Skrym, in terms of popularity, is definitely the game of the year, even though Modern Warfare 3 had a whole lot more sales. Still, from our point of view, MW 3 had success mainly because of the clever marketing strategies while Skrym, on the other hand, was something new, and a whole lot different than all the other games we've been used with: clever graphics, good gameplay with a lot of races you can play with, but also memorable scenes that are still being talked about (like the "took an arrow in the knee" one used by the 9gag visitors).

Speaking of races, chosing the proper one might be the toughest choice you could take in the game, as it wil influence your evolution in the game, but also the time spent at exploring caves or fighting with the enemies.
In the following lines, we'll try to describe every Race in part, so depending what you are generally good at, you can chose the most suitable one for you: for instance, The ORC starts with 10 points of heavy armor, while The Altmer is good at Illusion and Enchanting.

Got your attention now? Good, cause we will talk in detail in the following lines about each race in part.

The Khajit

The Khajit is one of the first Species that you will find in the Elder Scrolls series. Although it's furry and somehow has a fluffy aspect, it's a hell of an assasin: the acrobatic skills are generally so good, that they will remind you of Prince of Persia or even Assassin's Creed; simply put, the Khajit is an excellent thief and assasin. Still, it's important to know that it does not have any skills beside the ones that all the Races comes equipped with, Flames and Healing. You can rely on him for physical attacks or sneaking through the enemy lines, but don't expect him to cast powerful spells.
Here are its initially racial stats:

• +10 Sneak;
• +5 Alchemy;
• +5 One-Handed;
• +5 Archery;
• +5 Lockpicking;
• +5 Pickpocket;

Also, worthy of mentioning, there are its racial abilities:

•   Night Eye: allows the player to have an improved eyesight during the night for 60 seconds at a time;
•   Claws: with them, the Khajit can do 15 points of damage every time it hits somebody;

The ORC
One of the best Races for physical attacks. The Orcs, known also as Orsimers, are the best option for the players that prefer the classic heroic way: they use heavy armors and two-handed weapons like battle axes or war hammers. They are not experts in magic, but however can learn and use medium spells. Nothing complicate though, even if casting spells is really respected in their communities.

Racial Starting Stats:

•   +10 Heavy Armor;
•   +5 Enchanting;
•   +5 Smithing;
•   +5 Block;
•   +5 Two-handed;
•   +5 One-Handed;

As for the racial abilities, they are known for their Beserker skills, that allow them to get only 50% damage and hit 200% harder for 60 seconds at a time.

The Redguard

Excellent runners and adventurers, the Redguards can adapt to any conditions in the game: can deal and wear most of the armors and weapon, but however don’t seem to like too much to use magic. Still, from all the Races, they are the most appropriate ones for exploring caves and lands, mainly because of their racial ability of regenerating stamina 10 times faster in a period of 60 seconds.

Racial Starting Stats:

•   +10 One-handed;
•   +5 Destruction;
•   +5 Alteration;
•   +5 Smithing;
•   +5 Block;
•   +5 Archery;

Racial Abilities:

•   Adrenaline Rush: Stamina regenerates 10x faster for 60 seconds;
•   Resist Poison: 50% resistant to poison;

The Bosmer

Bosmers are natural born archers, which due to their origins (they are known as the Wood Elves), are great for long range combat: possessing a good agility, but also advanced skills for archery and alchemy, they can easily travel through the Tamriel woods. Moreover, they can also be successful woods, and can even command animals (transform them into their allies) for short periods of time.

Racial Starting Stats:

• +10 Archery;
• +5 Alchemy;
• +5 Light Armor;
• +5 Sneak;
• +5 Lockpicking;
• +5 Pickpocket;

Racial Abilities:

•   Resist Poison and Disease: 50% resistant to poison and disease.
•   Command Animals: Make an animal an ally for 60 seconds.

Use them if you like to stay out of close combat, but also if you are that type of player that like combining agility with power and accuracy in order to obtain the perfect fighter.

The Nord

This Race approaches pretty much to the classical view of the Warrior: located in Skrym and living in a military-like society, they feel very comfortable at war, even if they are in the first lines. Skilled at handcrafting powerful armors and weapons, they can play as a soldier, but also as a blacksmith, without any sort of problems. You’ll be surprised to see how well they can handle the two-handed weapons, therefore if you are usually a Warrior or a Barbarian in the classic RPG games, this race is definitely for you.
Racial Starting Stats:

• +10 Two-Handed;
• +5 Smithing;
• +5 Block;
• +5 One-Handed;
• +5 Light Armor;
• +5 Speech;

Racial Abilities:

1.   Battlecry: Target flees for 30 seconds;
2.   Resist Frost: 50% resistant to frost;

The Imperial
Not as impressive as the other races, and by far not the best race in Skrym, the Imperial forces are usually civilized people, and more bureaucratic approached, rather than close to the war field. They are usually located in the Cryodiil, and can be used as a light infantryman. Good at restoration and calming down the people, they are recommended to the players that like to explore everything and get as much money they can find through the different lands they are exploring. They aren’t good at two-handed weapons, nor can they wear extremely heavy armors. Still, they are still a fast race that can easily represent a ménage on the war field, especially against heavy and slow enemies.
Racial Starting Stats:

•  +10 Restoration;
•  +5 Destruction;
•  +5 Enchanting;
•  +5 Heavy Armor;
•  +5 Block;
•  +5 One-Handed;

Racial Abilities:

•  Voice of the Emperor: Calms nearby people for 60 seconds;
•  Imperial Luck: Imperials find more coins;

 

The Altmer

They are known as the perfect sorcerers, even though they are closely related to the Redguards. Altmers are the most advanced type of Elves that you will see in the whole game. However, despite their elvic origins, they don’t like to wear heavy armors, nor bows. Instead, they use a scepter and a robe, and generally speaking, they stay out of the close range combat, preferring to cast spells over their enemies. However, they wear a small sword, or any other type of light weapon, just in case an enemy passes over their safe line.

Racial Starting Stats:

Racial Abilites

• Highborn: Regenerate Magicka faster for 60 seconds;
• Highborn: High Elves are born with 50 extra magicka;

The advantage of playing with this Race is the fact that, even from the start, they will have one extra spell, the Fury, spell that makes the creatures and people up to level 6 to attack anything nearby for 30 seconds. This can be a major advantage, especially in the beginning of the game.

 

The Dunmer

Located in the Red Mountain, the Dunmer is a dark elf born from the ashes of Battle of Red Mountain. Very versatile warriors with the ability to use blades, hammers, bows and magic, they can change their weapons, depending of the battle conditions. Still, they prefer to use light weapons, so they can move fast on the battle field.
Racial Starting Stats:

•  +10 Destruction;
•  +5 Alchemy;
•  +5 Illusion;
•  +5 Alteration;
•  +5 Light Armor;
•  +5 Sneak;

Racial Abilities:

•  Resist Fire: 50% resistant to fire;
•  Ancestor’s Wrath: For 60 seconds, enemies that get too close take 8 fire damage per second;

Extra Starting Spell:

•   Sparks: Lightning that does 8 points of shock damage to health and magicka per second (and no, has nothing to do with Edward Cullen)

The Breton

The Bretons are not necessarily specialized only on one type of fighting, as they come in different forms, from peasants to powerful soldiers and sorcerers. However, they have developed in time a magic resistance, therefore they can be successfully used in battles against black sorcerers.
Racial Starting Stats:

•  +10 Conjuration;
•  +5 Alchemy;
•  +5 Illusion;
•  +5 Restoration;
•  +5 Alteration;
•  +5 Speech;

Racial Abilities:

•  Dragonskin: Absorb 50% of magicka from hostile spells for 60 seconds;
•  Magicka Resistance: 25% resistance to magicka;

Extra Starting Spell

• Conjure Familiar: Summons a Familiar for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing;

The Argonian

Argonians, habitants of the Black Marsh are the perfect sorcerers. Fast and skilled, they are an unique Race, as they also have the ability of changing their gender, in order to escape from certain situations. Argonians, which are somehow similar to the Reptilians (from other games), are also great thieves, and can easily picklock any kind of lock.

Racial Starting Stats:

•   +10 Lockpicking;
•   +5 Restoration;
•   +5 Alteration;
•   +5 Light Armor;
•   +5 Sneak;
•   +5 Pickpocket;

Racial Abilities:

• Histskin: Recover health 10x faster for 60 seconds;
• Resist Disease: 50% resistant to disease;
• Underwater Breathing: Breathe underwater;