maormer as well. Using the right cosmetics you can turn a white-haired Altmer into a Maormer though.

There were "lefthanded elves" on Yokuda, which sank, so we might meet some remnants but making them playable is pretty much off the table. They were called lefthanded because sword fighting against someone lefthanded is a bit tricky mainly because righthanded people mosty fight against other righthanded people and are used to that but lefthanded people mainly fight against righthanded people so they have an advantage.

The Daedra races are off the table too even though there are enough of them around because the average Daedra is inherently much more powerful than the average mortal and considering they are feared or hated all across the world, they just wouldn't make a whole lot of sense.

The races of Akavir are technically possible but the Akaviri have been shrouded in mystery to the point that we don't even know what any of the Akaviri races look like. All we know is that the Tsaesci are humanoid and we have met some Imperials with Tsaesci ancestory. It's highly unlikely ESO would reveal these mysteries.

Snow Elves are off the table too because there just aren't enough of them left.

The Dwemer are "possible", but having even a single one return, other than Yagrum Bagarn, would turn the world completely on its head. This is mainly due to ESO being in the past from the perspective of the other games, but also because the mystery surrounding their disappearance is a big appeal of the franchise. So the Dwemer are also not an option.

Now if ESO was set in the Merethic Era we'd be looking at playable Dwemer, Chimer, Ayleids, Snow Elves, Kothringi, Lilmothiit, Nedes, maybe even Cyrodiilic Bird people. We'd also lose Bretons, Redguards and Dunmer. Also magic wouldn't be as widespread as it is now because before the mages guild was established magic was a very exclusive thing and finding a teacher would be extremely hard. You'd have to be self-taught or have parents that are already mages who can teach you. While that wouldn't limit the player characters use of magic, most NPCs would be restricted to martial weapons. Sadly that's all you'd have to give up to have these other races be playable in any Elder Scrolls game.

Maormer, Khajiiti furstock and Argonian tribes aside, ESO really doesn't have the option to add more playable races. Polymorphs and cosmetics are all we can get, because those don't need to fit the lore.

I feel like Bethesda should give ZOS more reign over the lore. ESO is probably one of the most profitable games of TES series and ZOS does a good job at making the stories interesting.

When we read comics, there’s all these alternative storylines or something and it doesn’t really affect the actual main storyline of a comic series.

I just think because of how successful and popular ESO is, ZOS should be given more agency in dictating the direction of the lore. Yeah, they may be closely related in terms of the parent company but because ESO is set in the past, everything has to line up to the present (TES 5 and eventually 6). That does a disservice to TES series because I feel like ESO has proven itself capable of dictating TES Lore!

alberichtano

None.

kwinter

One other possibility would be the reachmen.

Ratzkifal

kwinter wrote: »

One other possibility would be the reachmen.

The Reachmen are technically just Bretons with a different upbringing.

Sjestenka

Hmm, how about Imga beast folk? They're plain absent in ESO, 8 years after release. Original lore sources claimed they disappeared along with Falinesti tree. So imagine, Falinesti-centered chapter, new playable hairy australopithecus race? PGE ed.1 had pretty pictures of these beauties.

Aztrias

I doubt we will ever see a new playable race(unless they are added in TES6), but that said I wouldn't mind maormer as a playable race.

Ratzkifal

Sjestenka wrote: »

Hmm, how about Imga beast folk? They're plain absent in ESO, 8 years after release. Original lore sources claimed they disappeared along with Falinesti tree. So imagine, Falinesti-centered chapter, new playable hairy australopithecus race? PGE ed.1 had pretty pictures of these beauties.

Good call. With the Imga being ever-absent I completely forgot about them. Yes, the Imga are also a possible race that could be added without major issues and it would be a Dominion race. The Imga think they are elves so naturally they would join the Dominion. The Imga really are the embodiment of the reject humanity, return to monke meme, just without the return part.

tsaescishoeshiner

Ratzkifal wrote: »

kwinter wrote: »

One other possibility would be the reachmen.

The Reachmen are technically just Bretons with a different upbringing.

There's now a lot to suggest that they're non-Breton descendants of Nedes, though they seem by ESO's time to have a pretty mixed ancestry with Breton and Nord influences.

That said, even if they were to be the same as Bretons or just highly related, you could still say they're very distinct from Bretons or Imperials. Certainly when it comes to history and culture.

Not that I think we will or should have them as a playable race.

Sjestenka wrote: »

Imperial Library tweeted some curious thing the other day, about 'left handed elves' possibly not being elves at all? Referred to some book from High Isle PTS

The new "Systres History" lore book series includes some questions as to whether the Sinistral Elves (Left-Handed Elves) were elves at all, or the result of a mistranslation. The author thinks they were just an enemy Yokudan faction.

