Choose a race according to the effect you want to compare: progression, a health margin, movement, recovery, or damage support. The original game uses adapted racial effects. Below, its single-source tooltip values are separated from a historical Classic class reference and a dated all-races unlock report.
Evidence checked 2026-10-28: eight race entries and their numeric lines come from the official bundle. Human and Orc also appear in saved menus from the same source family. Classic pairings and third-party unlock costs are reference material with separate evidence limits.
Original-game racial text: one official source
The values below are the English racial strings recorded from the official client bundle on 28 October 2026. Human is also visible in the saved Warrior menu and Orc in the later Shaman menu, but those are the same official source family, not independent verification. The remaining rows have no independent second source established here.
These are adapted survivor-mode effects. Ordinary Classic weapon-skill or resistance values must not replace them. The entries are tooltip records, not a test of stacking, uptime, or best damage. A dash means no third line was recorded in the research; it is not a claim that the race has no other mechanics.
| Race | Recorded line 1 | Recorded line 2 | Recorded line 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human | Perception: +15% damage for 10s every 30s | Human Spirit: +10% experience | Diplomacy: +20% gold |
| Orc | Blood Fury: +35% damage for 12s every 40s | Hardiness: +10% max health | — |
| Dwarf | Stoneform: absorb 30% max health every 45s | Gun Specialization: +6% damage | Treasure Finding: +30% pickup range |
| Night Elf | Shadowmeld: 3s immune near death, 75s cooldown | Quickness: +8% move speed | Nature Resistance: +5% damage reduction |
| Undead | Will of the Forsaken: 4s immune near death, 60s cooldown | Cannibalize: 1 health per kill | Shadow Resistance: +4% damage reduction |
| Tauren | War Stomp: 2s stun nearby every 15s | Endurance: +15% max health | — |
| Gnome | Escape Artist: root nearby for 2s every 20s | Expansive Mind: -8% cooldowns | Engineering: +20% luck |
| Troll | Berserking: +30% cooldown recovery for 10s every 35s | Regeneration: +1.5 health per second | Throwing: +3% crit |
Choose for a goal, subject to race availability
The following are editorial comparisons using the recorded text above. They do not establish a best race for a class, and their numeric premises remain single-source observations. Only plan around a race available to the character or an already-unlocked race.
| Goal | Text to compare | Tradeoff to inspect |
|---|---|---|
| Experience or gold progression | Human: experience and gold lines | Choose for progression rather than assuming the highest combat damage. |
| A larger health margin | Tauren: max-health line; Orc also has a health line | Health does not by itself prove better recovery or faster boss kills. |
| Movement or damage reduction | Night Elf: move speed and damage-reduction lines | Compare with health or recovery if taking damage is the actual problem. |
| Cooldown-oriented spell plan | Gnome: cooldown line; Troll: timed recovery line | Different wording and timed effects cannot be ranked without verified stacking and uptime. |
| Damage-oriented comparison | Dwarf: damage line; Orc: timed damage line; Troll: crit line | Flat, timed, and critical-hit effects are different inputs; no single DPS number is inferred. |
| Recovery or near-death effects | Undead and Night Elf: recorded recovery/near-death lines | Do not treat a near-death effect as permanent invulnerability. |
Classic class combinations: historical reference only
This table retains the Classic-era reference used in the research, with Blizzard Watch’s Classic race guide as background. It is not a verified availability matrix for Aethus’s original game. The earlier research did not independently check every reference row against that article; notably the Dwarf, Night Elf and Undead lists were not sourced there row by row.
Original-game race/class availability is left unverified here rather than inferred from Classic. Its adapted racials and unlock system are separate facts. Use this table to recognize historical combinations, not to promise that an original-game picker will offer every listed pair.
| Race | Historical Classic class reference |
|---|---|
| Human | Warrior, Paladin, Rogue, Priest, Mage, Warlock |
| Dwarf | Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Priest |
| Night Elf | Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Druid |
| Gnome | Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Warlock |
| Orc | Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock |
| Undead | Warrior, Rogue, Priest, Mage, Warlock |
| Tauren | Warrior, Hunter, Shaman, Druid |
| Troll | Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Shaman, Mage |
All-races unlock: a dated tracker claim
The app update tracker and game.com update record attribute an all-races option to 0.120.0: 100 achievement points unlock a chosen race for every class, with the purchase retained through perk resets. The two trackers may refer to the same author update, so this is not asserted as independent confirmation of the current price.
The 100-point cost and persistence were not re-established for the 0.123.0 menu in this research. Treat them as a dated tracker report, not a guaranteed current price or a separate charge per class. There is no need to spend points to use this guide. See the version record and the class route table when comparing a race with a build objective.
Questions
Which race is best for my build?
No tested universal winner is established. Compare the recorded effect with the problem in your run, such as progression, survival, or cooldown support, and first establish that the race is available. Exact original-game racial numbers here have only one official source.
Does the Classic table prove the original game allows each pair?
No. It is a historical reference. Original-game availability is not inferred from it, and all-races unlock prices are separately attributed to dated third-party trackers.
Is 100 points the confirmed current unlock cost?
The trackers attribute that cost per race for all classes to version 0.120.0. It was not independently re-established for 0.123.0, so this guide does not guarantee the current price.
Sources and verification limits
Checked 2026-10-28. Two independent publishers are needed to call a claim confirmed. A menu, screenshot and script from Aethus count as one publisher. Exact menu HP, racial values and dated build identifiers are single-source observations. A video or a general game report does not independently verify every number. Missing values remain unreported; disagreements stay attributed.
- Aethus — original game page
Official browser entry and Windows link. Version and menu numbers are a single-publisher snapshot dated 28 October 2026, not independently confirmed current values.
- 17173 — independent game report, 26 October 2026
Free game, nine classes, eight races, Windows download and permanent progression. Rounded download size is not a file identity check.
- Blizzard Watch — vanilla race/class background
Vanilla background only; does not confirm the official fan game grid or its rewritten racial values.
- Community patch tracker
Attributed tracker claims, including 355 talents and 498 items. These totals remain single-source claims, not a complete count by this guide.
- Holdherhand — Absolutely Everything You Need To Know
Independent public footage for the gameplay shown, not verification of every numerical claim on this page.