khajiit and bosmer get bonus to sneak
redguard get bonus to stamina
breton and altmer get bonus to magicka
what playstyle are you thinking?
Orcs also get a bonus to stamina.
Argonians get a bonus to potion use (and healing)
People believe what they either want to be true or what they are afraid is true! Wizard's first rule
Passion rules reason Wizard's third rule
Mind what people Do, not what they say, for actions betray a lie. Wizard's fifth rule
Willfully turning aside from the truth is treason to one's self Wizard's tenth rule
Yeah Argonians can stack Alchemy potion passives, with NB potion passives AND their racial . Really helps in those sticky situations. Plus they are resistant to disease and poison damage. Venom Arrow hurts less then!
-Bosmer and Khajiit by merit of racial passives can get closer to an enemy before being detected. There is gear and potentially Champion points which can mitigate this as well. Khajit also have nice bonuses to weapon damage.
-Redgards are just awesome with stamina, stamina regen, and stamina drain abilities in general. Imperials have a very high base stamina and the red diamond trait. Orcs and Dunmer have mediocre stamina boost. Dunmer also have very strong boost to magicka as well, making them potentially very interesting for both flinging magic and weapon abilities. Dunmer make great aggressive characters for this reason. This is interesting even for your blade style because a lot of nightblade abilities that enhance weapon attacks are magic based (this consideration also applies to the possibility of playing
Altmer or Breton as well)
-Argonians are thematically cool for the shadowscale style, and they get a lot more out of potions they use, particularly if they are alchemist nightblades.
I'd say its really hard to plan though. I've got this nagging suspicion that races are going to be a nice starting point for our characters, but that the Champion system will allow us to round our character out in any direction we want. That being said I'll tell you my thoughts on the issue. Considering what you want to build, I recommend you go with Bosmer, Khajiit or Redgard. The Bosmer is the same as a Khajiit but trades a boost to crit for resistance to disease and poison. From a pvp perspective I think the Bosmer is a better choice than the Khajiit. The Khajiit on the other hand has a nice little bonus to crits, which a lot of players tend to have resistance to in their enchantments. This is why I think Khajiit might be better than Bosmer for pve (although there are actually a lot of poison enemies in the game). In terms of weapon attacks, nothing beats the Redgard's passives. If you plan to focus on weapons, Redgard is a very good place to start. They have high base stamina and stamina regen, which simply helps with anything from stealth, activating weapon abilities, or the raw damage you unleash with your weapons.
US/AD - Dodge Hopper - Vet Imperial Templar | US/AD - Goj-ei-Raj - Vet Argonian Nightblade
US/AD - Arondonimo - Vet Altmer Sorcerer | US/AD - Azumarax - Vet Dunmer Dragon Knight
US/AD - Barkan al-Sheharesh - Vet Redguard Dragon Knight | US/AD - Aelus Vortavoriil - Vet Altmer Templar
US/AD - Shirari Qa'Dar - Vet Khajiit Nightblade | US/AD - Ndvari Mzunchvolenthumz - Vet Bosmer Nightblade
US/EP - Yngmar - Vet Nord Dragon Knight | US/EP - Reloth Ur Fyr - Vet Dunmer Sorcerer
US/DC - Muiredeach - Vet Breton Sorcerer | US/DC - Nachtrabe - Vet Orc Nightblade
EU/DC - Dragol gro-Unglak - Vet Orc Dragon Knight | EU/DC - Targan al-Barkan - Vet Redguard Templar
EU/DC - Wuthmir - Vet Nord Sorcerer | EU/DC - Kosh Ragotoro - Vet Khajiit Nightblade
<And plenty more>
khajiit and bosmer get bonus to sneak
redguard get bonus to stamina
breton and altmer get bonus to magicka
what playstyle are you thinking?
Shadowblade style attack from stealth
This can be done with both spells (magicka) and weapon abilities (stamina), and the choice of race should be influenced by whether or not you choose to focus on weapons or spells.
Having a ball with an Argonian. Even at level 20 his potions are quite a bit stronger. I am doing a potion guzzling NB and his attack potion is now 9 Weapon Damage, 280 Weapon Crit and some Stamina. Just carves up the bosses.
My main Kotaro Atani is a Khajiit Nightblade that uses a 3pc Nightshade set, because of this he is Ultra Sneaky, I am always getting the drop on other sneaking Nightblades (that extra 2 meters of stealth makes all the difference). The only Nightblades I have to worry about getting the drop on me are other Khajiit or Bosmer's that are also wearing the same set. I would say that 9 times out of 10, I always see enemy Nightblades in stealth before they see me, unless a potion of detection or Magelight comes into play.
Edited by whiteshadow711jppreub18_ESO on December 6, 2014 9:03PM
Signed, Kotaro Atani.PS5 NA
VR16/ CP 160 Khajiit Nightblade of the Aldmeri Dominion, Guildmaster and Assassin of the Queen's Hand guild on NA PC. PvP Officer in the WOLF guild on NA PS5, and of course Master Thief. Currently 3600 CP out of 3600 CP on NA PS5. Currently 810 CP on NA PC (used for PTS testing purposes only). On PS5 I am also a Master Crafter, all traits done and learned, Jewelry crafting done. all Motifs learned on PS5 except for maybe two-three Motifs. All Companions are Max level as are their Skills.Warrior, Lover, Thief.... Nightblade. Aldmeri Dominion For Life! For the Queen!! Go Dominion or go home ! "I have no hatred for the races of Man, but they are young. Like all children, they are driven by emotion. They lack the wisdom that comes with age. I would sooner place an Altmer infant on the Ruby Throne than surrender Tamriel to their capricious whims. The Altmer, the Bosmer and the Khajiit share the common traits of intelligence, patience and reason. We do not seek riches or plunder. Domination is not our goal, nor is the acclamation of power for its own sake. Today we make our stand. Today we take back the Ruby Throne, which is ours by ancient right and the blessings of the Divines. Stand with us." ―Your Queen Commands, Ayrenn Arana Aldmeri.(All 18 characters are AD only! This one is a AD Loyalist)Member of ESO Since January 29, 2014, started early Access 3/30/14 on PC, currently subbed on NA PS5 and on NA PC. Note- I only use PC for PTS testing purposes, the PS5 is my dedicated Game Platform.Note- for those that don't know how to say Kotaro Atani it's "Ko tar row Ah ta ni" (Ko with a Oh sound, tar which sounds like the sticky black tar stuff, row like rowing a boat, Ah with a AHHHH sound, Ta with a Tahhh sound, Neeee which sounds like knee)"The blowing sands of time wipe clean the footprints of the past...""Moonsugar may be the key to paradise, but it is through a false door...""A perfect society is always elsewhere..."- Unknown book of Khajiiti proverbs.
With the recent nerf to stealth attacks in pvp, races with sneak attack boni lost much of their appeal, whereas stat passives remain strong. At the extremes, comparing Khajiit vs. Imperials, assuming both take their stamina to softcap, imps get +22% more health than Khajiit. The bonus to sneak attacks however only applies to the very first attack, and the crit chance bonus is largely neutered against good players who will wear impenetrable gear.