Does Race REALLY Matter?

RisenEclipse · February 2022

So I've always been a DPS, and I have been thinking of trying out tanking. Mostly with just family or friends who are online. But I really like the elven races and was hoping to make either an Altmer or Dunmer, because they're my favorite. Unfortunately looking online neither one of them are listed as a race for tanks. So how bad would my tanking be if I were to choose one of them as my character's race? I'm not planning on trying to get bis or any top tier dungeon runs, I just would like to do something new for once.

phaneub17_ESO · February 2022

It only matters if you're doing the Veteran hard mode or trials to perfection and top scores on the leaderboards. If you don't care about that, be anything you want to be.

Fennwitty · February 2022

Unless you're on the bleeding edge of hardcore score-pushing groups, doesn't matter much at all.

SydneyGrey · February 2022

You should choose Dunmer, then, out of the two, because Dunmer have both stamina and magicka. I can see a Dunmer dragonknight tank working quite nicely.

*Edit* They're also resistant to fire, which would help, too

RisenEclipse · February 2022

SydneyGrey wrote: »

You should choose Dunmer, then, out of the two, because Dunmer have both stamina and magicka. I can see a Dunmer dragonknight tank working quite nicely.

*Edit* They're also resistant to fire, which would help, too

Hmm I might give that a go. I was thinking of either DK or Necro for the class. Now is being a WW something tanks do? Or is that more for the stam dps?

Sheezabeast · February 2022

What list are you looking at?

peacenote · February 2022

What I have found, after playing for a long time, is if you get to the point where it matters what race you are, you're usually also at the point where you're OK with paying for race change and will do so with little regret.

Until then, play whatever race you want.

Learning how to play your role well is way more important than min/maxing at race in almost all cases.

RisenEclipse · February 2022

Sheezabeast wrote: »

What list are you looking at?

Any list that tells me what I should do as a tank lol They all say the same thing. Be a Imperial, Nord, or an Argonian. None of which I want to be.

Sylvermynx · February 2022

Well.... in a game like this there's going to be "meta". And if you expect to complete endgame content (outside something like the "family guilds" I ran in WoW and RIFT), you're going to have to "meet that meta". So.... up that creek without any means of locomotion probably....

My family guilds (which included a few long time gamer friends as well) didn't get real persnickety in those two games, because we'd all played for YEARS - and we all knew how to manage what needed to get done.

I don't know how things work in this game with the endgame content. No one else I know (eh, mostly) plays ESO, and I'm so done with endgame content (can't handle it any more due to age, crap reflexes, and no "handy family guild") so I just can't help you at all.

I hope you find a place to make you happy....

Xarc · February 2022

if It doesnt matter, why do people give advices about choosing this or this race....

IronWooshu · February 2022

Sheezabeast wrote: »

What list are you looking at?

Probably Alcast. I'm not even sure dude plays anymore. My girl was looking up a build and she went to his site and his gear is what was popular in 2018/19

silvereyes · February 2022

RisenEclipse wrote: »

So I've always been a DPS, and I have been thinking of trying out tanking. Mostly with just family or friends who are online. But I really like the elven races and was hoping to make either an Altmer or Dunmer, because they're my favorite. Unfortunately looking online neither one of them are listed as a race for tanks. So how bad would my tanking be if I were to choose one of them as my character's race? I'm not planning on trying to get bis or any top tier dungeon runs, I just would like to do something new for once.

It doesn't matter that much. It just won't be as efficient, since some of the passives, like damage, won't be useful. Of the two, Dunmer's fire resistance passive is probably more universally useful than Altmer's reduced damage while channeling, although the latter could work well with the Psijic Order skill Meditate and it's morphs, if you use a build with that skill. Both races give you extra max resources, which are always helpful.

silvereyes · February 2022

Xarc wrote: »

if It doesnt matter, why do people give advices about choosing this or this race....

Because the people giving that advice are trying to tell you what is numerically best for the math of a particular role. It doesn't mean other races don't work. It just means you'll be at a very slight handicap, mathematically.

