Sucks that I despise elves...

[LotusEater]

They make awesome mages.

I try to play high elf builds. I just tried last night. Didn't even get to Whiterun with him. I realized that I'm playing a character that I would rather take to Bard's Leap and fail on purpose.

My loathing of elves has nothing to do with the treaties or who's controlling what in Skyrim. I've despised high elves since I was a kid and played Dungeon's & Dragons. There is just something about the attitude and the way they seem to tolerate humans the same way one might tolerate a stray dog. I don't thing I'll ever be able to get past the superiority complex that all high elves seem to hold towards humans. The whole 'you don't live for thousands of years so you don't know what your talking about' vibe doesn't work for me.

Even though I can't see myself most of the time, I know I'm an elf and it just doesn't work for me which is odd since I'm usually able to overlook such things in the spirit of gameplay. All the other elf races seem fine. I played a dark elf for quite a spell and had no issues. Had a wood elf hunter for a while too, he was one of my favorite builds. But high elves... no sir.

Anyone else had a build come to a screeching halt because you realized that you can't stand yourself?

 

[Vaga8ond]

Yeah I come to realize I can't take seriously any race but either Bosmer or Redguard.

 

[Jei El]

I learned. ARGONIANS WILL RULE THE WORLD!

 

[Anouck]

I usually roleplay with my characters. Otherwise I limit myself way too much. If I let my character do what I'd do, that would mean the Dark Brotherhood, the Stormcloaks, and the Thieves Guild questlines would be completely ignored.
Do I think the High Elves come off as condescended? Yes. Do I think they are arrogant? Most of them, yes. But that doesn't mean I agree with that as soon as I decide to make my little character an Altmer. I take some distance, as I did with my assasins built, and try to do what my character would do. Because of that I don't get annoyed by certain traits.

Also, not all the High Elves are like that. Why don't you roleplay your Altmer is in the resistence against the Aldmeri Dominion? A spy for the Imperial Legion / the Stormcloaks?

Chosing a character you're usually uncomfortable with, can make a very interesting game.

 

[LotusEater]

I've been playing a lot of mage builds lately and I've been pretty much going Breton every time. I like having Conjure Familiar out of the gate, 25% MR is great to start building your MR from and Dragonskin is a great ability against Dragon Priests. Lately I've been pushing Magic Absorption, which when developed to a high percentage renders MR somewhat redundant. So I wanted to try another race for a strict mage build and high elves are an obviously great choice... but I just can't do it.

 

[LotusEater]

I usually roleplay with my characters. Otherwise I limit myself way too much. If I let my character do what I'd do, that would mean the Dark Brotherhood, the Stormcloaks, and the Thieves Guild questlines would be completely ignored.
Do I think the High Elves come off as condescended? Yes. Do I think they are arrogant? Most of them, yes. But that doesn't mean I agree with that as soon as I decide to make my little character an Altmer. I take some distance, as I did with my assasins built, and try to do what my character would do. Because of that I don't get annoyed by certain traits.

Also, not all the High Elves are like that. Why don't you roleplay your Altmer is in the resistence against the Aldmeri Dominion? A spy for the Imperial Legion / the Stormcloaks?

Chosing a character you're usually uncomfortable with, can make a very interesting game.

In hear ya, and those are good points. What can I say? It's irrational. I have roleplaying in my blood. Been roleplaying in one form or another for the past 30 years (yes, I'm old). I make every kind of build you can imagine... I even ran an orc that hates and assassinates orcs for fun and it was great. After quite a few kills he ran in to Meeko by chance and through the companionship of his new friend, learned forgiveness and changed his life around. Then he saw some orcs battling a giant and him and Meeko helped out. Rest is history.

Point I'm trying to make is that despite the way some of my posts might read, all of my builds are very heavy on roleplay and normally I have no problem occupying the skin of another race and roleplaying it. I just seem to have some sort of block when it comes to high elves. I just cannot do it for some reason.

And I really want that extra 50 magicka too.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I've been playing one for a while now and y'all know how much trouble I had getting going with him due to built in prejudices.

After making him very human in appearance and adopting the attitude that he hates Thalmor & Vigilan of Stendar, I'm having a great deal of fun. No one beats an Altmer for magic. No one. They start with a big advantage and it gets wider the further they go. Plus, as a very, very tall and big person myself, somehow I can relate to his toweriing over everybody else.

 

[LotusEater]

I've been playing one for a while now and y'all know how much trouble I had getting going with him due to built in prejudices.

