Best race in Skyrim

For reference:

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Races_(Skyrim)

Note that actual size matters it adds to speed (movement on foot) and damage (larger characters get a bonus relative to their heights).

I've always hesitated between two races but I thought we could have a poll (it's been quite some time since we had one) and see what everybody is thinking here at the Saloon.

I usually stick to Dunmers as they're well-rounded and adaptative -- I'm having a good time playing an Assassin-type and now that I've done Mage Guild and the DB, I'm mixing it up a bit and tanking him up a bit.

There is no "best race" per se, it really depends on what kind of protagonist you want to build. Some races are better suited for some classes, and not so much for others.

For shits and giggles I made an Orsimer mage back in the day, an Breton tank and a Nord assassin. Not impossible, but certainly a good challenge

Any race can excel in any field that much is true but imo two stand out, Bretons and Altmers. Bretons get the resist magic ability which is a real boon whereas Altmers get the equivalent of five levels when it comes to mana plus they move faster and hit harder than any other race in the game (and they have the added bonus of being douchebags). In my experience other races can't match such bonuses.

Does Skyrim has the Atronach sign still? Because I remember from Morrowind and Ob that Altmer + Atronach = Mega overkill mage

I haven't played Altmers in Skyrim yet but in Morrowind and Ob they were far from being good tanks and had that weakness to magicka and I never bothered with Bretons in Skyrim. Magic resistance is easily something that can be boosted with enchanted trinkets.

Signs don't matter since you can switch stones in Skyrim. Altmers don't have any drawback either. The thing about resist magic is that it is much easier to boost and max out.

I can't see what is so hot about Dunmers (pun intended) fire resistance is not that huge (may come in handy for vampires though). They do look cool I agree on that part.

Bosmers are the better sneaks, Altmers are the better mages, Dunmer is a healthy and versatile hybrid of the two.

Dunmers make very good offensive mages as they have the highest starting Destruction skill of any race, and that innate Fire resistance makes the specialized Fire mages much less dangerous, and with well built Alteration you could altogether almost negate fire damage, which is an advantage versus bloody dragons.

Dunmers are also pretty damn good archers and add that to the Fire resistance and Dunmers can more than hold their own against those stupid overrated, overgrown lizards. They can also tank relatively well and Ancestor's Wrath certainly helps when you're surrounded and it is also an helpful emergency extra edge for stealth characters and extra defense for a Mage.  

Sure, other races would make for better pure tanks/mage/stealth, but Dunmers are highly versatile and adaptative and I like my characters to dabble in a little bit of everything.

I haven't bothered with vampirism but at Stage 4 the Dunmer's innate fire resistance effectively cancels out the Vampire's weakness, so if one should be inclined to go down the path of vampirism it certainly is an undeniable edge.

I've been partial to Argonians since Morrowind, where my main character was an Argonian battle mage. Their stats might not be the best, but I enjoy playing something different from the standard fantasy races.

Starting skills don't make any difference in Skyrim. You can start with an Imperial or a Nord and still max out any skill simply by practice. The 5 or 10 point difference is absolutely nothing.

Dunmers are not better at destruction once you've played a little with it. If anything the Altmers will progress faster simply because they start with 50 more points in Magicka. Things were different in Oblivion but in Skyrim starting skills don't matter after a few hours (and not even that).

Argonians do have merit if you're looking for something exotic but unfortunately water breathing can be duplicated with ease.

I've read that the difference in scale is supposedly purely cosmetic but I'd suggest making two characters, an Altmer and a Bosmer (or a Breton) and compare how fast they can run.

For some reason I tend to favour Bretons, but I have played as an Orc and found that to be fun.

I really do like Orsimers as they're great for combat thanks to their rage but you can only use it once per rest. It's useful for bosses but most of the time you can't use it unfortunately.

I distinctly remember saying that Altmers are the better mages

I prefer the flexibility and adaptability of Dunmers and that's what I have been playing since Morrowind. I suppose I could give Altmers a crack but I don't feel like going through the bloody intro a second time. One time was enough

What I've been trying to say is that in Skyrim they're all flexible.

Besides I wouldn't wish to my worse enemy to go through Helgen one more time.

