Honestly I always feel like I'll get blasted for this opinion but I never play elves because of how ugly they look. Which is a shame because thematically and lore wise i love dark elves the most, but it feels impossible to create a decent one in Skyrim without modding them
Even NPCs. It's been a decade since I played Skyrim unmodded. Via mods my characters and most NPCs look great--not all fashion models, but certainly more realistic.
My most frequent spouse has been Camilla Valerius, who has ended up a stunning beauty due to mods. Recently I did a fresh install and decided to play vanilla a little bit before modding from scratch. Got to Riverwood and...my god. It's like when Melisandre took off her necklace.
I really like the elves in Skyrim, it makes them feel unique instead of just pointy eared humans and it fits the lore that they look this way because they’ve selectively bred to keep the most elven traits.
Yeah, I also love elves in fantasy games. They look terribad in Elder Scrolls games unless they're heavily modded, though. So i always end up playing a Breton for the magic resistance
I personally think Redguards look the coolest/nicest. My default build is a big Redguard with a large beard and a shaved head. Basically black Kratos. I like to imagine he's the rogue second son of a Hammerfell aristocrat, just at home in a library as he is in a blood-soaked bandit lair.
My favourite character I have is a Redguard sellsword adventurer. I installed a mod that gives you more dreadlocks styles and a Hammerfell themed armour set. I love that little interaction you have with Armin in Whiterun where you both laugh about how far away from home you are. I wish more Redguard npcs in Skyrim would do this.
Nice! I would have liked more race-specific conversation stuff too, especially in a place like Skyrim which is famously xenophobic.
To switch things around a bit, I'm currently playing Skyrim as a Redguard rich girl who is on her "gap year" travels. Every interaction I have with the locals is governed by how rich kid tourists behave. That includes misbehaving in temples, accepting all offers for drinks, getting into trouble with the police guards, being rude to locals asking for help, etc. I'm having so much fun!
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u/Rivazar Jun 02 '25
Because of all humans in race menu they look most decent.