Choosing a race in Ashes of Creation gives your character a specific look. Each race comes with its own culture, values, strengths, and history. It influences combat styles and social interactions. There’s no single “best” race for everyone, but some stand out depending on how you like to play. In this guide, we break down the best races in Ashes of Creation.
Best Races
You can choose independence and rebellion with the nature-bound Py’Rai, discipline and strength with the battle-hardened Ren’Kai, unity and survival with the corruption-fighting Tulnar, faith and prophecy with the star-guided Vek, or clever trade and negotiation with the desert-born Vaelune. Here are the best races in Ashes of Creation.
Dünir
The Dünir are tough and dependable people who take great pride in their craftsmanship and hard work. They thrive in dangerous, unforgiving lands, pushing through challenges with determination and patience.
They are loyal to their monarch but prefer to work independently, often mastering trades or searching for wealth deep underground. Their armies are famous for strong defences, mirroring their steady and unshakable nature. While the Dünir value long-lasting alliances, they never forget a wrong done to them, and their grudges are well known. This mix of loyalty and stubbornness shapes a careful but firm approach to politics.
Empyreans
Empyreans are city-dwelling elves known for their intelligence, physical grace, charm, and striking beauty. They excel at almost everything they set their minds to, whether it’s crafting, soldiering, powerful magic, diplomacy, or leadership.
They take great pride in their advanced society, disciplined military, and efficient government. Empyreans also live far longer than any other race on Verra, giving them plenty of time to study, master magic, and pursue deep academic knowledge. Unlike shorter-lived races, who finish learning early in life, Empyreans never stop studying. Many even change careers after living for hundreds of years, always seeking to grow and improve.
Kaelar
The Kaelar are deeply proud of who they are and where they come from. They believe in facing challenges head-on, and while they can be warm, social, and open to interacting with other races, their strong sense of identity always comes first.
They follow an old feudal system passed down from their ancestors, ruled by a monarch with nobles inheriting land and titles. Like those before them, they have knightly orders and command the largest, most organised standing army among all races. This great pride gives them a powerful sense of duty and honour, but it also makes compromise difficult, often getting in the way of diplomacy and peaceful negotiations.
Niküa
To the Niküa, life is all about three things: family, the open sky, and the wind filling their sails. They are natural explorers, skilled sailors, fishers, and adventurers, known for being dependable like their Dünir cousins, though far less strict and disciplined.
They are guided by a council of five elected elders, but beyond their home waters, the Niküa don’t stay tightly bound to larger groups. Their society values adaptability and strong community ties. While they are generally welcoming and easygoing, their leaders make decisions together, which leads the Niküa to take a careful and thoughtful approach to diplomacy.
Py’Rai
The Py’Rai believe strongly in personal freedom and self-expression. They live in close family groups and share a deep bond with nature, relying on one another while staying true to themselves.
Resources are shared within these kin groups, but the Py’Rai refuse to be ruled by any formal government. Instead, they maintain loose family alliances and guard their independence fiercely. Long ago, they broke away from their Pyrian ancestors through a violent revolt, and that fight for freedom shaped who they are today. They still celebrate this rebellion every year as a reminder of their hard-won independence.
Ren’Kai
The Ren’Kai believe in hard training, loyalty, and fighting with honour. This mindset has shaped them into skilled craftspeople, thoughtful scholars, and fearsome warriors.
Their confederation was formed after centuries of warfare, and today their military strength rivals that of the Kaelar. However, a long history of conflict has made diplomacy difficult for them. After surviving both internal struggles and outside threats, the Ren’Kai have emerged stronger and more united, with their shared past with the Vek creating a rare and powerful bond between the two.
Tulnar
The Tulnar may look very different from one another because of their beast-like traits, but they are united by one strong belief: corruption must be fought wherever it appears. They are refugees who didn’t just survive the horrors of the world above, but learned how to endure and grow stronger in spite of them.
When the Ancients destroyed the surface, survivors from many backgrounds fled into vast underground caverns. There, they shared resources, skills, and their knowledge of essence to stay alive, forming a close community built on trust and necessity. Those values still guide them today; everything is shared, whether times are prosperous or difficult.
For a long time, powerful magical wards sealed the Tulnar beneath the earth. When the Divine Gates unexpectedly reopened, they carefully made their way back to the surface, cautiously meeting the other nations as they emerged through the ancient archways.
Vek
The Vek are deeply spiritual people, often becoming clerics or mages who are guided by faith and a fascination with the stars. They are especially skilled in magic, enchantments, and alchemy.
Their society is run as a theocracy led by stargazers, and their political decisions are heavily influenced by prophecy. This gives their diplomacy a sense of divine purpose and destiny. Shaped by long-standing struggles alongside the Ren’Kai, Vek culture mixes a deep study of the heavens with strong religious leadership.
Vaelune
The Vaelune come from the harsh Sandsquall Desert, where survival depended on being brave, curious, clever, and charming. Those traits helped them endure the desert’s dangers, and even now, they continue to sharpen these skills so they never miss a chance to get ahead.
They are traditionally governed by an elected magistrate, with much of their politics handled through powerful trade guilds and industries. Trade sits at the heart of Vaelune society, and their customs place great importance on negotiation rituals meant to keep deals fair and honest. According to legend, their people were born from a marriage between an Aelan and a djinn guardian of the Sandsquall. This ancient bond is said to be the reason for their glowing eyes and rune-marked skin.
