I can't bring myself to use any other races except Nord because they're so damn ugly. Elves look like they have a skin disease, not nearly as appealing as Tolkiens elves or Warcraft ones. Why are characters in Skyrim so ugly?

Khajiit are far from ugly, I think they're the best looking race in the game. I love my http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y461/AJCH/2013-06-14_00002_zpsb95842e4.jpg (both the good and evil variants).

Whats ugly to you isn't ugly to everyone. Not everyone in the world is beautiful or attractive. I think ever race fits the way it should look some are more appealing to others and there are some attractive characters in all of the races.

You may as well ask the same about humans in the real world.

Anyway.. to me it's not so much about looks as it is their racial abilities. For example, Bretons have an initial 25% resistance to magic which helps a great deal against mages on higher difficulties.

Sounds like you need better CC skills.

What's CC?

Anyway, nothing is ever truly ugly, yet nothing is also ever really beautiful, since it all comes down to opinions, and no opinion is entirely false, yet none are also completely true.

Character Creation

I only play Khajiit, so for me it is about looks. No other cat people who look so cool (except for the ones I name my characters after).

I dunno, you have ugly characters and you have pretty ones (Astrid and Rikke come to mind for the latter). I personally can't stand the mods that make everyone gorgeous, because it doesn't fit with the game's art-style at all.

But of course, Argonians are the damn best. Fur and hair will svck even with next-gen graphics, but scales and feathers really, really benefit from it!

You think they are not ugly? ...Or maybe you are right, ugly is probably not the right word to describe them. The right word is ridiculous. Yes that's what Khajiit and Argonian are. They are the biggest Easter-Egg we have in TES. They are there just for laugh. But don't take me wrong I know they are part of the lore and I can live with them but it makes me sad to know that Khajiit actually were a decent race in the Arena and nice one also in the Daggerfall but the Redguard spoiled the whole race. Even I despise their appearance also in Morrowind I prefer it over Oblivion and Skyrim because there they were moving differently, had different legs, were unable to wear some armor parts and had a proper place in the society alongside with Argonian. If they are human they should be like human, if they are beasts they should like beasts but they shouldn't be human with cats fur.

I made a pretty orc and 2 sixy warrior altmers and all other races.
http://minus.com/mAP1epEOGUlGX breton
http://minus.com/mEH0sD8DeIF22 altmer
http://minus.com/mbqIOIukiaY20D nord
http://minus.com/mphTluFykZccn orc
http://minus.com/mdscnYhuCzT2k my hottest nord
http://minus.com/mbdbR6ykcltKkD sixy warrior altmer
http://minus.com/mz0CnOPFVyWsc bosmer
http://minus.com/mgXkAsLMOhKTe ....dunmer

Characters in this game are light years beyond Oblivion so personal preference plays a large part. If this is your first ES game I understand, having had OB though I must say even the PC's and NPC's are gorgeous by comparison.

mods fix this. I see hot elves with face mods now. Not those skyrim nexus ones of course...

I know this sounds wierd but I made a pretty altmer and imperial on xbox oblivion.

Not that you can't if you know the system. Most NPC's except the orcs IMO are awful. It's like the emperor is reflected in most HUMAN NPC's except for Martin and Jauffre and some of the other major characters. Non-Humans do have a lot of variety but still don't look as good as Skyrim IMO

It doesn't. People on TESO forums are also calling TESO characters "pretty" but I think they are too round, clean and symmetrical just like in Oblivion but worse. What I think is looking disgusting others are considering pretty.

do you still think its not wierd.
http://minus.com/mDuQuzoN7bzjo altmer
http://minus.com/m57m5MEOhZSX2 imperial

Not at all, they look pretty to me, especially the imperial.

Now it seems weird. Especially the imperial one is prettier than I thought to be possible to do in game with vanilla. I have never made a female character in Oblivion but I wish I knew how to create a male character who is looking as natural in Oblivion than the imperial of yours.

Well, we should probably make sure that you're not anywhere nearby when we make first contact with aliens...

I prefer the "ugly" TES races to Tolkien races. Maybe I'm in minority, but I absolutely hate it when "other races" look too much like humans, and especially when they look like pretty humans. It's like they are not other races at all. It's just too fake. Argonians and Khajiits are at least more different, but still have a humanoid shape to remain appealing to the masses.

In the world of TES with Gods, magic, vampires, and werewolves I don't find it ridiculous at all that the beast races have a human shape. And even in real life I don't dismiss the possibility of another race outside Earth having human form and different kind of head and skin no matter how unlikely it is.

And that "proper place in society" part is just racism. If a being is mentally just as capable as a human it should be treated equally.

Agreed. It's good that Elves look a bit alien rather than just humans with pointy ears. The further TES goes from Tolkienian stock fantasy the better.

I find it ironic when someone screams "You animal!" because technically we are all animals.

For the armor thingy, they could always have customized armor for them, if you don't like being able to wear certain parts of the armor from those you loot due to being seemingly incompatible, then don't wear them. Simple as that.

yea I like the elves, just wish eye color for bosmer and dunmer were different

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YsB4gKncaNI#t=18s

Plus, this is Skyrim, not a show called Tamriel's Next Hottest Model. It's a rugged landscape, so yes, people are going to look like crap. I like it like this, as I think it's realistic. Clean, hot people who look like they wax themselves daily like in Oblivion? No, not realistic.

And it is possible to create an attractive character, you just have to be careful. I've created plenty of pretty female and male characters.