7. Goblinoid (Good)

There’s nothing scarier than a ghost goblin. 

Really when it comes to the default races and their traits none of them are terrible. Except the goblinoids. These green boys really just don’t have great traits. 

Goblinoid Strengths: 

• Flanking: Sneak gives you bonuses for flanking enemies. 
• Defense sundering: Stinky boys who get rid of resistances. 
• Evil looking: If you wanna look evil this is a good pick. 

Play Goblinoid if:

• You want a flanking build: This is especially good for the resistance sundering. 
• You want to play a glass cannon: No health bonuses, but all damage buffs. 
• You are okay pairing range and melee: You need them close for resistance sundering, but rangers are going to benefit from flanking the most. 

6. Toadkin (Good)

Everyone tough until the toads roll up.

Oh toads, one of my favorites. They’re just way too ugly looking for me not to pick them 9/10 times. Toads are a fine pick if you’re okay being in a particular biome. 

Toadkin Strengths:

• Biome bonuses: Starting in your own biome has some nice effects. 
• Good status resistance: Resilient is great for lessening effects.
• Survivability: Hardy has a nice HP bump that lasts you. 

Play the Toadkin if:

• You like starting in the swamp: You’re going to be put in the swamp, so you better start loving bogs. 
• You want a more defensive build: Hardy and Resilient lean more into a defensive playstyle. 
• You want to get into the thick of combat: Most likely you’re going to have a lot of front liners, so get ready for the intensity. 

5. Halfling (great)

Oh Ham Binger, what a rapscallion.

Halfling, the little folk of the shire. These guys have a nice little mobility build. Get ready for a positioning masterclass. 

The halfling is specialized in glass cannons and ranged attacks. Make sure to get your skirmishers up close and personal. While never letting your casters see the front lines.

Halfling Strengths: 

• Great positioning options: Light-footed, allows you to move through your own units. Very nice.
• Ranged defense: Quick Reflexes is going to give you a great safety net to avoid ranged blows. 
• Avoids retaliation damage: Elusive allows you to defend better against both opportunity, and retaliation attacks. 

Play the Halfling if: 

• You like hit and run tactics: This race’s bread and butter is hitting and running away. 
• You want a good mix of range and melee: You need some guys to annoy the melee fighters while your rangers pepper them with arrows and magic. 
• You hate opportunity attacks: It’s annoying not being able to move away from an enemy, these guys don’t have to worryabout that much. 

4. Dwarfkin (great)

This guy’s nose gives a +1 to his defense. 

These little prospecting balls of muscle are great. A defensive touch to the otherwise “resistant” fellows you’ll find in the other races. 

Think thoughtfully about your tome picks. Really I’m recommending a defensive strategyto the entire playstyle of the dwarves. 

Dwarfkin Strengths: 

• Defense oriented: With all the buffs starting out for this race you won’t be taking damage. 
• Strong frontline: Defensive tactics, Tough, and Hardy are going to make some beefy boys. 
• Easy to pick up: Defensive races and builds make it very easy for new players.

Play the Dwarfkin if: 

• You want a simple game: You really only need to be bolstering your defense for this race to thrive. 
• You want a slower game: Staying in one spot all day is going to be time consuming. But its funny watching arrows fail to touch you. 
• You want to play defensively: Again, with all that hp and resistance you’re going to want to slow it down. 

3. Human (great)

Awakened humans are something else. 

Humans, though some may find them boring, they're great. Undeniably greatwith the race traits they start out with. 

Humans take a thoughtful touch. Be smart by using Defensive Tactics, press the advantage when it opens up. Your recuperation will be a lifeline in risky battles. 

Human Strengths: 

• Fast leveling: with “adaptable,” the humans are going to be bumping tiers like nobody’s business. 
• Good resistance: Defensive Tactics are going to be prepping you to take some damage. 
• Quick recovery: Recuperation will allow you to go on long term campaigns more easily. 

Play the humans if:

• You like fast leveling: Adaptable is going to get you and your soldiers boosted quick. 
• You want to play smart: Defensive tactics means you always have to have people paired together to get the most benefit. 
• You like being offensive: Ironically, the build needs aggression in order to get the most use out of the package. 

2. Avian (Great)

Birds shoot guns, what more do you want?

I promise I’m not picking favorites. I do like the bird faction a lot, but they really are gifted quite a few useful traits. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them. 

Make sure to have 1-2 skirmishers and the rest rangers. Make your front liners harass the enemy. Then pop them with your range.

Avian strengths: 

• Easy mobility: Light-footed allows you to move through your own units. 
• Defensive touches: Elusive lets you resist opportunity attacks which means you can hit and get out of there. 
• Great knowledge: Sharp eyes lets you get a sense for where the enemies are before they pop up on the world map. 

Play the Avian if: 

• You like to think strategically: Having extra vision range is only useful if you know how to capitalize on it. 
• You enjoy hit and run tactics: The whole point of elusive is to abuse getting in and out of enemy range. 
• You want to be leveling up quick: Adaptable, again, great trait. 

Ratkin (best)

Ah rats, my favorite race in the game. 

This time I am playing favorites with the best pick. The rat boys, ratkin are extremely fun to play if played correctly. 

This build can work great with a summoning build. But generally a chaos run with a tome of the Horde start is going to serve you best. 

Ratkin Strengths: 

• Good group strategy: Overwhelm Tactics lets you bunch up close and really mow down enemies. 
• Range defense: Elusive is underrated in general, and will serve your little guys here. 
• Adaptable: Probably my second favorite, leveling up quickly is awesome. 

Play the Ratkin if: 

• You want to invest in a summoning build: Summoning is costly but worth it in a lot of ways. Creating “overwhelm tactics” is going to build your edge. 
• You want decent defense or resistance: Really get your chances to be hit, down as much as possible.
• You want to be moving quickly: All these abilities mean you’re going to be skirmishing alot. Move fast, level quicker, and win in 31 turns. 

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