Shadowrun Trilogy: Best Races For Beginners In Each Game

Set in a futuristic cyberpunk metropolis, the Shadowrun Trilogy will allow players to live out their inner sci-fi and fantasy dream by becoming a whole cast of recognizable fantasy races. Players can slice their way through multiple adversaries with a katana, summon mystical spirit allies, hack their way into corporate firewalls, and command drones to provide cover fire.

As an RPG that will have players experience a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ sort of experience, featuring multiple dialogues and branching pathways, the Shadowrun Trilogy will allow players to fully customize their avatar. As each game in the trilogy is a self-contained story, players will have to create new characters at the start of each game. With several archetypes and races to choose from, players will benefit by having some intel on what each race can do and whether they will suit the player’s style of gameplay.

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All 3 Shadowrun games offer 5 available races for players to choose from. New players should note that apart from visually appearing different, different races will offer various bonuses and be suited to particular roles. No race is necessarily ‘better’ than the other as it will depend on the player’s personal preference and choice of class. Races will also have their own restrictions and boons and the NPCs players will encounter will react accordingly, depending on the player’s choice of race.

Best Races In Shadowrun Returns

As mentioned earlier, there are no 'best' races as personal choices and style of play will be factored in. However, in Shadowrun Returns, players are recommended to play as the Decker Archetype as they will be able to gather more loot and karma throughout the game. Additionally, players will also get more out of their narrative dialogues and choices to some extent as the Decker. Humans and Trolls appear to be the races that can give players a slight edge within the game.

Humans

Humans are the ‘vanilla’ and common race within the game. They represent the highest population and are seen as a symbol of normality. This is also reflected in their statistics as the maximum level they attain in skills and attributes is 9.

In the world of Shadowrun, humans were the only race until the Awakening which occurred in 2012. Despite being the definition of average, humans still control many of the most powerful and lucrative positions in society. They are suited for any archetype or class.

Max Attribute Values: Strength (9) Body (9) Quickness (9) Intelligence (9) Willpower (9) Charisma (9)

Racial Bonus: Gives 3 additional Karma points that can be spent during character creation.

It is this racial bonus that can give players a slight edge as Humans will give players the chance to increase their attributes at the beginning of their respective playthrough.

Trolls

The largest and rarest of all the races, Trolls are physically intimidating are can be seen doing a lot of physically laborious stuff in the game. They are also ideal bodyguards or security detail. Society tends to view Trolls as lacking in intelligence but there is no definitive proof of this.

Although they lack in the intelligence department in the Shadowrun games, they essentially make up for it with their strength and constitution. According to the game’s lore, about 10% of the human population ‘goblinized’ into Orks and Trolls in the year 2021, first marking the appearance of Trolls. Humans can sometimes become Trolls during puberty as well. This event and occurrence is one reason why Trolls are looked down upon and feared. Players choosing trolls may encounter prejudice during their narrative playthroughs. They are perfectly suited to become Street Samurai or Physical Adepts.

Max Attribute Values: Strength (15) Body (17) Quickness (8) Intelligence (6) Willpower (9) Charisma (6)

Racial Bonus: +1 Body and +1 Strength.

Due to their strong racial bonus, Trolls are great for players wanting to get up close and personal with foes right from the get-go.

Best Races In Shadowrun: Dragonfall

Similar to the above, Humans and Trolls still can be considered the 'better' races in terms of numbers and stats. However, in Shadowrun: Dragonfall, players who wish to experience a more cunning and crafty playthrough should consider playing as the Elf. Charisma is a useful attribute in the game as it can help with lying to guards and charm other NPCs during dialogues.

Elves

Known for their beauty and intelligence, Elves are similar in appearance to humans but are fairer and taller. Blessed with appealing features, Elves are more socially accepted in society due to their natural good looks and silver tongues.

In the lore, the Elves also have low-light vision, allowing them to see clearly in total darkness. They also demonstrate advantages in charisma and quickness and are ideal Street Samurai or Shamans.

Max Attribute Values: Strength (9) Body (9) Quickness (11) Intelligence (9) Willpower (9) Charisma (12)

Racial Bonus: +1 Charisma.

Most players would agree that in general if the player's character can shoot well and has some social ability, the player should experience a nice playthrough of Shadowrun: Dragonfall.

Best Races In Shadowrun: Hong Kong

Again, race ultimately doesn't matter as it would depend largely on the Archetype/Class chosen. However, as the Decker class is considered to be not as necessary due to the gameplay being not as fun and party members that can fulfill the role, players are free to explore other Archetypes and roleplay as something else. As mentioned previously, Trolls are natural physical powerhouses, humans are generally well adapted to any role, and Elves are naturally charming and socially adept. This leaves out the Dwarfs and Orks. Whilst not having any real distinct advantage in Shadowrun: Hong Kong, Dwarfs, and Orks can offer some boons to players.

Dwarfs

The shortest and stockiest of all the races in this sci-fi fantasy world, these guys have high strength and are pretty resilient. They also have high willpower, which makes them naturally good as Mages and Physical Adepts.

Dwarfs are also blessed with thermographic vision allowing them to see infrared energy. Being small, they aren’t known to be nimble but their resilience makes them more immune to diseases. They are suited to be Mages, Street Samurai, and Physical Adepts.

Max Attribute Values: Strength (12) Body (11) Quickness (9) Intelligence (9) Willpower (11) Charisma (9)

Racial Bonus: +1 Willpower.

Orks

The second most populous race due to their ability to breed quickly (their gestation period is 6 months and Ork mothers can have between 4-8 offspring at a time) Orks are blessed with good strength and constitution but appear to demonstrate less intelligence than Humans and Elves. They can be a fun alternative to Trolls to roleplay, should players want the natural physical prowess minus the negative stigma that Trolls typically get.

According to the lore, Orks, like Elves also have low-light vision and in 2021 about 10% of the world’s Human population ‘goblinized’ into Orks and Trolls. Orks are also divided into subgroups which include Hobgoblins, Ogres, Oni, and Satyrs. Like Trolls, Orks tend to be looked down upon by the other races. Despite that, their strength and resilience make them ideal warriors and thus they are suited to being Street Samurai or Physical Adepts.