Races in FFXIV Online are a core part of character creation, letting players decide the background, culture and bodily structure of their playable avatar. As you can imagine, this can easily lead to the issue of spending more time than you’d like to admit sitting inside the character creator menu. And that’s before you even get into each race’s gender differences, unique clans, emotes, voices, stats and starting gear.
Naturally, this is simply my opinion and this list is not definitive by any means.
Viera
Ok, let’s be honest, we all saw this one coming.
Viera don’t leave very much to the imagination, especially with their model-like features and exotic, interesting backgrounds. Between both genders and clans, Viera are essentially the FFXIV equivalent of supermodels with long legs, beautiful facial features and cool-looking emotes that are all but guaranteed to turn heads. Not only are they incredibly beautiful but they also happen to be an ancient tribal race, making them wise and powerful guardians.
All you have to do is travel to Limsa Lominsa (or any other main city aetheryte) and count the number of rabbit ears, the numbers simply speak for themselves. But this comes as no surprise, Final Fantasy fans have been obsessed with this race ever since their first appearance in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance; although they looked considerably different back then. We owe the current iteration of the race to Fran from FXII who is the framework that FFXIV’s Viera was based on. The popularity of the race only skyrocketed with the inclusion of male Viera in Endwalker.
Pictured: A female Viera from the Rava clan. They bare a striking resemblance to Fran from FFXII.
Lalafell
From simply their presence alone, Lalafell can invoke feelings of utter joy or pure disgust.
Now, every MMO needs the small, cartoony race and the Lalafell race fits that role rather well; taking the appearance of diminutive, chibi-like characters with overly expressive emotes. Since their bodies lack any kind of real definition and are almost exclusively round, there are also very few differences between male and female Lalafell making them fairly hard to distinguish at first glance. Although a large majority of FFXIV players dislike them, there is a suspiciously large amount of them running around Eorzea.
As you can imagine being the smallest race in the game comes with a few issues, like gear looking worse thanks to their proportions. But playing a Lalafell is a unique experience in itself as they have naturally increased movement speed and incredible strength since they can jump as high and hit as hard as normal-sized characters. Not only that but players who choose this race also share it with some of the most influential and powerful characters in FFXIV’s story, like Tataru Taru or Teledji Adeledji.
Pictured: A male Lalafell from the Dunesfolk clan. The counterpart to the Plainsfolk clan.
Roegadyn
In stark contrast to the Lalafell, Roegadyn are easily recognisable by their large frames and imposing demeanours.
Despite being one of the most unpopular races in FFXIV, those that do choose to play them are extremely passionate about their large, muscular Warriors of Light. Hailing from either sea-faring pirates or volcano-dwelling mercenaries, Roegadyns start with interesting backgrounds, which explains how their large proportions and imposing figures came to be. Male and female variants of this race might be some the most diverse in the entire game since male Roegadyns are essentially big blocks of pure muscle mass; whilst the females look much more realistic and resemble female bodybuilders, albeit much taller and with more muscle definition.
Whilst they might look imposing, Roegadyns have a surprisingly goofy, kind-hearted side; which shows in both their emotes and the type of players they attract; which vary between social butterfly to half-naked, walking memes.
Pictured: A male Roegadyn from the Seawolves clan. Their massive frames and blue skin makes them easy to spot in a crowd.
Elezen
As the quintessential elf race, you already know how Elezen act even before you’ve laid eyes on them.
Tall, slender and ever so arrogant, this race perfectly encapsulates the elven stereotype found across all of high fantasy fiction. Naturally, they live for a very long time and have resided on Eorzea longer than any other race and are separated into two clans, one choosing to live within the forests and the other, deep below the earth in caves. Nowadays, they often reside within the city of Ishgard, living as lords and ladies of high houses; which only adds to their naturally pompous nature.
Before the addition of Vieras in Shadowbringers, Elezen were the original tall supermodel race and remnants of that still show in their emotes and penchant for making any outfit look good. Whilst they aren’t unpopular, Elezens players tend to be dedicated to their characters despite their awkward gait and oddly long necks.
Pictured: A male Elezen from the Duskwight clan. Their striking blue skin makes them the polar opposite from their Wildwood cousins.
Hrothgar
Standing as one of the most unique races in FFXIV Online, Hrothgar strikes an intimidating, feral image.
Sharing some feline similarities with their Miqote cousins, this burly race was added in Shadowbringers alongside female Viera. Thanks to their raw and unique appearance, they aren’t very popular but the few fans of their unique look are diehard and never tire of it. They’re like a cross between a male Roegadyn with some Miqote-like elements.
Between the Helions and Lost clans, Hrothgar vary considerably in appearance and culture. The prior live in accordance to their Queen’s whim, (which is rare within itself, considering female Hrothgar are practically non-existent) whilst the Lost are a nomadic people and answer to no higher authority. Oddly there isn’t a lot of mention of this race in Final Fantasy from FFXIV, there aren’t many other notable Hrothgar in Final Fantasy aside from Kimhari Ronso from FFX, who seems to have inspired the Hrothgar’s design.
Pictured: A Hrothgar from the Helions clan. They are known for their fierce loyalty to their queen and intimidating apperance.
Hyur
In a fantasy world full of larger-than-life enemies, magical powers and reality-ending events, sometimes you just want at least one thing to be relatively normal. Hence the introduction of the Hyurs. At first glance, this race has no wildly discernible traits; appearing to be basic, everyday human beings. But this basicness ironically makes them more unique.
The two available clans differ considerably, with the Midlanders resembling everyday humans and the Highlanders who are their mountain-dwelling cousins who are much taller and possess more muscle mass.
In my opinion, Hyur players follow one rule: Simple is best.
Pictured: A male Hyur from the Midlander clan. Their easily one of the most prevalent races in the realm, being popular for their intellect and proficiency in crafting.
Miqo’te
At one point, Miqo’te were the saving grace of FFXIV Online; the sole reason players even gave it a chance in the first place. Throughout my time playing this game, I’ve seen so many (female) Miqo’te that I’ve become almost entirely desensitized to them and a large majority of male Miqo’te have all but fantasied into male Viera.
Fundamentally, The Seekers of the Sun Miqo’te are interesting as they are a rather solitary race and function similarly to a pride of lions with a singular male living with a harem of females. The Seeker of The Moon clan operate differently and shares different ideals as they are much more social and more family-oriented.
Whilst I appreciate their unique emotes and interesting lore, I’m still not the biggest fan of Miqo’te, especially when the Hrothgar exists, which serves as a much more visually interesting version of them.
Pictured: A male Miqo’te from the Seekers of the Sun clan. Their beliefs and nature reflect in their bright personalities and pride.
Au’ra
Last on the list is the Au’ra.
To be honest, I find their tribal heritage and culture very interesting. The Au’ra are tied to the Azim Steppe and lead unique lifestyles, depending on the clan they belong to. The dark-scaled Xaela think of nothing but the thrill and glory of battle, whilst the peace-loving Raen lead tranquil lives in the valleys of the Steppe.
Frankly, I’m not a fan of the Au’ra’s design. Especially when you take their original form they were supposed to have into consideration. The lack of scales and limited face and face choices leave a lot to be desired.
Pictured: Sadu Dotharl, a female Au’ra from the Xaela clan. Like most of her clan, Sadu takes pride in her battle ability and combat prowess.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, all of these races have their ups and downs. But it’s fully up to the player to choose their favourite race to suit their Warrior of Light. The choice isn’t permanent either as you can visit the Online Store to use a Fantasia to remake your character. (Providing your wallet is wide enough…)
(Credit goes to Kougaon, Hesken and AvyCatte for of the images and video)
