Goals & Process
- Achieve the above goals while still obeying our rich and structured lore and storytelling.
- This was one of our more challenging but exciting tasks, as it gave us additional opportunities to work with other teams. We delved deep into our rich and established lore to make bonuses that highlight racial differences. This means that we didn’t outright balance each race to be equal in every avenue of the game, as there’s a story to be told with how the races engage with the world around them. Nords are well known for being hardier races who can take a hit, while High Elves are better at wielding magical spells. If we were to balance them to be equal in both, we’d lose the unique identities of these races.
This is a very important consideration, and I'm happy to see it mentioned. As the balance side of the announced changes has already received considerable feedback, I thought the lore would deserve its own thread.
As a basline for comparison, I'd like to use the last 3 mainline TES games - Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. If I had to source every in-game text and dialogue about what a given race is "like", this post would never end. Out of these three games, Morrowind and Oblivion are mostly consistent, whereas there have been some changes for the races in Skyrim. I'll try to keep these outliers in mind. Further, Morrowind and Oblivion still differentiated between males and females in their attribute bonuses, which I'll also consider.
Altmer
Good Attributes: Intelligence
Bad Attributes: Strength, Speed
Skills: Alchemy,
Alteration,
Conjuration, Enchanting,
Destruction,
Illusion, Mysticism, Restoration
It is clear that Altmer are focused on magical abilities, as all their skill bonuses are related to magic. They also have active powers that increase their maximum magicka or magicka regeneration. All of this is perfectly reflected in their bonuses of 2000 magicka and 258 spell power. The resource return on using a class ability is a nice touch in reference to their hierarchical class society, also reflected in their "Highborn" power from Skyrim. The stamina return sticks out a bit, but as they don't have an outstanding weakness in Endurance of Willpower (attributes that influenced fatigue/stamina), this is not completely out of line. Overall their bonuses are very fitting with their lore.
Argonian
Good Attributes: Intelligence (f), Agility (m), Speed (m)
Bad Attributes: Willpower (m), Endurance, Personality
Skills: Alchemy, Alteration, Athletics, Blade, Hand to Hand, Illusion, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Mysticism, Restoration, Security (Lockpicking, Pickpocket, Sneak), Spear, Unarmored
Argonians aren't only the most sexually dimorphic species, their skill bonuses have also changed constantly. There is not one single skill they've had a bonus to in all three games. However, they have always retained some kind of non-offensive magical affinity (Illusion, Alteration, Mysticism, Restoration) as well as skills that require a considerable amount of agility and dexterity (Athletics, Lockpicking, Sneak). Both of these are reflected in their best attributes of Intelligence, Agility and Speed. What Argonians have never been prior to ESO are tanky people who can take a beating, in fact having a weakness in Endurance and Willpower, and an Argonian in heavy armor is basically unheard of. The only thing this could reference is the "Histskin" power from Skyrim, which granted massive health recovery once a day. The Resourceful passive is appropriate, given the bonus to Alchemy in Morrowind and Oblivion, and Quick to Mend can be a reference to their Restoration bonus from Skyrim. However, there is nothing that would reflect Argonian's agile nature. I would suggest to change the 1000 health bonus to 1000 stamina instead.
The resistance to disease is fitting, however, it should be noted that Argonians had complete poison immunity in Morrowind and Oblivion, which only got removed in Skyrim.
Bosmer
Good Attribute: Agility, Speed
Bad Attribute: Strength, Willpower, Endurance
Skills: Acrobatics,
Alchemy, Alteration,
Light Armor, Lockpicking,
Marksman (Archery), Pickpocket,
Sneak
One of the fastest and most agile races in Tamriel, they also excel in sneaking and ambushed combat. The bonus to stamina and stamina recovery seem perfectly in line with this, as does the new movement speed bonus after a roll dodge. However, stealth detection is not something that would be associated with Bosmer. They should retain their reduced detection radius from the Stealthy passive, even if the stealth bonus damage is to be removed for balance considerations. While they do have a moderate resistance to poison in Skyrim, they are better known for their resistance to disease.
