I read in an interview with Todd Howard that there were no new races in Skyrim. While this might be common knowledge, Todd said it as if he felt like he was going to disappoint fans with the "bad news". Maybe I'm alone here, but I'm glad that there are no new playable races in Skyrim. To me the 10 that already exist have a rich history and story and adding another one would make the history of Tamriel seem a bit off. I hope that Bethesda never adds another race unless is is completely justifiable. I never played Morrowind or Daggerfall, so were some of the races that exist today "new" to Morrowind?

All of them existed and playable since Arena, if I'm right.


EDIT: Orc and Imperial weren't playable in Arena and Daggerfall.

Both Imperials and Orcs were not playable before Morrowind.

Then there never needs to be another one.

Oh ya, look up the races from Arena and Daggerfall, they are a bit different. especially the Khajiit, you will be surprised.

EDIT: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Arena:Races, I can't find a good page on Daggerfall's races :thumbsup:

Oh and note that Imperials and Orcs didn't show up until Morrowind

I wouldn't mind if they tried to expand the races a bit, like all the races hail from different parts of each provence, and each specializes more in one battle archtype (some are better with magic, some are excellent thieves and assassins, some are superb mages, and others are just good at anything they commit themselves to.

Yep.

One important thing about both of these is that they had been mentioned and encountered (Orcs more than Imperials) before TES III, so when they showed up as playable races it wasn't a big leap. With these two included as playable there really aren't any well established Imperial races left so anything added would show up with little or no backstory. There are a few exceptions, Bethesda could probably pull off playable goblins in a game set in Summerset if they wanted, we've heard many times about the Altmer keeping large numbers of goblins. Goblins were never mentioned as being part of the Empire but given the time frame involved it would be easy to say this occured in the interim. The Igma (Imga?) gorilla people were mentioned in the Pocket Guide although I don't believe they've ever shown up in a game and I'm not sure if there has been more than that single reference. A game set in Akavir would have a number of established races that could be used and the fact that they aren't Imperial wouldn't matter, you wouldn't be in Cyrodiil.

Overall I'm happy that Bethesda is keeping the number at ten. I do believe with the right care and considerations new playable races could be added but thus far I see no reason for this.

Ya, well said. even if they did add another race or two, I wouldn't mind but since I am a RP'er sometimes and like to go by the lore, that kinda bugs me

It's probably just a side reference to the fact that additional races is a pretty common category of mods. Not that there was actually a chance of there being more in the game. (wouldn't really fit the lore, for one.)


...even though I've used race mods before, I don't really see a need for more official ones. Ten is lots, plenty of different options.

Where did Todd say it was "bad news"?

10 is too much. There's incredible diversity in the human race, for one to be entirely enough, even for a traditional fantasy. This is one cliche above all I'd like rectified, but I know never will.

You'd be ok if they removed races?

If they removed 9 of them, I'd be cool. The barriers between them are negligible. You find as much and more diversity in house of human beings.

One race then? The world would seem very bland I think.

if they ever made a mmo of tes (just saying here, not necisarily for it) they could have the races of tamrial vs the akiviri races.... kinda like horde vs allies in WoW

Fortunately, that's absolutely not going to happen...

While your statement about human diversity is true, "humanity" has a different meaning in the Elder Scrolls universe. Take http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Redguard for example: "Redguards do not share the same blood as the other human races, and they have no connection with the ancestral human homeland of Atmora."

Different kind of diversity than that which we see on Earth. While human diversity is cool, exciting, and interesting, it's also much more familiar to us...Part of the exotic allure of the Elder Scrolls universe is the massive variety, and more important than that, the quality of that variety.

That is, of course, just my opinion.

Goodness, I know graphics have come a long way but those Arena races look a bit basic - and the Khajiit completely different

As for adding more races, I agree. No thanks. Ten is plenty

I'm glad they're not adding anymore.

I'm much happier with the idea of expanding the races we already have, than adding new ones. I personally don't want to see any new playable races until we leave Tamriel. Which could be quite a long while

As long as they add Licantropy like in daggerfall, ill be cool with it.

Right now, we have 4 human shape. 3 elf shape. 3 beat shapes counting orcs.

They could add Drawens, that could be cool. specialy because they exist in the culture and stuff.
And a new one, or a Asian Looking human shape.

12 Could be a good number!

He didn't. It was just implied, at least that's what I got from it.

Does it? Humans of earth have believed they're separable from other 'races' as well, sighting mythological origins. I don't want that to go away, I want a magic world without the obvious physiological rifts. Using the body and skin tones of earth's humans for all races would deprive us of the safe, racial identifiers of fantasy cliches.


Edit: And I know MK likes including social commentary. I think the commentary would be less reticent, if the developers weren't instead focused on maintaining broad, fantasy races, but narrower interpersonal relations, which I believe would complement their divergent cultures. I'm just tired of fantasy races wearing their differences as skin.

I hope we never leave Tamriel. I would rather Bethesda make a game for every province and then start all over again as opposed to creating an entirely new game.

The main difference between the added Imperials and the Orcs is that they were still very much a part of society. Imperials run the Empire itself, and the orcs have a big city that we've just never seen. Falmers, Ayleids, Gorilla people, Dwemer, and Goblins are not a part of Imperial society, nor do they have their own cities and civilizations. If a Falmer went walking down the street, people would be very, very, very confused and shocked. Plus all of the Dwemer and Falmer are supposed to be dead.

Just imagine what it would be like if there was a hidden race of elves on a remote island somewhere in the Atlantic, and they just "appeared" in society. People would be bewildered if you just saw something that isn't supposed to exist - as far as you're aware of - walking down the street.

I would hate if they added new races, it would completely ruin the lore. However, if they added variation to the different races (different types of Khajiit for example), i'd be perfectly okay with that.