Which race will shape your legend in Oblivion Remastered? With ten distinct options and the all-new origins system, your first choice isn’t just cosmetic-it determines your strengths, weaknesses, and how Tamriel’s world reacts to you. Whether you crave the magical might of a Breton from the Systres, the brute force of an Orc from Orsinium, or the shadowy finesse of a Khajiit from Anequina, picking the right combination can define your entire adventure. Ready to discover which race and origin will unlock your perfect playstyle?
There are 10 playable races available in OblivionRemastered, with your choice determining your initial attribute points and skills and how other races react to you. Each also has its own unique abilities and weaknesses, which have a longer-term effect on your character.
There’s not technically one best race in Oblivion, as your choice should depend on what you want your playstyle to be, but if you’re new to Oblivion or undecided on how to play this time around, we’ve highlighted what we believe is the best race for all players and detailed its main benefits and weaknesses. We’ve also added some alternate suggestions as well.
All races in Oblivion Remastered
Oblivion Remastered features ten distinct playable races, each belonging to one of three broad categories: Human, Elven, or Beastfolk. The available races are Imperial, Breton, Nord, Redguard, High Elf, Wood Elf, Dark Elf, Orc, Khajiit, and Argonian. Each race comes with its own unique set of attribute bonuses, skill proficiencies, and special abilities, allowing for a wide variety of playstyles-from powerful mages and skilled archers to resilient warriors and stealthy rogues. In addition to race, players now select an origin during character creation, which further customizes starting stats and adds new layers of backstory and roleplay options. This expanded system ensures that every character feels distinct, making your initial choices both meaningful and impactful for your adventure across Cyrodiil.
There are 10 playable races in Oblivion Remastered, which we’ve listed each below:
- Khajiit
- Breton
- Imperial
- Nord
- Redguard
- High Elf
- Wood Elf
- Dark Elf
- Orc
- Argonian
You choose your Oblivion race when creating your character at the beginning of the game. Once the opening cutscene has played, you’ll enter the character customization menu. Your character’s race is the first choice you need to make. Click on the portrait of a specific race to select it and press the right toggle on your controller to bring up the stats, so you can see the stats each race has.
After choosing your character’s race, you must choose their origin, which further affects their stats. This is a new feature for Oblivion Remastered, as the original Oblivion tied gender to your stats. For example, Male Bretons had -10 Speed, while Female Bretons had -10 Strength. In the remake, however, it seems gender has no impact on your stats. Instead, your origin does. For example, a Breton from Systres has less speed than one from High Rock, but more Strength.
Can you change your race in Oblivion Remastered?
Once you choose your race during character creation in Oblivion Remastered, your decision is generally final for the rest of the game. You have one last chance to change your race before leaving the sewers at the end of the tutorial section-after that, your choice is locked in on all platforms. However, if you are playing on PC, you can use console commands to change your race at any time by pressing the tilde (~) key and entering showracemenu. This allows you to access the character creation menu again and select a new race, as well as alter your appearance and name. Be aware that changing your race via console commands will reset your character’s attributes and skills, and achievements will be disabled for that save file. On consoles, there is no official way to change your race after the initial creation process.
No, you cannot change your race in Oblivion Remastered. Once you choose your race, you get one final chance to change your pick before you leave the sewers (the tutorial), but after that, your pick is set in stone.
However, you can change your Oblivion race on Windows PC by using console commands. Just open the cheat console by pressing the tilde key (~) and type ’showracemenu’ (without the quotes) into the console and press enter. This should bring up the race menu and let you change your race.
Best races in Oblivion Remastered
Choosing the best race in Oblivion Remastered depends largely on your preferred playstyle, as each of the ten playable races offers distinct strengths, skill bonuses, and unique abilities that shape your early-game experience. For those seeking a powerful mage, the Breton (especially with the Systres origin) stands out thanks to their high magic resistance and boosted magicka, making them the top pick for new players who want a forgiving, defensive spellcaster. If you favor melee combat, Nords, Orcs, and Redguards are excellent choices-Nords and Orcs excel in durability and heavy weaponry, while Redguards offer agility and a potent Adrenaline Rush ability. Stealth enthusiasts should consider the Khajiit or Wood Elf, both of whom come with bonuses to sneaking and marksmanship, as well as special abilities like Night-Eye or Command Creature that enhance their rogue gameplay. Ultimately, while there’s no single “best” race, these options provide strong starting points for the most popular playstyles in Oblivion Remastered.
The best race to pick in Oblivion Remastered is a Breton with the Systres background.
If that one doesn’t strike your fancy, however, two other terrific picks are either the High Elf with the Auridon background or the Redguard with the Dragontail Mountains background.
Whatever race and background you pick will give you a 10 bonus to some attributes and a -10 penalty to others. Additionally, the vast majority of your skills will start with a baseline of 5, but your race and background can increase some skills to a baseline of 10 or 15. With all of that in mind, we’ll explain why these three race and background combinations are our top choices.