Breton
Good Attributes: Intelligence, Willpower
Bad Attributes: Agility, Endurance, Speed (m), Strength (f)
Skills:
Alchemy,
Alteration,
Conjuration,
Illusion, Mysticism,
Restoration, Speech
Similarly to Altmer, a race excelling in magic - however, not offensively as they've never had a bonus to Destruction magic. Instead, they have higher Willpower than the elves, granting them better magicka recovery. Both these things are perfectly reflected in their 7% cost reduction and 100 magicka recovery bonuses. They also have the highest resistance to magic of all races, so their bonus to spell resistance is appropriate.
Dunmer
Good Attributes: Speed
Bad Attributes: Willpower, Endurance (f), Personality (m)
Skills: Alchemy, Alteration, Athletics, Blade (Long Blade, Short Blade), Blunt,
Destruction, Illusion,
Light Armor, Marksman, Mysticism, Sneak
Dunmer are a jack of all offensive trades, mainly Destruction magic, bladed weapons and bows. They had a bit of an identity crisis with the removal of Mysticism in Skyrim, which rolled their non-offensive magical abilities into Alchemy, Alteration and Illusion, but it's save to say Mysticism would still be their best fit. They do not excel in magic to the degree Altmer or Bretons do, in fact having low Willpower and thus bad magicka recovery. The bonuses to weapon and spell damage as well as 1250 magicka and stamina seem fitting for the Dunmer's dual nature (an option would be to change weapon and spell damage to penetration instead - this would reflect their offensive nature more as it can't be utilized for healing, and give Dunmer something unique). However, the 600 bonus to health is entirely misplaced. I'd recommend removing the health bonus, and instead boosting their magicka further, reflecting their affinity for Mysticism in some way. Their best attribute, Speed, is also entirely absent from their passives. As the fastest race besides Bosmer, they absolutely should have something in this regard - possibly the sprinting bonus currently occupied by Orcs (more on that below). The resistance to fire and burning is obviously perfect.
Imperial
Good Attributes: Personality
Bad Attributes: Agility, Willpower (m), Speed (f)
Skills:
Blade (Long Blade), Block,
Blunt, Destruction, Hand-to-Hand, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, Mercantile,
One-Handed, Restoration, Speechcraft
Imperials are rely a lot on interpersonal skills like Mercantile and Speechcraft (which is possibly missing from Skyrim due to the setting of the Stormcloak Rebellion?). Their combat of choice is physical one-handed with any armor. Their general playstyle is difficult to reflect in ESO, and although the support role of a tank is not too far off, they lack something uniqe in this area. As several races have received an existing item set bonus as a racial bonus in some form, I think a good representation of Imperial's interpersonal skills might be the buff time increase of the Jorvuld's Guidance set, e.g. +20% to all Minor/Major buff times. The block cost reduction certainly does very little, even for tanks. The health gain from the Red Diamond passive is unprecedented, but not too strange - the worst thing that can be said about it is that it is too weak.
Khajiit
Good Attributes: Agility
Bad Attributes: Willpower, Strength (f), Endurance (m)
Skills: Alchemy, Acrobatics, Archery, Athletics,
Blade (Short Blade, One-Handed), Hand-to-Hand, Light Armor,
Security (Lockpicking, Pickpocket),
Sneak
Khajiit are, next to Bosmer and (male) Argonians, the most agile race in Tamriel, with a strong focus on sneaking, stealing and one-handed bladed weapons. All of this is well represented in their bonus to critical hits as well as stamina bonus. Their bonuses to health, magicka and associated recoveries feel unprecedented from a lore perspective, although I can see them as viable efforts to differentiate Khajiit from Bosmer. They are also a good reflection of the Khajiit's morphological variance, with sturdy Cathay-raht and magically gifted Alfiq, even though these subraces are not playable.
However, if there is one race that should have better stealth detection, in the new race changes added to Bosmer, it should be the Khajiit. Their Night Eye ability has always granted them better vision than any other race. My suggestion is to give Khajiit 3m increased detection radius and 3m reduced detection in stealth, and give Bosmer the superior stealth at 5m reduced detection in stealth.
