NOTE:This is NOT a my race is better then your race thread, so don't come here telling everyone that since Dunmer or Nord are your favourite race so that means its the best for beginners. The Mods have my permission to delete any posts like that.

So, a mate of mine is thinking of getting Skyrim when the game comes out, and he wanted to know what the race bested suited to beginners was, now, like I said earlier, even though my favourite race is Imperial I did not go on preaching about how awesome they were and how he should chose it, so i decided to create this thread.

So what do you guys think? With all we know so far which race is the most balance? And again, this thread should be full of proper disscusion and none of the "NORDZ R DA BEST LULZ!" or "IMPERIAL OWNZ FOOLZ!" nonesense.

Personally I feel the warrior races are the best for beginners, as there playstyle is the simplest. I voted Redguard out of personal preferance but Imperial, Nord, or Orc would also work just fine.

Then there's always the *shudders* Dunmer who are suppossedly good at everything that could theoretically work... <_<

What kind of character does he like to play you know archer warrior mage and etc and does he have any preferences because none are too much harder than the other

I had a Khajiit as a starter in Oblivion because of the night eye ability. But I also looked into racial bonuses (I wanted to be a quick rogue).

How does your friend want to play? Rogue or Warrior or Mage or a mix?

I'd say Dunmer. They're the best Jacks of All Trades - your friend will be able to turn his hand to pretty much anything he chooses from the get-go, and he should be fine.

Obviously it's worth stressing to him that any race can successfully play any style, so ultimately it's down to which he likes the look of best. The racial stats will only make a difference at the very beginning, and even then not a great deal.

This, basically.

Every race lol, its not like its gonna be harder playing khajit rather than argonian etc

Simply Dunmer. They have an aspect of most game styles so you can really find out how you play in the Mundus.

I'd go with Argonian, they are a balanced race and aesthetically unique.

Imperial or Dunmer - Jacks of All Trades.

The easiest would probably be any warrior race, but he might want to try out other things, so I'd go with Dunmer.

There is no such thing, this decision should be made when you enter the creation screen. I remember as a beginner picking a race with all those options was a great moment, took me 1 hour reading all the info and playing with those sliders. It's an RPG, you don't need others to influence your first time experience with their long time prejudices. I'd base this decision solely on the game manual and creation screen.

Personally, I pick warrior as I'm the type of guy who likes to rush headlong into battle in videogames. Now, from what I understand, all the races now have the same amount of skills. I guess that means he can pick any race and excel at whatever he chooses. It's sorta like Oblivion, only now there's no class creation menu.

So, all I can say to him is that he can be whoever he wants. There's no right or wrong way to play this series.

In Skyrim it's more about the looks, the starter differences will fade while playing. Pick Argonian, they're good jack of all trades.

The Dunmer are the best jack-of-all-trades, in my opinion. So if you're not sure what "class" you want to be, I think the Dunmer are the most versatile. But I don't think it really matters on the long run. I suggest your friend just picks the races he likes best aesthetically. Even Redguards can become mages and Altmer could make good warriors. On the other hand, we don't know how Skyrim will work on this aspect.

All the races are good for beginners :goodjob:

The races are basically all balanced in TES now. Just pick the character you want, and go with it.

Doesn't matter too much. For a beginner to TES, if the demos were what got you interested, why not go for a Nord, then all the advertising you have seen means the game will do what it says on the tin.

I think Mages will be the easiest class to start off. Every preview has dual-flame thrower ownage written in it. So any race that is geared towards magic should be easier. Bretons and Altmer should be choiced picks for a Mage.

Dunmers, while not particularly gifted, is slightly gifted in destruction magic and protected against fire. Fire is the most damaging element and also is most likely to be the primary attack for most dragons. So they are a good pick as well.

I would choose based on looks because the stats are not a priority any longer and your friend will feel comfortable with basically any choice.

It doesn't really matter what race you pick, it just decides what skills are slightly better at the beginning. As you level up it really doesn't matter.

Dunmer are the best for having one of the most versatile classes. However, one of the most exciting parts about the game is loading it up for the first time, and deciding what race you want to be, what they look like, and so on. So just go with what you like best at that moment

Probably Argonian or Dunmer, let him choose by the lore and physical appearance.

I played as a battle Mage Breton on my first play through and had lots of fun burning and slashing my victims!

Edit
changed my mind.

Dunmer if you really need any kind of protection at first. Other wise depends on how you want to play.