ESO Best Race Explained for 2026

The 10 races of The Elder Scrolls Online provide many options for building a powerful character due to their Racial Passives skills. This guide will provide all the details for each race in the game as well as the best races for each role.

ESO Best Race Overview

There are 10 race options in The Elder Scrolls Online, 9 available with the base game and 1 additional race available via DLC. More information about each race can be found below, or you can jump to a section.

High Elf
Wood Elf
Khajiit
Orc
Breton
Redguard
Nord
Argonian
Dark Elf
Imperial

The Alliance Factions Of The Elder Scrolls Online

The nine primary races of The Elder Scrolls Online are divided into 3 main Factions, also known as Alliances. The Aldmeri Dominion is composed of the High Elves, Wood Elves and Khajiit. The Daggerfall Covenant includes the Orcs, Redguards and Bretons. The Ebonheart Pact includes the Nords, Dark Elves and Argonians.

Aldmeri Dominion

1. High Elf

The racial skills of the High Elves reflect their magical affinity by increasing their weapon and spell damage, resource recovery, base magicka and experience gain. These innate bonuses help define the race as proud and powerful spellcasters.

High Elves have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

High Born: Increases experience gain with the destruction staff skill line by 15%. Increases your experience gained by 1%.
Spell Recharge: When you activate an ability, you restore 625 Magicka and Stamina, based on whichever is lowest. This effect can occur once every 6 seconds.
Syrabane’s Boon: Increases your Maximum Magicka by 2000.
Elemental Talent: Increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258.

2. Wood Elf

The Wood Elves’ diversified racial skills reflect their woodland affinity. Improved archery, base stamina, stamina recovery, stealth detection, movement speed, reduced fall damage, and poison and disease resistance make them deadly foes and gifted hunters.

Wood Elves have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Acrobat: Increases your experience gain with the bow skill line by 15%. Decreases your fall damage taken by 10%.
Hunter’s Eye: Increases your stealth detection radius by 3 meters. Increases your movement speed by 5% and your Physical and Spell Penetration by 950.
Yffre’s Endurance: Increases your Stamina Recovery by 258.
Resist Affliction: Increases your Max Stamina by 2000 and your Disease and Poison Resistance by 2310.

3. Khajiit

The racial skills of the feline Khajiit reflect their natural versatility and guile, giving them bonuses to pickpocketing, stealth, resource recovery as well as base health, magicka and stamina. These bonuses help them thrive in many aspects of life.

Khajiits have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Cutpurse: Increases experience gain with the medium armor skill line by 15%. Increases your chance to successfully pickpocket by 5%.
Robustness: Increases your Health Recovery by 100 and your Stamina and Magicka Recovery by 85.
Lunar Blessings: Increases your Maximum Health, Magicka and Stamina by 915.
Feline Ambush: Increases your Critical Damage and Critical Healing by 12%. Decreases your detection radius in Stealth by 3 meters.

Daggerfall Covenant

4. Orc

The racial skills of the Orcs reflect their native harsh mountain environment, giving them bonuses to heavy armor use, sprinting, weapon and spell damage, inspiration gain, weapon proficiency, as well as base health and stamina.

Orcs have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Craftsman: Increases experience gain with the heavy armor skill line by 15%. Increases your crafting inspiration skill gain by 10%.
Brawny: Increases your Maximum Stamina by 1000.
Unflinching Rage: Increases your Maximum Health by 1000. When you deal damage, you heal for 2125 Health. This can occur once every 4 seconds.
Swift Warrior: Increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258. Reduces the cost of Sprint by 12% and increases the Movement Speed Bonus of Sprint by 10%.

5. Breton

The racial skills of the Bretons reflect their affinity for the arcane, increasing their base magicka, magicka recovery, light armor, alliance point gain, spell resistance, and cost reduction of spells, allowing them to cast spells with little pause.

