Originally Posted by
Blasphemous
Funny how polarized some opinions could be.
I almost exclusively play elven races and I despise drakes - their cold blood is annoying in the tower because of the constant damage and their lifespan is sooo short.
A gray elf doesn't mind being hit by ghosts and ghost lords because of several hundred years worth of aging while drakes...
I think elves level a bit too fast, but gnomes are just ridiculous in this department.
I don't like fast leveling races because they restrict my options due to level-dependent locations that seal off when you advance past a certain level.
Elves are amazing for most classes because:
- their high learning score allows 5 or more skill increases per level and learning spells is trivial (terrific assassins and monks and of course wizards/necros)
- their high mana allows an extra talent upon char creation (great bards and rangers)
- their dexterity is usually around 20 and quickly gets to 26 with moss, which translates to extra speed and DV (archers mmm)
- their perception is often at 20 which provides a nice view radius and other bonuses
- their initial willpower isn't high but the potential is very high, hence they work well as mindcrafters
- many classes start with elven chain mails which may very well be +8 PV, don't rust and weigh 10s (duelists)
- they often get crowned with sun's messenger which synergizes nicely with their natural talent for archery
- appearance which helps with shop prices, corruption and offers a nice incentive for drinking potions of exchange
- lifespan
- LIFESPAN, it's invaluable in a GUV
Low strength and toughness including potentials are somewhat annoying but not really a huge problem.
Elves are amazing, with gray elves being the best race out there.
Elves make terrible mindcrafters. All of the benefits of being an elf are basically wasted on them--yeah, they get okay Wi, but mindcrafters really need St and To, especially in early game, because they're really frail and their abilities are mostly worthless until at least the midgame. And then, you can't learn spells at all, and have really, really terrible skill dice, so your high Le is wasted; the high Ma is nice (though I think mindcraft now trains it?), but again, it's only late game that you really need it. Lifespan is a minor, but nice benefit, but dwarves have great lifespans and are much, much more durable, and, in fact, have better Wi than elves as well. There is no reason to choose and elf mindcrafter over a dwarf, IMHO.
On the more general question, I think hurthlings are probably the best race overall--great stats, great starting skills, extra missile benefits, best shop prices, guaranteed extra starting talent. They play well with almost every class (they're mediocre casters, but that's about it). I don't care much for the elf races as a whole--low To is just too much of a longterm hazard for most classes (basically all melee classes) to be particularly playable. Unless you really love re-rolling and doing the Village Dungeon, I guess.
Hoping to win with every class, doomed. Archer, Barbarian, Bard, Beastfighter, Druid, Elementalist, Farmer, Fighter, Monk, and ULE Priest down.