Nord
Good Attributes: Strength, Willpower (f), Endurance (m)
Bad Attributes: Intelligence, Agility, Personality
Skills: Armorer (Smithing), Axe, Blade (Long Blade), Block, Blunt, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor, One-Handed, Two-Handed, Restoration, Spear, Speech
Nords are, next to (male) Redguards, the strongest race in Tamriel, adept with all kinds of weapons and armor for physical combat. However, in ESO, they are relegated entirely to a defensive tank race. While they are quite enduring and steadfast, they are outmatched in this regard by Orcs, and their offensive capabilities (again, as the strongest of all races) are mostly neglected, outside a moderate 1500 stamina bonus. Of course, it should be noted that Nord, Orcs and Redguards aren't that well differentiated in previous games, with all of them being combat-oriented enduring races, compared to more agile or faster ones like Bosmer, Dunmer and Khajiit. It stands to reason that one of them could excel in defense, one in offense, and one in recovery. For that reason, I think it would be best to tweak the new Stalwart passive so that it grants 5 Ultimate every 10 seconds while in combat, not just when taking damage. This would allow for a more offensive use of Nords in line with their brutal heritage, and not upset their current standing as tanks. The resistance to cold and chilled is obviously perfect.
Orc
Good Attributes: Strength, Willpower, Endurance
Bad Attributes: Agility, Speed, Personality
Skills: Armorer (Smithing), Axe, Block, Blunt (One-Handed, Two-Handed), Enchanting, Hand-to-Hand, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor
Orcs are gifted craftsmen, and focus on blunted weapons and heavier armor in combat. They combine strength and endurance like no other race in Tamriel. In ESO however, their bonuses don't reflect that playstyle - but we will concede that from the aforementioned triad of Nord, Orcs and Redguards, they are supposed to be the most aggressive in this game. Their bonus to weapon power is thus not unwarranted. However, their measly bonus of 500 health and stamina is simply too low with respect to their lore as sturdy warriors, as well as in relation to other races' bonuses in ESO. The developer comment mentioned that the defensive capabilities were rolled back in favor of more aggression, but I don't think a good balance have been found here, as other races manage to combine offense and defense or recovery as well. That Khajiit would end up with more health and stamina than Orcs when they also have a massive crit bonus can't be justified from the perspective of the lore. Thus, the health and stamina bonus should at least be increased to 1000.
Another big issue with Orcs is their bonus to sprint speed, namely that they shouldn't have had it to begin with. Canonically,
Orcs are the slowest race in Tamriel. It is one thing to bend racial bonuses a little, or to add something they didn't have before. It is something else entirely to turn a previous outstanding weakness into an advantage. You wouldn't turn Altmer into the strongest race, or Redguard into the most magically gifted. Thus, Orcs should lose this bonus (possibly granting it to Dunmer who are currently lacking in uniqueness) in turn for gaining appropriate health and stamina, as well as improving their unique resource return from Unflinching a bit (mainly the health gain).
Redguard
Good Attributes: Strength (m), Endurance
Bad Attributes: Intelligence, Willpower, Personality (m)
Skills: Alteration, Archery, Athletics, Axe, Blade, Block, Destruction, Blunt, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor, Mercantile, One-Handed, Smithing
Similar to Nords, they have occupied every physical combat niche at least once throughout the games, as they are comparably gifted warriors. Like Orcs they excel in Endurance, which is reflected in ESO with their superior Stamina and Stamina recovery. The reduced weapon ability cost reduction represents their affinity to all kinds of weapons really well, although it curiously also boosts destruction and restoration staffs. There could be an argument for giving them more direct offensive power as well, as they are just as strong as Orcs. However, as they already gain 2000 max stamina, this seems to be well represented.
Summary
Argonian: Remove 1000 health bonus for 1000 stamina; Possibly exchange disease for poison resistance
Bosmer: Remove 3m Stealth detection radius for 5m reduced detection radius; Possibly exchange poison resistance for disease resistance
Dunmer: Remove 600 health bonus for 500 magicka, change 258 weapon and spell power to 2974 weapon and spell penetration, add sprint speed bonus and sprint cost reduction from Orc's Swift Warrior
Imperial: Remove block and bash cost from Red Diamond for +20% duration to all Minor/Major buffs
Khajiit: Reduce 5m reduced detection radius to 3m, add 3m Stealth detection radius
Nord: Change Stalwart's Ultimate gain from
when hit to
when in combat, gain 5 ultimate every 10 seconds
Orc: Increase 500 health and stamina bonus to 1000 health and stamina, remove sprint speed bonus and sprint cost reduction, improve health gain from Unflinching
Obviously, there'd have to be some balancing in the actual magnitudes of these changes. The primary objective was to keep the bonuses more in line with established lore while adding unique bonuses for every race and not upsetting current builds too much.
