Most MMOs stick to the standard fantasy races, Elves, Dwarves, and then of course Humans. But from time to time an MMO will have a totally unique race that make the game stand out. Sadly most of the time these are the least popular of all the race options instead of being the ones most deserving of love and attention. And so today we look at seven unique races from MMOs, finally giving them their moment to shine in the spotlight. They aren’t in any particular order though I do save one of my personal favorite for last.
Gibberlings
The Gibberlings from Allods Online are a completely unique race that have one feature which makes them stand out from any other race in all of MMOs. They are played in lumps of three. Players actually get three of the little guys as one controlled character. According to the lore of Allods most Gibberlings are born triplets who have a very close bond. If one Gibberling in a sprout (the name for the three Gibberlings as a collective) dies it is very likely that the others will follow soon after.
Popori
While TERA is filled with the typical Asian MMO drop dead gorgeous Elves and Humans there is one race that stands out. The Popori are a race of adorable short, round anthromorphic creatures who love wearing onesies and you can’t help but love. In fact it was watching Youtube star Jesse Cox discover the Popori that inspired not just me but many, many others to buy TERA. While the idea of Anthromorphised races aren’t anything new it is the adorableness, and also the roundness of the Popori that make them stand out. Though they look like they should be rolled down the street they are still formidable fighters.
Bahmi
Big Bahmi, Little Dwarf
For the most part Rift sticks to the standard fantasy race formula, Humans, Elves, Dwarves…and so on. But there is one race which is entirely unique to Telara, the Bahmi. This race came about when the armies from the plane of air came to Telara to fight in an ancient war and became stranded. Those that were stranded eventually mixed with Human populations and so the Bahmi were formed. They are a race of skilled artists and warriors and also have what may be the most badass females in MMOs.
Kheldians
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A Peacebringer at rest is a rare sight.[/caption]
Kheldians are unique to this list for several reasons, the first being that they are the only ones on the list from an MMO which has been shut down. In City of Heroes Kheldians were a complex race with a history that only a super hero geek would love. Players could pick from two factions within the Kheldian race, the Peacebringer and the Warshade which at first glance look to be almost identical with the exception that Peacebringers used bright white powers and Warshades used dark purple powers. But the two archetypes played very different from eachother and in fact Warshades were once bad guys who became good guys. The full story is quite complex and something you can find on Paragon Wiki if you want to know more. The final thing that made Kheldians stand out is their ability to shape change. Peacebringers had the most options when it came to picking forms with their standard “human” form, Nova form, Dwarf form, and light form.
Froglok
Frogs are people too man….
Though the Froglok were in Everquest from the start it wasn’t until the 2003 expansion Legacy of Ykesha that they were introduced as a playable race. Several MMOs today feature lizard people but frog people are unique to Everquest. And so it is for that reason the Froglok make it on the list representing all of the Everquest franchise despite the fact that Everquest and Everquest II both have more than one unique race.
Granok
Wildstar is filled with some pretty interesting races which are quite similar to others already out there. But the Granok are perhaps the most unique of the bunch. The Granok are a silicon based life form made up of dense, living stone. Granok are large and because of their rocky nature never seem to age. They love drinking and crafting. Those that left their world to save it from The Dominion were labelled outcasts as they had abandoned the ancient Way of Stone which was so important to the Granok. Now they have taken to the stars and made a name for themselves as fierce mercenaries. Ultimately it is the fact that they’re living rock people and the small details like being silicon based that land the Granok on this list
Charr
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Don't mess with a Charr and his plant[/caption]
You cannot talk about unique MMO races anymore without mentioning the Charr from Guild Wars 2. Though they are a race of cat people they’re done in a completely unique way. They aren’t the sleak, sexy catgirls you would expect from an MMO. Instead they’re huge, muscular beasts built for war. They are the industrial force in Tyria with mechanical creations such as the clock and tanks. They are arguably the most technologically advanced race in the world. These fearsome beasts have massive claws which at least for player characters are always out. At times this makes you wonder how they manage to do things like shoot a gun or work on anything needing a delicate touch. They are perhaps one of my favorite races on this list (after Kheldians /em holdtorch) which is why I have saved them for last.
And so there you have it 7 of the most unique races in MMOs. These unique races come in all shapes and sizes from the adorable Popori in TERA to the manly rock creatures of Wildstar there is no doubt that breaking from the mold is a good thing. Hopefully there will be many more races to add to this list in the future. But until then, are there any we left out? Would you have put different ones on the list? Let us know in the comments below.
