The Forge Race Guide - Complete Race Selection Guide
Race selection is one of the most impactful decisions in The Forge, providing permanent passive bonuses that define your entire playstyle, build optimization, and progression efficiency. This comprehensive guide covers all 13 races with detailed stat breakdowns, optimal build synergies, tier rankings, and reroll strategies.
1. Race System Fundamentals
Races provide permanent passive stat bonuses and unique abilities that apply at all times. Understanding how races work is crucial for optimal build selection.
How Races Work
Multiplicative with Gear: Race bonuses multiply with weapon damage, ore multipliers, runes, and enhancements, creating exponential scaling.
Always Active: Race bonuses are permanent, unlike consumables or temporary buffs.
Cannot Be Changed Easily: Changing races requires spending Race Rerolls (limited resource) and accepting RNG outcomes.
Race Rarity Tiers & Probabilities
Races are divided into five rarity tiers with dramatically different roll probabilities:
| Rarity | Races | Roll Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Human | 25% |
| Uncommon | Elf, Zombie | 15%, 14% |
| Rare | Goblin, Undead, Orc | 10.5%, 9%, 8% |
| Epic | Dwarf, Shadow | 7%, 6% |
| Legendary | Minotaur, Dragonborn, Golem | 1.75%, 1.5%, 1.25% |
| Mythical | Angel, Demon | 0.5%, 0.5% |
Critical Insight
Mythical races (Angel, Demon) have only 0.5% roll probability each. On average, you need 200 rerolls to statistically expect one Mythical race.
How to Reroll Race
There are two methods to reroll your race:
Method 1: Wizard Tower (NPC)
From spawn point in Stonewake's Cross, head toward Cave entrance, take LEFT path before reaching cave, walk up hill passing Tomo the Explorer, enter Wizard Tower, and talk to Wizard NPC inside.
Method 2: Shop Menu (Anywhere)
Press T to open in-game menu, navigate to Shop tab, scroll to Rerolls section, and click 'Go to Race Menu' button.
2. Complete Race Tier List
Races are ranked based on their stat bonuses, versatility, and overall effectiveness.
S-Tier: Mythical - Best in Slot
Angel (Mythical)
Stats:
- +50% Dash Distance
- -20% Dash Cooldown
- +25% Jump Height
- +25% Luck
- Smite Chance: 50% chance to call smite on hit
Most versatile race in The Forge, excelling at everything. 50% longer dash distance creates massive invulnerability windows, +25% luck boosts mining efficiency, and Smite provides consistent bonus damage.
Demon (Mythical)
Stats:
- +20% Movement Speed
- +20% Attack Speed
- +20% Physical Damage
- +20% Stronger Fire Damage
- Backfire: 25% chance to burn enemy when damage is taken
Ultimate glass cannon race providing three separate 20% multiplicative damage bonuses. Combined with Chaos Sword and legendary ores, Demon reaches 190-200+ DPS—highest in the game.
A-Tier: Legendary - Strong Alternatives
Dragonborn (Legendary)
Stats: +20% Max HP | +12% Physical Damage | Dragon's Breath: 40% chance to burn enemies
Best balance between offense (+12% damage) and defense (+20% HP) among Legendary races. Dragon's Breath provides strong sustained damage with 40% proc rate.
Minotaur (Legendary)
Stats: +15% Max HP | +15% Physical Damage | +10% Movement Speed
Excellent offensive bonuses (+15% damage, +10% speed) with moderate defensive HP increase. Ideal for aggressive melee playstyles.
Golem (Legendary)
Stats: +30% Max HP | -10% Movement Speed | Pure Tank
Largest HP pool possible with +30% Max HP, creating true tank builds. The -10% movement penalty is offset by Lightite armor traits.
B-Tier: Epic/Rare - Situational Specialists
Shadow (Epic)
Specializes in evasion mechanics, stacking with Darkryte ore for extreme dodge builds. However, dodge is unreliable compared to reliable HP/damage boosts.
Dwarf (Epic)
Best race for pure mining/farming builds, but provides minimal combat value. Save in Race Slot 2 and swap during dedicated mining sessions.
C-Tier: Uncommon/Rare - Niche Uses Only
Elf (Uncommon)
Stats: +7% Luck | +15% Stamina
+7% luck is valuable for mining, but Angel provides +25% luck (3.5× better) plus massive mobility/combat bonuses. Budget Angel—functional if you can't roll Mythical.
Goblin (Rare)
Gold farming from enemy kills is vastly inferior to mining rare ores. Mining generates 10-50× more gold per hour than combat farming.
Zombie (Uncommon)
Provides major stat penalties with minimal benefits. Reroll immediately unless you enjoy the aesthetic.
D-Tier: Common - Reroll Immediately
Human (Common)
Default starting race with zero bonuses. Every other race provides some advantage, making Human strictly inferior. Reroll as soon as you get your first Race Reroll.
3. Optimal Race Recommendations by Build
Different builds require different race bonuses for optimal performance.