After making him very human in appearance and adopting the attitude that he hates Thalmor & Vigilan of Stendar, I'm having a great deal of fun. No one beats an Altmer for magic. No one. They start with a big advantage and it gets wider the further they go. Plus, as a very, very tall and big person myself, somehow I can relate to his toweriing over everybody else.

I know right... if you grab the Robes and Hood from Helgen, you are looking at 180 magicka before you see your first archer. That's pretty sick.

Well, you've given me hope so thanks for that. I'll try what you suggested and make him look as human as humanly possible.

 

[Anouck]

I usually roleplay with my characters. Otherwise I limit myself way too much. If I let my character do what I'd do, that would mean the Dark Brotherhood, the Stormcloaks, and the Thieves Guild questlines would be completely ignored.
Do I think the High Elves come off as condescended? Yes. Do I think they are arrogant? Most of them, yes. But that doesn't mean I agree with that as soon as I decide to make my little character an Altmer. I take some distance, as I did with my assasins built, and try to do what my character would do. Because of that I don't get annoyed by certain traits.

Also, not all the High Elves are like that. Why don't you roleplay your Altmer is in the resistence against the Aldmeri Dominion? A spy for the Imperial Legion / the Stormcloaks?

Chosing a character you're usually uncomfortable with, can make a very interesting game.

In hear ya, and those are good points. What can I say? It's irrational. I have roleplaying in my blood. Been roleplaying in one form or another for the past 30 years (yes, I'm old). I make every kind of build you can imagine... I even ran an orc that hates and assassinates orcs for fun and it was great. After quite a few kills he ran in to Meeko by chance and through the companionship of his new friend, learned forgiveness and changed his life around. Then he saw some orcs battling a giant and him and Meeko helped out. Rest is history.

Point I'm trying to make is that despite the way some of my posts might read, all of my builds are very heavy on roleplay and normally I have no problem occupying the skin of another race and roleplaying it. I just seem to have some sort of block when it comes to high elves. I just cannot do it for some reason.

And I really want that extra 50 magicka too.

I don't really understand how you can have such strong feelings about this. After all, it is only a game. It won't have severe consequences for you to give it a shot. And I know you did before, but how long did you play with those characters? Maybe you really need to put a few hours (in a row?) into a High Elf until you get the hang of it and actually start enjoying it. Unless you don't distance yourself enough from the characters, I don't see how that strong feeling of disliking can win. And if you really keep disliking it, well.. Then I guess it is not worth the 50 magicka. If you don't enjoy it, there is no point in doing it anyways. With games at least.

 

[Mr Forz]

If anything, you could play one on the purpose of being different. Make an altmer battlemage in dragonbone armor, spit on the Thalmor, pay your respects to the Nords deserving it.

It's impossible to see 'myself' as a dock worker or some pirate with all the time I spent playing my main concept.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I've been playing one for a while now and y'all know how much trouble I had getting going with him due to built in prejudices.

After making him very human in appearance and adopting the attitude that he hates Thalmor & Vigilan of Stendar, I'm having a great deal of fun. No one beats an Altmer for magic. No one. They start with a big advantage and it gets wider the further they go. Plus, as a very, very tall and big person myself, somehow I can relate to his toweriing over everybody else.

I know right... if you grab the Robes and Hood from Helgen, you are looking at 180 magicka before you see your first archer. That's pretty sick.

Well, you've given me hope so thanks for that. I'll try what you suggested and make him look as human as humanly possible.

I found. Think male, jaw as wide as possible, brow as shallow as possible and give him a beard (it hides the pointy chin). The only thing that throws me off is the pointy ears, but, hey, a helmet takes care of that!

 

[LotusEater]

I usually roleplay with my characters. Otherwise I limit myself way too much. If I let my character do what I'd do, that would mean the Dark Brotherhood, the Stormcloaks, and the Thieves Guild questlines would be completely ignored.
Do I think the High Elves come off as condescended? Yes. Do I think they are arrogant? Most of them, yes. But that doesn't mean I agree with that as soon as I decide to make my little character an Altmer. I take some distance, as I did with my assasins built, and try to do what my character would do. Because of that I don't get annoyed by certain traits.

Also, not all the High Elves are like that. Why don't you roleplay your Altmer is in the resistence against the Aldmeri Dominion? A spy for the Imperial Legion / the Stormcloaks?

Chosing a character you're usually uncomfortable with, can make a very interesting game.

