This page details a brief overview of the Breton race in Skyrim, including the default stat boosts for the race, special abilities, and a breakdown of how useful those abilities actually are.

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The Breton Race, Skyrim.

Breton Race Abilities Overview¶

Default Stat Boosts¶

Special Race Abilities¶

The Bretons are naturally gifted with magic resistance, and adept at wielding it. This is mostly due to their heritage, with links to an ancient race of magically powerful Elves.

All Bretons are able to use some magic, namely their ability to cast the Conjure Familiar spell once per day, which summons a pathetically weak ghost critter to fight for you. It’s the least of their abilities, however. Their Dragonskin ability is poorly worded, but has a 50% chance to negate all damage from an incoming spell and reward you with the Magicka cost of that spell. It’s a nice boost in a pinch, and it’s calculated before Magic Resistance, providing an extra chance to shrug off nasty spells.

The (arguably) best Breton special ability is their inherent +25% resistance to magic. There are many ways to increase magic resistance in Skyrim - mostly by wearing enchanted armor or with potions - but having a base 25% resistance is something that’ll be a constant defensive boon to you, and it’ll make it that much easier to hit the cap of 85% Magic Resistance. Why does this rate so highly compared to, say, the Argonian’s water breathing or Histskin? Because it doesn’t have a duration and magic damage is something you’ll be encountering frequently throughout the game. It’s good stuff, and arguably makes Bretons the toughest race in the game.