Summary
- The Breton race in Oblivion Remastered is OP due to 50 bonus Magicka and 50% magic resistance.
- The Lord Birthsign in Oblivion Remastered provides +15% Shield and +15% Resistance to Magic, which is amazing with the Breton.
- The tankiest build for Expert/Master in Oblivion Remastered: Breton, The Lord Birthsign, Major Skills like Conjuration, Restoration, and Heavy Armor.
There are ten canonically playable races in The Elder Scrolls games, with the caveat that both Orcs and Imperials were unavailable to select in Arena and Daggerfall, and Oblivion Remastered follows 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 races are 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 Remastered is 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.
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Why The Breton is The Best Race in Oblivion Remastered
Since Oblivion Remastered is 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 |
Strength |
Intelligence |
Willpower |
Agility |
Speed |
Endurance |
Personality |
Luck |
Bonus |
|
Argonian (Arnesia) |
40 |
40 |
30 |
50 |
50 |
30 |
30 |
50 |
Immune to Poison, Breathe Under Water |
|
Argonian (Thornmarsh) |
40 |
50 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
30 |
30 |
50 |
Immune to Poison, Breathe Under Water |
|
Breton (Systres) |
40 |
50 |
50 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
Dragon Skin, 50 Magicka Bonus, +50% Magic Resistance |
|
Breton (High Rock) |
30 |
50 |
50 |
30 |
40 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
Dragon Skin, 50 Magicka Bonus, +50% Magic Resistance |
|
Dunmer (Vvardenfell) |
40 |
40 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
40 |
30 |
50 |
+75% Fire Resistance, Summon Ancestor Guardian |
|
Dunmer (Mainland) |
40 |
40 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
+75% Fire Resistance, Summon Ancestor Guardian |
|
Altmer (Auridon) |
30 |
50 |
40 |
40 |
30 |
40 |
40 |
50 |
-25% Fire, Frost, Shock Resistance, +75% Resist Disease, 100 Magicka Bonus |
|
Altmer (Summerset Isle) |
30 |
50 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
-25% Fire, Frost, Shock Resistance, +75% Resist Disease, 100 Magicka Bonus |
|
Imperial (Nibenay) |
40 |
40 |
30 |
30 |
40 |
40 |
50 |
50 |
Star of the West, Voice of the Emperor |
|
Imperial (Colovia) |
40 |
40 |
40 |
30 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
50 |
Star of the West, Voice of the Emperor |
|
Khajiit (Anequina) |
40 |
40 |
30 |
50 |
40 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
Eye of Night, Eye of Fear |
|
Khajiit (Pellitine) |
30 |
40 |
30 |
50 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
50 |
Eye of Night, Eye of Fear |
|
Nord (Western) |
50 |
30 |
30 |
40 |
40 |
50 |
30 |
50 |
Nordic Frost, Woad, +50% Frost Resistance |
|
Nord (Eastern) |
50 |
30 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
30 |
50 |
Nordic Frost, Woad, +50% Frost Resistance |
|
Orsimer (Stronghold) |
45 |
30 |
50 |
35 |
30 |
50 |
30 |
50 |
Berserk, +25% Magic Resistance |
|
Orsimer (Orsinium) |
45 |
40 |
45 |
35 |
30 |
50 |
25 |
50 |
Berserk, +25% Magic Resistance |
|
Redguard (Dragontail Mountains) |
50 |
30 |
30 |
40 |
40 |
50 |
30 |
50 |
Adrenaline Rush, +75% Poison Resistance, +75% Disease Resistance |
|
Redguard (Alik'r Desert) |
40 |
30 |
30 |
40 |
40 |
50 |
40 |
50 |
Adrenaline Rush, +75% Poison Resistance, +75% Disease Resistance |
|
Bosmer (Grathwood) |
30 |
40 |
30 |
50 |
50 |
40 |
30 |
50 |
Beast Tongue, +75% Disease Resistance |
|
Bosmer (Reaper's March) |
30 |
40 |
30 |
50 |
50 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
Beast Tongue, +75% Disease Resistance |
Regardless of its background, the Breton is OP in Oblivion Remastered because of its bonus to Magicka of 50, accompanied by a resistance to all magical damage of 50%. Most characters will end up using spells in Oblivion Remastered to 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 Remastered are 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. Since Oblivion Remastered has a difficulty problem where 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 Altmer is 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.
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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 for battlemage builds in Oblivion Remastered when 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.
|
Birthsign |
Effect |
|
The Apprentice |
+100 Magicka, -100% Resistance to Magic |
|
The Atronach |
+150 Magicka, 50% chance to absorb spells, cannot regenerate Magicka |
|
The Lady |
+10 Willpower, +10 Endurance |
|
The Lord |
+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 |
|
The Mage |
+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 |
|
The Shadow |
Moonshadow - Invisibility for 60 seconds |
|
The Steed |
+20 Speed |
|
The Thief |
+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 why The Lord is the best Birthsign in Oblivion 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 use Oblivion Remastered's Mundane Ring to 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.
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Oblivion Remastered's Best Build For Expert and Master Difficulty Explained
Combined with Heavy Armor in Oblivion 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 in Oblivion 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:
- Breton race, preferably Systres background for extra Strength
- The Lord Birthsign
-
Custom class with the following:
- Either Combat or Magic Specialization
- Either Strength and Endurance or Intelligence and Endurance as the main attributes
-
Major Skills:
- Block
- Blunt
- Conjuration
- Heavy Armor
- Restoration
Oblivion Remastered's Conjuration is 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.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 22, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure
