Choosing your race in The Elder Scrolls Online shapes your Templar before you ever cast a skill.
The debate over the elder scrolls online best race for templar comes down to one surprising fact: racial passives in ESO account for only a small slice of your total damage or healing output, yet most top raid builds still narrow their choices to just two or three races. That gap confuses new players.
You want the strongest start without wasting a race change token or a character slot. This guide breaks down the five strongest race options for magicka and stamina Templars, compares their passives side by side, and tells you exactly which pick fits your playstyle.
Why Race Choice Matters for Templar Builds
Race is a foundational choice because Templars lean heavily on either magicka (healers and casters) or stamina (melee DPS), and racial passives boost one or the other. A Templar's core spammable, Puncturing Sweep, scales with your primary resource, so any passive that adds max magicka or stamina compounds across every hit.
Understanding the elder scrolls online best race for templar helps you avoid costly mistakes down the line.
According to the UESP wiki, which documents ESO's racial passives from live game data, most racial bonuses add roughly 2,000 points to a resource pool plus a percentage boost to damage, recovery, or cost reduction. That translates to a modest but permanent edge in trials and battlegrounds.
When players research the elder scrolls online best race for templar, they often overlook how early these passives start working.
The elder scrolls online best race for templar pick also affects early leveling, since passives are active from level 1. How to apply this: decide your role (DPS, healer, or tank) before you create the character, then match the race below to that role.
Breton: The Magicka Templar's Best Friend
Breton is widely considered the strongest magicka race in the game, and the reasoning holds up under inspection. Bretons receive a large boost to their magicka pool, reduced magicka costs on all abilities, and bonus spell resistance. For many players, the elder scrolls online best race for templar healers has been Breton since launch.
For a healer or magicka DPS Templar, the cost reduction is the standout. Templar healers spam Restoring Focus and Rushed Ceremony frequently, so a percent-based cost reduction adds up over a long trial fight. UESP's documented passive values confirm Bretons get both a flat magicka increase and a percentage cost reduction, a rare combination.
That efficiency is why Breton remains a top contender for the elder scrolls online best race for templar in group content.
- Best for: healers, magicka DPS, PvP casters
- Key passives: increased magicka pool, magicka cost reduction, spell resistance
- Weakness: no stamina or weapon damage support for hybrid builds
Pick Breton if you plan to heal group content. How to apply this: on character creation, check the Breton passive list on UESP and confirm it matches your intended magicka role before locking it in.
Dark Elf: The Best Hybrid Option
Dark Elf (Dunmer) is the flexible pick, and many raiders consider it the elder scrolls online best race for templar across multiple roles. Dark Elves gain a boost to both magicka and stamina pools plus bonus weapon and spell damage — the only race that meaningfully supports both resources.
When versatility matters most, Dunmer consistently ranks as the elder scrolls online best race for templar players who refuse to be locked into one build.
That dual support matters because modern ESO builds increasingly run hybrid gear after Update 18-era changes flattened the gap between weapon and spell damage scaling. A Dark Elf Templar can swap between a magicka jabs build and a stamina build without feeling handicapped.
This adaptability is exactly why many veteran players call the elder scrolls online best race for templar flexibility "Dark Elf."
In one case study from trial leaderboards, hybrid-capable races like Dark Elf appear frequently on damage meters because players can adapt mid-fight when resources run dry. The race rewards players who haven't fully committed to one role. If you are still deciding between magicka and stamina, the elder scrolls online best race for templar experimentation is Dunmer without question.
How to apply this: if you want one Templar that can fill DPS in trials and healing in dungeons, choose Dark Elf and invest passives into whichever resource your current build uses.
High Elf: Maximum Magicka Damage
High Elf (Altmer) is the aggressive magicka choice. Where Bretons focus on efficiency, High Elves focus on raw output: a large magicka pool increase plus periodic magicka recovery while in combat. For pure damage ceiling, many argue the elder scrolls online best race for templar DPS is High Elf.
For a magicka DPS Templar running Puncturing Sweep or a Solar Barrage rotation, sustained recovery lets you keep casting when other races would be rationing magicka. UESP documents the Altmer recovery passive as triggering periodically during combat, effectively adding free resources over long fights.
That sustained output keeps High Elf in the conversation for the elder scrolls online best race for templar damage dealers.
