What’s the Best ESO Tank Race?
One of the most frequently asked questions in the ESO Tank community is, “Which race should I pick for my Tank?” With multiple options available, it can be tough to decide. While race choice doesn’t define your success, it can provide advantages in sustain, resistances, and ultimate generation, helping you optimize your performance in tougher content.
In this guide, we break down the top 3 best ESO Tank races—Nord, Imperial, and Redguard—highlighting their key passives, benefits, and how they fit into different tanking playstyles.
Let’s dive into the details and find the best race for your tanking needs.
⚔️ Want to master tanking? Check out our ESO Beginner Tank Guide for optimized information and strategies!
Does ESO Race Matter for Tanks?
When it comes to tanking in Elder Scrolls Online, race plays a far smaller significance compared to other roles. While DPS players may see noticeable gains from certain racial passives, tanks don’t have a single, game-changing racial choice. Instead, success as a tank depends far more on your understanding of mechanics, resource management, and build choices rather than your race selection.
That said, your race can provide useful benefits that complement your tanking style. While it won’t make or break your effectiveness, picking a race with passives that align with your needs—such as sustain, resistances, or utility—can make some aspects of tanking easier.
So if you’re set on tanking as a race with pointy ears, scales, or a tail, go for it—you won’t be at a significant disadvantage.
However, certain race and class combinations can make some racial passives unnecessary. For example, a Nord Arcanist Tank may not need the extra resistances from the Nord’s Rugged passive, since Arcanists can already easily hit the 33.1k resistance cap through their abilities. In these cases, choosing a different race with sustain or resource-based perks might be more beneficial.
Ultimately, race choice should fit your playstyle and personal preference, rather than being a rigid requirement for tanking success.
Top 3 ESO Tank Races
| Rank | Class | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nord | Best for maximizing resistances and defensive flexibility, allowing more freedom in gear and Champion Point choices. |
| 2 | Imperial | Best for sustain and resource management, thanks to its cost reduction passive. Great for tanks who frequently cast abilities and block. |
| 3 | Redguard | Best for stamina sustain, with passives that restore stamina every 5 seconds. Ideal for tanks who struggle with stamina management. |
| 4 | Other | Races like Argonian (extra healing/potion passive), Orc (mobility /damage), or Dark Elf (hybrid stats) can work but offer fewer tanking-specific benefits. |
Race Breakdown & Strengths
Nord
Nord is a top-tier tanking race in ESO, primarily due to its Rugged passive, which grants 2600 spell and physical resistance. This allows for more flexible gear and Champion Point (CP) choices, reducing reliance on traits like Reinforced or resistance CP slottables.
Beyond resistances, Nord also provides extra max health, stamina, and an ultimate generation passive (5 ultimate every 10 seconds when hit). While helpful, the ultimate gain is marginal—saving only a few seconds on Warhorn casts.
For Arcanist Tanks, Nord is less essential since they easily reach the 33,100 resistance cap, but for other classes, it simplifies build optimization. If not playing Nord, you’ll need alternative sources of resistance, such as a Defending weapon, Reinforced gear, or CP passives like Bulwark and Fortified.
While resistances matter less in early content, Nord excels in high-end veteran dungeons and trials, making it a strong long-term investment for tank progression.
Nord Passives
- Reveler – Increases your experience gain with the Two Handed skill line by 15%. Increases the duration of any consumed drink by 15 minutes.
- Resist Frost – Increases your Max Health by 1000 and Frost Resistance by 4620.
- Stalwart – Increases your Max Stamina by 1500. When you take damage, you gain 5 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds.
- Rugged – Increases your Physical and Spell Resistance by 2600.
Imperial
Imperial is one of the best sustain-focused tank races in ESO, thanks to its 6% cost reduction on all abilities, including stamina, magicka, health, blocking, dodge rolling, breaking free, and ultimates. This makes it an efficient and resource-friendly choice for tanks who frequently cast skills.
