The races of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim each have their own unique abilities and bonuses that make them favor certain builds. Some races are better suited towards warrior skills whereas others are better for thief skills. In the case of a Breton build in Skyrim, they are better suited towards magic-based builds.
Bretons are supposedly half-elves who are the most proficient magic users among the human races of Tamriel. Building the best Breton build in Skyrim can be a challenge, as is anything, so here are a few good Breton builds in Skyrim to help you out in building a beast of a Breton.
Stealth Mage
Though they may not seem like it, Bretons do make for some decent archers and when combined with their +5 bonus in Illusion, they can make for some rather sneaky archers.
Illusion will be the main focus of this build since building up your illusion will help you learn the invisibility skill that turns you invisible until you attack or perform an action. Destruction magic will let you hit enemies from afar while the detect life skill in alteration will let you see enemies through walls.
Should things get dicey, the oakflesh ability will put additional armor on you on top of having a secondary weapon should you run out of Magicka. A bow or a bound bow spell will also let you hit enemies from afar. When combined with sneak, you can tiptoe around the battlefield and use magic to hit your foes before they ever see you.
Standing stones help out a lot with builds so a good one for this one is the Lover stone which will increase all skill exp. gained by 15 percent. This stone is found north of Kolskeggr Mine and East of Markarth. Since you'll be leveling up multiple skills from different branches of the skill tree, this is a must.
Shield Mage
Bretons in Skyrim receive a +5 bonus to the restoration skill and have the Dragonskin ability that lets them absorb 50 percent of all magical damage. When you combine ward abilities like lesser ward and absorb ward with destruction skills, you get the Shield Mage build for Bretons in Skyrim.
Destruction magic will be the main focus of this build since you will need destruction magic to deal damage to your enemies. Ice-based destruction attacks work best as they can slow enemies down and give you time to recover. Heavy armor is a good skill to have as it will provide an extra layer of protection should your ward shield give out.
The best standing stone to use for this build is the Atronach stone that is found northwest of Mistwatch and northeast of Darkwater Crossing. This not only provides a 50 point bonus to your Magicka but also lets you absorb 50 percent of magical damage. When combined with Dragonskin, you will be able to absorb all magical damage coming your way.
Necromancer
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Who says you can't be a necromancer? While it is morally questionable, it is best suited for Bretons due to their proficiency in conjuration. Out of all the magic skills in the game, Bretons receive the biggest bonus to conjuration, with a +10 bonus to the skill.
The necromancer specializes in raising the dead, so the raise zombie spell is a must for this build as it will allow a weaker dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds. That is only a novice-level spell so once you use it more, you will eventually be able to use the stronger variations of it. In order of power, these spells are the reanimate corpse, revenant, dread zombie, and dead thrall spells.
Focus on upgrading that Magicka as you will need a lot of it to be able to pull these abilities off. Using destruction skills will be needed to attack enemies when you don't have an undead companion or a staff can fulfill this need as well.
The best standing stone for this build is the Ritual stone as it reanimates any nearby corpses to fight for you once a day - a necromancer's ultimate weapon. This standing stone is found along the road east of Whiterun, above Graywinter Watch's entrance.
Summoner
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On top of being able to raise the dead, a Breton's proficiency in conjuration also enables them to get a head start in summoning creatures. Unlike other classes, Bretons start out with the conjure familiar spell that lets them summon a spectral wolf to assist them in combat.
Continue using the conjuration skill to eventually be able to summon the likes of flame, frost, and storm atronachs. You can also summon different weapons to use in order to defend yourself with the bound spells. These include bound dagger, sword, bow, and battleaxe, which while also leveling up your conjuration, will also level up that weapon's skill level.
Since you'll be using magic for this build, the mage stone is good as it will increase your experience gained from using magic skills by 20 percent. The stone can be found on the road southeast of Riverwood.
Battlemage
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Bretons are not an ideal race for a pure warrior build in Skyrim. But combine this with their excellence in magic and you can be a hybrid that will make you the deadliest warrior of the fourth era.
Use heavy armor as the bulk of your protection, alongside alteration skills like oakflesh and stoneflesh to make you an armored and magical tank. A one-handed weapon is ideal for this build, regardless of whether it is a physical weapon or a bound weapon summoned through conjuration. Destruction skills will serve as your ranged weapon while the paralyze alteration spell will stop enemies in their tracks, allowing you to slash or spray them with magic unopposed.
Like with the shield mage build, use the atronach stone with the Dragonskin ability to maximize your spell resistance and make your battlemage the best build for a Breton in Skyrim.