Agenericname · February 2022

Depending on the class the Altmer Spell Recharge passive could be nice.

LashanW · February 2022

There is no meta race for tanks, because racial passives of the tank have very little impact on group dps. Tank race is all about your own comfort and playstyle. (for example if you use a lot of magicka skills as a tank then Breton might be very useful to you)

However there's still a couple of things like Alkosh and DK's engulfing flames that benefits group damage and for these 2, extra weapon/spell damage from racial passives might make it easier to reach the cap.

RisenEclipse wrote: »

Sheezabeast wrote: »

What list are you looking at?

Any list that tells me what I should do as a tank lol They all say the same thing. Be a Imperial, Nord, or an Argonian. None of which I want to be.

You should check out all the racial passives online. Those 3 races are popular for tanking mostly because they make resource management a bit easier (and Nord makes you a bit more tankier)

SammyKhajit · February 2022

This one’s original main is a Breton - a combination of ignorance and moon sugar grape wine translated into choosing nightblade class, and then the bow skill looked nice, so a Breton stamina nightblade (but the Breton Hero looked so cool!). And this was before the champion points.

Yes, many deaths and many disappointments (just like the Breton Hero costume) before switching to magicka nightblade, which made things a lot easier. Race definitely matters at the beginning, or at least if you chose a Breton nightblade.

Also, don’t buy the Breton costume

RisenEclipse · February 2022

Thank you all for your help! I think I will go the Dunmer Stam DK route. Hopefully I wont make too terrible of a mess of it lol I appreciate all the answers and advice

colossalvoids · February 2022

SammyKhajit wrote: »

This one’s original main is a Breton - a combination of ignorance and moon sugar grape wine translated into choosing nightblade class, and then the bow skill looked nice, so a Breton stamina nightblade (but the Breton Hero looked so cool!). And this was before the champion points.

Yes, many deaths and many disappointments (just like the Breton Hero costume) before switching to magicka nightblade, which made things a lot easier. Race definitely matters at the beginning, or at least if you chose a Breton nightblade.

Also, don’t buy the Breton costume

Sounds like eso had a proper Sanguine quest all this time:)

SammyKhajit · February 2022

colossalvoids wrote: »

SammyKhajit wrote: »

This one’s original main is a Breton - a combination of ignorance and moon sugar grape wine translated into choosing nightblade class, and then the bow skill looked nice, so a Breton stamina nightblade (but the Breton Hero looked so cool!). And this was before the champion points.

Yes, many deaths and many disappointments (just like the Breton Hero costume) before switching to magicka nightblade, which made things a lot easier. Race definitely matters at the beginning, or at least if you chose a Breton nightblade.

Also, don’t buy the Breton costume

Sounds like eso had a proper Sanguine quest all this time:)

Alas that particular daedric storyline just gives you a mediocre costume and a squishy alt

markulrich1966 · February 2022

I have 51 characters, approx half of them woodelves. All different kinds of classes.

They are my favourites I use 80% of the time to play, some more optimized concerning a perfect match of race and class I mainly use in special situations. E.g. when I run a vet dungeon to get a specific monster set helm.

There is a difference if you don't use the optimal race for a class, but it is small.
For worldbosses, even solo, you can ignore it.
My woodelf magsorcerers can finish wily Kee'va or Graveld alone.

In vet dungeons, you often have situations, where you must kill a boss quickly, or he spawns more and more ads, reaching a point where they overrun you. Here an "optimal" characters helps or even is required.

So I would suggest: create a character that gives you most fun to play, and use him as main (for crafting, quests, achievements).
Add a second character for the harder stuff, optimized, even if it is not the kind you would love to play every day.

joseayalac · February 2022

It matters way less for tanks than for DPS. Make your elf tank and enjoy.

Juomuuri · February 2022

As a dunmer dragonknight tank main, I can say that it works wonders in vet DLC dungeons - even in HM. And I don't even have meta gear, haha.

I also have a bosmer warden healer, and it's as smooth as if I was playing on an "optimal" race. No meta gear here, either.

