Alright, so I've started a Breton because their defense against magicka are awesome.

What is do is heavy armor, one hand sword and shield + healing+ conjuration. So, with a partner, i always have at least 2 guys fightining by my side.

Do you think this is viable ? I invest in smiting and conjuration also, and Im level 9 now but I had to use fire spell schrolls to kill 3 thugs attacking me (equipped with steel armor which was better than me)

Also, more importantly: I chose breton even if i wanted to use a sword and shield because I dont care about initial bonuses, but are initial bonuses the only difference between races ? For example, if an Orc and a Breton have same stats/equipment/etc and do a sword attack, will they do the same damage? I wonder because in the descritiption of races the game says Orcs are better fighters. Are they better fighters just because of their initial stats, or is there something else I can't see ?

Yeah, races with the same stats will do the same damage and whatnot.

I'd invest in some destruction too. With Conjuration and a partner and your other skills I wouldn't say you'd have to take the destruction perks or anything. But having a spare fireball or lightning bolt on hand to help out never hurt anything. But overall that build sounds fine. Conjuration is a big help in this game.

The only thing that really separates the races is their racial abilities. Bretons and Orcs are generally considered the strongest, so good choice there.

I'd recommend perking into only one type of offense and defense. Spreading your perk points between Destruction and a physical combat skill will make the game harder.

Conjuration is always useful. The only caveat is that it's very Magicka intensive, so you'll need a large Magicka pool and/or Fortify Conjuration enchants to make it viable. Perking Destruction as your main combat skill synergizes better with Conjuration than One-Handed, for example.

Pretty soon you'll be able to get rid of that armor and shield.

different races do different damage. the damage is considered by most to be negligible. the orc seems to have a 4.5% advantage in run speed, jump height and damage. a breton female has a slightly lower weight, making her slightly more susceptible to enemy shouts of unrelenting force.