EverQuest has 16 player races to choose from. At launch, 12 races were available; 4 more have been added with later expansions. Each race has an array of special traits that makes them unique.
Hint: Click the table column headers to sort| Race | Alignment | Home City | Vision | Special Traits | Available Classes | Size | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | Good | Halas | Poor | Slam skill, +10 CR | BST BER ROG SHM WAR | M/L | |
| Dark Elf | Evil | Neriak | Ultravision | Hide skill | CLR ENC MAG NEC ROG SHD WAR WIZ | S/M | |
| Drakkin | Neutral | Crescent Reach | Infravision | Dragon Breath | BRD CLR DRU ENC MAG MNK NEC PAL RNG ROG SHD WAR WIZ | M | Introduced with The Serpent's Spine expansion. |
| Dwarf | Good | Kaladim | Infravision | +5 PR, +5 MR | BER CLR PAL ROG WAR | S | |
| Erudite | Neutral | Erudin or Paineel depending on class | Poor | -5 DR, +5 MR | CLR ENC MAG NEC PAL SHD WIZ | M | |
| Froglok | Neutral | Gukta | Ultravision | Swimming skill starts at 125 | CLR NEC PAL ROG SHD SHM WAR WIZ | S/M | Introduced with Legacy of Ykesha expansion. Their previous home city was Grobb (Gukta), but it was taken back by the trolls in an event in 2005. |
| Gnome | Neutral | Ak'Anon | Infravision | Tinkering tradeskill | CLR ENC MAG NEC PAL ROG SHD WAR WIZ | S | |
| Half-Elf | Neutral | Freeport, Kelethin, Qeynos or Surefall Glade depending on class and choice | Infravision | BRD DRU PAL RNG ROG WAR | M | ||
| Halfling | Good | Rivervale | Infravision | +5% experience bonus, Sneak and Hide skill, consumes food and drink faster, +5 PR, +5 DR | CLR DRU PAL RNG ROG WAR | S | |
| High Elf | Good | Felwithe | Infravision | CLR ENC MAG PAL WIZ | S/M | ||
| Human | Neutral | Freeport, Qeynos or Surefall Glade depending on class and choice | Poor | BRD CLR DRU ENC MAG MNK NEC PAL RNG ROG SHD WAR WIZ | M | ||
| Iksar | Evil | Cabilis | Infravision | Swimming skill starts at 100, Forage skill, extra HP regeneration, AC bonus, consumes food and drink faster. Cannot wear plate armor from the old world or Kunark. | BST MNK NEC SHD SHM WAR | M | Introduced with Ruins of Kunark expansion. Although they are labelled evil along with Dark Elves, Ogres and Trolls, they are hated by original evil races as well. |
| Ogre | Evil | Oggok | Infravision | Slam skill, frontal stun immunity, consumes food and drink faster | BST BER SHD SHM WAR | L | |
| Troll | Evil | Grobb | Infravision | Slam skill, extra HP regeneration, -20 FR | BST BER SHD SHM WAR | L | |
| Vah Shir | Neutral | Shar Vhal | Infravision | Safe Fall skill, consumes food and drink faster | BRD BST ROG SHM WAR | M/L | Introduced with the Shadows of Luclin expansion. |
| Wood Elf | Good | Kelethin | Infravision | Sneak, Hide and Forage skill | BRD DRU RNG ROG WAR | S/M |
Armor refers to the armor size of the old world, where crafted armor was size-restricted. S = Small, M = Medium, L = Large. For example, Banded Mail is medium size, and will not fit big Ogres or small Gnomes. Ogres have to wear Large Banded Mail and Gnomes Small Banded Mail. The size restrictions are only relevant on gear from the classic era.
The importance of race diminished rather quickly as EverQuest was expanded. The intricate faction war of the old world was not carried over into new continents and content, and the minor differences in starting statistics and vision were evened out by gear. Technical updates to the game client also allowed races without special vision, previously almost blind at night, to still see decently in the dark. Only two races really stand out with special traits:
- Gnome: The only race with access to the Tinkering tradeskill.
- Halfling: 5% experience bonus.
- Ogre: Frontal stun immunity is still very valuable, although some melee classes can also achieve this through AA.
Ultimately you will be fine with any race. If you would like to explore some of the old home cities you you might want to consider choosing a race of an alignment that fits your bill. For example, neutral and good races can effortlessly explore cities like Kelethin and Felwithe, but a Dark Elf will need to do faction work.