EDIT: I hope I'm not coming across as too argumentative. I'm only trying to find an answer that satisfies me. I guess when I chose the title of "best" race for the poll it implied an objective and cold assessment based on facts and not subjective elements (like looks for instance although they do matter quite a bit).

In any case the reasons why I've picked the Altmer have more to do with the fact that they are the tallest and fastest characters and that their bonus (which can be duplicated with enchanted objects that boost magicka that's true but that also adds up to their bonus should you choose to go for that) is a serious boon early in the game.

Unless you want to skip magic altogether you have to invest in magicka if only to be able to cast some of the more expensive spells and picking an Altmer means that you can get away with casting spells without losing a focus on hit points and stamina.

I've played through Helgen with an Altmer and I couldn't wait to get it over with. I don't know whether I should stay away from the main quest as much as I could or if I should go through it as fast as possible in order to get it out of the picture. If I don't go for the main quest it means that I won't get dragon bones (and no random dragons) but it also means that I'll get higher level fights once I decide to go through with it.

Well there was one point where I was about to say something about thinking this thread was supposed to be about what everyone else thinks and not you being in full sales pitch mode about Altmers

You don't need to bother with the main quest to pick up dragon bones. I turned the quest in to Balgruuf and his pet mage sent me on the quest but I ignored it. Besides there's not much of a rush considering that Dragon Armor can only be crafted with the highest Armorer skill. I just shank any of those bastards I happen to come across which so far has been four I think.

I'll skip the quest for the jarl for the time being thus limiting the amount of overgrown lizards in my game.

Hunt down the ones at fixed locations on the map, I found two more of those bastards and I've got ~30 dragon bones so far. I don't remember how many you need, though.

By skipping on that shitty quest you won't get Breezehome, though. No big deal for me since I prefer Hjerim and will do Stormcloak quests anyway.

I don't care about playing houses so it's no big deal since my guy'd rather be kicking ass and taking names anyway. I need to save some dough for that Reanimate Corpse spell though (because frankly Raise Zombie isn't enough).

Yeah but it's kind of nice to have a place that's not in Imperial territory to stash loot, the wife (yeah, I married Aela the Huntress, I have a soft spot for her) as well as crafting some shite.  

As for my part I really need those Master level Destruction spells. Fireball, Chain Lightning and Ice Storm are getting less useful and my Orcish weapons more and more useful

Destruction doesn't work all that well later on (at least in my limited experience) so I'm probably skipping it.

Aela is a cutie, can't blame you for picking her.

Destruction works just fine, I just need some stronger spells than what I have right now. I just unlocked Glass smithing so I have glass armor/weapons so when stealth fails I can rely on melee as a backup option. Ancestor's Wrath helps in that case.

I had to do Balgruuf's quest for his pet mage to advance the Stormcloak questline so I also had Lydia who wanted some of this but eh, I prefer going on the hunt with Aela and tearing bandits and Imperials to shreds instead. I may or may not have installed a nude female mod to get a good look at the whole package to make up my mind also...

I shelled out the cash to fully upgrade Hjerim and it's one hell of a nice house. Alchemy, enchanting, displays for weapons and armor, it's bloody nice.

If only the Stormcloak questline was the main plotline. I really like the idea of tearing out the rotten roots of the Empire. Oh yeah and it seems I managed to piss off the Aldmeri Dominion as well. Which is just fine with me.

Light armor? I prefer heavy myself especially when it comes to perks. I'm thinking of doing a mace and shield build for melee to avoid the dual wielding stupidity that is Skyrim. Dual wielding being treated like the ultimate dps is so idiotic it pisses me off.

I've got some skill in Heavy Armor -- 37 IIRC -- but it doesn't mix very well with sneaking I have leveled two-handed weapons so I can tank if I absolutely need to. Smithing is up to 93 and I only need some Daedra hearts to forge Daedric equipment. My glass gear is upgraded to epic and enchanted thanks to a hefty supply of Black soul gems. Destruction is up to 85 and I have gotten the Master level Destruction spells at last.

I completed the Stormcloak questline and it was good but repetitive towards the end. Felt good to root out the bloody Empire. Ignoring the main plotline I found two more dragons and I had a Blood Dragon randomly spawning. I've got more than enough bones by now to craft the Dragon Armor when I finally hit Smithing 100.

I like heavy armor because of the feat that allows for extra punching damage. Add some enchantment and it's party time.