There are two parts to selecting your character’s race. You may also unlock “ Any Race, Any Alliance” for 1500 crowns in the crown store – but be mindful you cannot change faction after character creation! This is not a big issue for most newcomers, but you should check out the Factions page to familiarize yourself with what they stand for, just so you know the company you’ll keep!. The alliance you belong to has only one effect in modern ESO: locks you into that faction’s group in PvP (in Cyrodiil). Each Faction has 3 races, and Imperials are also available as a special buy that allows you to join any of the Alliances. It is also important to know that Races are locked into Factions in ESO. While you can change your Race later if you really want to, it will cost you money, and a bit of investigation could save you nearly 30 USD. For this reason, it does make some sense to spend time researching what Race to play, even if you don’t anticipate playing in any serious capacity. Many players start out not knowing what commitment level they will have to the game, and often times they become much more “hardcore” than they originally intended.
While Race is not the most important component of your Build in ESO, their Passives do have an impact, particularly in more challenging content or PvP. Should I worry about Race and Racial Bonuses?