Bretons have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Opportunist: Increases experience gain with the light armor skill line by 15%. Increases your alliance points gained by 1%.
Gift Of Magnus: Increases your Maximum Magicka by 2000.
Spell Attunement: Increases your Spell Resistance by 2310. This effect is doubled if you are afflicted with Burning, Chilled or Concussed. Increases your Magicka Recovery by 130.
Magicka Mastery: Reduces the Magicka cost of your abilities by 7%.

6. Redguard

The racial skills of the Reguards reflect their ancestral legacy as sword masters, giving them bonuses to shields, base stamina, stamina recovery, movement, and duration of effects from food. Their ability to flow in martial combat is unparalleled.

Redguards have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Wayfarer: Increases experience gain with the one hand and shield skill line by 15%. Increases the duration of any eaten food by 15 minutes.
Martial Training: Decreases the cost of your Weapon Abilities by 8%. Reduces the effectiveness of Snares applied to you by 15%.
Conditioning: Increases your Maximum Stamina by 2000.
Adrenaline Rush: When you deal damage you restore 1005 Stamina. This effect can occur once every 5 seconds.

Ebonheart Pact

7. Nord

The racial skills of the Nords reflect their strong and hardy natures, giving them bonuses to two-handed weapons, duration of effects from drinks, physical, spell and frost resistance, ultimate generation, as well as base health and stamina.

Nords have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Reveler: Increases experience gain with the Two Handed skill line by 15%. Increases the duration of any consumed drink by 15 minutes.
Resist Frost: Increases your Maximum Health by 1000 and Frost Resistance by 4620.
Stalwart: Increases your Maximum Stamina by 1500. When you take damage, you gain 5 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds.
Rugged: Increases your Physical and Spell Resistance by 2600.

8. Argonian

Argonian racial skills reflect their people’s perilous swamp environment, giving bonuses to healing done, restoration staves, disease and poison resistance, resources gained from consuming potions, swimming speed, plus base health, magicka and stamina.

Argonians have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Amphibian: Increases experience gain with the Restoration Staff skill line by 15%. Increases your Swimming Speed by 50%.
Life Mender: Increases your healing done by 6%.
Argonian Resistance: Increases your Maximum Health by 1000 and your Disease and Poison Resitance by 2310.
Resourceful: Increases your Maximum Magicka and Maximum Stamina by 1000. When you drink a potion you restore 3125 Health, Magicka and Stamina.

9. Dark Elf

The racial skills of the Dark Elves reflect their intellect and agility, giving them bonuses in dual wielding, flame and lava resistance, weapon and spell damage, and base magicka and stamina. These bonuses allow them to adapt to anything.

Dark Elves have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Ashlander: Increases experience gain with the Dual Wield skill line by 15%. Reduces the damage taken from environmental lava by 50%.
Dynamic: Increases your Maximum Magicka and Maximum Stamina by 1910.
Resist Flame: Increases your Flame Resistance by 4620.
Ruination: Increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258.

Any Faction

10. Imperial

The racial skills of the Imperials reflect their combat training and perseverance in battle, giving them bonuses to gold drop rate, shield proficiency, base health and stamina, and cost reduction of abilities, making them resolute fighters.

Imperials have the following Racial Passives in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Diplomat: Increases experience gain with the One Hand and Shield skill line by 15%. Increases your gold gained by 1%.
Tough: Increases your Maximum Health by 2000.
Imperial Mettle: Increases your Maximum Stamina by 2000.
Red Diamond: Decreases the cost of all your abilities by 6%.

ESO Best Race By Role

The best race for you depends on many factors including which role you prefer to play as well racial lore and aesthetics. That being said there are some clear winners for the best race in ESO depending on specific roles.

Best Race For Stamina DPS

The best race for Stamina DPS in The Elder Scrolls Online is currently Dark Elf. This is due primarily to their increased Stamina Pool and Weapon/Spell Damage. For more great race options for Stamina DPS players can consider Khajiit, Orc and even High Elf.