Best races and origins in Oblivion Remastered

Mere minutes into Oblivion Remastered, you’re tasked with making your hero in the character creator. It’s a tall order, only made more complicated by each race having unique bonuses and drawbacks. Picking the best race for your playstyle goes a long way in making a powerful build.

Once you’ve picked your race and made your character, you’ll be thrown back into the tutorial before being bombarded with two more pivotal choices: the best Oblivion birthsigns and the best Oblivion classes to pick. There’s a lot that goes into making your character, so I’ll break down the best races for each build to make things easy in Cyrodiil.

Best races and origins in Oblivion Remastered

There are a whopping ten different races to choose from in Oblivion, each with two potential origins—backstories which further impact your overall stats, unique to the remastered version. These races also have brand-new looks, but don’t worry, they all still retain that horrifying Oblivion charm. Of these races and origins, here’s the handful I’d recommend based on your playstyle:

High Elf (Auridon)

• Gifted in magic
• Resistance to illness
• More vulnerable to fire, frost, and shock

If you’re looking to wield powerful magic, the High Elf is the way to go thanks to this race’s +15 in destruction and increased maximum magicka. As a very magic-aligned race, High Elf also gets a bonus to alchemy, alteration, conjuration, illusion, and mysticism skills.

Another benefit of the High Elf’s passive bonuses is that it’s easier to pick the powerful Atronach birthsign. Since this birthsign prevents your magicka from regenerating, having increased maximum magicka alleviates some of that pressure compared to other races.

Both the Auridon and Summerset Isle origins are strong options, but the former is generally best for a full mage setup due to the bonus speed. If you’d rather be slightly more tanky, pick the latter to gain additional endurance.

Nord (Western)

• Strong and hardy warriors
• Adept with heavy weapons and armour

Hailing from the cold, harsh land of Skyrim, it’s no surprise that Nords are sturdy warriors. With efficiencies in both bladed and blunt, Nords can wield all kinds of melee weapons. Plus, their bonuses to heavy armour let them tank damage with ease. If you’re looking for a melee-focused brawler, then you can’t go wrong with a Nord.

When it comes to origins, it’s a no-brainer: the Western Nord brings added endurance over the Eastern Nord counterparts. This increases maximum health and health regeneration, playing into their head-first approach.

If you don’t mind the more rugged exterior, Stronghold Orcs are a great alternative to Nords, not least because of their incredible Berserk skill.

Breton (Systres)

• Versatile skills, with a preference for magic
• Resistance to magic damage

Bretons, specifically the Systres Breton, are perfect if you’re not quite sure of your playstyle yet. While this race does lean towards magic with points in intelligence and willpower, as well as being skilled in various magics, its drawbacks don’t limit melee or stealth quite so much as other races. Speed and agility are easy enough to increase, leaving you with only a small hit to endurance in the long run.

Outside of this versatility, Bretons are a strong race across the board. Their 50% resistance to magic damage comes in very handy, as does their once-per-day shield that soaks up damage.

Khajiit (Pellitiine)

• Intelligent, quick, and agile, making for a good thief
• Can see in the dark
• Weak magical abilities

The Khajiit are a feline people, so it should come as no surprise that they’re excellent thieves, skilled in stealth and melee combat. Khajiit gain bonuses to sneak, acrobatics, athletics, and security, as well as blade, hand-to-hand, and light armour. They certainly have a niche, but they do it incredibly well.

As for origins, the Pellitine Khajiit is generally the way to go. This gives you more strength compared to the Anequina’s bonus endurance, opting for improved melee damage (and even a little bonus health) over the latter’s focus on survivability. Your goal is to get in and get out without being seen, after all.

Wood Elf (Reaper’s March)

• Nimble and stealthy
• Capable archers

While the Khajiit are masterful melee sneakers, the Wood Elf has a range advantage. With +15 marksman proficiency, a Wood Elf character is the best way to get your classic Skyrim stealth archer fix in Oblivion Remastered. Bonuses to sneak, acrobatics, and light armour also help.

Both the Grahtwood and Reaper’s March origins are strong options, though I’d opt for the latter simply because it has more endurance to boost your health. The Grahtwood origin’s glowing personality stat makes people like you more, leading to easier questing and trading if you’d rather avoid the Oblivion persuasion minigame.