I've seen many people say that Breton's are an easier race to play then Altmer's. Question is though which do you prefer and for what reasons? What makes one race easier to play then the other?

I've noticed that many people say that if you are going to play any sort of Magic based character then Altmer is by far the best choice to make. I know its down to each person in their own right to decide what race they want to play but which do you prefer out of these two?

I've played Magic based characters since I started playing Morrowind and kept on doing so into Oblivion. I've played Mage's using both the Altmer and Breton races and don't see much difference in the two of them myself. What makes an Altmer mage better to play then a Breton I can't understand.

Personally I prefer Breton's. This is both from a Lore point of view aswell as overall play style. The resistance to Magic that Breton's get may seem overpowered to some but this can be nulified in several ways making them more exciting to play. I personally like them for the fact that they can be played in so many ways as a Mage while I found when I played an Altmer that I was restricted to very much one or two ways.

Does anyone think the same way, or can explain why an Altmer is superior to a Breton when playing as a Magic Character?

Here's the way I look at it:

Bretons are beautiful, petite and not snooty, but being round ears, they don't live very long.

Altmer are entirely too tall, gawky like giraffes and pretty uppitiy, but they have beautiful ears and live a very long time.

*sigh* I guess I have to say, life is short and go with Breton.

I like the Breton more than the Altmer because I think the lore is much more interresting and the fact that most Altmers are rather posh. In gameplay I like the Bretons magica resistance, but that makes little difference for me as I always try to cap my resistance at 50, and I prefer to play human races.

When it comes to the "Altmer is better than Breton" attitude I think it has to do with he fact that many play as "Glass Canons" or offensive and voulnerable mages. It's all about preferences really.

Agreed go with Breton.

I've had several Breton and Altmer characters.

I can't really pick between them. They are both great races for a mage.

In game the Bretons are typically quite a bit nicer than the Altmers. That could be a factor. And (particularly for lady characters) the height could be a factor. If your character is an Altmer he or she is generally looking down on everyone (literally). Lady Bretons are pretty short (though the men are average height - same as Imperial, Dunmer, Khajiit).

Bretons are probably easier play because of the magic resistance, Both races can start with low Endurance and Strength stats (since they are mage races).

For Breton I like to pick the mage birthsign. For Altmer I prefer the Atronach sign and then try to increase spell absorption (then the elemental weaknesses are irrelevant).

BTW, some people recommend the Breton/Apprentice combo to boost magicka and still have regen. From a stats perspective that makes no sense. Because a Altmer/Mage has just as much magicka as a Breton/Apprentice, and has fewer weaknesses.

Breton. Visually I prefer the way they look and the 50% magicka resistance is extremely useful. Although they have less magicka than an Altmer, at high levels that difference can be made up. Also Restoration generally takes longer to increase than Destruction so the bonus Bretons get to Restoration is handy, as opposed to Altmer in Destruction.

I prefer the Altmer. The Bretons are just overpowered with both the 50 extra magicka and the 50% magic resistance, and no penalties. Because the Altmer get a weakness to go with their magicka bonus, I vastly prefer them. The Altmer Apprentice makes an especially fun character to play. That really shows what I am looking for in the game. I do not want to make it easier, but harder, by adding limitations and drawbacks for my character to overcome.

Altmer. They are the only race that actually starts with any penalties. I don't take apprentice, the amount of necromancer and conjurer hunting I do would be too much. In fact I normally take the thief sign for an Altmer mage, they seem as a race to be a bit staid and formal, so I play one who has a streak of luck about her, someone born to escape the confines of society and go adventuring.

Can't decide. I can never decide these sort of things. :nope:

I prefer Altmer just for the extra magicka.

I like both races a lot so this is a really hard question for me!

If we are going totally on gameplay reasons, I would say a Breton character would be better for a beginner or someone that doesn't know the game well. My first two characters were both Bretons and though I had never played anything like Oblivion before, I got them both to level 50. My girl Breton was a pure mage and my boy one was a battlemage.