Read on: https://www.imperial-library.info/content/systres-history

Urzigurumash

Ratzkifal wrote: »

Cyrodiilic Bird people

Changing my Imga RP guild to this right now

Mascen

@Ratzkifal

The Akaviri are probably the best bet and provide both an opportunity for future expansions, and to correct some now present lore issues since the release of Elsweyr with Hakoshae. It can be pulled off in a way that both fleshes out the Akaviri while still retaining many mysteries and adding more if done properly. Allow me to elaborate:

Ive had many discussions of potential expansion ideas with fellow guildmates and other ESO players over the years. Around the time the Tsascei style was first released I had a really good in depth talk with a fellow crafter called Fisher over the lore in the motif book. Eventually the conversation turned to how the Akaviri could be fleshed out more in a future expansion, and Fisher proposed that ZOS could use the Telvanni peninsula as the backdrop for a second Akaviri invasion with Necrom as the main hub town. Port Telvannis would occupied and taken over by the invaders as their HQ for their fleet and minor footholds and beacheads would dominate the northern peninsula.

More importantly though and pertinent to our conversation, Fisher proposed that rather than an all Kamali one like the invasion of 572 that sacked Windhelm, there would also be Tang Mo monkeyfolk and full blooded Tsascei. He also had a crazy idea that the Kamali could be turned into descendants of snow elves who fled Skyrim for Akavir, but that's a stretch.

Regarding the weapons armor and furniture, Fisher suggested that other cultural inspirations could be used like Three Kingdoms and Tang Dynasty China for the Tang Mo rather than the usual Japanese and samurai elements in the Akaviri, Tsascei and Honor Guard motifs.

I know its a bit long but I hope you read this and give me some feedback. Fisher sold me on his proposal that day and I've advocated it since.

HappyTheCamper

Imga monkey men with Falinesti chapter when??

TheImperfect

I know technically we've only had the races we have now in this period and that we are currently aware of but I'd love if more races were back engineered into the ESO world. It could even be one none of us have been aware of yet. A way to do this may be that they appear or are discovered around the time we are set in - hence why no prior lore is found or rarely and in the future either they have been destroyed before the next games or they are just rarely seen and pariah like so people don't like to discuss them. They could also be offshoots of existing races but that may be bland and ESO isn't a bland game - we have much diversity.

Mascen

HappyTheCamper wrote: »

Imga monkey men with Falinesti chapter when??

Falinesti/Imga would be a difficult one to pull off because it would mean ZOS would have to sell us a DLC/Chapter within a preexisting zone from the base game. Sure they do this all the time with new dungeons but those are easily seperated because they're built as self contained sub-zones. Falinesti would essentially require ZOS to alter all the zones within Valenwood while keeping out those who haven't bought it.

Its an extremely difficult challenge, but should they figure out a way to pull it off successfully in a fair way, it would revolutionize ESO and expand the possibilites beyond the usual 2 new zones with each chapter; that is to say being able to focus and improve on the quality of many zones that have remained virtually unchanged since 2014 and much like the Ancestral motifs, could use an update themselves.

Sjestenka

Mascen wrote: »

Falinesti/Imga would be a difficult one to pull off because it would mean ZOS would have to sell us a DLC/Chapter within a preexisting zone from the base game.

They could pull out some demi-plane where Falinesti dwells along with ape-elves. Like Artaeum. Or, even easier, another archipelago like Systress. Its not on the map because magic and reasons. Huge forested landmass with modern-ish graphics. I'd buy

Tommy_The_Gun

Tbh. The only races they could implement that would not be lore breaking are different types of Khajiits & Argonians. Those already have models & some NPC characters in eso already use them.

Dremora is technically also a possibility, but it would be insanely lore & world breaking to see Dremoras as players flooding the zones and being greater in population that other Nirn-native races.

Very similar problem with Lilmothiit (fox people). They are said to be extinct, but no one knows for sure. So seeing them in various zones in huge numbers would be kinda um... lore & world breaking...

Mascen

Sjestenka wrote: »

Mascen wrote: »

Falinesti/Imga would be a difficult one to pull off because it would mean ZOS would have to sell us a DLC/Chapter within a preexisting zone from the base game.

They could pull out some demi-plane where Falinesti dwells along with ape-elves. Like Artaeum. Or, even easier, another archipelago like Systress. Its not on the map because magic and reasons. Huge forested landmass with modern-ish graphics. I'd buy

Nah it would be a lore breaking nightmare because the Falinesti tree is tied to Aetherius through its connection as the Ur-Greensap tower. It therefore can only hide in atherius and not be located in oblivion. And Bethesda has always been extremely hesitant with accessing atherius for the lore which is why its not as commonplace as say going to Coldharbour or the Deadlands or Apocrypha

Froil

They can totally do a Falinesti chapter and the Imga as a new playable race. Imga are also like the only race they could add without breaking or really twisting lore.

Mr_Stach

I mean we've essentially had the Same Races for 27 Years, if I remember correctly the newest playable Races were the Imperial and Orc in Daggerfall in '96.

I don't think a new race is in the cards, but I always thought it would be fun to play with the different versions of Khajiit, or although they've never been playable, Daedra, it's been very intriguing interacting with the Daedra and seeing their different views and clans. I wouldn't mind playing as one of those

Browiseth

i think you could barely justify a playable dremora race, with how much the deadlands storyline "humanized" them and gave us insight into their culture

Mascen

Froil wrote: »

They can totally do a Falinesti chapter and the Imga as a new playable race. Imga are also like the only race they could add without breaking or really twisting lore.

