Rift: Racial Abilities Guide

In this article, I will be going over all of the Rift racial abilities. I know that many players do not care about the aesthetics of a class and rather would play the most functional one.

After reading this article, you should have no problem picking a race. With that said, Rift racial abilities are quite minor compared to other games.

Contents:

1. Guardians
   1. Dwarf Racial Abilities
   2. High Elf Racial Abilities
   3. Mathosian Racial Abilities
2. Defiant
   1. Eth
   2. Kelari
   3. Bahmi
3. Conclusion

Guardians

The Guardians consist of Dwarves, High Elves, and Mathosians. If you want to be a Guardian, you have to pick between the following racials:

Dwarf Racial Abilities

Dwarves have what I like to think are the worst Rift racial abilities:

• Density – Dwarves can fall twice the distance of other races
• Bahlralt’s Mettle – +10 strength
• Miracle of Hammerknell – +20 water resistance

Density is what makes the Dwarven racials so weak. It just really is not that good compared to Angelic Flight and Motivational Roar.

While the Strength bonus is not bad for a PvE player, if you plan to PvP you should seriously consider the High Elf for Angelic Flight.

High Elf Racial Abilities

High Elves will be very popular as they have what is likely to be the “best” racials amongst the Guardians:

• Angelic Flight – Allows the High Elf to fly 30 in-game meters. It can be used every 15 seconds but cannot be used in combat.
• Tavril’s Grace – +10 wisdom
• Grace of the Forest – +20 life resistance

Angelic Flight might sound great, but it does have limitations. It usually does not let you fly anywhere you could not run anyway. If you use this ability at the peak of a “jump” it lets you jump over objects and sometimes up hills that you would otherwise not be able to climb.

While it cannot be used in combat, people fall in and out of combat rapidly in PvP. This ability will definitely help you get around the battlefield, especially with that very short cooldown.

Finally, the Wisdom makes the High Elf the best choice for Clerics and Mages.

Mathosian Racial Abilities

The Mathosians also have some of the best Rift racial abilities.

• Motivational Roar – +30% movement speed to the group for 10 seconds. 2 minute cooldown and can only be used outside of combat.
• Thedeor’s Will – +10 dexterity
• Legacy of the Shade – +20 death resitance

Motivational Roar does have a long cooldown but it is much more convenient than Angelic Flight. This is perfect for the lazy players out there who do not feel like using Angelic Flight every 15 seconds.

The dexterity makes the Mathosian the best race for a Guardian Rogue.

Defiant

Defiants can chose from the Eth, Kelari, and Bahmi. Here are your options as a Defiant for Rift racial abilities:

Eth

The Eth, in many players’ opinions, have the best racial ability set in the game:

• Agility – Increases movement speed by 70% for 15 seconds. 2 minute cooldown and cannot be used in combat.
• Sun’s Fortune – +10 intellect
• Desert Dweller’s Birthright – +20 earth resistance

Agility is really good. It does have limitations given that it can only be used out of combat, but it will really come in handy in PvP as it is quite easy to go out of combat.

The +intellect also makes the Eth the best choice for Mages and Clerics on the Defiant side.

Kelari

The Kelari have some of the most unusual Rift Racial abilities:

• Camouflage – turns the Kelari into a fox for 30 seconds. The fox has a reduced aggro range for enemies, allowing you to sneak through enemy encampments without getting attacked (as easily). This actually can save you a little bit of time as many zones are densely populated!
• Flame’s Ferocity – +10 dexterity
• Legacy of the Fire Islands – +20 fire resistance

The Kelari are the best choice for Rogues since they have the dexterity, however, many players would prefer having the Eth’s Agility ability over having a static 10 dexterity. This is understandable and reasonable, as 10 dex is small in the grand scheme of things.

Bahmi

The Bahmi have a nice set of racials that is quite ideal for the Warrior calling:

• Mighty Leap – leap up to 30 yards. 15 second cooldown; cannot be used in combat.
• Sefir of Strength – +10 strength
• Shalastir Heritage – +20 air resistance

Mightly Leap is good for getting to the action in PvP, and the +10 strength makes the Bahmi a good choice for Warrior.

Conclusion

All in all, the Racial abilities in Rift are fairly minor and just add a little flavor to each race. I would not say any racial ability is so good that I would recommend choosing one race over another based on class.

Don’t forget to read the rest of our Rift guides, especially this free leveling guide if you’re a newbie.