All Playable Races in Final Fantasy 14

Final Fantasy XIV

By Eva Martinello

Published Jun 4, 2024

The Warrior of Light is a central character to the Final Fantasy 14 story, and choosing the appearance the players want for their hero well is crucial. If players aren't satisfied with the appearance they've chosen for their character or have changed their mind, everything can be changed.

But some elements will require a crucial price. While it's easy to change things like the haircut, hair color, and more through the Aesthetician, the race of the character requires one Fantasia use. The developer only hands a few of them for free, but otherwise, it has to be bought with real currency at the Mog Station. With that in mind, choosing the correct Race for the Warrior of Light is an important decision.

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List of every playable race in Final Fantasy 14

There is a total of eight races playable in FF14. Some of them are locked behind expansions, since the developer adds a new one for each release. Each race features specific bonuses in the following base stats: Strength, Vitality, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Mind.

However, those don't make any difference once players start to level up, so it's not advised to choose a race based on this information. Some other things can change depending on the race, however. Here is the list.

Hyur

Hyur is the closest thing from a human race players can get in Eorzea. According to their description, they are the most populous of all civilized races in the FF14 world. Their shape is standard, although Highlanders are taller than Midlanders.

Elezen

Elezen are, as their name suggests, elves of Eorzea. They have long ears that players can customize at will, as well as a long and thin shape. Surprisingly enough, they aren't commonly found in the game, as players are more keen on playing Mi'qote, Viera, and other hybrid races, rather than elves.

Lalafell

Lalafells are the most discreet folks in FF14, with a very small size and cute features. This unique race isn't easily noticed in a crowd, but players usually react to these characters because there aren't a lot of them in the game. They will often receive patpats and more signs of affection, so players who want to be cute should consider them.

Don't worry about the peculiar size of Lalafells: the game is well-adjusted to them. Cutscenes are adapted to their small size, as well as clothes and mounts. It might help that the Game Director Naoki Yoshida is a big Lalafell player.

Miqo'te

Miqo'te is the most popular race by far in FF14, and those players will see the most among NPCs, too. They are hybrid humans with cat ears. This particularity aside, they have models close to the human's. In addition to their ears, they have very recognizable voices. Players can choose either Seekers of the Sun, with lighter skin, or Keepers of the Moon, with darker skin.

Roegadyn

The most famous Roegadyn in Eorzea is Merlwyb, the wolf Roegadyn who, after a career in piracy, took the lead of the Grand Company Maelstrom. She's fierce and represents the race, as Roegadyn are among the underdogs of Eorzea's races in terms of representation.

Roegadyns are among the tallest playable races. The male models are very bulky. They have two variants: Sea Wolves, with lighter skin, and Hellsguard, with darker skin. Players who want to play underrepresented races can consider this one, since it's one of the least popular.

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Au Ra

Au Ra is a race installed in Ilsabard. They are wild-looking, with horns and scales on their faces. This race is quite unique, although their shape is similar to humans. This appearance is due to the fact that they're progeny of dragons. Players who are willing to main Dragoon can consider those, if they want to fit the theme. Male models are largely taller than Female ones. There are two variants of Au Ri: Raen, with lighter skin and white scales, and Xaela, with dark horns.

Hrothgar

Hrothgar are bulky humanoids with faces that resemble lions. They are mostly male and struggled to communicate with other races of Eorzea for a while, until they learned the common tongue.

While the Hrothgar race has been exclusively Male since its release, Dawntrail is adding Female models to the mix. Hrothgar are among the largest characters available in the game, so they have the perfect tanky shape. Players should be warned, however: not all hairstyles are compatible with them, because of their unique-looking faces.

Viera

Vieras are inhabitants of the Rak'tika Greatwood. They are tall humanoids with bunny ears who live in a matriarchal society, as males are rare and bound to protect their territory from outside threats.

This is the latest race to be released in Final Fantasy 14. When it released alongside Shadowbringers, only Female characters were available. Then, the developer added Male character models with the release of Endwalker in 2021. Viera is a unique-looking race. They are the tallest character models available in the game, which means players can’t go unnoticed when playing one. Viera have two variants: Rava, with dark skin and a taller model, and Veena, with a more petite silhouette and lighter skin.

The main downside of Viera is that only a limited number of hairstyles is available to the race, because bunny ears require some design adjustment to fit. In addition, most head-gear isn’t available either, for the same reason. With that in mind, players who are keen on changing their customization options often might get frustrated with a Viera.