Breton (Systres)
Attributes:
- 10 Intelligence
- 10 Willpower
- 10 Magicka Bonus
- – 10 Agility
- – 10 Speed
- – 10 Endurance
Top skills:
- 15 Conjuration
- 15 Mysticism
- 15 Restoration
- 10 Illusion
- 10 Alchemy
- 10 Alteration
Traits:
- Fortify Magicka 50 points on self permanently
- Resist Magic 50% on self permanently
- Shield 50% for 60 seconds on self, once per day
If you’re undecided on your playstyle – or are simply looking for a good all-around Oblivion race – you can’t go wrong with the human race, Breton.
The Breton race is arguably the most balanced in Oblivion, though they are more magic-leaning due to their increased magic skills, like Conjuration, Mystician, and Restoration, plus their improved Willpower. Their resistance to Magicka also gives them a high level of magical defense, as they absorb half of all magical damage; regardless of whether you want to be a spellcaster or not, that’s universally useful.
Systres Bretons come with no permanent negative effects, but they have reduced Endurance, Agility, and Speed. These drawbacks are pretty negligible, however, as Agility and Speed don’t take too long to level up. This Endurance reduction is worth keeping in mind if you value Health, however, as Endurance is directly related to how much your maximum Health increases each time you level up. Again, though, it’s not a bad trade-off considering the benefits this race comes with.
The Breton is a good race to build on if you don’t want to commit to one playstyle, especially if you’re considering trying a mage build.
High Elf (Auridon)
Attributes:
- 10 Intelligence
- -10 Strength
- -10 Speed
- 100 Magicka Bonus
Top skills:
- 15 Alteration
- 15 Destruction
- 15 Mysticism
- 10 Alchemy
- 10 Conjuration
- 10 Illusion
Traits:
- Fortify Magicka 100 points on self permanently
- Resist Disease 75% on self permanently
- Weakness to Fire, Frost, and Shock 25% on self permanently
The High Elf race (of either background) is the best Oblivion race for those who want to create a pure mage build, thanks to increased Alteration, Destruction, and Mysticism, plus the Magicka bonus. In fact, if you pair this race with the Atronach birthsign, you get the highest Magicka available in the game. Do note that this race’s weaknesses to fire, frost, and shock damage means you may find battling other mages more challenging.
Redguard (Dragontail Mountains)
Attributes:
- 10 Strength
- 10 Endurance
- -10 Intelligence
- -10 Willpower
- -10 Personality
Skills:
- 15 Blade
- 15 Blunt
- 15 Athletics
- 10 Heavy Armor
- 10 Light Armor
- 10 Mercantile
Traits:
- Fortify Agility 50 points for 60 seconds on self, once a day
- Fortify Endurance 50 points for 60 seconds on self, once a day
- Fortify Speed 50 points for 60 seconds on self, once a day
- Fortify Strength 50 points for 60 seconds on self, once a day
- Fortify Health 25 points for 60 seconds on self, once a day
- Resist Disease 75% on self permanently
- Resist Poison 75% on self permanently
The Male Redguard is the best race for those who want to create a warrior build focused on melee. Redguards are hardy, boasting high Endurance and Strength, bonuses in Blunt and Blade (and various armor types), and natural resistance to poison and disease. Just don’t expect to be winning any personality contests or pub quizzes.
Which race in Oblivion Remastered offers the best starting advantages for magic users
For magic users in Oblivion Remastered, the Breton and High Elf races stand out as the top choices, each offering distinct advantages.
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Bretons are widely considered the best all-around race for magic users thanks to their significant 50% resistance to magic and a boost to maximum magicka. This combination makes them exceptionally durable against enemy spellcasters and well-suited for defensive mage builds. Their skill bonuses in Alchemy, Alteration, Conjuration, Illusion, Mysticism, and Restoration further strengthen their magical prowess.
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High Elves (Altmer) provide the highest starting maximum magicka and a strong +15 bonus to Destruction magic, making them ideal for offensive mages who want to maximize spellcasting power. However, they come with notable weaknesses, including a 25% vulnerability to fire, frost, and shock, which can make them more fragile in combat. Their broad skill bonuses across all magic schools help create versatile, high-damage spellcasters.
In summary, choose Breton for superior survivability and balanced magical abilities, or High Elf for raw magical power and aggressive spellcasting potential.
Do Bretons’ magic resistance and Magicka bonuses give me a real edge early on
Yes, Bretons’ magic resistance and Magicka bonuses give you a real edge early on in Oblivion Remastered. Their innate 50% resistance to magic significantly reduces damage and duration from enemy spells, making them highly resilient against mages and magical threats right from the start. This advantage is especially noticeable in early-game encounters, where magical attacks can be deadly to less resistant races.
Additionally, their increased maximum Magicka allows for more frequent spellcasting, supporting both offensive and defensive magic builds. While some races may catch up in power later through gear and leveling, Bretons start strong and maintain their edge with the least effort, making them one of the most efficient and forgiving choices for new and experienced magic users alike.