The cost reduction benefits allow you to cast abilities more often, helping in sustain-heavy fights. However, you still need solid resource recovery, as cost reduction alone won’t solve sustain issues if you burn through stamina and magicka too quickly.
This passive also applies to ultimates, slightly reducing Aggressive Warhorn’s cost (from 250 to 235), though the impact is less significant than Nord’s ultimate gain. Blocking and dodge rolling are also cheaper, meaning you can focus less on bracing enchants and Sturdy gear.
Imperial shines in hybrid tank builds, where you utilize stamina, magicka, and health-based skills. If your tank relies mostly on magicka, you won’t get full value from the race. Alternatively, jewelry cost-reduction enchants can replicate some of Imperial’s benefits if you prefer another race.
The main downside is that Imperial requires 2100 Crowns to unlock, making it a premium option. While not essential for effective tanking, it’s a great choice for tanks prioritizing sustain, frequent ability use, and reduced block costs.
Imperial Passives
- Diplomat – Increases your experience gain with the One Hand and Shield skill line by 15%. Increases your gold gained by 1%.
- Tough – Increases your Max Health by 2000.
- Imperial Mettle – Increases your Max Stamina by 2000.
- Red Diamond – Reduces the cost of all your abilities by 6%.
Redguard
Redguard is a great choice for stamina sustain, thanks to Adrenaline Rush, which restores 1005 stamina every 5 seconds when dealing damage, and Martial Training, which reduces the cost of weapon skills by 8%.
This passive provides a steady stamina return, helping players who struggle with sustain, though it won’t fix poor resource management caused by excessive blocking or overcasting. You can further improve sustain through food, potions, heavy attacks, and group synergies.
While useful for casual tanks, experienced players may outgrow its benefits as they refine sustain techniques. If you plan on progressing into harder content, you may want to choose a race with long-term advantages to avoid needing a race change later.
Redguard is especially effective for stamina-intensive tanks and Arcanists, as their high resistance potential makes Nord less essential for hitting the resistance cap.
Redguard Passives
- Wayfarer – Increases your experience gain with the One Hand and Shield skill line by 15%. Increases the duration of any eaten food by 15 minutes.
- Martial Training – Reduces the cost of your weapon abilities by 8%. Reduces the effectiveness of snares applied to you by 15%.
- Conditioning – Increases your Max Stamina by 2000.
- Adrenaline Rush – When you deal damage, you restore 1005 Stamina. This effect can occur once every 5 seconds.
Other ESO Races
While other races can be used for tanking, they generally don’t offer the same advantages as Nord, Imperial, or Redguard.
Argonian is often mentioned as a strong tanking race, particularly for Nightblade Tanks using Potion Cooldown jewelry enchants. However, its effectiveness relies on frequent potion use, which can be difficult for beginners to maximize. Dark Elf is a solid hybrid race, ideal for players who frequently switch roles. Orcs, my personal favorite Elder Scrolls race, can perform well as tanks but lack tank-specific advantages.
Khajiit offers a balanced mix of tri-recovery and max stats, making them a decent option. Magicka-oriented races, such as High Elf, provide useful passives like Spell Recharge, but they often come with wasted benefits for tanking. Since magicka sustain is already easy to manage, stamina sustain remains the bigger challenge for most tanks, making magicka races less essential.
Final Tips for Choosing a Race
✅ Best for Overall Tanking – Nord (High resistances, extra ult generation, flexibility with gear & CP)
✅ Best for Sustain & Utility – Imperial (6% cost reduction on all skills, block, dodge & ultimates)
✅ Best for Stamina Sustain – Redguard (Consistent stamina regen & reduced weapon skill costs)
✅ Best Hybrid Option – Dark Elf (Good for players who switch between roles frequently)
✅ Least Recommended – Breton, High Elf, Wood Elf (Too many wasted passives, better suited for other roles)
💬 What’s your favorite ESO Tank race? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
