ESO Tank Race

If you’ve ever found yourself overwhelmed by the myriad of choices when selecting a Tank Race in Elder Scrolls Online, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most frequently asked questions in the ESO Tank community, and for a good reason! With so many options, picking the perfect race for your tanking can be challenging.

But fear not, fellow tanks! In this article, we’re diving into The Tank Club’s top 3 favourite Tank Races. We’ll explore the pros and cons of them, helping you make an informed decision for your next epic build. And before you ask—no, it’s not the Wood Elf! (Sorry, Bosmer fans)

So, grab your shield, don your armor, and let’s charge into the world of Tamriel to discover the best races for tanking in ESO this year.

Need help? Join us at The Tank Club Discord.

What’s Changed?

In regards to ESO race changes, nothing major has shifted recently. The main updates include the addition of the new scribing system, which provides various ways to improve sustain and easier access to resistance buffs. The Arcanist class, introduced with Necrom, offers much greater freedom when it comes to race choice, adding more flexibility for tanks.

Does ESO Race Matter?

In the grand scheme of things, race for a Tank is much less critical than other roles. For damage dealers, picking a specific race can slightly impact your DPS. However, when it comes to Tanking, there are no absolutely significant benefits tied to race choice. Many options are nice to have, and there is a general best option, but the key to successful tanking in ESO lies in your knowledge of tanking mechanics rather than the race you choose.

That said, it’s always beneficial to pick a race that complements your tanking style and meets your specific needs. While the race choice won’t make or break your character, it can provide helpful advantages.

Top 3 ESO Tank Race 2024

The Nord remains a long-term favorite for tanks in ESO, and it’s easy to see why. One of the primary reasons is the rugged passive, granting a hefty 2600 increase in both spell and physical resistance. These resistances are crucial as they reduce your incoming damage, but remember that resistances are capped at 33,100. Anything beyond this cap is essentially wasted.

One key benefit of the Nord’s rugged passive is the freedom it provides in your build choices, allowing for increased versatility. You won’t need to rely as heavily on gear traits like Reinforced or Nirnhoned. Plus, you gain more flexibility with your champion points, often not needing both resistance slottables. In situations where you might wear Medium Armor, being a Nord makes this more feasible.

Other notable benefits include increased max health, max stamina, and extended duration of drinks. Additionally, the Nord passive grants 5 ultimate every 10 seconds when taking damage. While this sounds impressive, it’s essential to put it in perspective. To gain a “free” Aggressive Horn (which costs 250 ultimate) from this passive, it would take over 8 minutes and 50 procs. Thus, while the ultimate gain is a nice perk, its impact is marginal. If you proc this passive on cooldown and generate your ultimate in 60 seconds, this passive helps you horn around 7 seconds faster.

For an Arcanist Tank, the Nord race is less crucial since reaching the resistance cap is already quite easy. However, choosing Nord still provides more freedom with your champion points. For other classes, obtaining the resistance cap is more accessible than ever, thanks to Resolving Vigor and the new scribing system. Nevertheless, the ability to switch comfortably between different gear sets and champion points while still hitting the resistance cap makes Nord a solid choice.

If you opt not to be a Nord, you might need to find these benefits elsewhere. Using a Defending 1-Handed Weapon provides 1638 resistances, and incorporating Reinforced gear pieces can also help. You’d likely need to slot the CP passives Bulwark and Fortified, alongside using skills that grant both Major and Minor Resolve. This resistance cap is crucial for tackling the latest veteran content, more so than older dungeons and trials.

Nords are an excellent race option for long-term progression. While resistances are less critical in early game content and older trials and dungeons, if you plan on tanking the latest veteran content one day, choosing a Nord is your best bet for long-term development.

Another top-notch race choice for a tank is the Imperial. Known for their increased max health and stamina, alongside a 6% cost reduction on all abilities, Imperials provide a significant sustain boost. However, before you rush to choose the Imperial, consider the cost—it requires 2100 Crowns to play as this race. Thankfully, it’s not essential for effective tanking, so this choice is entirely optional based on your character build preferences.

Delving into the details of the 6% cost reduction, it applies to all abilities, including those costing stamina, magicka, and even health. This reduction extends to your ultimate, blocking, and dodge rolling—it truly covers everything.