- Best for: magicka DPS, solo players who want uptime
- Key passives: magicka pool increase, in-combat magicka recovery
- Weakness: no cost reduction, no stamina support
A common scenario: a solo Templar running world bosses stays in combat for minutes at a time, and the recovery passive keeps the rotation alive without heavy potion use. How to apply this: choose High Elf if your priority is damage output and you manage healing through the Templar's own skills.
Imperial and Orc: The Stamina and Tank Picks
Stamina Templars and tanks have two strong options. Imperial grants bonuses to health and stamina plus the Red Diamond passive, which heals you when you deal physical damage — excellent survivability for tanks and solo play. Orc boosts stamina, weapon damage, and movement speed, making it the raw DPS choice for stamina builds.
For melee-focused players, the elder scrolls online best race for templar stamina builds usually comes down to these two.
Stamina Templars rely on Jabs and Biting Jabs, which cost stamina and scale with weapon damage, so the Orc package maps directly onto that rotation. Tanks, meanwhile, benefit from Imperial's health pool and self-healing in trials where blockers eat heavy damage.
When survivability is your priority, the elder scrolls online best race for templar tanks is Imperial, while Orc takes the crown for pure stamina damage.
| Race | Best role | Key passive | Action to take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breton | Healer, mag DPS | Magicka cost reduction | Pick for trial healing |
| Dark Elf | Hybrid | Both pools + damage | Pick for flexibility |
| High Elf | Mag DPS | In-combat recovery | Pick for damage uptime |
| Orc | Stam DPS | Stamina + weapon damage | Pick for Jabs builds |
| Imperial | Tank, solo | Health + self-heal | Pick for survivability |
How to apply this: scan the table, find your intended role, and lock that race at character creation to avoid a 3,000-crown race change later.
Can You Play a "Non-Meta" Race Without Losing Power?
Yes — and this is the secret most players miss. Racial passives contribute a real but small share of overall build performance. Your gear set, champion points, rotation, and group composition each outweigh race by a wide margin.
Community DPS parsers such as ESO Logs let you compare your output against top performers, and race rarely explains a meaningful gap between an average and an excellent parse. Build sites like ESO-Hub publish full builds where race is listed as an "ideal, not required" component.
As the official Elder Scrolls Online philosophy has long held, character identity should matter more than a spreadsheet. The elder scrolls online best race for templar is ultimately the one that keeps you playing. How to apply this: test your current character's parse before spending crowns on a race change.
Frequently Asked Questions About elder scrolls online best race for templar
What is the best race for a Templar healer?
Breton is the standard answer thanks to magicka cost reduction. If you plan to PvP as a healer, consider Khajiit or Breton for the sustain edge. The elder scrolls online best race for templar healers in trials remains Breton, but any magicka-friendly race works below the hardest content.
Does race matter more for PvE or PvP Templars?
Race matters slightly more in high-end PvE, where parse benchmarks reward every point of damage. In PvP, player skill, sets, and positioning dominate outcomes. Many veteran PvPers play off-meta races and still perform well in Battlegrounds and Imperial City.
Many players argue the elder scrolls online best race for templar choice matters more for PvE parsing than PvP, where skill and positioning decide fights.
Can I change my Templar's race after creation?
Yes, through a Race Change Token purchased from the Crown Store in-game. It costs real money, so decide carefully at creation. Alliance is locked to your race for most races, with the exception of the Any Race, Any Alliance battle level upgrade sold separately.
Is Nord a good race for a Templar tank?
Nord is one of the strongest tank races in the game due to increased health, resistances, and Ultimate generation. For trial main-tanking, Nord competes directly with Imperial. Many progression guild tanks run Nord Templars in veteran trials.
Which race should a beginner Templar choose?
Dark Elf or Breton. Dark Elf covers you if you haven't decided between magicka and stamina, while Breton's sustain makes leveling smoother. The elder scrolls online best race for templar beginner pick is whichever keeps early quests forgiving — Dark Elf edges ahead for that flexibility.
Conclusion
Race choice in ESO is an optimization, not a gatekeeper. Here's what to remember:
- Breton for healing and magicka efficiency
- Dark Elf for hybrid flexibility across roles
- High Elf for magicka damage, Orc for stamina damage, Imperial for tanking and solo play
- Race contributes far less to performance than gear, rotation, and practice
The elder scrolls online best race for templar is the one matched to your role — and matched early, so you never need a race change token. Next step: open the character creation screen, pick your role from the comparison table above, and start leveling today. Your future trial group will thank you.
