The Wood Elf race diversified racial skills reflect their woodland affinity. Improved archery, base stamina, stamina recovery, stealth detection, movement speed, reduced fall damage, and poison and disease resistance make them deadly foes and gifted hunters.
The Wood Elf Race, or Bosmer, are mischievous, curious, and nimble.
Because their homeland of Valenwood is often attacked by the Colovian Imperials, Wood Elves are experts at the art of defense.
They are also gifted archers, perhaps the best in all of Tamriel.
The capital of the Aldmeri Dominion, Elden Root, lies in the heart of their homeland.
It has evolved into a center of political and cultural importance and is of vital strategic importance in the battle to control Tamriel.
Wood Elf Race Passives:
- Acrobat: Increases exp gain with the Bow Skill line by 15%
Decreases fall damage by 10% - Hunter’s Eye: Increases your detection radius in Stealth by 3m
- Gain 5% Movement Speed and 950 Physical and Spell Penetration.
- Y’ffre’s Endurance: Increases Stamina Recovery by 258
- Resist Affliction: Increases your Max Stamina by 2000
Poison and Disease Resistance by 2310
Wood Elves belong to the Aldmeri Dominion Faction in The Elder Scrolls Online along with the High Elf race and Khajiits.
All Races in the Elder Scrolls Online:
- Aldmeri Dominion – High Elf | Wood Elf | Khajiit
- Daggerfall Covenant – Orc | Redguard | Breton
- Ebonheart Pact – Nords | Argonian | Dark Elf
- Any Faction – Imperial
- List of all Racial Passives in ESO
Wood Elf Race best Class?
Looking over the Passives you can see that Wood Elves are more inclined to be Stamina-based characters and ones that incorporate some amount of Stealth into their gameplay. This means they will use some combination of martial weapons like Bows, Swords, and Daggers.
Stealth is not particularly useful for PvE content outside of questing but is useful in PvP. And though Maximum Stamina is good for Tanking, Stamina Recovery is not because Stamina Recovery ceases while Blocking, which Tanks do constantly.
These bonuses place the Wood Elf race squarely into the Stamina DPS category, without much flexibility, if you’re looking to optimize.
Wood Elf Race History
The Aldmer (High Elfs) abandoned their home of Aldmeris and landed in their new home of Tamriel.
Most of these new inhabitants stayed in Summerset Isles, but others ventured further to find where they belonged. The elves that ventured into Valenwood had set their eyes upon the unconstrained and lush jungle and all understood that they could not change this for them to inhabit. Instead, they decided to adapt to the new surroundings. This new mer became the Bosmer also known as Wood Elves, Bolche, or Tree-Sap people.
This transformation is credited by the Bosmer to Y’ffre the Forest God. In the doctrines, a pact was made to never kill, injure, or eat any of the vegetation of this new residence as abiding appreciation. This became known as the Green Pact or the Treaty of Frond and Leaf.
The Wood Elf Race is strict carnivores and cannibals. They eat the dead after the battle and decorate the skulls and bones of their kills everywhere. Their cannibalism is a matter of ritual significance, and typically quite private within a family or tight-knit group. Wood Elf race beverages include Jagga, Rotmeth, and Sun’s Dusk ale.
The Wood Elves practice rituals which magically shape the woods around them into housing, temples, and art. This is done through days of slow, rhythmic chanting, as well as fasting done prior to and during each ritual. Hacking, cutting, burning, or otherwise causing damage to Valenwood’s great-oaks is punishable by expulsion. Paper is only usable by the Bosmer when made from non-native trees.
Wood Elf Race is the shortest of all the playable races in Tamriel, this means you can make them look like dwarfs if you make them as short and fat as possible.
Might be the only way to play a Dwarf in the Elder Scrolls Online (Dwarfs are also known as Dwemer).