Cost reduction is highly beneficial because it allows you to cast abilities sooner and more often. This advantage grows with higher performance, as players who use skills frequently will see more significant benefits compared to tanks who primarily hold block and cast skills less often. However, with increased casting frequency comes the need for efficient resource regeneration. You’ll still face sustain issues if you can’t back up cost reductions with sufficient recovery and incoming resources.

Consider the cost reduction on your ultimate—this reduces the cost of Aggressive Horn from 250 to 235, shaving off 15 ultimate points. If it usually takes you 60 seconds to generate your ultimate, playing as an Imperial allows you to cast Warhorns approximately 3.5 seconds faster, though it’s not quite as impactful as the Nord’s ultimate passive.

The reduced cost for blocking, dodging, and breaking free are nice perks that make this race attractive. Extra block cost reduction means less focus is needed on bracing enchants and sturdy gear. The downside is that cost reduction suffers from diminishing returns quickly—the more you stack it, the less effective it becomes.

Imperials excel in situations where you frequently cast skills and utilize abilities from all your resource pools. If your tank build uses only magicka skills, you won’t fully benefit from the Imperial’s perks. However, for builds mixing stamina, magicka, and even health-costing skills, the Imperial shines. Alternatively, you can use jewelry with cost reduction enchants to replicate some of the Imperial’s benefits without playing as one.

Finally, we have the Redguard, another race focused on sustain. My recommendation for this race is primarily due to the Adrenaline Rush passive, which restores 1005 stamina every 5 seconds when you deal damage, and Martial Training, which reduces the cost of weapon skills by 8%.

This race is especially beneficial for players who struggle with stamina sustain. While it won’t completely solve your sustain problems—often caused by overcasting skills and excessive blocking—it will alleviate some issues. To put it in perspective, 1005 stamina every 5 seconds totals 12,060 stamina over a minute. Ensuring you deal damage to an enemy, such as by placing a magicka-costing Elemental Blockade that hits a boss for its entire 15-second duration, can trigger the Adrenaline Rush passive three times, granting you 3015 stamina.

Reducing the cost of weapon skills is another advantage. You’ll likely use skills like Pierce Armor, Elemental Blockade, and Frost Clench, saving resources compared to other races.

However, as you become more experienced at tanking, you might find this less useful as you improve your sustain management. You don’t want to pay for a race change token later. So, while the Redguard will boost your stamina sustain in the short term, if you aim to tank ESO’s harder content in the long run, it might be better to plan for that now to avoid paying for a race change later.

Alternative ways to improve stamina sustain include learning mechanics to block less, focusing on blocking heavy attacks and specific mechanics, and dropping block between attacks to gain minor resources from stamina recovery. Utilizing food, potions, and heavy attacking, along with harmony jewellery and synergies provided by group members, can also boost your sustain.

Overall, I consider the Redguard a good choice for casual tanks seeking an immediate improvement in stamina sustain. It’s also suitable for Arcanist tanks, as being a Nord is less necessary due to their high resistance potential.

I haven’t included any magicka-oriented races because I find magicka significantly easier to sustain. High recovery stacking, the Atronach Mundus, food and drinks that boost recovery, and jewellery enchants all make magicka sustain while blocking less impactful. Many players also favour Argonian, which is fine, but I feel it’s more suitable for beginners. It forces you to use potions regularly, whereas a Redguard provides consistent sustain every 5 seconds.

ESO Racial Passives

Argonian

Argonian

Amphibian
Life Mender
Argonian Resistances
Resourceful

Breton

Breton

Opportunist
Gift of Magnus
Spell Attunement
Magicka Mastery

Dark Elf

Dark Elf

Ashlander
Dynamic
Resist Flame
Ruination

High Elf

High Elf

Highborn
Spell Recharge
Syrabane’s Boon
Elemental Talent

Imperial

Imperial1

Diplomat
Tough
Imperial Mettle
Red Diamond

Khajiit

ON icon Khajiit

Cutpurse
Robustness
Lunar Blessings
Feline Ambush

Nord

Nord

Reveler
Resist Frost
Stalwart
Rugged

Orc

Orc

Craftsman
Brawny
Unflinching Rage
Swift Warrior

Redguard

Redguard

Wayfarer
Martial Training
Conditioning
Adrenaline Rush

Wood Elf

Wood Elf

Acrobat
Hunter’s Eye
Y’ffre’s Endurance
Resist Affliction