for DK, I'd say any race that had a big presence in the Akaviri Potentate would be the best fit. Even Khajiit would work because of the Akaviri present in Eslweyr. But overall I'd say Imperial makes the most sense if you had to pick one. For templars, who derive their powers from the Apologist of Men, I would say Breton makes the most sense for magplar and Imperial or Nord for stamplar.

Bosmer is a really good choice for any class that you're using a bow on. Given their natural archery skills, their ability with a dagger, and their cunning, I saw it only right to make my Stamina Nightblade a Bosmer.

These are my recommendations for the races that you haven't mentioned yet.

Bosmer are good as stamina Wardens because of the animal companions, but the Nightblade's stealth fits them just as well. Considering that one of the NB's core skills is firing a bow, you can't go wrong with Bosmer NB.

It's difficult to place Orcs because your standard Orc doesn't really use magic but all the classes do. I made my Orc a stamina Necromancer because I felt that was the most appropriate choice, but an Orc who has integrated into greater society can really be any class. I just liked the thought of matching the outcast race with the outcast class.

Argonians make for great magicka Nightblades in terms of lore and gameplay-wise I enjoy my "potion addict" Argonian NB tank which is pretty fun. In older games Argonians had a bonus to spear use and their racial passives assist with healing, so Argonian templar is a good match as well.

Thematically Imperials work well on any class really but if I had to exclude one it would be Wardens for not being "civilized" enough.

Bretons make for great Templars but they too work well on any class theme-wise, even Wardens if you want to lean into the Wyrd/Druid/Reachmen fantasy a bit.

Although there is nothing that says Nords are good at using ice magic, it suits them well thematically, so I made my magicka Warden a Nord. The combination reminds me of the Skaal. Stamina/Tank Dragonknights are also a neat pick, because dragons.

Redguards in my opinion are the best choice for stamina sorcerer theme-wise. The reliance on weapon skills on that spec is a plus for the Redguard fantasy, because you are the ultimate blademaster.


Most of it boils down to who your character is. You can justify every class-race combination with the right backstory, even Redguard Necromancers.

My main is a Bosmer Stamden, going with the Wayward Guardian and Stags of Z'en motif styles. I really love playing into lore when making my characters, even trying to fit the item sets to the background/class of my characters.

It usually means my builds are always off-meta and not very useful in endgame, which is a shame but I can live with it.

I'm really glad to see other people thinking similarly when creating characters instead of just mid-maxing everything.