Best DPS Build
Race Demon (Mythical)
Weapon Chaos Sword with Darkryte + Magmaite + Eye Ore
Runes Drain Edge + Blast Chip
Demon provides +20% attack speed, +20% physical damage, and +20% fire damage. Combined with Chaos Sword and legendary ores, this reaches 190-200+ DPS sustained—highest in the game.
Best Tank Build
Race Golem (Legendary)
Weapon Dragon Slayer
Armor Heavy Armor with Obsidian + Mythril
Golem provides +30% Max HP creating largest possible HP pool. Stacks multiplicatively with Heavy Armor (65% boost) and defensive traits for 320+ effective HP. Virtually unkillable in PvE content.
Best Mining/Farming Build
Race Dwarf (Epic) or Angel (Mythical)
Pickaxe Arcane Pickaxe with Triple Miner Shard Runes
Dwarf is best race for pure mining/farming builds with mining speed bonuses and ore yield increases. Alternative: Angel for hybrid farming provides +25% luck while maintaining excellent combat capability.
Best Balanced/Exploration Build
Race Angel (Mythical)
Weapon Crusader Sword or Uchigatana
Angel provides +50% dash distance, +25% luck, and +25% jump height. This build handles combat, mining, exploration, and boss farming with equal effectiveness.
4. Race Reroll Strategy
Understanding when and how to reroll races is critical for progression.
Starting Reroll Approach
Goal: Get A-Tier minimum (Dragonborn, Minotaur, Golem) or S-Tier (Angel, Demon).
- Start game with free reroll from Sensei Moro quest
- Reroll until you get Rare or better (NOT Goblin—reroll Goblin immediately)
- Save race if Epic or Legendary, continue if Uncommon/Rare
- Accumulate rerolls from codes (10 per week), then use 20-30 rerolls aiming for Legendary or Mythical
When to Stop Rerolling
S-Tier Goal Players
Stop at Angel or Demon (both are equally excellent for different purposes). Angel = versatility, Demon = pure DPS.
A-Tier Acceptable Players
Stop at Dragonborn (best Legendary overall). Minotaur or Golem acceptable if they match your build.
Never Stop
Human, Zombie, Goblin—these are always worth rerolling. Elf, Undead, Orc—keep only if you've exhausted all rerolls.
5. Race-Specific Optimization Tips
Each race has specific optimization strategies to maximize effectiveness.
Demon Race Optimization
Maximize damage output with fastest weapons and damage multipliers:
- Use fastest weapons (Chaos, Ironhand) to leverage +20% attack speed
- Stack damage multipliers: Eye Ore (+15%), Drain Edge (+15%), weapon multipliers (5x)
- Drain Edge rune is mandatory for sustain (12% lifesteal keeps you alive)
Angel Race Optimization
Leverage mobility and luck bonuses:
- Use dash aggressively—50% longer distance + 20% cooldown reduction means nearly continuous dashing
- Pair with Lightite armor for additional movement speed
- Angel's +25% luck stacks with Arcane Pickaxe (50%) + Miner Shard runes for 80-100%+ total luck
Golem Race Optimization
Maximize HP pool and leverage high HP for percentage-based mechanics:
- Use Heavy Armor (65% HP boost) for 214.5 base HP
- Compensate for movement penalty with Lightite armor (+15% speed = net +5% faster than baseline)
- Leverage high HP with Drain Edge lifesteal (12% of damage as HP = massive healing on high HP pool)
6. Common Race Mistakes
Mistake 1: Keeping Human/Zombie/Goblin
Why It's Bad: These races provide minimal or negative benefits, drastically slowing progression. A Demon player deals 20% more damage, while a Goblin player gains trivial gold bonuses.
Solution: Reroll Human, Zombie, and Goblin immediately. Use free codes for 10 rerolls per week. Don't play with these races for more than 1-2 hours.
Mistake 2: Not Using Race Storage
Why It's Bad: Players lock themselves into one race forever, missing specialized efficiency. A pure Demon player mines at 0% luck bonus, while a Dwarf in storage would provide massive mining advantages.
Solution: Save Dwarf (or Angel) in Slot 2 once unlocked at Level 30. Swap to Dwarf for dedicated 2-4 hour mining sessions, then swap back to combat race for questing.
Mistake 3: Wasting Rerolls at Low Levels
Why It's Bad: Using 50 rerolls at level 5 when you barely understand the game wastes the resource. You might reroll a Legendary race not knowing its value.
Solution: Use first 5-10 rerolls to get out of Human/Zombie/Goblin tier. Save remaining rerolls until level 20-30 when you understand build mechanics.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best race in The Forge?
Angel is the best overall race for versatility. Demon is best for pure DPS. Both are S-Tier Mythical races.
How do I get Angel or Demon race?
Reroll at Wizard Tower using Race Rerolls. Angel and Demon each have 0.5% drop rate. Expect 100-200 rerolls on average to get one Mythical race.
Should I keep Dragonborn or keep rerolling for Demon?
Keep Dragonborn. It's A-Tier Legendary (1.5% drop rate) and you might spend 100+ more rerolls without getting Demon (0.5% rate). Save Dragonborn in Race Storage and reroll in other slots.
Is Human race viable?
No, Human provides zero bonuses. Reroll immediately to any other race for instant improvement.