What is the best race?

[Razor444]

What is the best race?

I'm starting Oblivion, but I do not know what to choose if the Supreme Elf, Breton or Imperial.

In your opinion what is the best sex? Male or Female?

[Hickory]

This is a highly subjective topic, obviously, and the race you choose will also reflect on how well your character performs at the task (class) assigned to it. Some races have slight variations between sexes, but not too great. In your quoted races the High Elf excels in magic but does not do well in melee combat. The Imperial is the opposite. Great in melee but dismal in the magic department. The Breton excels as a mix between the two, the Spell Sword type. Personally, I tend to go for Breton type races, as I like to mix and match.

[InAComaDial999]

Keep in mind also that racial attribute and skill bonuses really only matter at low levels. At higher levels, there's nothing stopping a Breton female from being stronger than a Nord male, etc.

 

The racial abilities, like Breton enhanced magicka and magic resistance, High Elf enhanced magicka and weakness to magic, etc, are probably more important depending on the class you want to make. But again, after a number of levels, a +50 or even +100 to magicka isn't that big of a deal when you can wear multiple items that all provide bonuses equal to or greater than those.

[RatcatcherOfKvatch]

To me it's Breton, hands-down.

I tried Nord, to get the maximum HP possible, but the advantage was minimal over time.

The Breton starts the game with the priceless advantage of 50% MR. That plus a Mundane Ring gets a Breton to 100% MR with just one item. Breton also takes a hit on Endurance, painful because it's cumulative, but if you customize your class to Endurance and take 5 points of Endurance every level it's not too bad.

 

My Nord got himself 2 Mundane Rings but you're not allowed to wear 2 of the same item, so he wound up getting 100% reflect by using like 4 other items instead. He also wore armor, which debased his spells and made him run slower.

 

Breton in plainclothes with Mundane Ring, Bladeturn Cowl, and 3 25% shield items (Transcendent Sigil Stone Shock, Fire, and Frost shield) puts him or her at 100% MR and the maximum 85% armor rating with just 4 items. That leaves 4 more items to configure as you choose. (If you wear armor you get 5 items, as there is no off-hand clothing equivalent to a shield.)

 

I like Detect Life 180' (Transcendent Sigil Stone), Reflect Damage 33% (Ring of Iron Fist; before that Namira), Reflect Damage 33% (Amulet of Axes / Swords; before that 50 pts Fortify Magicka from Transcendent Sigil Stone), and maybe 50 pts of Magicka or 30% Chameleon on the last item. The only other thing I can think of that might be truly useful is Resist Paralysis, but there aren't any items that provide it. (MR 100% seems to work against spiderlings, the primary source of Paralyze attacks, but there is at least one encounter almost guaranteed to result in paralysis poison attacks: the fight with YOURSELF!)

 

If you're going pure melee then maybe you should take Nord, Redguard, or Orc and Atronach sign and go 100% absorb with your gear, otherwise Breton is best.

 

Question to the Oblivion Gurus:

If you loot a spell tome of "Resist Paralysis" can you then enchant items with this effect?

[Hickory]

The only other thing I can think of that might be truly useful is Resist Paralysis, but there aren't any items that provide it.

There are items that provide Resist Paralysis. There's the Ring and Grand Ring of Freedom; Ring of Steelskin (IF your Oblivion isn't patched with the UOP. This is a bug, as it should be Resist Normal Weapons); Greaves of Movement and of Free Movement; Slavemaster's Greaves; Greaves of Fluid Motion. Of course, only the rings are sensible choices for mages.

 

 

Question to the Oblivion Gurus:

If you loot a spell tome of "Resist Paralysis" can you then enchant items with this effect?

 

Yes. You get a 25% Resist Paralysis with a Grand Soul Gem.

[RatcatcherOfKvatch]

Thanks for the reply. I wonder whether 100% Resist Paralysis is really worth the cost ...

[Hickory]

Thanks for the reply. I wonder whether 100% Resist Paralysis is really worth the cost ...

 

The 100% Resist Paralysis only applies to poison type attacks. It has no effect against paralysis by power attack, for example. In vanilla Oblivion, the only true 100% protection is afforded by Resist Magic -- even Dispel and Weakness to Magic have no effect, because they are magic in origin. Does that make your decision easier?

[RatcatcherOfKvatch]

I'm already sold on RM; that's why I told the OP that Breton is best (unless you go 100% absorb instead).

 

The extreme rarity of paralysis poison (I've only ever faced it when I had to fight myself in that Cave of Shadowrend place) does make the decision an easy one. If it worked against power attacks, especially those expert-level archers that like to knock you flat, then Resist Paralysis would be a lot more valuable.

[Hickory]

I'm already sold on RM; that's why I told the OP that Breton is best (unless you go 100% absorb instead).

 

The extreme rarity of paralysis poison (I've only ever faced it when I had to fight myself in that Cave of Shadowrend place) does make the decision an easy one. If it worked against power attacks, especially those expert-level archers that like to knock you flat, then Resist Paralysis would be a lot more valuable.

 

Ah, I see: your question was rhetorical. Ok. :)

[Deleted2993601User]

Uhm.. I wouldn't actually know what the best stock race is since I use nothing but custom races.

 

If you ever want to overlook adding mods, do add one called High Imperial. Also add HG EyeCandy mod and install it either w/ or w/o underwear.