Lately I've been playing an Altmer pure mage and it has been great fun! Now that I know the game better it's nice to have some weaknesses to balance out the strengths. Plus I like the Magicka bonus and resistance to disease.

Roleplaying-wise I like elves more than humans because they are more exotic and fire up my imagination more. Bretons are awesome humans though and my favorite human race. I also find I can make very good looking Altmers and Bretons both so I don't feel like one type of character is better-looking than the other (looks are important to me in a game ).

I like Altmer better, because I have a superiority complex and think that Breton are for people who are too scared to play a real mage . "I get a annoyed with all the CHECK OUT MY BRETON UNDER THE SIGN OF THE MAGE" Posts.

Zak what do you define as a 'Real Mage'? I play an Apprentice Breton Mage for one of my characters and I've always seemed to be able to do a hell of a lot more with her then I could with my Altmer. Yeh ok so my Breton can take a few more hits then my Altmer to begin with but due to my Altmer being so squashy I found I had to start to pour points into endurance aswell as spending more and more time healing. My Breton hasn't had to do this yet and I've played them basicly the same way.

Also if your saying that about Mages then you must be telling everyone to not play a Bosmer either.

Like I said in the OP I've always found that Altmer lead to a very restricted way of playing while as a Breton I can play anyway I want to and am not restricted in doing certain things.

If you want easy, either any race with a full kit of Chameleon gear.

If you want fun, then it's up to YOU to decide where the balance between challenge and comfort lies.

Well put!

Yes, an Altmer can perhaps be built weaker than a Breton if desired, but either mage can be built as fragile as a butterfly by choice of birthsigns and ignoring endurance and armor rating.

Either a Breton or Altmer mage can also be built with enough defense to make a dragon wince (Breton + mage + some resist magic items + some elemental shield enchantments / Altmer + atronach + some spell absorption items + some elemental shield enchantments).

So once again, in my mind, it comes down to things like ears, height, looks and image.

I always look at their teeth before buying.

Oh, wait, that's horses. Never mind.
:wink_smile:

Hee! Its the ears! Buffy bought a horse that had big ol' pointed ears just like hers!

I always choose Bretons when making a mage because they look better than Altmers.

I just feel like the Breton Mage(Sign) is the most conservative build in the game. A lot of people play with that build and its alright but it doesn't take any chances. I much prefer Atronach or Apprentice Mages.

I used to always play Nords and 'mers, but lately Breton is my favorite to play as.

Edit: Just days after posting this, I find myself playing my Nord ninja (Olaf) once again.

I agree Zak that Breton Mage's using the Mag Starsign are quite a conservative build but even they can be hard to play. I personally don't like the Attronach Starsign due to very very rarely being hit by any type of Magic from an enemy but thats my personal taste. However Breton Apprentices can be a handful to play at the best of times just like any other character. However I still find that they are more open in what they can be played as in comparsion to Altmer's which I've only ever found to be able to use in certain ways.

rp - wise i think Bretons, well French are arrogant and Bretons are based on the French, the Altmer are even more arrogant than the Bretons .... Would vote for that.

I am generalising you think ? :wink_smile: :hubbahubba:

Completely setting aside any issues of advantages or disadvantages, I just prefer Bretons because they are, in my opinion, probably the most physically attractive race in the game. Altmer, on the other hand, are tall and gawky, have disturbing facial proportions and are entirely too yellow. Yes - I'm shallow like that, or at least insofar as that goes.

As far as playstyle and class goes - my favorite Breton is a light armor swordfighter, my favorite Altmer is a heavy armor tank and my favorite mage is an Orc. So........ :shrug:

To be honest, I hate Altmer. They look like flagpoles, have yellow skin and creepy posh voices. Also, about 95% of them seem to be Necromancers.

And I don't like them, either.
(Maybe that's partly because I usually play Bosmer. That makes Altmer look very tall and unpleasant.)

When I want to play a mage, I nigh-always go Breton. I just like them a lot more. They look sympathetic.

Breton. I hate Elves thank to The Witcher.