Summary
There are ten canonically playable races inThe Elder Scrollsgames, with the caveat that both Orcs and Imperials were unavailable to select inArenaandDaggerfall, andOblivion Remasteredfollows suit by using the same ten as the original title. The series has long been hailed as one of the best franchises for roleplaying, and with it featuring some iconic races like Argonians and Khajiit, the potential is always huge in each game.Oblivion Remastered’s racesare not exactly born equal, much like other games in the series, as each one has its own bonuses to skills and stats. However, one race stands taller than the rest, especially when combined with one specific Birthsign.
Birthsigns are essentially the in-game equivalent of constellations, with each of them providing bonuses based on the archetype they descend from, with the major ones being The Warrior, The Mage, and The Rogue.Oblivion Remasteredis mostly a 1:1 version of the original, but it does take liberties to make some small or significant changes. For example,Oblivion Remastered’s Hand-to-Hand skill is much stronger than its original counterpart. The same holds true for some other features, including one Birthsign that pairs perfectly with the “best” race in the game.
Why The Breton is The Best Race in Oblivion Remastered
SinceOblivion Remasteredis first and foremost an RPG, one may argue that there is no good or bad choice when making a character, and that is true even for bizarre combinations like a warrior Khajiit with The Mage Birthsign. In fact, the choice of race, Birthsign, and class can merge to make some pretty unique builds, and even the strangest combinations can be pretty powerful. Yet, purely from a gameplay and mechanical perspective,Oblivion Remastered’s best race is the Breton, whereas the best Birthsign is The Lord. Put together, these two make for a nearly invincible character right out of the gate.
Race and Background
40
30
50
-25% Fire, Frost, Shock Resistance, +75% Resist Disease, 100 Magicka Bonus
Star of the West, Voice of the Emperor
45
35
25
Beast Tongue, +75% Disease Resistance
Regardless of its background, theBreton is OP inOblivion Remasteredbecause of its bonus to Magicka of 50, accompanied by a resistance to all magical damage of 50%. Most characters will end up using spells inOblivion Remasteredto some degree, so the bonus to Magicka is rarely wasted. More importantly, the +50% Resistance to Magic is incredibly strong because it means that players effectively take half the damage of any magical ability thrown at them.
Backgrounds in Oblivion Remasteredare the equivalent of the gender-based attribute modifiers of the original.
Why The Breton is Perfect for Expert or Master Playthroughs in Oblivion Remastered
This can make all the difference in difficulties like Expert and Master. SinceOblivion Remasteredhas a difficulty problemwhere Adept might be too easy and the curve between it and Expert might be too steep, it’s not uncommon for fans to start an Expert or Master playthrough at some point. The magical damage resistance of the Breton is always powerful, but in Expert and Master, it can be a matter of life or death.
For example,Oblivion Remastered’s Altmeris another fantastic choice for Magicka-based characters, but it comes with a weakness to Fire, Frost, and Shock of 25%, meaning that elemental spells are effectively 75% more powerful against High Elves than Bretons, which can be a huge problem. For other builds that focus mainly on physical attributes or skills like Sneak, Marksman, and Security, other races may be better suited, but nothing beats the sheer tankiness of the Breton.
Why The Lord is The Best Birthsign in Oblivion Remastered
Given that the Breton is the single best race in the game, with it being great even forbattlemage builds inOblivion Remasteredwhen choosing the Systres background for added Strength, it pairs nicely with virtually any Birthsign. There are 13 Birthsigns in the game, and The Lord is the single best one to pair with the Breton.
+100 Magicka, -100% Resistance to Magic
+150 Magicka, 50% chance to absorb spells, cannot regenerate Magicka
+15% Shield, +15% Resistance to Magic
The Lover
Lover’s Kiss - Paralyze a target for 10 seconds and reduce the player’s Fatigue by 120
+50 Magicka
The Ritual
Mara’s Gift - Restore 200 health, Blessed Word - Turn Undead for 30 seconds
The Serpent
Serpent Spell - Deal 3 damage for 20 seconds, cure Poison, Dispel 90, and damage the player’s Fatigue by 100
Moonshadow - Invisibility for 60 seconds
+10 Agility, +10 Speed, +10 Luck
The Tower
Tower Key - Open locks of Average difficulty, Tower Warden - Reflect 5% of all incoming damage for 120 seconds
The Warrior
+10 Strength, +10 Endurance
The reason whyThe Lord is the best Birthsign inOblivion Remastered, at least for most playthroughs on Expert or Master, is that it provides two very strong defensive bonuses. +15% Shield adds to the player’s Armor Rating depending on how much this value is, with it being 15 if the character is wearing no armor and just clothes (which is beneficial to do if using a lot of spells, especially Illusion spells, as both Light and Heavy Armor reduce spell effectiveness).
On top of that, players also have an incredibly valuable +15% Resistance to Magic, which is cumulative with the Breton’s innate bonus, making it 65% total if used together. This means that one can then useOblivion Remastered’s Mundane Ringto max Resistance to Magic, even without The Lord Birthsign. However, one can also use Sigil Stones from Oblivion Gates to increase Resistance to Magic without needing the Mundane Ring, which can be hard to find.
Oblivion Remastered’s Best Build For Expert and Master Difficulty Explained
Combined withHeavy Armor inOblivion Remastered, a Breton with The Lord Birthsign, possibly using a shield with the Block skill as one of the chosen class' Major Skills, is nearly invincible from the get-go, having the strongest level 1 experience on Expert or Master. Since Expert and Master difficulties dramatically reduce the damage players deal as well as the damage enemies deal, being extra tanky is extremely important. This is why a common build features the Breton race, The Lord Birthsign, and a selection of Major Skills that include Conjuration, Restoration, Heavy Armor, Block, and Blunt.
It’s worth noting that Blunt can give a massive defensive boost to this build thanks to its inherent bonus to Shield provided by Power Attacks at Journeyman level, which is further increased at Master level.
If one were to pit all the various race and Birthsign combinations in the game against one another inOblivion Remastered’s infamous Arena, the result may very well be that a Breton with The Lord Birthsign is the last one standing. Players trying to go for the tankiest build possible would need to pick the following:
Oblivion Remastered’s Conjurationis almost mandatory on Expert or Master difficulty because, while players deal less damage to enemies and take more damage from them, this doesn’t apply to summons, which deal damage as if they were on Adept difficulty. The remaining two slots for the custom class' Major Skills would be open, but ideally players would need something like Alchemy, Armorer, Destruction, Mysticism, or Alteration, depending on personal preference, roleplay scenarios, etc.
