This is part of a series in which I try to write a post every day on silly video game topics. For the list of topics, click here.
This was a difficult one for me for several reasons. Given a choice of various character options, I will inevitably choose everything, because I am, as we say in the MMO-world, an alt-whore. I just want to try everything. But there are some patterns of races I gravitate to, and races I shy away from.
I am not big on “furry” races. Tails and clawed feet, non-humanoid faces, nope. Which I guess does limit me from some cool choices. Khajiit from Skyrim come to mind being a viable option for a variety of builds, and a genuinely interesting race. The idea of a “Dragon-Tiger” is pretty Napoleon Dynamite but I’m honest enough with myself to admit that I am just juvenile enough to try it. Still, if it has fur, tails, claws, no thanks.
Shorties are another no-go. Perhaps that makes me a horrible person, but I like to see armor and clothes on my avatar in games, and short races tend to be a bit compressed. I’ll admit, Gnomes are pretty boss, and I do have an Asura in GW2, but they are far from my favorite. Hunch-backed characters/races fall in this same categories (WOW’s Orcs, Forsaken & Tauren, I’m looking at YOU.)
So what does that leave me with? Something with a blend of fun powers (or good stats) that meets my aesthetic criteria. Wood Elves from Everquest, Half Elves from EQ2, Norn from GW2, Bretons from Skyrim. My two favorite from WOW were my human paladin (mostly because at the time that was the only option other than Dwarf) and my female orc shaman (for reasons I won’t get into here!)