In hear ya, and those are good points. What can I say? It's irrational. I have roleplaying in my blood. Been roleplaying in one form or another for the past 30 years (yes, I'm old). I make every kind of build you can imagine... I even ran an orc that hates and assassinates orcs for fun and it was great. After quite a few kills he ran in to Meeko by chance and through the companionship of his new friend, learned forgiveness and changed his life around. Then he saw some orcs battling a giant and him and Meeko helped out. Rest is history.

Point I'm trying to make is that despite the way some of my posts might read, all of my builds are very heavy on roleplay and normally I have no problem occupying the skin of another race and roleplaying it. I just seem to have some sort of block when it comes to high elves. I just cannot do it for some reason.

And I really want that extra 50 magicka too.

I don't really understand how you can have such strong feelings about this. After all, it is only a game. It won't have severe consequences for you to give it a shot. And I know you did before, but how long did you play with those characters? Maybe you really need to put a few hours (in a row?) into a High Elf until you get the hang of it and actually start enjoying it. Unless you don't distance yourself enough from the characters, I don't see how that strong feeling of disliking can win. And if you really keep disliking it, well.. Then I guess it is not worth the 50 magicka. If you don't enjoy it, there is no point in doing it anyways. With games at least.

Oh... you played the "it's only a game" card... BOOOOO! HISSSSSSS!

But you are right, I definitely need more time playing a high elf and I will. I just found it really odd to discover that I couldn't care less about my build and didn't care if he died, brutally. That never happens. Even back when I made my one and only Vampire Lord, I cared about the build and the character (and I despise vampires even more than high elves). There just seems to be a strange void when it comes to high elves. Very peculiar, especially for me as I love to roleplay. More of an observation than a complaint.

 

[Nighthiker77]

I definitely know what you're mean. Its not exactly the same, but I play with some brutal restrictions comfortably but if my race doesn't match my mathematical sense of a build, it seems a lot worse than any other restrictions I could come up with . Not fun anymore.

I've been trying to come up with something I can play as something else that wouldn't be better as an Altmer or Breton.

 

[Nighthiker77]

Your could play a half-Altmer, kind of like Blade, with the strength of an Altmer but destined to destroy them.

 

[LotusEater]

Your could play a half-Altmer, kind of like Blade, with the strength of an Altmer but destined to destroy them.

You sir... are my hero. You had me at "Blade".

That's a great angle. I mean, I was always gonna be a renegade elf no matter what, but that spin speaks to me.

 

[tx12001]

Your could play a half-Altmer, kind of like Blade, with the strength of an Altmer but destined to destroy them.

physically that would be kind of weak because elves are not as physically strong as humans, you mean with the arcane abilities of an elf, my character is half Altmer makes up for the role playing aspect that I hate Nords

 

[AS88]

They make awesome mages.

...

I played a dark elf for quite a spell.

Okay, I'm done

 

[CaptMorgan72]

I have a character for each of the races. My Altmer mage is a black-ops Thalmor agent. He kills both Stormcloaks and Imperials. You have to "become" your characters. When I am him, I am a superior bred Elf that is obviously superior to all the other races. Sometimes its fun being an a$$.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Your could play a half-Altmer, kind of like Blade, with the strength of an Altmer but destined to destroy them.

physically that would be kind of weak because elves are not as physically strong as humans, you mean with the arcane abilities of an elf, my character is half Altmer makes up for the role playing aspect that I hate Nords

What do you base the "not as physically strong" on? Physically, my Altmer is larger than any human I've encountered and many Orcs and can easily take any of them in combat without any magic. Is it lore correct to say that they are weaker?

 

[tx12001]

Your could play a half-Altmer, kind of like Blade, with the strength of an Altmer but destined to destroy them.

physically that would be kind of weak because elves are not as physically strong as humans, you mean with the arcane abilities of an elf, my character is half Altmer makes up for the role playing aspect that I hate Nords

What do you base the "not as physically strong" on? Physically, my Altmer is larger than any human I've encountered and many Orcs and can easily take any of them in combat without any magic. Is it lore correct to say that they are weaker?

Yes physically they are not as strong as Humans and if you are judging strength via size then you should know that the strongest person recorded who ever lived was only 5 foot 11 so just because a race is physically smaller does not make them weaker and for orcs they are in a unique catagory as they are considerd beastfolf as well as elves also just thought you should now the strongest animal in the world is an animal smaller then your fist the rhino beetle can loft 127 times its own bodyweight