The easiest one to implement would be the Maomer since they're already in game per se. ZoS could add a little bit to differentiate them since theyre basicslly a reskin of Altmer tbh

Aztrias

Froil wrote: »

They can totally do a Falinesti chapter and the Imga as a new playable race. Imga are also like the only race they could add without breaking or really twisting lore.

Imga Templar let's go!

Make it happen ZOS

HappyTheCamper

Mascen wrote: »

Sjestenka wrote: »

Mascen wrote: »

Falinesti/Imga would be a difficult one to pull off because it would mean ZOS would have to sell us a DLC/Chapter within a preexisting zone from the base game.

They could pull out some demi-plane where Falinesti dwells along with ape-elves. Like Artaeum. Or, even easier, another archipelago like Systress. Its not on the map because magic and reasons. Huge forested landmass with modern-ish graphics. I'd buy

Nah it would be a lore breaking nightmare because the Falinesti tree is tied to Aetherius through its connection as the Ur-Greensap tower. It therefore can only hide in atherius and not be located in oblivion. And Bethesda has always been extremely hesitant with accessing atherius for the lore which is why its not as commonplace as say going to Coldharbour or the Deadlands or Apocrypha

The Green-Sap Tower isn’t necessarily just Falinesti, it’s the greater connected Ghrat oaks as a whole. Especially when it clearly disconnects itself from the rest of the system to move from place to place and the fact that it totally disconnected when it vanished. Also the acorn is still active on Nirn without Falinesti being there.

Also there isn’t any explicit lore detailing *where* Falinesti vanished too.

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Falinesti

https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Towers

KingArthasMenethil

Ratzkifal wrote: »

kwinter wrote: »

One other possibility would be the reachmen.

The Reachmen are technically just Bretons with a different upbringing.

Reachmen are not Bretons. they are meant to be their own thing just in TES5 they got the Tsaesci style treatment of another race used for them (Tsaesci had used Imperial race in TES4). ESO if I recall uses a bunch of different race bodies for Reachmen.

Sjestenka

There, I met one of the native peoples, an old woman who preferred to not be named in my writings. She told me of her family's long history. How she believes they originally came from High Rock, home of the Bretons (which would explain the similar faces and stature of the two peoples).
from "Madmen of the Reach". Commenting the post above^

Ratzkifal

KingArthasMenethil wrote: »

Ratzkifal wrote: »

kwinter wrote: »

One other possibility would be the reachmen.

The Reachmen are technically just Bretons with a different upbringing.

Reachmen are not Bretons. they are meant to be their own thing just in TES5 they got the Tsaesci style treatment of another race used for them (Tsaesci had used Imperial race in TES4). ESO if I recall uses a bunch of different race bodies for Reachmen.

Remember Anton? The Breton chef from Markarth in TES5? He was born and raised in Daggerfall and is a city Breton if you've ever seen one. Everyone always assumes he is a native from the Reach, which annoys him greatly. Bretons and Reachmen are very much meant to be the same race. I can agree that they may be a different people, but different peoples can still be of the same race.
Now Kothringi and Keptu looking mostly Breton, that is something I can see being simply due to ZOS reusing assets but it has been very much emphasized that you cannot tell Reachmen and Bretons apart without relying on other clues like tattoos, manner of speaking, clothing etc.

KingArthasMenethil

Ratzkifal wrote: »

KingArthasMenethil wrote: »

Ratzkifal wrote: »

kwinter wrote: »

One other possibility would be the reachmen.

The Reachmen are technically just Bretons with a different upbringing.

Reachmen are not Bretons. they are meant to be their own thing just in TES5 they got the Tsaesci style treatment of another race used for them (Tsaesci had used Imperial race in TES4). ESO if I recall uses a bunch of different race bodies for Reachmen.

Remember Anton? The Breton chef from Markarth in TES5? He was born and raised in Daggerfall and is a city Breton if you've ever seen one. Everyone always assumes he is a native from the Reach, which annoys him greatly. Bretons and Reachmen are very much meant to be the same race. I can agree that they may be a different people, but different peoples can still be of the same race.
Now Kothringi and Keptu looking mostly Breton, that is something I can see being simply due to ZOS reusing assets but it has been very much emphasized that you cannot tell Reachmen and Bretons apart without relying on other clues like tattoos, manner of speaking, clothing etc.

Reachmen and Bretons are intended to be different just an issue of how the games handles things as they're meant to be a different Nedic group and have had a much more different genetic diversity.

Long before Elves or Nords conquered the region of Karth, tribes of humans inhabited the caves of the Druadach Mountains. It was in these dark places they learned of their new purpose, and it was there they sang songs of fading dreams.

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Lost_Valley_Redoubt
Before the Dwemer came to Skyrim in the late middle Merethic Era as Bretons only became a thing starting in the very last century/centuries of the merethic.

Reachmen using other race models in The Reach.