For DPS... The bonus you get from "optimal" race is so minimal it doesn't matter in any way if you know your class in-and-out. As a roleplayer, I don't care at all and happily play my stamsorc altmer.

Lysette · February 2022

I'd go with dunmer - a lot of enemy attacks are fire-based and dunmer are quite resistant to it. I'm not really playing tanks, but all of my characters are on their very own, so they have to be tanky as well - dunmer necro has this nice ultimate, when things go wrong, you pop out as goliath which might just give you the edge required to get yourself back on track - instant buff, instant heal, DoT and HoT all in one. Ravenous Goliath scales with max health, which is good for a tank build.

Lysette · February 2022

PullaStormy wrote: »

As a roleplayer, I don't care at all and happily play my stamsorc altmer.

My stamsorc Redguard is doing quite well also - one of the least magical races of them all. She neither likes combat pets nor is that much into magic, but well, she was born like that and had no choice - lol.

Vanos444 · February 2022

No! Race doesn't matter, according to ESO forums...

[snip]

Imo, Race matters alot. If you're a Breton and what a playstyle that's stamina then you can, but the major issue is that you won't be that competitive as others and your passives goes for a toss..
For its Magicka only passives that the Breton as at its disposable.

With the hybridization be the new meta in the coming months. The races gets hit the hardest here, because ZoS statement of playing "how you want" falls flat, when players have few option at there disposable.
Also, at a some point a causal player will turn into a min/max player, for the game encourages the players to reach that level.

So, it's a problem...ZoS knows it, some do and others well they don't.....

[edited for discussing moderator action]

TX12001rwb17_ESO · February 2022

Dark Elves have the most well rounded passives which include a minor resistance to fire which is the most common enemy magic type, they are also the most fleshed out race in the lore and are much cooler then High Elves.

BXR_Lonestar · February 2022

SydneyGrey wrote: »

You should choose Dunmer, then, out of the two, because Dunmer have both stamina and magicka. I can see a Dunmer dragonknight tank working quite nicely.

*Edit* They're also resistant to fire, which would help, too

Dark Elf DK Tank does work well. The guy who tanks for my group has 6 different tanks, and his Dark Elf DK Tank is his go-to tank for the absolute hardest content.

BXR_Lonestar · February 2022

I don't think race is all that important tbh. I think there is something like a 3% difference in terms of DPS output between optimal DPS races and off-meta, but you still want to get SOMETHING beneficial from your racial passives. It wouldn't make any sense to go Red Guard, for instance, and go with a magika character because Red Guards offer no mag passives.

But when it comes to evaluating what each race brings to the table, I also think people should think outside of the box about what races might be best in certain roles. My main healer is a nord (has been one since I started the game) and while I used to catch a lot of flack for it from meta trials healers, the people I play with don't even question the decision. The Nord has more built in survivability in its racial kit than any other class and more ultimate generation, both of which are great for the healer role, but probably get overlooked when people are making their characters.

Vevvev · February 2022

It matters in a sense it's extra padding. If your race is the antithesis of the build you're making you'll run into problems, but if you build into the race's strengths then your build will be better off for it.

Like if you made a Redguard mage character you'd definitely want to be using Crushing or Force Shock as your spammable to take advantage of the weapon ability cost reductions. It also makes for a great mage PvP race because now you get stamina back on dealing direct damage so you can block, dodge, and run more often than other races could.

It's all about perspective really with what content you're doing and how you go about your build.

whitecrow · February 2022

I would only date khajiit.

LightningWitch · February 2022

Race is irrelevant in the game, so it should be irrelevant to players.

I've seen "stamina based" Orcs perform necromancy.

I've seen "magicka based" high elves act as Night blades.

Luciana Pullo from Clockwork City ended up where she did by casting a bound sword and clashing it with a wood elf sorcerer.

This should be more than ample proof to verify the race is not important to the game.

It's only important to people who have 402 Excel spreadsheets with built-in calculation programs so that when something changes, they can tweak their meta builds just in time for a new Twitch stream.